by Len Webster
Sometimes Moments
Thirty-Eight Series
Forever Starts Today (Thirty-Eight #.5) Coming Soon
Thirty-Eight Days (Thirty Eight #1)
Thirty-Eight Reasons (Thirty Eight #2)
What We’ll Leave Behind (Thirty-Eight #2.5)
What You Left Behind (Thirty-Eight #3) Coming August 2015
All We Have (Thirty-Eight #4) Coming 2016
One chance meeting on a white beach in Thailand would set their story in stone.
Eighteen and fresh out of high school, Stevie Appleton is about to embark on a form of freedom she has never known. When offered the chance to go to Thailand to celebrate the end of high school, she takes it. What she doesn’t know is that saying yes would lead to meeting him.
Having just finished his Bachelor, Julian Moors can’t wait to party away the last three years of university. All he wants from his holiday in Thailand is to relax on the beach, drink and have the time of his life. However, the moment his eyes land on the beautiful blonde reading on the beach, he knows he can’t stay away. All his other wants no longer matter. What does matter is getting to know the girl behind the mockingbird.
Enter Stevie and Julian’s memory vault.
No names. No past. Just right now.
Seven days to fall in love.
Seven days until their end.
Seven days until they both wake up heartbroken.
And four more years until they meet again.
For those who believe in second chances.
You inspire forgiveness.
You intensify the notion of believing.
Never give up on what you love and what you hope for.
“Good-bye means you don’t have to wait anymore.”
Julian Moors, Thirty-Eight Reasons.
“Hey, kiddo. You excited to start the big year twelve?” Julian Moors asked as he reached over Clara Lawrence’s shoulder and grabbed a skewer of barbecued meat. It wasn’t that difficult, considering he towered over the teenager.
She shook her head. “Nope.”
Julian closed his mouth just as he was about to take a bite of the cubed beef and then set the skewer on a clean plate. “Why?” he asked, glaring at her.
When Clara didn’t answer, Julian placed hands on her cheeks and brought her face closer.
“Tell me.”
“I am so uncomfortable right now that I don’t even have a remark for this,” his older brother, Rob, said.
“Piss off,” Julian hissed.
Clara took a step back and then looked at Rob, her cheeks tinted a slight pink. Just like Julian, Rob had kept an eye on Clara while her brother, Alex, attended university in America.
Rob had taken a pull from his beer before he raised his eyebrow. “Better not let Alex see the way you act around Clara. He’ll think something of it.”
“Alex has nothing to worry about. Look. He’s with your dad,” Clara pointed out.
“Noel not coming?” Julian asked.
“No, he’s staying in New York,” Rob replied.
Clara picked up a cup from the table and mumbled, “Thank God.”
Julian chuckled at what she thought they hadn’t heard.
Rob looked at them before he shook his head and walked away. Unlike the others, Julian was friends with Clara. He wasn’t her protector. He’d never wanted to be, and he’d never believed she needed one. Alex had always been a protective bastard over his little sister.
“You going to explain to me why you aren’t excited about year twelve?” Julian asked as he faced her.
Clara brushed her long, curly, brown hair over her shoulder and sighed. “You all left a legacy that overshadows me. People want to be my friend because of you boys and my brother. Not me.”
Julian playfully elbowed her. “Don’t be an idiot. You’ll have a great final year.”
She smoothed her hands down her blue dress and hummed an incoherent reply.
“Trust me, kiddo. You’ll be fine. Just wait til you get to university. Boys will be all over you.”
That was when she laughed. “Suuure. A boy noticing me will be a miracle.”
He groaned at her remark. “Clars, all it takes is one man and you’ll be set. I’m sure it’ll happen before you know it.”
Her lips formed a frown and her brows knitted. “My brother wouldn’t approve of anyone. He’ll send me to a convent if he has to.”
Before he could reply, he felt the buzzing of his phone against his thigh. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out to see a new message.
Noel: Sorry I can’t be there for your good-bye party. Alex needed to be home with his sister more than I needed to be back in Melbourne. Party it up in Thailand before you enter the big bad world. I’ll see you soon.
Julian smiled at the message from one of his best friends. It had been years since he had seen Nolan Parker back home. But Noel and Alex had just started as junior accountants at G&MC, one of America’s largest accounting firms.
Julian: Thanks, man. Wish you were here with us.
Noel: You sound like I’ve died.
Julian: Might as well have. You’re boring as fuck lately.
Noel: Welcome to the real world, asshole.
Julian: Thanks, asshole.
He looked up to see Clara staring at him curiously. “That was Noel. He says hi.”
She let out an unbelievable laugh and then shook her head. “I doubt it.”
“What do you mean?” he asked as he returned his phone to his pocket and reached for a bottle of water. The hot sun had caused him to sweat, and he was feeling parched.
Clara picked up a piece of sliced watermelon. “Nolan Parker is not important. What is important is if we’re still on for lunch and a movie when you return?”
Julian kissed the top of her head. “You got it, kiddo. I’ll never break our promises.”
“Just have fun and be safe, okay?”
He placed his hand on her shoulder and looked down at her. Her big, brown eyes were shining. Clara was like an adorable little sister for him.
