The One Thing

by Briana Gaitan

  I squeeze my PC muscles around him firmly in response. “Then promise me we can do this forever. Promise me.”

  “Forever,” he repeats. He pulls up off the bed, bringing me with him until I am sitting upright in his lap. I wrap my arms around his neck and bury the unintelligible words that escape my mouth into his skin. I rub against him hard until I feel the build inside me again. I get there quickly, and let myself teeter on the edge, refusing to go over. If I grind against him any harder or faster, I’ll lose control. I realize I’m biting Caspian’s shoulder, so I pull up and begin to tug at his ear with my teeth. His movements become more ridged, and his grip on my ass hardens. I can’t hold back any longer. I throw my head back and scream as I push against him firmly then use my legs to rise back up and do it again even harder. My carnal muscles begin to massage and tighten around him as he too, comes with me. I feel him pulse and twitch inside of me as he makes one last pump and muffles his cries into my shoulder. I continue to rock against him as the ecstasy begins to fade. His skin is slick with sweat, but I still manage to keep a firm grip on his back. I’m never letting go. We both pant from the passionate lovemaking.

  “That was amazing,” he finally says as he sets me back on the bed. I nod, but can’t find the strength to talk. I’m lightheaded, worn down, and my ears are ringing, but I couldn’t be happier. I finally have him.

  This is my love story. A young girl who wanted love so badly, she created it in everyone and everything around her. Love can’t be found in the bottom of a bottle or by being the star of the party. It can’t be found in fame or riches. It can’t be found with the guy every girl wants. It can only be found by waiting. Right girl, right guy, right time.

  Everything that was once out of control in my life is now steadied because of him. He completes me in ways I couldn’t ever imagine. We were brought together by a random street in a random town. Attracted to each other by unknown forces until the timing was perfect. He was right; neither of us were ready for relationships back then. He needed to find his own way in life to me. But he was wrong about one thing. It wasn’t just our friendship that would be epic; our love would be as well.

  If you liked this book, please leave a review. It helps indie authors so much! Keep reading for discussion questions and sneak peeks from two other romance authors.

  There’s a whole other story that hasn’t been told about Booker and Aly. Be on the lookout for their story soon along with another story about Caspian and Ginger.

  Coming soon, hear Caspian’s song “Ginger” in February.

  Discussion Questions

  *The One Thing begins and ends with Ginger running through the rain. What symbolism do you think the author means to portray here?

  *Ginger and Caspian are attracted to each other immediately upon meeting. While it begins as physical, it quickly turns emotional. What qualities do you think drew them to each other? Have you ever fell for someone who was the opposite of what you normally go for?

  *Ginger and Caspian both come from different upbringings. Ginger had very unsupportive parents, and felt lost among her siblings, while Caspian’s family was very close. How do you think their childhood affected the outcome of their lives and addictions? Do you think Ginger’s need for fame stems from her lack of parental attention?

  *Ginger had problems managing her money. Have you ever had an issue like this? What do you think she could have done differently to take control of her finances? Do you think she acted her age when it came to this management?

  *There are certain parts in the novel that we feel a sense of jealousy from Ginger in regards to Quinn. Does this change your view on how she acted in The Last Thing? Do you think she has a right to feel this way? What could Ginger have done to get over these feelings?

  *Aly was broken up so easily after ten years. How do you feel about Booker’s betrayal? Was he a good friend to Caspian or a guy who took what he wanted when he wanted?

  *Explain the different types of forgiveness show by the characters in the novel.

  *Ginger’s character grows throughout the novel. She begins as a little shallow and selfish, but towards the end, she is a little more mature. Do you think Caspian helped her change or was it simply life that forced her to see things differently?

  *Did Ginger and Caspian make the right choice in the end? Do you think Barrett would have really changed for her?

  *The main characters both love music and bond over bands such as Death Cab for Cutie and Lydia. Both bands are hugely popular in the indie community. What do you think about the songs that the characters mention are their favorites?

  *There are many differences between Quinn and Ginger’s stories. One being when Gaitan decided to write Ginger’s book in present tense to show how the character thinks and acts in the moment? Do you think this furthered the characterization?

  The One Thing Playlist

  (Find the Spotify playlist at my website)

  Ginger’s songs

  Someday You will be Loved by Death Cab for Cutie

  Circles by States

  Hope You Stay Gone by States

  Such Great Heights by The Postal Service

  Girls Like You by The Naked and Famous

  Punchline by The Cinema

  Please by Staind

  Oblivion by Bastille

  Reverse by Somekindawonderful

  Now The One You Once Loved Is Leaving by Lydia

  Stay Awake by Lydia

  Once Upon Another Time by Sarah Bareilles

  Bright lights and Cityscapes by Sarah Bareilles

  Caspian’s songs

  A Lack of Color by Death Cab for Cutie

  Hands Down by Dashboard Confessional

  Crooked Teeth by Death Cab for Cutie

  Holidays by Lydia

  Knee Deep by Lydia

  The Man Who Can’t be Moved by The Script

  Ghost by The Cinema

  Call it in the Air by The Cinema

  Brothers on a Hotel Bed by Death Cab for Cutie

  Brighter Lights by States

  Dedication and Afterword.

