CHAPTER 1
REMI
The first light of dawn filters through the shutters, gently teasing my eyelids. I reach out and let my hand rest on the delicate curve of Maddie’s shoulder, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath my palm. A faint smile tugs at my lips as I soak in the moment. She’s still asleep, and I hesitate to wake her, but I’m drawn to her, almost without thinking. I turn towards Maddie, still drowsy, and take in the sight of her golden curls, fanned out around her beautiful face like a halo. The thought that we won’t have mornings like this for the next two months unsettles me more than I’d like to admit. I’ve never been the clingy type, but Maddie and I only recently started living together, finally revelling in the comfort of a space that’s truly ours.
Most weekends, we’d escape here, wrapped up in each other, making love and bingeing Netflix like the outside world didn’t exist.
Before that, in the three years we were dating, we had to work around housemates and clashing schedules just to steal a few private moments.
And now, just as we’ve carved out our little sanctuary, we’re staring down a long separation. I don’t even know if, or when, I’ll be able to visit her.
I’m doing my best to be the supportive boyfriend, to cheer her on, and put on a brave face. But deep down, I’m not entirely sure how I feel.
I know it won’t be easy for her either, and the last thing I want is to make it harder. She’s worked so hard for this, a prestigious internship at one of New York’s top auction houses, secured right after graduating from Central Saint Martins with honors.
She’s landed a coveted spot at Sotheby’s, and if all goes well, the internship could lead to a permanent position when she’s back in the UK.
Maddie is driven, fiercely independent, and ambitious, qualities that captivated me long before I ever noticed the graceful lines of her figure or the way her laugh lit up a room.
I admire that about her deeply. But it doesn’t make the truth any easier to swallow: I won’t be there beside her as she begins this incredible new chapter.
Originally, I was meant to join her in New York a month later. But then Professor Hawthorne, head of the Quantum Physics Department at Imperial College, asked me to stay on for an additional research project. And saying no to him just wasn’t an option.
He’s the one who secured my full scholarship, who believed in me from the very beginning. Without his support, I wouldn’t even be studying here.
I’ve never been afraid of hard work. I know what it means to make sacrifices. But the thought of not seeing Maddie for two whole months still makes my chest tighten.
And, as if everything else weren’t enough, I’ll soon be sharing the flat with someone I’ve never even met. Just the thought of it makes my skin crawl.
Because right before she left, my girlfriend dropped one final surprise on me: she asked me to host a childhood friend of hers, who also happens to be her ex-boyfriend.
Yes,thatex. The one she used to go on about endlessly back when we first started dating at uni.
At the time, I was living with Francis, my best mate and flatmate, and most of our evenings were spent out partying. He’s still at Imperial College now, studying medicine.
Francis and I go way back. We’re both from the same tiny village in Cornwall, Sennen Cove, and we’ve been joined at the hip since nursery school. He’s more like a brother than a friend, really. I care about him almost as much as I do about Maude, my sister, who’s still in Cornwall with our mum.
We both landed scholarships after finishing school, and that’s how we ended up at one of the top universities in London. We found this cramped little studio flat near campus.
It was basically a half-mouldy basement: one room, a bathroom, and a kitchenette squeezed between a saggy old sofa and a wobbly coffee table with a missing leg.
Since it was London, the rent was outrageous, of course, so Francis and I picked up as many shifts as we could at the college café just to stay afloat.
Our families helped when they could, but for the most part, we carried the weight ourselves, long days spent juggling lectures, coursework, and hours behind the counter. It wasn’t easy, but we were determined to make it work. To make something of ourselves.
Francis has always been the easy going one: sociable, effortlessly charming, and yes, annoyingly good-looking, so he never had much trouble attracting attention.
I’ve always been the quieter one. More reserved. Probably moodier, if you ask him. He’d call it grumpy. I’d call it discerning. Either way, we balanced each other out. We made a solid team.
One evening, Francis convinced me to tag along to The Blackbird, the pub where most of our college crowd liked to hangout. He had a date with Anne, his latest flame, and we were supposed to meet her housemates.
Anne, tall, striking, with long black hair, a sharp fringe, and lips that always looked like they were keeping secrets, introduced us to her flatmates: Noah and Maddie.
They were all freshers at Central Saint Martins, one of the most prestigious art schools in the world.
And Maddie... well, I was done for the moment I saw her.
Her honey-blonde curls, soft grey eyes, and curves that made it impossible to look away were captivating, but it was more than that. She had this quiet, magnetic energy. She was warm, clever, quick to smile… and without even trying, she pulled me in completely.
