Readers who enjoy emotional reads will want to add the angst-fueled tale of grief and love, Without You by Reylynn Purdue, to their bookshelf. Keep reading to get a glimpse of this emotionally intense read and then make sure to add it to your bookshelf as it's on sale for $0.99 for a few more days!
Roxanne Daniels was supposed to be spending her summer getting ready to head off to Julliard. That was the plan. But that was before--Before she found her mother’s lifeless body--Before she walked in on her boyfriend in bed with someone else. Before she knew what heart shattering pain felt like.
Now all she wants is for the pain to go away. But it never does.
Until him. A complete stranger who could end up being much more.
But letting go and moving on is easier said than done.
EXCERPT:
“Are you okay?" Tonya asked when she answered the phone.
“I miss you,” I told her. After I’d gotten back to my house from the cemetery, she was the only one I’d wanted to talk to.
She laughed. “I miss you, too.” Then, her voice got serious. “But you’re okay, right?”
I pressed down on my chest. I knew it wouldn’t stop the ache, but I had to at least try. “Yeah, Ton, I’m okay,” I lied.
The line went quiet, and I could tell she was contemplating what to say.
“I feel like you’re lying to me,” she finally said.
“I visited my mom today,” I admitted.
“And…how did it go? If you need me to, I can come back home. Never mind. You don’t even have to answer. I’m coming home,” she rambled. “Ton, breathe. You don’t need to come home. I just wanted to hear your voice. I just need my best friend to talk to me and make me forget how horrible life really is.”
“Roxy, I’m coming home. I can talk to you when I get there. We can go out and have fun.”
“Seriously, Tonya, I don’t want you to come home. In fact, if you do, I will lock myself in my room and never come out. I just need someone to talk to. That’s all I called for.”
“If I didn’t believe you would actually do that, I would already be in the car. I know you well enough that I will sit here and talk to you about whatever you want for however long you need, but don’t think I will enjoy one second of it.”
“You are an amazing best friend,” I reminded her.
“Okay, you keep saying that stuff, and I might enjoy this conversation just a little bit.” I could hear her smile, and I wanted to smile with her, but I couldn’t.
Tonya tried to talk about my visit to my mom’s grave, but it was too hard for me. Instead, I told Tonya about meeting Jordan. After she stopped screaming for joy that I was gabbing about a guy, I filled her in on how he’d helped me save face with Kevin. After a slew of oh-my-gods and calling Kevin and Sara every bad word, Tonya started demanding that I call Jordan.
“No, Ton. I can’t,” I objected.
“You have to, Rox. The only time that you didn’t seem sad during this whole conversation was when you were speaking about him. You like him.”
“That’s exactly why I can’t. I do like him. On the Fourth, he convinced me to hang out with him again. But every day that passes without talking to him is a reality check. He makes my stomach flutter. I don’t want that.”
“A fluttering stomach is not a death wish, Roxy. Do what he said. Spend time with him. Enjoy the kissing part and a whole lot more hopefully,” she teased.
I groaned, hating what I had to admit. “I don’t want to fall for him. I can’t chance getting hurt. I won’t be able to handle that kind of hurt again.”
“Hmm…I say that you should still call him, and before you object, hear me out. You already said that you like him, right?”
“Yes, and that is the problem! Are you not listening?” I yelled.
“No, that makes it better. You can like him without falling in love with him. He can be everything that you need, but at the same time, he can be safe. I mean, it’s obvious that he likes you, too. Don’t you see how this is perfect?”
“Nope, not even a little.”
“Think outside the box, Roxy. You need someone to get you over Kevin—all the way over him. You can move on from Kevin and test out controlling your feelings. You also need someone to keep you occupied and to fill your head with things not dripping with sadness. This Jordan guy can help you. Use him for what you need, but don’t get attached. Keep things physical. He will help you get out of your head and forget for a while.”
The thought of being with Jordan like that made my skin flush and my pulse quicken. He did have a way of making me forget.
“Oh, Ton, how would I get through life without you?”
“You wouldn’t.”
I pressed down on my chest. I knew it wouldn’t stop the ache, but I had to at least try. “Yeah, Ton, I’m okay,” I lied.
The line went quiet, and I could tell she was contemplating what to say.
“I feel like you’re lying to me,” she finally said.
“I visited my mom today,” I admitted.
“And…how did it go? If you need me to, I can come back home. Never mind. You don’t even have to answer. I’m coming home,” she rambled. “Ton, breathe. You don’t need to come home. I just wanted to hear your voice. I just need my best friend to talk to me and make me forget how horrible life really is.”
“Roxy, I’m coming home. I can talk to you when I get there. We can go out and have fun.”
“Seriously, Tonya, I don’t want you to come home. In fact, if you do, I will lock myself in my room and never come out. I just need someone to talk to. That’s all I called for.”
“If I didn’t believe you would actually do that, I would already be in the car. I know you well enough that I will sit here and talk to you about whatever you want for however long you need, but don’t think I will enjoy one second of it.”
“You are an amazing best friend,” I reminded her.
“Okay, you keep saying that stuff, and I might enjoy this conversation just a little bit.” I could hear her smile, and I wanted to smile with her, but I couldn’t.
Tonya tried to talk about my visit to my mom’s grave, but it was too hard for me. Instead, I told Tonya about meeting Jordan. After she stopped screaming for joy that I was gabbing about a guy, I filled her in on how he’d helped me save face with Kevin. After a slew of oh-my-gods and calling Kevin and Sara every bad word, Tonya started demanding that I call Jordan.
“No, Ton. I can’t,” I objected.
“You have to, Rox. The only time that you didn’t seem sad during this whole conversation was when you were speaking about him. You like him.”
“That’s exactly why I can’t. I do like him. On the Fourth, he convinced me to hang out with him again. But every day that passes without talking to him is a reality check. He makes my stomach flutter. I don’t want that.”
“A fluttering stomach is not a death wish, Roxy. Do what he said. Spend time with him. Enjoy the kissing part and a whole lot more hopefully,” she teased.
I groaned, hating what I had to admit. “I don’t want to fall for him. I can’t chance getting hurt. I won’t be able to handle that kind of hurt again.”
“Hmm…I say that you should still call him, and before you object, hear me out. You already said that you like him, right?”
“Yes, and that is the problem! Are you not listening?” I yelled.
“No, that makes it better. You can like him without falling in love with him. He can be everything that you need, but at the same time, he can be safe. I mean, it’s obvious that he likes you, too. Don’t you see how this is perfect?”
“Nope, not even a little.”
“Think outside the box, Roxy. You need someone to get you over Kevin—all the way over him. You can move on from Kevin and test out controlling your feelings. You also need someone to keep you occupied and to fill your head with things not dripping with sadness. This Jordan guy can help you. Use him for what you need, but don’t get attached. Keep things physical. He will help you get out of your head and forget for a while.”
The thought of being with Jordan like that made my skin flush and my pulse quicken. He did have a way of making me forget.
“Oh, Ton, how would I get through life without you?”
“You wouldn’t.”
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AUTHOR INFO:
Born and raised in California, Reylynn Purdue lives with her loving husband and three beautiful kids. A lover of books, she reads like crazy. She has also always enjoyed writing, but one day, she decided to take it to the next level. She started writing her debut novel in 2013. To say she had no clue what she was doing is an understatement. As of today, she still has no clue what she is doing when it comes to publishing a book, but she is learning as she goes. She loves her story and hopes you will as well. She also finds talking about herself in third person to be very strange, and she kind of hates it. To find out more about Reylynn, just ask.
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