  And here is my second romance book, which took longer than expected to write. I think I finally found my niche. Though I love fantasy, I love romance and think this is where my heart lies. So many people made my first romance a success, and I’m grateful for all the people who tuned in to help me with Ginger’s story. My Street Team, beta readers, all those wonderful bloggers, my friends, and my family. Then there are the fans of The Last Thing. You guys were so inspiring and helped me strive to reach that next level. The first scene I wrote was the meeting of Caspian and Ginger. I drew the inspiration from my own lost experience in Nashville. Though I didn’t mean any cute musicians, I sure saw a lot! Celeste and the band that play with Aly are crossover characters from a book by Brooke Kennedy. Be on a look out for her book soon. A huge thank you to Josh for writing the lyric’s to Caspian’s song and helping him come to life. I appreciate each and every one of you and can’t wait to see what this year brings.

  About the Author

  Briana Gaitan grew up in the South, but calls herself a geek at heart. She is a blogger,author,and fangirl who loves Star Wars, Star Trek, and Jewelry (bet you never thought you'd hear those three things in a sentence together) For fun, she loves watching any show on the SyFy channel, relaxing with her family, reading, and listening to indie music (sometimes all at the same time). Briana loves to write stories where there are no limits to the imagination. She is the co-author of the best selling Ethereal Underground series and author of the Amazon best-selling Hollywood Timelines Series. Find out more about her book at www.bookswithbree.com

  Don’t forget to check out her other books!

  www.etherealunderground.com

  Follow her at Twitter @bookswithbree

  Facebook www.facebook.com/booksbybree

  By

  Unspoken Memories

  Book One of the Unspoken Series

  Copyright © 2013 by Gabbie S. Duran
r />   Cover art by ©Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations

  Editing done by Stephanie Lott

  Book formatting by JT Formatting

  ISBN-13: ISBN: 9781311404282

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the above author of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  I CAN HEAR voices, two to be exact, a man and a woman. They’re speaking quietly, but loudly enough that I can clearly make out their conversation. I can't open my eyes, no matter how hard I try, and they feel heavy, so I keep them closed.

  “I can't leave her, she's our money ticket!” he says in a very stressed tone.

  “How much good is she to you now? She's in a coma! We don’t know if she's ever going to wake up.” This comes from the woman, and from the way she says it, I know she isn’t happy.

  “Well, it doesn't matter, I need a little more time to try to figure out how to access the rest of the funds. The longer she's in this coma, the more time is on my side, and the more money we get.”

  Okay, this is where the conversation is getting really interesting to me. At this point I'm trying hard to open my eyes, but I keep getting pulled somewhere else, back into the darkness. My gut feeling is telling me keep my eyes closed and keep listening, so that's what I'm trying to do, I’m fighting the pull that wants to take me away.

  “Well, I'm tired of being your fuck buddy, I want more!” she demands of him in a very loud whisper.

  Fuck buddy? Why is she being a fuck buddy, and whose? But by the way she tells him this, I have a feeling that she's been his fuck buddy for a while.

  “Look, when we started this you knew to never expect more, but if she's going to be a vegetable for a while, I'm thinking things are going to change very soon.”

  This doesn’t sound good. I start to freak out, especially since I feel like a vegetable right now. No matter how hard I’m trying, I can’t move a muscle. I wonder, are they speaking about me?

  The room suddenly grows quiet, and I start to hear footsteps fading in the distance. I believe they’re leaving, because I hear the opening and closing of a door.

  I give it a couple of seconds, but the room is still silent. I can finally relax. Then all of a sudden, the darkness begins to take over again.

  I FEEL MYSELF slowly waking up again and I let out a light moan. I can feel the grumble of it traveling down my chest, and it aches. I feel so groggy and weak. I don’t want to wake up, but my body is not allowing me to fall back asleep and I try to slowly open my eyes. It’s hard at first, but after a couple of blinks, I’m successful at bringing them to a slit. My body is aching as I try to lift my arm. It feels like weights are holding it down, but I’m able to move my hand, I think.

  What is that sound? It’s a constant beeping, coming from the side of my head, and it’s speeding up as I move in that direction. I try to lift my arm to get to it, with little success because there’s something tugging at it. When I look down, I see an I.V. attached to my arm, why would I have an I.V.? I attempt to completely open my eyes. I see an older lady who is wearing nurse’s scrubs walking towards me. She must have done something, because the loud beeping is finally gone. It was making my head hurt, so I’m grateful she finally made the thing shut up.

  “Good, you’re awake,” I hear her say next to me.

  I feel her warm hand grab onto my wrist while she looks down at a watch she is wearing. I’m still confused. I have no idea where I am.

  I manage to move my head a little and take in my surroundings. It looks like I’m in a hospital room. It’s white, and almost empty, with only a couple of chairs in each corner. There’s a flat screen on the wall directly in front of me, with a clock to its side, stating it’s almost six. Underneath the clock there’s a white board with writing on it. I guess my nurse’s name is Karen, since that’s the name on the board.

