Chapter Forty: Second Taste

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"Sienna Clark has once again wooed us with the realness of a young adult love," Gracie read out loud from her phone's screen, her voice filled with giddiness, "Her story creates a fresh balance against her uncle's philosophical stories and her cousin's dramatic readings, showing all of us how talent truly runs in their family's veins."

Our other friends gave me a teasing applause and I laughed, snatching the device from her hands, "Alright, that's enough."

With what I thought was a miracle, I managed to survive my first year of university. I spent ample time of my first couple of weeks of vacation in England with Julia and Meg like I promised them before I flew back home.

My book got published a few weeks before my finals and so, I didn't do much publicity or promotion for it because I was too busy monitoring my school work. It was only after did I manage to do the huge amount of interviews for various blogs and also actually reading the reviews left by the readers.

Safe to say, I managed to get a rather good response to it.

"So what did he think?" she asked, obviously talking about Adam.

"I highly discouraged him from reading it," I replied with a grin right on my face. It was quite embarrassing for me if he was going to read my interpretation of our relationship, "But he called me the other day and won't stop laughing at me for what I wrote."

There were no hard feelings, I know that all of this was just playful teasing. I adored Adam and we stayed close friends even after what we've been through. Obviously we didn't go back to the way we were exactly, though we still hung out but rarely just the two of us. It was usually with Vance or with my two roommates.

But we were friends. No awkwardness or anything, just simply friends. We didn't belong with each other and we accepted that.

"I'd say that's a better reaction that what I did," Justin chuckled, sitting down next to me and handing me a drink, "I think I was gaping for five whole minutes."

"And I'm fully disappointed that I wasn't there to see it," I teased, taking a sip from the cup.

It took me until university to even find out that he read it. What we shared was ten time more tumultuous than what I could ever experience. I was just thankful that Adam's was far from that.

While we did have our highs and lows, everything was relatively a simple and calm ride. We met, became friends, tried the dating thing, realized it wasn't meant to be, broke up, then remained friends. We were part of each other's journeys, but we weren't one another's destination. Sure, it was rather fun but it wasn't the real deal. A little bit of funny business when you look at it in retrospect.

And speaking of business, there was one unfinished business. This one, had been unfinished since high school.

The group fell into another conversation and I sighed, pushing myself up and walking towards the window, staring at the view outside. New York, the beauty that I craved for months was finally within my sight. Those busy streets, those people practically pushing each other just to rush to their destination, and the beautiful view of the skyline.

This was home.

"So what now?" I heard Justin ask right before he walked past me and leaned against the window, "You broke up with him and published the book, what's next for our banana?"

"Finish university?" I said, shrugging, "I don't know."

He nodded along, looking around the room first and observing our other friends. They were still deep within their own chatter, drinks were flying by and the night was still fairly young for us.

I expected him to join them again, but to my complete surprise, he caught my eye and held my gaze right there.

"Go back to me?" he sheepishly threw in there.

Safe to say, I felt like somebody punched me in the gut and knocked the air right out of me, "What?"

"I'm kidding," he chuckled, reaching out and placing a hand on the top of my head, "Only when you're ready."

You want to know what really happened when we broke up? How it played out? What were the words spoken?

That would be too time consuming. All you need to know is that both of us promised that we will wait for each other. No matter how long, no matter who we meet along the way.

Yes, it ended in tears, but he was adamant that we would still be together. As much as I wanted to laugh at his face at the somewhat lie, deep inside of me I prayed that he would actually keep his word. And that he did, even to this very day.

That was why I was open to the idea of having a relationship with other people. I doubted him, I doubted us. In the end, I had nothing to be afraid of.

We were still together. While we were not in a relationship, my heart belonged to him and apparently, his belonged to me.

How much longer was I going to make things complicated for us?

I stared into his face – that goofy smile, those crinkles by his eyes behind his glasses, that floppy hair. I saw all the features that made me blush whenever I saw him. But his kind words, that gentle yet playful personality, was what made me fall in love with him.

Fine, I'm done.

I took one big step forward and grabbed the sides of his face, smashing my lips right onto his.

I felt him smile, his arms instantly wrapping around my waist as we heard the collective cheers and wolf whistles coming from our friends behind me.

And a rush of electricity coursed through me, from my fingertips that touched his skin up to my toes that were planted on the carpeted floor. I haven't been this close to him in such a long time, I haven't felt this giddiness, this pure explosion since high school. As corny as it sounded, sparks flew all over the place. And yet, being in his arms once again and kissing him like this felt like home, there were no awkwardness or testing waters.

He was just there, perfectly fitting together with me.

We pulled back and his lips were grinning from ear to ear, one of his arms reaching up to gently caress my cheek, "I missed you."

"I missed you," I repeated, resting my forehead against his, "Thank you for being patient with me."

He laughed heartily, lifting me off the ground and I squealed in both surprise and excitement.

"And they're back!" his best friend yelled, "Everyone get a glass."

"To Sienna and Justin!" Gracie yelled at the top of her lungs as I could barely control my giggles, submitting myself into a tirade of Justin's cheek kisses.

