No more words are spoken; his parting kiss is a gentle brush of lips against my knuckles. I open my mouth to implore him to stay but his back is to me before I can even blink. He strides towards the ocean with purpose, shedding his jeans on the way before he walks straight into the water and in seconds he has disappeared under its surface.
My heart stutters in my chest, my rapid breaths and frantic pulse drowning out all sounds around me.
I fling the blanket from my shoulders and sprint down the sand towards the waves, scanning the bay for his form.
These few seconds feel like hours.
Time is passing in slow motion and I do not take another breath until I catch a ripple of water off on the horizon and I spot his shadowed, silhouette cutting through the calm sea.
‘Come back to me Jake.’ The words seem to ring off the surrounding cliffs like the cacophony of clanging bells.
If he hears my cry he does not react to it, his sure strokes continue to drag his body farther and farther away, until the darkness takes him completely.
Darkness.
A consistent element in my life that blankets me in a never ending cloak of sorrow and regret.
I was extremely nervous about publishing Nineteen, although it’s not the first thing I have written, it is the first I have published and I could not have done it without the love of support of the following ladies: Cynthia, Mary, Rebecca, Alexandra, Sharon and Jill, thank you so much for everything. You ladies are the best betas, teaser makers and cheerleaders a girl could ever want!
A special thanks goes to my Butty Bach for being my light in the darkness, you know who you are and how much I adore you.
I can’t give thanks without mentioning my Yummy Mummies, this group of ladies are who got me through the last five years, you may never read this but I need to tell you I love you girls xx
Finally I want to thank all the blogs out there for constantly adding to my four figure TBR, readers and authors alike would be lost without you!
Let Forever Be – The Chemical Brothers
Toca’s Miracle – Fragma
Heart Shaped Box – Nirvana
Naughty Girl – Beyonce
Get Lucky – Daft Punk
We Found Love – Rihanna
Wires – Athlete
Home – Gabrielle Aplin
Tell Laura I Love Her – Ray Peterson
Ooh La – The Kooks
Never Let Me Go – Florence and the Machine
Dancing on my Own – Kings of Leon (Robyn cover)
Iris – The Goo Goo Dolls
Last Request – Paulo Nutini
Copyright 2015 by E.S. Carter
All rights reserved.
Interior designed and formatted by:
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Cover Art by Cover Me Darling
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without expressed written permission from the author; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.
All characters and events appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All trademarks and song references contained in this book are the property of the respective companies and copyright holders and have been used without permission.
Please do so by buying the music legitimately, a copy of the entire playlist can be found at the end of the book.
Table of Contents
Title Page
About Nineteen
Quote
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Acknowledgments
Playlist
Copyright Notice