Bonus Chapter

Author Note: This is the original Wren chapter. It was in the first draft, and I changed a lot from the first draft to the final one. In the first draft, when Nora is kicked out of the house, I had her move in with Wren. The chapter picks up a few weeks after she moves in with him. She just had her talk with Val and is trying to pull herself out of her despair. It's the first time Wren's really seen her and talked to her in days.

Wren and Nora barely knew each other, which is why I changed it. I couldn't imagine her moving in with someone she barely knew, but I still love this chapter. The way Wren simps over her. Including him realizing how much he loved her in yellow. It's so cute to me lol

Wren's Chapter

I gotta piss. That's when I know it's time to get up. Unless the sun wakes me first. Today, it seems brighter than usual. Highlighting the clutter of my desk, the sun shines on a stray lyric I wrote sometime during my midnight session. I'm more afraid of her than she is of me, but she's got no idea.

Jiggling my mouse, I remember the riff I recorded last night. It finds its way into my head and plays non-stop. I'm still struggling to find the right chords and melody, but it's been like that for a while now. Can't seem to commit to anything.

As the riff glides through my mind, I think I may be sick of it already. But that's a worry for later. Today was a momentous occasion. It was my smoke day.

I pull myself up and make my way to the bathroom. Dogging my acoustic or better known as the scam that led me to Nora, I practically break the bathroom door down to get to the toilet. When I finish, I hop up onto the sink and light her up. The smoke fills my lungs and I let out a deserving sigh. All the stress of my unfinished or barely started music fades into the background.

If I was still living at home, my mom would break in with a list of all the reasons cigarettes will kill me one day. But that's the perks of having a smothering mom. She'd do anything to scare you into doing what she wants.

Before I can pull out more "fond" memories to ruin the beauty of this cigarette, I walk the frames of my bathroom. I can see my reflection in my silver towel rack.

"Why are you so shiny?"

The bathroom's spotless. The clothes I pushed behind the door are gone. The trash is empty, the sink is cleaned off. Even the footprint I thought I'd never get out, left without a trace. My bathroom...is clean? What the fuck? Someone broke into my apartment and cleaned it?

I push back the shower curtain and see a beaming, beautiful tub with perfectly arranged shampoo, conditioner, and soap.

Who the hell has time to do all of this?

Think, Wren, Think. Was it Da-Bin? No, he would never do this. Valentina—yeah, I can't even finish that thought. Did Val give out my address again, because if so, I'm going to lose my shit?

Who could've done this—

Shit.

Nora.

Throwing the bathroom door back, I ran to my bedroom. She isn't there, but her smell lingers. Vanilla and peppermint. I follow her fresh scent to the front. And there she is. Hair tied back, wearing a flowy yellow dress, she places a pile of pancakes on my kitchen aisle. Wait? Am I still asleep?

I ram my hand into my cheek and stumble back. She's still here, in my house. Looking as close to any dream I could ever make up in my head. The yellow of her dress compliments her dark skin tone. I never understood the saying "this is your color" until now. Yellow is definitely her color. The features of her face seem softer. She's more relaxed, the most relaxed I've ever seen her in weeks.

Her braids slide over her shoulder when she leans into a bowl of strawberries. Popping one into her mouth, a smile lights up her face. She looks so fucking happy, and she's with me. Fucking hell. I swear it's the first time she's genuinely smiled. It's decided. I'm making her do that shit every single day.

She hums to the radio on low, and a million song lyrics pop into my head. I fight the urge to go back and write them down. Then she finally looks up. "Good morning!"

Is she better? What happened? Had I known all I needed was to give her space, I would have asked Shae earlier. There is no way I'm going anywhere today.

When she sees what's dangling between my fingers, her smile drops. "I thought I threw them out?"

What now? "You threw them out? Like out out? All of them?" She couldn't have thrown them in the trash. Not my babies.

"Yeah, the ones in your bedroom drawer. It's a terrible habit, Wren."

Thank God. She didn't find the ones in the top kitchen cabinet, behind the bookshelf, and in the teapot next to my keys. I'm hiding them from her, the first chance I get. "I told you I'm trying to quit. One a week. That's really good for me."

She purses her lips. I can almost hear her speech before it comes, but instead, she turns on her heels and breaths, "I guess."

