Page 1 of Fervency Love

PROLOGUE

Her

I always wanted to live in the United States. The Europe I grew up in seemed low, gray, and bland. I thought nothing good would come to me here. I imagined the United States as a country of freedom, liveliness, and exuberance. The town of Jenssen, where I was born, wasn’t particularly large, but I like it nevertheless. I know it like the back of my own hand. Jenssen lies among lush greenery, surrounded by dense forests and winding rivers. Parks, gardens, and recreational spaces intertwine with the cityscape—a refreshing retreat for the inhabitants and visitors alike. There are no skyscrapers here like there are in Cape, but in some projects, including mine, ten-story buildings loom over massive old trees. The view from the highest floors is incredible, stretching to the very horizon.

I lived in my partially imagined world, trying to see goodness and beauty everywhere. I got lost in movies with happy endings—love stories. Even the impossible became possible there—great loves that found their perfect culminations despite everything. I dreamed of heartwarming stories that I could be a part of someday. My story would be the inspiration for the greatest love story there was. Nobody knew me—that shy girl next door—fromthat side. After many traumatic experiences, I donned a mask to hide my sensitive core from the world.

When I was a little girl, I used to play with matchboxes and Barbie dolls, creating elaborate new stories reminiscent of Hollywood productions. Barbie was perfect and Ken was too. I wondered if I would grow up to be a pretty girl and find my Hawaiian Ken. We’d have a cozy house and a car, great friends, and we’d travel all around the world. A couple of years later, I found myself in front of the mirror, eyes watering, gazing at my reflection and tearing my hair out, seeing how dull I was. I turned no heads and couldn’t compete with my girlfriends, who were much easier to get along with. I didn’t know back then just how much my life would change one day. Years passed and I kept looking for my perfect blue-eyed, blond-haired Hawaiian surfer. Without any luck. After getting into a few childish, trivial, short-lived, and painful affairs in an attempt to assuage the emptiness I felt inside me, I had no wish to keep trying anymore. I had given up. It made no sense. Stories like the ones I had been dreaming of only ever happened in movies. Then, an unexpected twist of fate came.

A single brush of his hand was enough to turn my entire world upside down and make me realize that it wasn’t the hair or eye color but the energy that finds its corresponding twin particle inside you that makes your brain turn into mush. His voice, his look, his every touch, every word he spoke would hypnotize me, caressing me gently, deep down, and making me reach for the stars and lose myself in that blissful feeling of just being close to him.

Him

I wandered around the ’hood in the evening, thinking about stuff. My life was fucked up, but I kind of liked it. My bros, drugs and parties, the small-time gangster shit filled the emptiness I was made of. I was sure I had everything under control. But then she showed up out of the blue and smashed into my perfect little life like a wrecking ball, fucking it all up into pieces, without even breaking a sweat. In no time she filled my darkness with a blinding light so bright that the very thought of it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Whenever she was around, everything made sense all of a sudden. She believed in me like no one had ever before. I wanted to be better for her. I felt worthy and deserving of something more than I had been trying to talk myself into believing. With her, everything became easy. Crystal clear. She quickly took over my entire world, though for the longest time, I wouldn’t admit it, even to myself. Or maybe mainly to myself.

My low self-esteem was kicking and biting, showering me with unwanted thoughts:What if she screws you over?What if she dumps you?Cheats on you?!What could someone like her want to do with someone like you?I didn’t know how to cope with those obsessive thoughts. I wouldn’t be able to survive that. I wasn’t sure I could take that risk. And it had all started as a stupid bet. Philip and I had bet who was going to be thefirst one to bring a girl and fuck her in the Den. The guys had challenged me to prove how easy she was. Of course, she would automatically become my obsession. I needed to have her. Needed to score her. That little slut. That’s what the guys used to call her. Without exactly knowing why, I was certain they had it wrong. That night, it all became clear. They were wrong, and I knew now that it was going to be quite the challenge, even though it wasn’t about bringing her to the Den anymore.

Chapter 1

Connor

Sundays are usually the same—in the morning we go to church, then we sit around below the Den until late. The Den is our meeting spot. We have a couch there, a TV, a homemade gym. It’s cool. A bit like a second home. Phil’s dad made over his garage for us, so we didn’t hang around the neighborhood.

I’m counting out the time until the end nervously. That’s when I see her. Pretty, petite, loose hair reaching the small of her back, a round butt, nice tits, well-dressed. She’s standing there with her friend, back leaning against the wall. Theoretically, she’s totally not my type. I always tended to like taller girls, brunettes with large dark eyes. Exotic beauties. But that shortie has something unbelievable about her, a kind of magnetism that pulls me towards her. I wonder if her parents made her come here or if this is something more. She looks bored.

I’m not even eighteen yet, so yeah, I sometimes still have to listen to my folks. That whole church bullshit is a moneymaking scheme and nothing more. I mean, I feel that there is some kind of God, but I don’t need the Church and all those ceremonies to feel a connection to Him. She looks a bit absent too. She must feel someone is watching her, as she raises her head andstarts scanning the crowd. A couple of moments pass, and our stares meet. For a split second her beautiful eyes look straight into mine, and I feel a weird kind of connection, as if we’ve met before. Uncomfortable with the intensity of my stare, she quickly averts her eyes, cheeks blushing deep red. I glance at her furtively a couple more times, counting on her looking shyly my way, but no such luck.God, have you sent me an angel?Millions of thoughts cloud my mind. I can’t wait until the end of the mass. I need to learn something more about that girl. When that moment finally comes, I spring up and cannon out of the church.

“Hey, Ve!” Myro shouts. “What’s the rush?”

I pretend I can’t hear him, instead getting straight to the surveillance. I need to know more about her, right now.

Positioning myself so that I can see her leaving, I wait. Finally, I see her—my angel.

“Who’s that, Myro?” I ask distractedly, pointing my chin to the opposite side of the street where two girls, one of them being her, stroll down the pavement. The other one, I now notice, is pretty attractive too. Taller and of a different build, but a nice piece of ass, nonetheless.

“What’s it to you, Ve?”

“Do you know her or not?” I’m losing my patience.

“I might know a thing or two, but the guys will know more. That taller one is Lizzy Spencer. I know her.”

“Well, let’s go to the Den, then.”

“What’s the rush?” Myro is taking the piss.

I cut him short: “I just want to know.”

As we reach our meeting place, Ted and the rest are already there. They’re having a giggle about Phil’s and Ted’s latest exploits—the former brought a girl to the Den and banged her on the couch while the latter watched from hiding. My mouth goes dry.

“I’m going to get a coke.”

“Wait up, Ve! I’m going with you,” Philip calls.

Waiting in line to pay, I see her enter the store. I’m not sure if I’m seeing things, but the way the sun shines through the window so brightly, I swear she has a halo around her. The way she moves, how she runs her hand through her silky-smooth hair, makes me all the more intrigued. I feel a strange tingling, but maybe I’m just imagining things. Philip jerks me out of my stupor.

“You okay, bro?”

“What?” I mutter, disoriented.

---