In Control (The City Series) Read Online Free PDF

didn’t look up at first. It took hours, or what seemed like hours, for him to finally focus on me.
    “When I walked into the bar that first time I met you, I was so pissed off. All I wanted to do was drink myself into a coma, and then your voice filled my ears. I watched as you told some guy off. You were so strong and so effortlessly capable of handling the situation. Kingsley, I had given up on thinking I’d find someone who would make me happy, but then I saw you.”
    “What are you trying to say, Wren?” My fingers fell to my sides, nervously pulling at the hem of my tank top.
    Suddenly this moment, the room, everything felt like it was too good to be true. The way he looked at me was the same way you’d examine a bird’s broken wing. You would find it lying beneath a tree, on its side, fighting for its life. In Wren’s eyes, I was the broken bird trying my hardest to spread my wings and fly away.
    “When we met, what were your thoughts? Did you feel anything or was I just another guy?”
    At first, I stayed quiet. My answer would hurt him, but he continued pushing me, saying my name and demanding an answer. “All I wanted was a quick lay. Someone to fill me for an hour and make me forget who I was.”
    Wren was furious with my response. He clenched his jaw and shook his head, focusing all of his attention on the ceiling. He hated me, and I should’ve felt happy knowing that, but I didn’t. I felt ashamed. Ashamed that I had gotten this far with Wren and allowed myself to feel things.
    “You didn’t come into The Commodore looking for a girlfriend. You ask me if I felt anything, which is a dumb fucking question. You wanted to fuck me, too. You didn’t want anything else!”
    Wren laughed. It was the kind of laugh that made you feel stupid. “Looks like you were right. We don’t know anything about each other.” He pushed his body off of the island and walked to the coffee table. “I made this for you. Listen to it and call me if you ever figure out what the fuck you want.” He dropped his iPod onto the glass and walked to the front door. With his hand on the doorknob, he turned and said the one thing that could pierce through the layers of concrete surrounding my heart.
    “I love you.”
    Three words. Eight letters. One single tear escaping as the concrete slowly chipped away.

I was smiling so wide my cheeks were beginning to burn. It had nothing to do with it being the last day of school, though that’s what I told Mrs. Wilkinson when she asked about my chipper mood. Porter Henning talked to me. He was nice to me; I made him laugh. In the thirteen years I had been alive, I could count on one hand the times someone had actually cared to make me feel good. I’d become so accustomed to being treated like a feral animal, that when someone showed kindness, I clutched at it as if it were the last life jacket on a sinking ship.
    I discreetly turned in his direction, curious to see how far he’d gotten on the yearbooks stacked atop his desk. I could barely see Porter’s head, and that annoyed me. Everyone wanted his signature, including me. I saved a special spot for Porter to sign, and I was going to ask him to write in it...just not in front of everyone else. I didn’t want anyone else standing around us, seeing the message he’d leave. It was for my eyes only. So I waited. I watched the clock tick by. Tick tock. Tick tock. Until finally, the bell rang and summer began.
    “This year was so lovely!” Mrs. Wilkinson shouted over all of the excited voices in the room. “I hope you all have a wonderful summer, and don’t forget to read a few books!”
    Everyone jumped from their seats, ignoring Mrs. Wilkinson’s send off as they bounded toward the classroom door. Mrs. Wilkinson bent down, shaking the hands as they walked past her.
    As soon as Porter approached her, I hurried out of my seat, grabbing my backpack from underneath my chair. I was gripping onto my yearbook so tightly, my fingernails