This Feeling Original Romance
©      DARSONIST.        COMING SOON

     How did I end up here?

I used to think life could be managed. Like it was a puzzle, and if I just put the right pieces in the right places, everything would fit. Everything would make sense. But there's nothing orderly about sitting across from someone who has turned your entire life upside down. There's nothing neat about the way Josefina Becerra looks at me, her dark eyes asking for answers I don't know how to give.

She doesn't say a word. She doesn't have to. That's the thing about Jo—she speaks in silence. In the tilt of her head, in the way her hands stay folded at the table like she's forcing herself not to reach for me.

It's maddening. And beautiful.

I tear at the edge of my napkin, a nervous habit I didn't even know I still had. It's been years since anyone has made me feel like this—years since I've let anyone get close enough to make me forget myself. But Jo? She didn't ask permission. She didn't wait for an invitation. She just walked into my life and made herself at home.

I glance at her, then down at the shredded paper in my lap. My chest tightens. I hate this. The feeling of not knowing what to do.

Because I've always been decisive. I've always known what I wanted—or at least, what I didn't want. And I was fine with that. I had a life that made sense. I had structure. Order. Plans.

And then came Jo, with her wild energy and that intoxicating, reckless smile that made me feel like the ground could give out beneath me at any moment.

When I first met her, I thought it was nothing. Just a passing fascination, the kind of spark you ignore because you know it won't last. She was bartending at this event, moving with this ease that felt almost defiant. She didn't care that she was out of place. She knew she could win over anyone in the room with a simple shake and smile.

I didn't know that she'd win me over, too.

"Nina," she says softly, carefully. It's the kind of careful that cuts because I know it's not her. Jo isn't careful. She's bold, unfiltered, unapologetic. And yet here she is, handling me like I'm something fragile.

It's infuriating, how much I want to be handled by her anyway.

I set the napkin down and fold my hands on the table, mirroring hers. She's watching me like I'm the puzzle now—as if she's the one trying to figure out where all the pieces go.

I want to tell her how much she's unraveled me, how much she's ruined my perfectly good plans. I want to tell her that she's the first thing I want to wake up to, and the last thing I fall asleep to.

But I can't.

Because the truth is, I don't know how to love someone like her. Someone who is all sharp edges and raw emotion, who feels like chaos in a world I've spent so long trying to control. And yet, walking away from her feels impossible.

She's staring at me now, her dark eyes steady, unwavering.

I could lose myself in them.

I think I already have.

"Say something," she whispers. Her voice cracks just slightly like she's not sure she has the right to ask me for anything, and my chest aches again.

And maybe that's the worst part—that I know she does. That she's the one person who has every right to demand more of me than I'm willing to give.

Because she didn't just walk into my life. She woke me up. And now, I don't know if I can ever fall back asleep.

Lana Parrilla      /      NINA AZZARA.
( 42 ) PROFESSOR

&&

Melissa Barrera     /     JOSEFINA "JO" BECERRA
( 27 ) BARTENDER

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🪡 Copyright © 2024 by kelli (@/darsonist). All rights reserved. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without prior permission of the author.

❕This book will contain the following themes throughout such as mature language, alcohol usage, smoking, age gap relationship, and sexual content. Please be advised that it is intended for 18+. Please read with caution.

💬 Ummm... someone tell me to stop??? I'm not kidding guys, seriously. I have actually had this idea since last year, collecting dust in my notes app since then, and it came back to me yesterday??? So here we are. What can I say, I'm a sucker for older women. I mean, come on have you seen Lana AND Melissa??!! ‼️😩🫠🥴🥰😝 && I promise you this is not a teacher/student relationship BELIEVE ME. I just happened to make Nina professor because I feel like Lana would dominate that role (😉). And I'm gonna keep it as coming soon because I'm lowkey still figuring out some things past, so just be on the lookout. 🩷