“I promise, Clara.”
“Stephanie! Stephanie Appleton!” Hayley called.
“Seriously, how many times?” Stevie mumbled under her breath.
But it didn’t matter. Exams were over in a week and she would be free from the horrible all-girls high school. University meant being away from many of her classmates. Most would likely attend university in other countries or states.
After a deep breath, Stevie turned around to see Hayley Craft standing next to her, rolling up the long sleeves of her white school shirt and breathing heavily. Hayley had been the girl who sat in front of Stevie in their business management class and had always been nice. “You okay?” she asked as she closed her locker.
Most of the girls still kept their lockers while they studied on campus for their year twelve exams. Stevie used hers to stuff her bag in when she couldn’t be bothered to drag it from her car to the library.
“Do you have plans for Schoolies?” Hayley asked as she brushed a lock of her auburn hair behind her ear.
Stevie shook her head. “Nope.”
Hayley’s hazel eyes shone as she grinned. “That’s great!”
“Great? More like pathetic.”
“This is really great!”
Not sure where Hayley was going, Stevie spun around and walked towards the library on the far end of campus, past the science labs and next to the art studios.
“Wait up!” Hayley shouted, picking up her pace to match Stevie’s. “Do you want to go to Thailand?”
Stevie stopped and squinted at her. “What?”
Hayley let out a heavy sigh. “My boyfriend wants to spend Schoolies together, and I really want to go with h
im. But I’ve already paid my share for the trip with the girls. When I said I couldn’t go, they wanted me to ask you if you’d fill my spot.”
Schoolies with the pretentious bitches?
Stevie scrunched her nose at the thought. Thailand would mean she would be away from her stepbrother, stepmother, and father. As much as she loved them, they suffocated her. A few weeks on the beach meant she wouldn’t have to deal with her persistent mother trying to get her to move to London. For Stevie, ensuring that no one connected the dots was crucial. She didn’t want to be known as French supermodel Collette Augstin’s daughter. It was hard enough to keep the French side of her a secret. The only time she spoke French was around her father and on the occasional calls to her family in London and Paris.
“I’d love to take your spot, Hayley.”
“Really?” Hayley asked, surprised. “Are you sure?”
“Sure. It’s just Thailand. A few weeks in the sun will do me some good,” she explained.
No. I just need to breathe on my own for a while.
“Roxy and the girls are staying at a resort. You’ll just have to pay me for my share of the accommodation and pay for your own ticket since I’m getting mine changed for Queensland.”
Stevie nodded. “Sure. Text me the amount and I’ll bring the money tomorrow.”
To her surprise, Hayley wrapped her arms around her. “Thank you so much! You are going to have an amazing time.”
She didn’t move, allowing Hayley to hug her. “Eh, sure. I guess.”
Julian stood on the balcony of his private villa on Karon Beach in Phuket, Thailand. University was done and he’d never have another assignment or exam again. Freedom had never been sweeter than when he had stood on the hot, white sand for the very first time yesterday. He had been the first to take off his thongs to dig his feet in the sand and wiggle his toes.
He was kilometres from home. His brother, Rob, couldn’t breathe down his neck or control his life. Julian loved his brother, but Rob didn’t have to hold his hand like he had when they buried their mother eleven years ago. When their mother died, it had been like their father had, too. That was when Julian noticed the shift in his brother’s attitude. Rob had grown up and taken care of them. Julian didn’t want to grieve. He wanted to live as brightly as his mother had.
The slam of the front door had Julian pulling away from the view of the calm, clear blue water and peering into the living room. Because Dean Evans’s father was one of Melbourne’s richest investors, getting a private villa on Karon Beach was easy for them. Julian hadn’t complained that he hadn’t gotten a room in the larger, grander villa next door. Rick and Justin had brought along their girlfriends, while Julian, Dean, and Willa were single. But in reality, he knew that Dean and Willa had been hooking up for months. The two were stupid to believe that no one had noticed.
It didn’t surprise Julian when Willa Avana stalked past him and went into his bedroom. Julian sighed, scratched his temple before following her into the room. Once inside, he watched as she paced next to the king-size bed. Then she pursed her lips as she started mumbling. Her damp, black hair was pulled over one shoulder, water soaking through her cover-up.
With her dark brown eyes and her high cheekbones, Willa was one of the most beautiful women he had ever met. They had gone to and finished university together. Once, during a night out in Toorak, Julian had made a move. In the corner of the nightclub, Willa had cupped his balls and violently squeezed, telling him that she’d cut them off if he tried again. After that incident, he decided he valued his dick more than Willa.
She stopped and balled her fists tight, shifting her attention to him. “I should just be a lesbian!”
“You’d make a hot one,” he pointed out as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“I’m serious,” she deadpanned.
Julian raised an eyebrow. “Same here.”
Willa rolled her eyes. “You just want me to do a chick in front of you.”
“I’d give you an arm, a lung, and my left testicle. And I’m very fond of my balls.” He smirked.
She unclenched her fists and threw her arms in the air. “You’re impossible. I came here to tell you that your friend is… Argh!”