I push myself further into the kitchen. The sun accentuates her cupid's bow and the disappointment on her lips. I pressed my bud out in the nearest ashtray. "Okay, if you're gonna look at me like that, I'll quit drinking too if you asked."

A smile brightens her face once again, and she laughs. God, I love that sound. I watch her glide back and forth to the stove and the table. The smell of bacon reminds my stomach I've practically gone twelve hours without eating. Reaching over her intricate breakfast spread, I pick up a piece of crispy bacon and watch the crumbles drop onto the counter.

With one clean swipe, she slaps my hand, and the bacon falls back into the pile. "Ouch," I whine.

"Not for you," she points at me before placing a cup of syrup near the pancakes.

My stomach rumbles at the sight. "Then who's it for?"

Knock, knock. Nora stands up straight, pressing the wrinkles out of her dress with her hands. Without answering me, she rushes to the door and greets a smiling Da-Bin and Valentina. "Come in," she says.

Their mouths fall open at the breakfast spread as Nora pulls out their chairs. I press my hand into my hips. "Wait? It's for them? Are they your friends or mine?"

Da-Bin sputters, piling his plate with bacon and eggs. "We're definitely hers. Sorry, who are you again?"

Valentina ignores the conversation completely as she looks over the plethora of food. "This is amazing."

She's right. It is. I don't remember having all this food in my fridge. I'd been meaning to buy a few things, but she was so upset these past weeks, I didn't know what to do. I tried everything, junk food, finger food, fast food, even soul food, she wouldn't eat more than a few bites. She fucking scared the shit out of me these past few days. I want to ask if she's alright, but I don't want to freak her out.

"Songbird, you made groceries?" I call out when I open a fridge full of food and a pantry of snacks. "What time did you get up this morning?"

She swivels around the kitchen, putting out little fires. "Five."

"In the morning?"

"Biological clock. And I couldn't sleep." She wipes the stove clean until it's spotless. When she sees me stuck in place, she finally stops and looks at me. "Why? What time do you get up in the morning?"

"Twelve or two. Give or take."

"In the afternoon?"

"Biological clock." I mock, but she bolts to the next thing, rearranging the spread so Val and Da-Bin can reach the things they want. I pull onto her hand and bring her to a seat. Before she can protest, I fill her plate with food.

Valentina peeks past me to get Nora's attention. "You look great, but I don't think you should wear that to work."

"Right." Nora's face falls as she rubs the back of her neck. "Yeah, I was going to change after breakfast."

But she looks so cute. "Work? You're working?" I ask.

"Valentina got me a job at the nail shop. That way I can pay you rent."

"You don't need—"

"Yes, I do." Nora ignores me, stuffing a piece of pancake into her mouth.

"You don't even know what I was about to say?"

Valentina waves her hand in the air, speaking up before Nora can. "It doesn't matter, she's already agreed and met Ivy this morning."

They did all of this while I was knocked out in my studio, and all before eleven o'clock? What dimension are they living in?

Val and Nora carry the conversations themselves, and I find myself looking at Nora the way Da-Bin looks at Valentina. Like if she asks him to hide a dead body with no explanation, he'll do it. To be honest, I'll probably do anything Nora asks of me too. Which is sorta pitiful, considering I'm still getting to know her.

But it's like what Val told me once. When I started making music, I wanted to get people's attention. All I knew was at one point in my life, I had a lifestyle people aspired to so I wrote songs about money and success. No one connected to it. She said people connect to the stuff that others are too afraid to admit they go through. Be honest about the emotions you experience outside of happiness and assurance.

After that, I wrote a song about being bullied in school. I got my first fan from that song. It wasn't just any song. It was my song. So, I kept being honest in my music. And those songs gave me what I have now. When I look at Nora, I see her fighting through the same stuff.

She trusts me enough to be honest with me, and whether it's because I'm persistent or because I share with her too, I know it means something to her. It means something to me.

Somewhere between thinking of Nora and my music, I realize my apartment is empty again. My scribbled handwriting clutters the napkin in front of me. I've written a song and for once, it looks promising. Itching to get to my guitar and press record, I set my sights on the end of my apartment. But the song is left to play in my head when I hear a knock at the door.

I expect it's Da-Bin coming back because he forgot something. Hopefully, it's Nora so I can convince her to stay. But it's neither of them.

