The Pieces that Built Me
by Amber Lacie
New Adult Romance
Every person is a puzzle made up of many different pieces, each connecting perfectly to the pieces around it. After a while, a picture begins to come into focus, and then we, the puzzle creator, can finally make sense of the beauty displayed before us.
It was different for me. Some of my pieces were bent or twisted, but I made them fit. It wasn’t until I finally let him in that I realized I was missing one important piece…
Love.
I knew how to give it. What I didn’t know was how to accept it––until he showed me how…
It was different for me. Some of my pieces were bent or twisted, but I made them fit. It wasn’t until I finally let him in that I realized I was missing one important piece…
Love.
I knew how to give it. What I didn’t know was how to accept it––until he showed me how…
“Do you remember the first day we met?”
“Yeah––I was waiting with Daniel at school and you walked up. Why?”
“That was the first day I started writing my own songs. As hard as I tried, they always felt empty. Do you remember the first time we kissed?”
A soft smile formed on my lips as I remembered the way his soft lips felt against mine. “Perfectly.”
“I couldn’t get it out of my head. Words were slamming against each other in my mind. That night I put my heart onto paper. It was the first time I felt like I was doing something. I knew at that moment, music was my calling. I mean, yeah, I thought about it before, but I always felt like I was trying too hard. You came along, and I didn’t have to try anymore.”
Flying. It’s the only word I could use to describe what I felt at that moment. His words made me feel weightless. I was soaring above the clouds with the stars. It’s still one of my favorite memories. I felt beautiful, loved, and wanted. It was perfect.
August pressed a soft kiss to my forehead as I closed my eyes, reveling in his touch. “This is the very first note I wrote after we kissed. It was the note. It’s everything.”
He was leaning against the building with one leg bent behind him, and he was swinging his keys around on his index finger. I stepped out onto the sidewalk and my stomach flipped a little as I watched him rake his bottom lip through his teeth. Every time I saw him he got more attractive. He was forbidden. He was everything that was wrong. If he was the poison apple, I was Snow White, and I was going to sink my teeth into him.
“Damn. You look amazing.”
I smiled, as I tucked a stray curl behind my ear.
“There she is.”
“There who is?”
“The girl I knew in high school. Remember her? She was the one I fell in love with.” Being a songwriter gave him an advantage over me. I could never match my words for his. It was a battle I would never win.
“You should know she’s gone, August. She left a long time ago.” I shifted on my feet.
“No, she’s just hiding.”
I took a step back. “I don’t remember you being this witty and sure of yourself.” Deflection. It was the only move I knew how to do well.
He saw my move and countered me. “What do you remember?”
Memories flooded my mind as I closed my eyes. “I remember the garage. You would play your guitar and try to get the others to learn the notes you had in your head. I remember leaning back on my dad’s bikes and pretending not to watch, when I was.”
“What else?”
“I remember the first time you grabbed my hand. I was so nervous, but you didn’t notice. Do you remember when we would sneak around school, trying to see each other without being caught?”
“Yeah. I remember your lips always tasting like the bubblegum you were chewing. The first time I saw you, my heart skipped a beat and I couldn’t catch my breath. I watched you walk away that day and every time we’ve been together since. I don’t look away until you’re gone.”
His heart may have skipped beats, but mine was jumping valleys. “Why?”
August shrugged his shoulders as if it all made sense. “What if you changed your mind and you wanted to come back to me? I didn’t want to be the one to walk away. I didn’t want to miss a moment with you.”
“Is that a song?”
“No.”
“It should be.”
Indie-Award Winning Author Amber Lacie is about all things books, glitter, and shenanigans. Never without a book or caffeinated goodness, she's managed a husband that worships at her alter and two awesome kiddos, all while pumping out tales of love and suspense. Growing up in Chicagoland, she's seen the nitty, and knows the gritty. As for love and home, that landed her in Beverly Shores, Indiana where she dreams up adventures for her characters so that you the reader can explore new bends in the road. Buckle up.
