DARE-TO-LOVE-TRUTH-AND-DARE-DUET-COLLECTION-by-Lylah-James-pdfarchive

her. She’d sock me in the face because Lila Garcia hated to
be pitied.
Except, I didn’t pity her.
I just wanted to… protect her.
“What are you saying? Is she hurt?”
Her grandma gave me a heartbroken smile. “She’s been
hurting for a long time.”
That… hurt. Right there, in my fucking chest.
Mrs. Wilson leaned against the doorframe, looking more
haggard than her age. “Did you know that Lila never cries?
Never, except one day of the year. On that day, she cries
alone; she hides her tears from everyone. That’s the only
day she lets herself feel pain.”
My heart nearly spilled out, and I rubbed my chest,
trying to alleviate the ache. It didn’t stop the pain. It
infiltrated my veins and my blood, for her.
Her shoulders shook and slumped, as if she had finally
been released from a heavy burden she carried. “My Lila is
strong with a fragile heart,” she whispered.
“Where is she right now? Where can I find her?” Even I
could hear the urgency in my voice, the desperation.
And I was not a desperate guy.
But Lila made me feel many things I’d never felt before.
Not for any other girl.
“Lila left this morning. She’s at Sunset Park. You’ll find
her sitting on a bench.”
I nodded my thanks and took a step back, clenching my
car keys in my hand. Sunset Park, I’d find my Lila there.
“Maddox?”
I paused and glanced over my shoulder. “Yes?”
“Are you Lila’s friend?”
Confused, I blinked, and my brows furrowed. Grandma
was well aware we were friends; we had been for months.
But she stared at me, expectantly, as if her question held
more meaning behind those simple words.
And I realized they did.