Some people are stopovers, some people are destinations.

And sometimes, you need a stopover to realize where you really and truly belong.

Everybody eventually went on their separate ways and the moment I got home, I quickly went to my room. Tucked underneath my suitcase that even until now was unpacked was Uncle Levi's sketchbook. It just didn't feel right to return yet.

Until right now.

Adam, in the months that we were stuck in a limbo that our relationship, gave me flowers twice and only twice. One single flower during our first sort-of date on the night of the party and a bouquet during the Valentine's Day.

They were the mark of both the beginning and the end.

Before the party, I was completely sure that I only saw Adam as a friend. After that night, the hurt I felt opened my eyes that I did indeed have feelings for him. And on that fateful night back in February? It was when I realized we weren't meant to be. That sinking feeling in my heart when he attempted to tie up a last-minute date idea was all I needed to confirm this uneasiness within me.

I plucked a flower from the bouquet and put it in-between the pages of the sketchbook. The single flower he gave me during the party was also pressed somewhere in there and it remained there through it all, even when I ripped off all the pages related to him when I got angry and felt so sorry for myself.

I had one shelf just dedicated the works I published. There was a complete line of the old one and a line of the new one.

I plucked one copy out, feeling the embossed text on the cover. While it would be very easy for me to ask Emma to design me a book cover, I went through a different route.

I asked Adam for one of the candid shots he got of me. It was nothing special – just me sitting on his couch with my eyes focused on the notepad in my hands. I wasn't even smiling, I wasn't looking at the camera. Heck, I didn't even know that he was taking a picture of me.

But it was those simple moments that defined our story. We didn't have a grand heart wrenching love. Our relationship wasn't built on grand gestures. But most of our moments of affections were simply done in the safe confines of his apartment, loving the mundane that everyday life presented.

There were packages on my desk, each one containing a book that had a special dedication for the person receiving them. Of course there was one for Meg and another for Julia, I also packed one for Vance because he gave me that right kind of push from time to time. There was another for Axel and Heart each.

Speaking of which, Heart got a hold of a copy and showed it to her social media. Let's just say my sales practically doubled when she did.

Even though they probably already got one, I think it was a nice gesture to give them one with a personal note.

There was only one person that I haven't packed yet.

The one who captivated me for forty chapters, that made my head spin for months, the guy that gave me a new start and an inspiration.

He knew I was a writer from the start and he willingly became the subject of my imagination. I made a vow that I will only write stories that were mine to tell and I think my side of whatever we shared made itself known onto print. Whatever his side or his perspective may be, that was his own to tell as well and I have no right to do for him.

I grabbed a sharpie from my desk and flipped it open to the first page.

Adam,

Thank you for making me taste life different from the way I was accustomed to. You gave me everything I never imagined was missing from my life and I will always be thankful for that. While our story may not have been the way we both imagined when we met each other on the plane, I wrote it down because this was something I would want to go over and over again. Whether it was bittersweet for you or not, let this book be a second taste of all the affections I have for you. I adore you, always have and always will.

Sincerely, Sienna.

I plucked two petals from each of the pressed flowers and taped it securely right beside my handwriting. I smiled softly and closed the book, grabbing the mailer that already had his address.

Before I slid it in, I took one more long look at the text printed on the bottom – the title that was decided by whatever brain juice I had left during the editing phase of this book and let me tell you, I was still studying full time so there wasn't much to work with.

"We write to taste life twice," I said softly, opening the mailer and slowly putting it in, "In moment and in retrospect."

The last thing I saw before it completely went inside were the words Writing's Second Taste.

The End.

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We're done! It was very epilogue-ish but I think the book was wrapped up rather nicely.

If you go back to the chapters she and Justin interacted, I've already hinted that she was still in love with him and I kept alluding that they were simply waiting for one another, that they already promised that they were going to be together again. This journey was not about finding the one in serendipity, but learning that some people are simply not meant to be our destination, they are just part of the adventure. And, there will always be more than one kind of adoration. Sienna had always loved Justin, but she had adored Adam and he will forever hold her affections, just not in the romantic way that everybody expects them to be.

Also, I seriously need to get back to writing happy endings. I mean, they end well but I haven't written a truly happy sappy ending for some time now, there's always a little piece of heartbreak just waving its hand from the corner. And don't worry, because that's what coming next which is a few chapters extras centering on Adam's real love story.

Wait for the next update because we're going to dive into the story of Adam and his future wife. Which brings us to the final question of this book:

Question: Who is Adam's future wife? The first person to guess correctly will be granted a favor by me. It could be a follow, a read of your story, a book review, I could even make you a book cover if you want, a dedication, or anything. Just don't keep typing character's names in hopes of one of them hitting the mark. Again, the hints are on the epilogue of  the published version of Hollywood's Princess (can also be read on my extra's page). And yes, you've already met her in this book, she's not a character that I will pull out of the blue.

Thank you so much for sticking with me throughout this book! I sincerely appreciate each and every single one of you. From the silent readers to those who would even message me just to tell me their thoughts on the book. I love you guys and until next time!

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