Chapter 1

Ava Miller squinted at her laptop screen, the afternoon Austin sun making it hard to see her brother Liam's face clearly.

"So, you'll come back to Boston for a bit? Just a break?" Liam asked, his voice a little crackly over the video call.

"Yeah, Liam, I'll come," Ava said, trying to sound more enthusiastic than she felt. Her Austin apartment felt stuffy.

"And you'll meet him? This guy I know? He's interesting."

Ava managed a weak smile. "Sure, 'someone interesting'."

Ethan Cole, her boyfriend of six years, walked in then, sweaty from a motocross ride. He caught the tail end. "Need some space, babe?" he asked, already heading for the shower.

Ava just nodded, not wanting to explain.

Liam's face tightened on the screen. "Ava, you're wasting your best years on him. Six years, and he hasn't even introduced you to his family. He's not serious."

Ava knew Liam was right. It was a familiar argument.

"I just need about two weeks, Liam," Ava said, changing the subject. "To sort things out here."

"Take your time," Liam said, his voice softer now. "Mom and Dad are handling the wedding plans for you and Noah. He's a great guy, Ava. Stable. Successful. He actually asked about you months ago, saw your picture on my desk."

Ava felt a strange pang. Noah Evans. A doctor. Liam's college friend.

Liam then added, "Oh, and make sure you invite Ethan to the wedding. He put you up for a few years when you first moved to Austin, right? It's only polite."

The request felt like a punch. Invite Ethan to her wedding with another man?

Ava struggled to find her voice. "Ethan... he can't make it, Liam."

Just then, Ethan walked back into the living room, toweling his hair. He'd clearly overheard.

"Can't make what?" he asked, looking from the laptop screen to Ava.

Ava quickly minimized Liam's window. "Nothing, just... a family thing." She forced a smile.

Ethan walked over to the couch where Ava sat, his scent of sweat and bike oil filling the small space. He leaned in, kissing her neck.

"What was that about? You didn't tell your brother about us, did you?" he murmured against her skin.

Ava pulled back slightly. "You always said to keep it quiet, Ethan. Remember?"

He chuckled, a low, charming sound that used to make her heart skip. "Yeah, well, you know Liam. He'd probably try to kill me if he knew I was sleeping with his little sister while she was living under my roof, supposedly just as a friend."

His hand slid to her waist, pulling her closer.

Ava looked into his eyes, the bright blue that always seemed to hold a hint of recklessness. "So, what are we, Ethan? After all this time?"

He ticked off points on his fingers. "We live together. We sleep together. I take you to all my races. You write songs about me, or at least, I like to think you do." He grinned, that easy charm back in full force.

He leaned in to kiss her properly, but Ava turned her head. "I should... I need to finish a song."

Ethan shrugged, not seeming to notice her withdrawal. "Okay, shy girl. Later then." He sauntered off towards the kitchen, probably looking for a beer.

Ava stared at his retreating back. Was she really his girlfriend? Or was she just... convenient? A placeholder? The thought had been a small, nagging worry for years, but lately, it had grown louder, harder to ignore. She felt a deep ache in her chest, a familiar sadness. She wasn't sure if she was a real partner to him or just someone filling a space until someone better, or someone specific, came along.

She remembered moving to Austin six years ago, fresh out of high school in Boston. Liam had arranged for her to stay with Ethan, his old college buddy, while she attended the music program at the university. Ethan was older, already a local motocross legend, and Ava had been instantly smitten. He was all wild energy and easy smiles. She'd moved to Austin for school, yes, but also, secretly, for him. Liam had trusted Ethan to look out for her, a platonic arrangement.

For the first year, it was mostly that. Ethan was rarely home, always out with a string of different girls. Ava focused on her music, her classes, nursing her quiet crush. Then, one night, he'd crashed his bike during a practice run. Nothing too serious, but he was laid up for a week. Ava had taken care of him, bringing him food, changing his bandages. He'd woken up one afternoon, feverish and a little disoriented, looked straight at her, and said, "You're always here, aren't you, Ava?" Then he'd pulled her down and kissed her.

After that kiss, everything changed. Ethan's other girls disappeared. He was all about Ava. She was ecstatic, convinced this was real love. Her family back in Boston kept trying to set her up on blind dates whenever she visited, pushing her towards "suitable" young men. Ava always refused, telling them she was focused on her music. Ethan, meanwhile, always made sure she never told Liam or her parents about their relationship. "They wouldn't understand," he'd say. "Liam would flip."

Then, a few months ago, at a party, Ethan's best friend, Jake "Wrench" Riley, had gotten drunk. He'd slung an arm around Ava's shoulders and slurred, "You know, Ava, you remind me so much of Chloe when Ethan first fell for her... he's always tried to find that spark again." Chloe Vance. Ethan's high school sweetheart. The name had been a ghost in their relationship, whispered occasionally by Ethan's friends. This was the first time someone had said it so directly, so cruelly.

Ava had felt the ground drop out from under her. She started digging, subtly at first, then more desperately. It wasn't hard to find. Chloe Vance was an Austin legend, the beautiful, popular girl who had broken Ethan's heart when she moved away years ago. He'd never gotten over her. His subsequent girlfriends, Ava now realized with a sickening clarity, all shared certain traits with Chloe – a particular way of laughing, a style of dress, even a preference for certain music. Ethan's whole motocross career, the reckless chances he took, it was all tied to Chloe, to impressing her, to winning her back even in her absence.

The realization that her entire six-year relationship was built on a lie, that she was a carefully selected understudy, had been devastating. That was when she'd finally, truly, decided. Liam's talk of an arranged marriage, of Noah Evans, suddenly didn't seem so bad. It seemed like an escape. She would take it. She would leave Ethan, and she would not look back. Her feelings for Ethan, once so vibrant, now felt like ash.