by Len Webster
Your love.
It changed.
I can’t remember when.
But I can remember the exact moment it started to hurt being Evan’s best friend.
He would look at me and all I saw was his sisterly love for me.
He adored me and it wasn’t enough.
Not anymore.
There was no lust.
No desire.
No want of my love for him to keep.
No want for me.
No need for me.
He took away my dreams of MIT, so I took away his dreams of us at Stanford and enrolled at Duke.
I needed freedom.
I needed to know who I was without him.
I needed to be away from the memories of us being us.
I won’t let him find me.
No one but my parents and his brother know that I ended up in North Carolina.
Maybe I should have loved his brother.
Maybe I should have been a cliché and fallen in love with the Red Sox pitcher who has always loved me, too.
Maybe I should have known it would all end the way it did.
For years, I kept my promises to Evan.
For years, I kept his secrets.
For years, I continued to promise him my life.
Promises, promises.
I would break them all the moment he told me that I was the most important person in his world because I was his best friend.
It was the night I knew.
The night I asked him who I was to him.
The night I tore up my Stanford admission packet and chose Duke.
The Theory of Unrequited
Book one in the Science of Unrequited series.
COMING SOON
EARLY 2017
Acknowledgements
This book.
This damn book.
It took me almost three years to find the courage to write it.
And I am so glad that I finally did find the courage to do so.
Because this book,
These characters,
Had my heart and soul.
I let these characters destroy me so that I could find some freedom and courage in my writing. I broke free. I owe Sam and Meredith—Meredith, especially—so much. Their story wasn’t easy. It wasn’t filled with sunshine and rainbows. They were the epitome of real. They went through ups and downs. They faced the toughest obstacles and that was themselves. Sometimes, we allow ourselves to become our greatest enemies, we just need to find the right people to show us the sunlight.
Sam and Meredith let me tell a story that had pieces of my past in it. They let me tell a story I could be proud of. They let me tell their story so I could find some inner peace.
The First Touch of Sunlight is not just Sam and Meredith’s story.
It’s not just mine.
It’s a story for everyone to find a piece of themselves in.
We’re all flawed.
Every single one of us.
We all make mistakes.
Base our decisions that lead to the wrong outcomes.
We’re not perfect.
But in our imperfections, we find the perfect images of ourselves.
Our true selves.
No one is perfect.
Not Meredith.
And certainly not Sam.
I’m not perfect either.
And that’s okay.
But without the people I’m about to thank, this story wouldn’t be what it was and stood for without them.
To my family, especially to my siblings. Dennis, Leslie, and Emily. Thank you. I would give up everything for you three. This year has been a tough one for our family. But in the end, no matter what, we’ve prevailed and stood tall!
To Alex Rosa and Jaycee Ford. I couldn’t have written or published the books I have without you two. Thank you for supporting me through this crazy, wonderful journey <3
To Danielle Woodside. I dedicated this book to you because, well, I meant every word. I am so glad to have you in my life. So thankful that I can call you my friend.
To Najla Qamber and Nada Qamber of Najla Qamber Designs. Najla, this cover is unbelievable. I had this vision and you blew it away, thank you so much for bringing this cover to life in more beautiful ways than one. You have been so amazing and I couldn’t do this without you. Nada, thank you for your beautiful teasers and the most beautiful formatting! I am so honoured to have been able to work with you for the very first time, and cannot wait for many more projects together.
To Jenny Sims, my editor, thank you. You always breathe more heart and soul into my stories. Thank you for all your hard work and for editing Sam and Meredith’s story for the world.
To the lovely team at Give Me Books, thank you all so much! I cannot appreciate you all enough for all your hard work.
To all the bloggers who have shared The First Touch of Sunlight’s cover, teasers, signup links, thank you so much for all your hard work, love, and support. Without you all … I have no idea where I would be.
To my readers, my beautiful, beautiful readers. Without you all, I wouldn’t have the career I have. I wouldn’t have this much belief in myself. I wouldn’t have people knowing my name without you all. So thank you so much for believing in me and trusting me with your time and your hearts and minds. I am nothing without you all.
To my lovely Lenatics. Thank you for letting my mind run free in our group. Thank you for letting me share my projects. But most of all, thank you for allowing me to be who I am with you all. Thank you for undying love and support!
To my two dogs, Curly and Chloe, you are the unsung heroes in my career. Thank you both for being good girls and for keeping me company as I get lost for hours upon hours in the written world. I love you both more than Meredith loves Dutch. So much more.
And to you, for reading The First Touch of Sunlight, thank you. I hope you loved it as much as I have loved writing it. I hope it made you love harder, see clearer, and believe in hope without any doubts. I hope Meredith and Sam’s story stays with you. If you loved The First Touch of Sunlight, please let me know! Send me your thoughts. If you loved it so much, please leave a review, I will be forever thankful to you and will appreciate the words you write <3
If you’re ever lost, know this,
You may never know tomorrow’s sunlight if you’re drowning in yesterday’s storm.
Don’t let your past hurt you.
Let your future guide you.
Love,
Len
xo
About The Author
Len Webster is a romance-loving Melburnian with dreams of finding her version of ‘The One.’ But until that moment happens, she writes. Having just graduated with her BBusCom from Monash University, Len is now busy writing her next romance about how a boy met a girl, and how they fell completely and hopelessly in love.
She is also not a certified explorer, but she’s working on it.
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The First Touch of Sunlight
Copyright © 2016 Len Webster
Published by Len Webster
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Th
is book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Published: Len Webster 2016
[email protected]
Editing: Jenny Sims
Cover Design & Formatting: Najla Qamber Designs
Table of Contents
the first touch of sunlight
Books by Len Webster
The First Touch of Sunlight
chapter one
chapter two
chapter three
chapter four
chapter five
chapter six
chapter seven
chapter eight
chapter nine
chapter ten
chapter eleven
chapter twelve
chapter thirteen
chapter fourteen
chapter fifteen
chapter sixteen
chapter seventeen
chapter eighteen
chapter nineteen
chapter twenty
chapter twenty-one
chapter twenty-two
chapter twenty-three
chapter twenty-four
chapter twenty-five
chapter twenty-six
chapter twenty-seven
chapter twenty-eight
chapter twenty-nine
chapter thirty
chapter thirty-one
chapter thirty-two
chapter thirty-three
chapter thirty-four
chapter thirty-five
chapter thirty-six
chapter thirty-seven
chapter thirty-eight
chapter thirty-nine
chapter forty
chapter forty-one
epilogue
Prologue I
Acknowledgements
About The Author