For Both Are Infinite (Hearts in London Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

rude and assuming. The right thing is to ask you. This way, if I think of something I can text you and you can answer me whenever you have the chance.”
    I didn’t answer right away, having been years since a man asked me for my number. I knew he wasn’t asking in a flirtatious manner, but I still felt reminiscent for the time Aaron asked for it during Biology sophomore year.
    “Would that be alright, Ellie?” he asked, bringing me out of my daydream. I noticed he had a flash of embarrassment that he’d perhaps overstepped a boundary.
    “Yes, of course.” Rhys’ mouth curved in satisfaction as I recited my number to him.

CHAPTER THREE

    T he end of the semester was catching up to me. I was exhausted with tension collected in my shoulders and bags under my eyes. Looking forward to having the next day off, I showered and laid in bed that night, realizing it had been a trying day. Being around Rhys challenged me in ways I’d evaded. I was attracted to him, but my heart and brain tried resisting it to every extent.
    When I got home I looked at Aaron’s picture, stroking my fingers on the frame and staring into his eyes that were forever trapped in the image. I used to obsess over how I would never see those eyes smile, cry or blink again, but since moving here I was able to seclude my torture. My attraction felt betraying to the love of my life who was no longer in my life. My world felt tumbled with, and since Aaron's passing I hadn’t felt completely in control of it. He left a gaping black hole in my universe, one that couldn’t be filled even if I’d allow anyone to try.
    When Rhys asked for my number, I hesitated. Not because it wasn’t a good idea, but because I immediately thought back to Aaron. I considered the memory, similar to a teenage chick flick, where the boy in braces asked the girl out, she’s still got baby fat on her face, but it’s clear they’re a perfect match. That was Aaron and I, and he was confident that day when he asked a nervous, awkward Ellie for her number.
    When I went home that day in tenth grade, I checked my phone every five minutes in hopes that he would call. He didn’t wait or play the game to text me, and it was one of my favorite memories of him. The following day in the hallway he messaged me and watched from the other side, observing my giddy smile as I glanced at my phone.

    Aaron: Will you be my girlfriend?

    Somewhere in between looking at my phone and reading the message, Aaron had joined me at my side and touched my smile with his fingertip. “Does this mean yes?” and I nodded eagerly, looking up and seeing his large grin. It was silly, the way we’d started our relationship, adolescent even, but it was who we were. We had dated all through high school and gone to the same university, graduating within one semester of each other. Shortly after that we became roommates and started our lives together.
    It didn’t take long for my memories to form tears in my eyes. I looked away from the picture and took care of work related emails before Googling Rhys with different hair colors. Curiosity got the best of me and I decided that the brunette was my preference. Shutting off the computer I headed for bed, disappointed that I had just chosen a favorite hair color for the man I was avoiding complication and working with.
    The time before bed is when I felt closest and furthest from Aaron. I could still feel him by my side, picturing his sweet kisses before we slept, or the sound of his snoring in the night. It was always too loud and kept me up, but now the inevitable silence was torture. The bed was too empty, especially after four years of sharing it with another. My phone buzzed as I began my nightly routine of chasing sleep and I saw it was from Rhys.

    Rhys: Just wanted to say I had a great time learning about Hamlet and you. See you Thursday.

    I smirked as I read, not expecting him to text so soon. A tiny fleck of elation simmered in my smile as the pessimistic