“Actually, you came here and told me you should be a lez. And lesbihonest, I am nothing but a supportive friend.”
Shaking her head, Willa took two steps back before she sat on the bed and stared at her hands. “I should have just let him come here on his own. I mean, how can we have a great holiday when all we do is fight? We’re not even together!”
I’m, like, the last person someone needs to express their feelings and shit to.
“‘The heart wants what the heart wants,’” he quoted. Whether it was Shakespeare or a fortune cookie, he didn’t know. It sounded appropriate enough.
She lifted her gaze from her hands to him. “Okay, Confucius. Lay your wisdom down on me.”
Julian untangled his arms and let them fall to his sides. Then he looked around the room for a means of escape. Jumping out the window wasn’t ideal. Sure, travel insurance would pay. But he wouldn’t get to enjoy his holiday. His eyes roamed the room until he noticed the towel he had dropped on the floor by the end of the bed.
“Can’t help you. Dr Julian has decided you need Dr Phil or even Maury Povich.” He took two steps until he was at the foot of the bed.
Willa squinted at him. “That’s all you have? Come on. You’re his friend. What’s wrong with him?” she asked in a demanding tone.
He groaned. “Deano needs to get laid,” he said as he picked his towel up.
“Is that it?” she asked, frustrated.
Julian nodded. “What else could it be? He likes you. You like him. When people like each other, they normally fuck.”
“Hmm,” Willa mumbled as her brow furrowed.
“What is ‘hmm,’ Willa?” he asked, intrigued by the flash in her eyes.
She got up from the bed and pointed at him. “‘Hmm’ is hmm, you asshole!” Then she marched out of the room.
He followed her out to see her standing on the balcony, staring out towards the ocean. “You need to get laid,” he pointed out and wrapped the towel around his neck.
Willa turned around, her almost-black eyes flaring. “Not everyone needs to get laid, Julian!” she screamed.
As he walked to the door, he chuckled. Then he stopped and spun around to smirk at her. “You, my spicy jalapeño, definitely need to get laid.”
“Shut up! I don’t.” She stomped her foot like a child.
“Jalapeño, you need it good. Now, stop hiding in my villa and go find Deano. You’re both annoying travel luggage I didn’t need. I’m off to the beach. If you’re on your period, tamp it up or something. Enjoy some cold water. God knows you need it.”
Willa’s head dropped. “We haven’t fucked.”
He raised a brow. “I literally walked in on you two the other week.”
She shook her head once before meeting his eyes. “Julian, we haven’t fucked. Not like we used to.”
What is she on about? They’ve been at it like goddamn… Oh!
His shoulders relaxed. “Well, shit,” he breathed and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Yeah.”
“The two idiots are in l-l…” He shivered at the thought.
“Love,” Willa whispered, sounding like she was frightened of the word as well.
Julian gagged. “Such blasphemy! You said you would never.”
A smile slowly touched her lips before she let out a low laugh. “You’re the only one left.”
With her eyes glazed over and a smile on her face, she had never looked more beautiful. Enraged-and-demanding Willa Avana was hot and an absolute turn-on. But in-love Willa Avana was breathtaking.
He shook his head and gripped the doorknob of the villa’s front door. “Love’s an asshole. It just took away two of the cool kids. I guess you can stay here and think about what you do with it. I’m going to the beach.”
/>
Roxy is a bitch.
I can’t believe I’m on Schoolies with her.
I can’t believe she’s having sex with a random stranger she’s just met.
Oh, my God…
What if they’re having sex on my bed?
On my things.
Near my things.
Using my things.
Roxy and the Scot deserve chlamydia…
And a terrible sunburn!
“You’re all assholes and I hope you fuckers get dengue fever!” Julian growled as he threw the beach ball at Justin, who caught it with ease.
“Come on, Julian. We were kidding. You’re not your brother’s li’l bitch,” Rick teased. The smirk on his face and the glint in his dark blue eyes had Julian’s nostrils flaring.
Assholes. All of them. A bunch of assholes.
“Whatever,” Julian mumbled as he started to make his way back to the beach.
“Julian!” Dean called after him.
He stopped at the sound of his name then turned around. “Yeah, I’m the screw-up. I’m not going to win a gold medal. Whoop dee do.”
“That’s not what Rick meant,” Justin tried.
“I’m my brother’s bitch. While he trains for the damn Olympics, I put my life on hold and support his whole career. Clean his boat and shit. Li’l bitch, I am.”
It wasn’t that Julian hated his brother. Rob had used rowing as a way to deal with his grief, and Julian had been there to support. But assisting Rob had gone from being there for his brother to becoming a slave—being oppressed was a daily routine at the row club.
“Julian—”
He interrupted Rick with a shrug. “I’ll see you boys for dinner. Make sure your girls don’t take too long. I want to hit the moonlight party before you idiots run off because of your bedtimes.”
This time, Julian didn’t let them continue as he spun back around and slowly made his way to shore—avoiding other tourists. He knew he was overreacting, but he wanted to forget about his brother and his life back in Melbourne. He already had offers from advertising firms in the city and even out of state. When his holiday ended, he’d have to decide where he wanted to start his career.