Never Letting Go (Delphian Book 1) by Christina Channelle Page A

look up into his face. “No, the first time.”
    His face was serious and I knew he was thinking hard.
    I gave him a playful smack on the arm. “I guess I’m forgettable.”
    He kissed the side of my cheek. “Never.”
    “I’ll give you a clue.” I grazed my fingertips against his. “Sparks,” I whispered.
    I stared into his face until it finally registered with him. “That was you?” he asked incredulously.
    I chuckled, shaking my head. “I know puberty came late for me but damn, you sure know how to make a girl feel like shit.”
    “You’re beautiful, both then and now.” He shook his head. “I just never put two and two together. But now it all makes sense.”
    I clasped my hand in his. “You never wondered about the girl on the train?”
    “Always,” he said immediately. “I thought maybe we were kindred. You know, those people you instantly connect with for the first time for no apparent reason.”
    “We were. We are.”
    He grinned. “I just never knew the girl with the dyed black hair, thick glasses, flat chest, and business suit was you.”
    I glared at him. “I was in a Goth phase and uncomfortably wearing my mother’s clothes for an interview. I was just playing a role, Ethan. It wasn’t truly me.”
    He looked deep into my eyes. “No, it wasn’t. I prefer the real thing.”
    I looked back at him and realized this simple conversation with the love of my life was nothing more than a figment of my imagination. I rested my back against his chest once more and stared out into the ocean in front of us. The waves crashed like it was creating its own orchestra. The sky was so clear that if I looked closer, I swear, I’d see my own reflection. It all seemed so real .
    Yes, I thought to myself, staring up into Ethan’s face as he stared forward. I prefer the real thing as well.
    But, I’d take what I could get.
     
     

CHAPTER TWELVE
     
     
    L IAM TRIED GETTING me to stay with him at his parents’ place but I refused. As much as I appreciated his company, he could be overwhelming at times, wanting more than I could give him.
    I couldn’t be the person I was two years ago. I wasn’t the lighthearted, carefree girl who laughed at even the simplest of things. I was harder, smiled less, often preferred the quiet.
    Ethan’s death had changed me.
    I had to admit I was dreaming of him almost every night. The dreams almost seemed too real—I’d wake up actually feeling the sensation of his touch, tasting his skin. It was getting to the point where I wanted to stay in bed thinking of him rather than face the realities of the world.
    It was the end of spring break and that meant I had to go back to school. Liam had actually transferred back and was spending the last few months here with me. He was true to his word when he said he didn’t want to leave me. Although it gave me comfort, I dreaded going back to face the stares and whispers of annoying classmates.
    Who knew what the ignorant assholes would say about Ethan’s death.
    And I especially did not want to see the all-too familiar look of Alex. I hadn’t seen her since Ethan’s funeral and that was still too soon. She had always been the bane of my existence, trying to find ways to make my life as horrible as possible. She wasn’t a bully to others, but it seemed I brought out the worst in her.
    No, I would not be looking forward to seeing her.
    Dressing myself in a green tank and casual jeans, I put my contacts in before pulling my hair back into a messy bun. I grabbed for my bag and sauntered down the stairs to the kitchen to make myself a bowl of cereal.
    “Good morning.”
    I looked up to see Stacy, one of my roommates. I lived with both her and Jill, two girls who went to the nearby college. After my father had died, not wanting to be put in the system, and not having any other family, I filed for emancipation. The house that I lived in was my family’s house and fully paid for so I decided to rent some of the bedrooms out so I’d