Ten Years Wasted on Trash

Knox and I got into the car.

In the rearview mirror, Jared stood there dazed, engulfed in exhaust fumes.

Knox always drove very fast, but whenever he was driving me, the ride would always be smooth and steady. He turned the music down and kept glancing at the rearview mirror.

"Princess," he said softly. "You're not going to abandon me again this time, are you?"

I didn't answer him. I just turned my head and studied him.

I hadn't seen him in ten years. His hair was still that same half-long, half-short length, sticking up a little in places. Those usually sharp, ruthless-looking eyes were now blinking at me, making him look kind of cute.

I couldn't even reconcile him with the boy who'd once clung to me, crying and begging me not to leave.

Knox had been sent to my family when he was a kid.

When I went bird-nest raiding, he'd bring the ladder. When I cursed someone out, he'd hand me the knife. When I skipped school, he'd take the scolding for me.

We grew up together. And the day I was told I was supposed to marry him, I completely lost it.

Who could accept marrying someone—being lifelong partners—when that person knew every single embarrassing thing about them?

There were just some boundaries that shouldn't be crossed.

Without a second thought, I ran to find him, thinking he'd stand with me like always. Instead, I found out that he was a shameless boundary-crosser.

In the bedroom he'd always forbidden me from entering, I found photos of me covering the walls. And he just stood there, motionless, staring at them, a dark flush spreading across his face.

"Knox Ferris!"

I'd only shouted his name once, but his whole body shuddered, his legs nearly giving out beneath him.

I saw every part of him that day.

I was 19 years old that year—still at the age where I felt awkward and shy. He, on the other hand, was like a seasoned veteran at 19, far more experienced at losing control.

Morning, noon, and night, he went crazy over me, like a dog wagging his tail nonstop.

Finally, I couldn't stand the heat of his devotion anymore. I grabbed my suitcase and fled from Wolmere to Sunridge.

For a full ten years, I knew he'd been watching me from the shadows. Yet the feral dog never once made a sound.

Knox turned the wheel and pulled into the driveway of a house.

I was stunned for a second. I hadn't expected him to live this close to me.

"Princess, all of this is territory I've claimed for you."

He parked the car and leaned his handsome face close to mine, his eyes sparkling. His expression screamed, "As long as my territory's big enough, you'll stay by my side."

I really couldn't stand the slightly dumb expression on his face, and I stepped out of the car. But the corner of my lips curled into a smile against my will.

I walked into the house, with Knox following behind me, talking nonstop about everything he'd done over the past ten years.

Unable to take his endless yapping, I grabbed him by the collar and shoved him down onto the bed. But he flipped us over in an instant, pinning me beneath him instead.

Through the thin fabric, his body heat scorched every inch of my skin. He stayed perfectly still, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

When he finally spoke, even his voice was hoarse. "Princess, please, just give me a chance, okay? Just once? Please, I'm begging you… Don't hate me."