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PROLOGUE
KATE
My head is pounding. No, it feels like it’s being sliced in half. Scratch that. It feels as if someone is stabbing it over and over again with little razor blades, leaving ribbons of brain instead of a single mass. Feeling like this can mean only one thing: I had another seizure.
I blink slowly, taking in my surroundings. I don’t know where I am. I know it isn’t home, though. It’s too bright. The ceiling has thick wood beams and gold fixtures. And there are people. So many people.
The restaurant. I’m at the restaurant. With Ash. And Mia. And Colt. And Theo. They invited me to celebrate. I remember now.
It’s okay.
It’s going to be okay.
Or maybe it isn’t, but things haven’t felt okay for a while now, so I’m not sure why I’m surprised.
The restaurant is quiet as I open my eyes again, blinking slowly. A stranger is next to me. Brown, wavy hair cropped short on the sides and longer on the top. Kind eyes. Assessing eyes. A strong jaw. And pretty, full lips pulled into a frown. I don’t recognize him. And it isn’t the seizure displacing my already shitty memory, either. Not this time, anyway. I would’ve remembered him. I know I would have. Maybe he’s come into Butter and Grace before? His light blue eyes are like the sky on a sunny day. And yummy full lips. And soft hair.
Whoa, girl. You’re going in circles here.
Where am I again?
“Hey,” the stranger murmurs, pushing my hair away from my forehead as his pretty blue eyes bounce around my face, evaluating me.
Such pretty eyes.
With dark lashes and little flecks of navy spread throughout the sky-blue color.
Blue. Blue. Blue.
“You okay?” he asks, his brows pinched in concern.
I laugh, nearly choking on the lump clogging my throat and the guilt squeezing my chest. “I’m sorry.”
His pretty lips pull into a frown. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Debatable,” I argue. My head is throbbing, and my muscles are already sore from the strain of the seizure. I try to push myself up, but the room spins. Strong, warm hands grasp my arm and back as the stranger helps me sit up.
I’m on the ground. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s usually where I end up when a seizure hits. Especially a bad one.
Everyone’s standing around me.
Looking down at me.
All of my roommates are here. Ashlyn, Mia, Blakely. Theo and Colt are here too. Theo’s dating Blake, and Colt’s dating Ashlyn.
Dating.
The word brings a memory to the surface. Wes. My ex. He’d brought a girl to Butter and Grace, the restaurant where I’m a waitress. I had to serve the bastard before coming here. It’s why I was stressed. Why I downed Mia’s wine without giving a shit it could trigger a seizure.
It’s my own freaking fault.
I know better.
Ash’s eyes are rimmed with redness, hinting she’s holding back tears as she stares down at me. Colt’s embracing her against his chest the same way Theo is with Blakely.
But none of them say anything. They’re watching me. Waiting to see if I’ll start shaking again. If I’ll have another episode.
It must’ve been a bad one.
