Without You: Book 1 of the Changing Hearts Series (30 page)

“No problem.”

A few minutes later, they were all walking out. She sighed in relief. She just wanted to go home, hang out with Jimmy and Mayra a bit, and crash. Tomorrow, she’d start job hunting and hopefully soon, apartment hunting.
 

She couldn’t wait to have her own place and a decent paycheck. College life had been fun, but she was ready to move on to the next part of her life.

“It was nice seeing you guys,” she told Lucas, his mom, and his sisters. “Take care.”
 

They came in one for one last hug, and they began walking to their car on the opposite side of the parking lot. It was just Jimmy, Mayra, and her now.
 

“We’re on that side too, actually,” Mayra said, nodding in the direction Lucas and his family had just walked off to.

“Oh, I’m over here. You guys want to meet up in a few minutes?” Ariana asked.
 

Jimmy and Mayra looked at each other and nodded. “My house?” Mayra asked.
 

“See you there.” She turned to walk towards her car. A minute later, she was getting in when she heard footsteps approaching quickly. She turned, expecting Jimmy or Mayra.

Only it wasn’t Jimmy.
 

It was Lucas.
 

“Hey,” he said. “Can I…talk to you for a minute?”

She nodded. “What do you want to talk about?”

She wondered whether she should close her car door or leave it open. How long was this going to take?

He came a few steps closer, until he was just two feet from her.

Whoa, she thought. Too close. Her heart began to speed up.
 

“I know it’s been almost four years,” Lucas began. “And you probably think I’m an asshole for what happened and you probably hated seeing me tonight and having to eat with us—”

“I don’t hate you,” she interrupted.

“What?”
 

“I don’t hate you,” she repeated. “Was it awkward seeing you again? Hell yeah.” They laughed. Awkwardly. “But I don’t hate you.”

He stayed silent for a few seconds before going on.

“What I’m trying to say is…I’ve never been able to stop thinking about you. And the more time passes, the more I’m sure I made the biggest mistake of my life letting you go four years ago.”

She couldn’t believe what he was saying. “Wait. Don’t you have a girlfriend or something?”

“No,” he said. “I did. Briefly, but it didn’t work out. Wait. Do you have a boyfriend? I guess I should have asked that first, huh?”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, you should have asked. No, I don’t have one.”

She tried to go back to getting into her car.
 

“So can we, I don’t know, start over?” he continued. “Be friends again? Be more than friends?”

Ariana’s breath caught, and she turned to look at him again. Her face felt hot.
 

“I have to know something first,” she said quietly. She took a step towards him.
 

“I know I couldn’t give you what you deserved last time. You deserved better. You still do. I can give you that now. I will do whatever it takes to make you the happiest woman in the world. I promise.”

“You know I love your family,” she said. “But you shouldn’t have to put them aside for me. They need you.”

“They’ll always need me,” he said. Her heart sank a little. “Not as much as before, though. My mom got her papers this year. She has a license now. She already has a better job. I wouldn’t be here right now if I didn’t know I could give all of myself to you.”

“Wow,” she said with a smile. “I’m happy for you. And your mom. And I don’t know what to say. Maybe this is too fast.”

He took her hands. “What do you want to say?”

She met his gaze and paused to look at him a few seconds. “I’m not saying yes to being your girlfriend just yet. But yes, I want to give us another chance.”

Lucas smiled, and it made her smile. Maybe this could work. Either way, she had to know.
 

“What did you want to know?” he asked. “Earlier.”

She paused, wondering how to say what she wanted to say. “I wanted to know for sure that I still had feelings for you.”

Lucas’s mouth fell open a little, and she took the opportunity to take the last step towards him and kiss him. His hands went right to her hips.

He gave a tiny groan in his throat as her lips moved against hers.
 

She pulled back a couple inches, trying to focus on her breathing.
 

Yep. She definitely still felt something. She stared at his mouth, his eyes.

“So when can I take you out on a date?” Lucas whispered.

###

A few minutes later, Ariana was finally buckling her seat belt and turning on her car.
 

What had just happened? She had not expected things to go that way, but they had, and she realized she did not have a problem with it.
 

Maybe Lucas was the one. No one else had felt like the one, like Lucas. She wasn’t sure yet, but she’d find out.
 

She made herself stop smiling at least a little, but it was impossible. She was smiling like an idiot right now.
 

She had Lucas’s new phone number saved in her phone, he had hers, and he was going to wine and dine her.
 

Before she went to pull out of her parking space, her phone buzzed. She wondered if it was Lucas. That was fast.

But it wasn’t Lucas this time. It was Mayra.
 

Let me guess. Going out with Lucas?

How did she know? She sent her three question marks followed by three exclamation marks.
 

Saw Lucas heading back in your direction ;) BTW, Jimmy says if he breaks your heart again, he’s kicking his ass.

Author’s Note

As always, I just want to take a moment to say
thank you
. My writing isn’t possible without you.

The story continues, this time with Jimmy and Mayra, in
All In
, book 2 of the Changing Hearts series.

Find all the download links at
yeseniavargas.com/all-in/

Jimmy has big dreams...

Jimmy’s captain of the varsity basketball team, and he’s going steady with the girl he’s loved since he was a kid. 

But he wants a college basketball scholarship more than anything. The odds are overwhelmingly against him, though, and then there’s the fact that he’s probably just not good enough to play college ball.

And he’s willing to do anything to make them come true...

But he doesn’t expect something completely out of his control to mess up everything he’s been working for since he made varsity freshman year.

He must practice harder than ever if he wants a half decent chance of getting noticed by scouts during senior year.

Jimmy will do anything for that chance at college ball. He just never realized that would mean pushing the girl he loves away or watching his best friend spiral into someone he doesn’t recognize.
 

But he might lose it all for nothing...

Sometimes, dreams require big sacrifices. But is it a sacrifice he should make? Or has he already lost everything?

Download this book at
yeseniavargas.com/all-in/

If you want to know when the rest of the books in this series will be released, make sure you sign up for my mailing list.
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Sign up at
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One more thing.
An honest review helps other readers find my books, which allows me to keep writing them.
 

If you can take a couple of minutes to write an honest review, it would mean the world to me. Thank you in advance for your honest review of Better Off.
 

Yesenia

Acknowledgements

A huge thanks to my family and best friend for their amazing support throughout the production of this book. My best friend, Zendy, is there with me through it all. Shoutout to my little girl for reminding me that sometimes I need to take a step back and just enjoy the little moments with her. She’s my life.
 

My editor, Brenda, has continued to be amazing, especially for catching inconsistencies and typos that slipped by even when I read this book over and over again.
 

Last but not least, a HUGE SHOUTOUT to my biggest fan, Kendra Ayers, who does not relent in cheering on Ariana, Mayra, and Jimmy and expressed her utmost support every step of the way. More thanks to everyone who signed up for advanced review copies and posted their honest reviews.
 

I appreciate each and every person who helped me on this journey and played a part in writing and publishing Unending Love. Thanks so much.

For young girls and women everywhere.

About the Author

In my pretty much nonexistent free time, I love to read (preferably on my Kindle), write, edit other writers’ books, binge-watch Netflix, attempt to stay active, and spend time with family. I live with my husband and daughter in Georgia.
 

If you’d like to see what I’m up to or where I hang out online, check out my website:
http://yeseniavargas.com/

Copyright © 2014 Yesenia Vargas

All rights reserved.

Cover by Yesenia Vargas

Proofread by the Eclectic Editor

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.