Empty Me Out
S. A. Healey
Author Bio
S. A. Healey, a coastal New Englander and happily married mother of two, is and shall forever remain, a lover of words and a sucker for romance. As a novelist, she strives to create compelling stories with complex characters that leave readers guessing until the very last chapter. Her books tend to be: New Adult Romance, Contemporary Romance, and Erotica. She also enjoys writing lifestyle pieces for various online and print media, dabbles in poetry, has been known to bust moves in her spare time, and is always trying to keep up with the stories in her head.
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For more information about S. A. Healey, including current projects and links to her social media presence, visit her website: sahealey.com.
Description
Straight-laced Kelsey loathes the idea of dorm life and its adjunct party scene, solidifying her decision to commute to college while enjoying the comforts of living at home with her mother in Quincy, Massachusetts. Her well-intentioned and often overbearing best friend, Cali, however, believes it’s her mission to help Kelsey “let loose” and live a little, hoping to give her a taste of the freedom and reckless abandon that is often considered a rite-of-passage for college students. But it’s a fruitless cause.
One night, during what is supposed to be a BFF reunion at the latest restaurant hot-spot in Boston’s Back Bay, Kelsey and Cali encounter a group of drunken Neanderthals, putting an obnoxious damper on their girl-bonding merriment as they wait at the bar for a table. Mark, the most inebriated of the group, takes an immediate interest in Kelsey, assailing her with his warped, beer-infused brand of “charm.” Though his antics earn him no points, when his demeanor suddenly shifts and he falls ill, Kelsey’s innate kind-heartedness kicks in, compelling her to offer a helping hand. By night’s end, even while recovering from her extreme displeasure over Mark’s drunken theatrics, she senses an undefinable connection between them.
Days later, Kelsey runs into a sober Mark, quick to discover his naturally kind and chivalrous nature. She is smitten—their attraction mutual and utterly palpable. In time, she finds herself falling for him despite his involvement in the very lifestyle she so vehemently despises. As their relationship morphs into a love-fueled, angst-ridden ride through emotional Tilt-A-Whirl City, Kelsey becomes tangled in an endless string of apologies and excuses from Mark—and an accumulating mountain of IOUs. She fears that whatever happens, she’ll never escape unscathed.
While wrestling her own personal demons, Kelsey’s capacity for forgiveness is tested—repeatedly—as Mark plunges in and out of the treacherous waters of denial and unpredictability. Eventually, she begins to question whether his behavior is just typical of someone living the “college experience,” or if perhaps a deeper problem exists that she is not equipped to handle.
Will love see them through to calmer shores? Or will their fractured fairytale ultimately leave them feeling empty?
Book excerpt
Fatigue weighed heavily upon me as I pulled onto my street. Remembering that my mom would be putting in extra hours at the law firm and not home until evening, I looked forward to having the house to myself. I planned to spend most of the afternoon napping and vegging out on the sofa. As I neared the house, my eyes widened in shock upon seeing a certain over-sized, beat-up, black sedan sitting in my driveway.
My heart began to race.
As I pulled my car into the driveway behind his, Mark got out, leaning against his driver’s side door to wait for me. For a fleeting moment, excitement bubbled up in my belly. But that was quickly replaced with the anger I’d been harboring for weeks. Shutting off the car, I sat silently for a minute to collect my thoughts. But the more I thought, the angrier I became until I reached my boiling point. I rubbed my palms back and forth on my thighs, hoping to soothe my fuming mindset. This guy had some nerve showing up after all this time, and I refused to give him the satisfaction of an outward emotional reaction. Inhaling deeply, I decided my best strategy was to feign indifference. With a long, calming exhale, I got out of my car and approached Mark slowly, my best blank expression in place.
“Hey,” he said softly, carefully gauging my disposition.
“What’s up?” I asked casually, avoiding eye contact.
Mark ran his hands through his hair, which had grown longer since the last time I saw him. It was a good look for him. “I’m sorry I haven’t called,” he said.
“How long have you been here?” I asked, ignoring his apology.
“Since about ten o’clock this morning,” he replied matter-of-factly, as if it were completely normal behavior to stalk someone in front of their house for hours.
“Why are you here?” I asked, my eyes drawn to the large hole in the leg of his jeans.
“I wanted to apologize to you,” he said.
“Don’t worry about it,” I spat. “It’s no big deal,” I finished, lying through my teeth.
“Oh.” He looked down at the pavement. “Is that really how you feel?” Reaching out as if to touch me, it seemed he had a change of heart as his hand went right back down to his side.
Backing away, I shook my head, “It doesn’t matter, does it?” Finally, I looked up into his light brown eyes. “I didn’t hear from you. End of story. It’s done.”
“I don’t want it to be the end.” At that, he took a step toward me.
Anger coursed through my veins as I spoke. “Well, you should have thought about that before—”
He wouldn’t let me finish. “—I know, and I’m sorry about that. I really am. It’s just that I…had to go out of town unexpectedly.”
“Out of town? You mean for school?” I was genuinely confused.
“No.” His voice grew quiet as he looked down at his sneakers, his feet now nervously tapping.
“Well, for what then?” Nothing was making any sense.
“I can’t really tell you that right now,” he replied.
“You can’t tell me or you won’t?”
With another step forward, Mark reached out both hands to grasp my upper arms. Turning me around, he backed me up against the hood of my car. “I have some shit that I’m dealing with right now, Kelsey,” he revealed. “But I’m working through it, and it’s going to be fine.” Lifting my chin with his index finger, he forced me to look up at him.
I struggled to remain unaffected, but my body had its own ideas. As my skin prickled with his touch, I desperately wanted to feel more. When Mark’s finger retreated from under my chin, I brazenly grabbed it, opening his hand and interlocking my fingers with his. Moving in closer, he leaned his forehead against mine. Our breathing became labored even though we were standing perfectly still.
“I thought about you a lot while I was away,” he whispered, bringing his other hand up to gently stroke my cheek with the backs of his fingers.
“Then why didn’t you—”
I couldn’t finish the thought.
Because suddenly, Mark’s lips had come crashing down on mine.
Book Cover https://everywritersresource.com/selfpublished/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/EmptyMeOutCover-WIP01a-1.jpg
Genre Fiction
Author Website
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