Aveke by Tijan

Aveke by Tijan

I watched him in high school. Knew his reputation. Knew he was wealthy, privileged, and mean.

He ran the show back then, a partier and a player.

Then he came back from college, back to the town I never left. He's different now.

He comes into the bar, and I know his routine.

I know which stool he'll pick.

I know his favorite drink. I know which sports team he'll want on the television screen.

And I watch as he gets hit on.

Sometimes he leaves the bar with a woman. Sometimes he doesn't.

But I'm always there, tending to his drinks. He gives me a smile and a polite nod back.

Then one night, after a long appraising stare, he asked, Ava, why are you single?

I leaned in, told him a lie, knowing the truth.

What I didn't know was that my world was about to shatter after that night.

Something else I didn't know: would the man I watched all those years help put my heart back together... or smash it into pieces?

Tijan is the author of several New York Times bestselling series, including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series. She resides in the state of Minnesota's northwestern corner.