A guy in a blue shirt and khakis pushes a giant bouquet of roses into my face. "Delivery for Wren Wade?" He peeks around the bouquet and smiles. "Hey, man, I saw your show last week. It was amazing."

"Thank you." I sign on the dotted line, but I have no idea who would send me flowers. If it's any of my sisters, they better not tell mom where I live. It's conveniently far enough for us never to run into each other.

"Gifts from fans," the guy asks, handing the roses over.

"Hope not, then they'll know where I live."

"Oh shit, yeah, you're right." He chuckles but doesn't leave. After a moment of awkward staring, he jolts and looks down at his watch. "Have a good one, man."

When I'm back inside, I search the bouquet for a note and it peeks out at the top. Thank you for taking me in! I will thank you forever. I wanted to give you something, so since you wanted roses...

-Nora

My cheeks hurt from the cheesy smile on my face. I can feel how goofy I look, but I never thought in a million years, she'd get me fucking flowers. I love this cute shit.

Dialing her number, she answers at the first ring, and I intone, "Songbird."

"Yes?"

"You got my roses?"

I can practically hear the excitement in her tone when she asks, "Do you like them?"

"I love them. When did—"

"I'm sorry Wren, I have to go." The phone disconnects and silence swallow the room. And I hate it. Fuck, now, I miss her.

When I hear Da-Bin leave his apartment, an idea strikes me. Making it down in enough time, I stop Da-Bin before he gets to his car. "Can I tag along?"

With no questions asked, he nods. "Can I drive your car?"

I knew he would ask. Throwing him my keys, we're in the wind within minutes.

"You like her, don't you?" Da-Bin asks.

"Of course. She's cute, fun to be around, and I think I can help her. She's inspiring me."

"She likes you too. I can tell."

"Well, it's about time," I laugh.

"She still doesn't remember you?"

"Hell no, no one does. I went to her middle school for like half a semester. Been in love with her ever since."

Da-Bin smiles. "Do you think you'll ever tell her?"

"Nope."

"Why?" Cocking his head to the side, he looks over before pulling into the parking space.

"It's weird I remember her. To be honest, it'll hurt more if she confirmed she didn't know I existed. I might not have been her first love, but she was definitely mine."

He doesn't respond, but I know he gets it. We part ways soon after. Val and Da-Bin work on the same strip, and in just a few steps I walk into Impurity Nails. The strong chemical smell clogs my nose as the air condition passes it through the air.

"Why you here?" Ivy points from the front desk. She has her dreadlocks twisted into a bun at the top of her head as her deep umber skin glistens with sweat.

I raise my hands in the air, scanning the room for Nora. She's right in the middle, sweeping clipped nail tips into a dustpan. "What do you mean?" I ask.

"Don't start no trouble."

"I won't." I skip down the floor to Nora, but she doesn't see me. Someone calls for her help in the back and she drops her tasks. Scurrying away, her scent fills my nose, and I fight the urge to follow her.

Ivy points to a station, and I sit down. When Nora emerges from the back, she looks at me instantly. Valentina follows behind her, rolling her eyes as she pulls her to the sink.

"You like her or something?" Ivy asks as she buffs my nails.

"Who wants to know?"

She chuckles, pulling out a tray of nail colors for me to choose. Lime green. Val has it on her toes, and I thought they looked cool.

Ivy peeks back at Nora as she continues sweeping. Poking me in the arm, she nods in approval. "You keep looking at her? I didn't know you were down."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Okay, I see you," She laughs, swiping the green polish onto my nails. "Don't break her heart. She's too sweet for that."

"What if she breaks mine?"

"Then you probably deserved it."

Author Note: Not to end this chapter on an ominous note, but the rest of this chapter is a waste. I don't want to put it in here. When I wrote the first draft of this book, I knew I wanted them to break up. I thought the only way I could justify their breakup was if their relationship was really toxic. I wanted to do this commentary on how people get into interracial relationships for looks without really understanding how society and their difference will play a big part in their relationship (which is why I wanted to show how Fiona confront Nora about their relationship as opposed to how Ivy confront Wren about their relationship), but I'm not the person to tell that story or preach about that. And also, Nora and Wren were never like that. I think that's why it took me so long to write this book because I was fighting against what the book was and what I was trying to make it. I love the changes I made, and I love that they love each other so much.

And I knew in order for them to really grow and become fully realized versions of themselves, they had to break up, even though they still loved each other and always will.