  “How are you feeling Ms. Adams?” Karen says, still focusing on her watch.

  I lie there wondering why I’m even here, and how did I get here? Wait, what did she call me? Is it my name? It doesn’t sound familiar.

  I have no clue where in the world I am and I don’t like it.

  “Where am I?” I ask Karen, wondering why I would be in a hospital room.

  She looks up from her watch, with a blank face. “You’re at Washington Memorial Hospital, Ms. Adams.” Then she goes back to looking at her watch.

  I’m still confused, why is she calling me that name? “Who’s Ms. Adams?” I ask her, confused.

  She lightly snaps her head up again to look down at me, and draws in her eyebrows. Her smile has disappeared and goes directly to a frown. “Why, you are, of course,” she informs me.

  She places my wrist down back on the bed, patting it lightly. “I’ll just page your neurologist and we’ll go from there, okay?” she says as she turns and walks out of the room, leaving me there still baffled by the whole situation.

  A couple of minutes later, another lady walks into the room. I’m assuming she is my doctor because she’s wearing a white coat. She looks Indian and young. But as she’s walking in she has a smile on her face and it gives me a bit of hope.

  A bit.

  “Ms. Adams, I’m Dr. Kumar, your neurologist. How are you feeling, dear?” she enthusiastically asks me, while swiftly grabbing my chart, opening it, and beginning to review it.

  Knowing the truth will never hurt, I say bluntly, “I feel like shit and I really have to pee.”

  This makes her laugh, as she pulls out what looks like a pen from her coat pocket, walks to the side of my bed and leans above me. I realize it’s a flashlight as she starts flashing it back and forth between my eyes, making me flinch. It burns my eyes and if my arms didn’t feel so weak, I would have swatted that darn thing out of her hand.

  Trust me, I try, but I quickly give up the notion. Once she’s done shining the death light at me she replaces it in her coat pocket and walks to the end of my bed to pick the chart back up and starts scribbling notes into it. I lay here staring at her.

  As she’s still scribbling, the nurse walks in again with a new I.V. bag and busies herself with changing it while the doctor asks me, “Ms. Adams, would you be more comfortable if I have Karen here remove your catheter so you can go to the bathroom yourself?” She is still staring down at the chart making notes.

  I nod my head in agreement, but can’t help asking again, “Who is Ms. Adams? You both keep calling me that name?”

  The doctor quickly snaps her head up, while the nurse stops fiddling with the bag and they both stare at me in shock.

  The doctor immediately looks at the nurse. “Call her fiancé, and order a CAT scan STAT.” Then she looks down at me and says, “We’ll just order some more tests to make sure there isn’t any swelling remaining and go from there, okay?” She finishes with a smile.

  Still very confused about what is going on, I nod my head in acceptance and hope that I’ll remember something in a couple of minutes. Right now the only thing I keep thinking about is the conversation I heard earlier. Or I think it was earlier. I really have no idea when it took place. It almost feels like it only happened a couple of minutes ago and I’m really anxious to find out who was in my room. But more than anything I still have to pee.

  My thoughts must have taken me away for a couple of minutes because the nurse has managed to remove my catheter and with a lot of assistance, I’m able to sit up on the bed. At fi
rst my body is wobbly and unbalanced, but after a few minutes I find the strength I am searching for and make my merry way along, holding onto the nurse for dear life. The metal stand holding the I.V. bag follows me the whole way.

  It’s hard to walk when you have something attached to your arm following you around. After the first tug at my arm, I want to yank the thing out myself. However, the nurse keeps saying I have to leave it in, since it is providing me with the fluids to increase my health.

  That is the only reason it stays in.

  After some major maneuvering, again with the nurse’s help, I’m finally able to relieve myself in the attached bathroom. I can’t go at first, knowing she is standing there staring at me. But even after asking her for some privacy, she only moves to the doorframe of the bathroom.

  Finishing up what I needed to do, and washing my hands, I take a moment to stand in front of the mirror and stare at my reflection. Other than needing to take a brush to my hair, I look perfectly fine.

  Or at least I think I do for someone who is in the hospital.

  Actually, I don’t recognize myself at all. You would think that I would at least recognize my reflection, but it doesn’t come to me. So I stand there staring at myself and take in my features.

  My hair is blonde, very long, and my eyes are a very bright green. I’m also tall. I remember being at least half a foot taller than the nurse, towering over her a bit. Another noticeable thing is that I’m very skinny. Don’t I ever eat?

  When I hear the nurse knock on the bathroom door making sure that I’m still okay, it distracts me from my thoughts, also reminding me that we have to go get my CAT scan done right away. I exit the bathroom and allow her to lead me to the bed, laying me back down.

  An hour later, after being put through a cocoon-like machine, as I’m being wheeled toward my room, I see a man rushing in my direction. He’s practically running when he walks and he looks exhausted. I don’t know who this man is, but by the way he’s looking straight at me and still walking in my direction, he knows me.