Love Survives

Written By
:
Jennifer Foor

Copyright © 2014 Jennifer Foor

JMF Publishing INC.

All Rights Reserved

Cover Art – Wicked By Design

This book is a written act of fiction. Any places, characters, or similarities are purely coincidence. If certain places or characters are referenced it is for entertainment purposes only. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. This book is not allowed to be offered for sale, discounted, or free on any sites other than Kobo, IBook’s, Amazon and Barnes and Noble. This book may only be distributed by Jennifer Foor, the owner and Author of this series.

Marketing: INKSLINGER PR

Beta Readers

Georgette Geras

Kayla Kennedy, Emma Clifton, Kristy Davidson, Catherine Roberts, Lara Petterson , Danielle Sanchez, Jennifer Harried, Teresa Coleman

Acknowledgements:

This book is dedicated to all of my family members who have served in the Armed Forces.

Carl T Meyers

Owen Schultz SR

Owen Schultz JR

Owen Schultz III

Adam Schultz

Gregory Scott Thomas SR

Gregory Scott Thomas JR

Kathy Thomas

William Freed

Michael Freed

Mike Jones SR

Lee Rosser

Edward Zimmerman

Intro

Love isn’t always something we learn to feel or experience through years of heartbreak and personal endeavors. Though it can grow stronger, people aren’t able to choose when it will happen. Sometimes, in rare instances, it becomes the only thing we live for; the reason we keep striving to move in a forward direction. In other circumstances, it can be the whole reason we exist in this world. That kind of rarity isn’t one to boast about. Loving someone with extreme compassion comes with great agony, and even more patience. Feeling as if you can’t breathe is only the beginning of what could occur when your emotions play a part in the existence of such a powerful word. There have been days where I’ve woken up and wished it wasn’t there, hounding me from the depths of my core. I’ve always considered myself a strong man; one that could withstand extreme amounts of despair without breaking down. I felt like I could get beyond it, however, learned quickly that it doesn’t work that way.

Imagine being in love with the same person since you were a young child, only to have them fall for your twin instead. This story I’m about to tell you is rocky.

It will rip you apart and possibly put you back together again.

I know this because it's my story.

The pain and anguish in this story is what it was like to hold onto hope that some day we'd find each other again.  I won't sugar coat the details of what I went through to have her, nor will I apologize for any actions that led me right back into Kat’s life.

There is one thing I’ve learned from all of this.

Sometimes love isn't enough.

Sometimes it takes a little fate, some bad experiences, and a lot of time.

Chapter 1

My story starts
from as early as I can recall my first memories of knowing she was everything to me. It was back when life was easy, and the only thing we cared about was how long we could stay outside to play at night. Katy Michaels wasn’t just a girl I met on the streets when I was out playing as a child. She was our next door neighbor, the only child of my parent’s best friends, and the most beautiful thing I’d ever laid eyes on.

Even when we were small, young enough to be bathed in the same tub, or dressed in similar coordinating outfits for pictures, we’d formed a sacred bond. It wasn’t just the two of us either. My twin brother Branch was the third member of our elite group, and although we’d shared other friends, none would ever compare to the relationship that the three of us had. While young, we displayed different personalities. Branch was a jokester, always using ridiculous mockeries to grab Kat’s attention. I, on the other hand, was somewhat of a protector. I made it my life’s mission to make sure I was always around when she was sad, which gave me the benefit of learning to read her early on.

It wasn’t hard to stay close when we lived only feet away from one another. We shared meals, holidays, and every memorable occasion. We were inseparable by fault.

Back when we were too young to realize how complicated life could be, my feelings for Kat began to change. Her hair grew longer, her eyes were brighter, and when she smiled I did the same right back. There was nothing she could do to change my mind either. I felt like she was my angel and assumed someday she’d be mine forever.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one who had those same aspirations. My brother Branch also found interest in Kat.

As we grew older, we found ourselves falling into the pressures of being accepted by our classmates. At the age of twelve it was easy to admit that my plans of becoming Kat’s boyfriend were quite obvious.

While Branch used his cockiness to get under her skin, I was always the person who had her back. I wanted her to feel like she could count on me for anything.

One night we all agreed that we’d practice kissing though admittedly my intentions weren’t only to master the craft. I’d been dying to press my lips against hers, and with that anticipation came a lot of nervousness. She wasn’t just some friend; this was
my
Kat.

Right before my brother and I headed out to meet her in the tree house, he stopped me, acting weird and irrational. He didn’t make it known that he was claiming first dibs, but I could tell from the way he was acting that something was clearly up with him. Being twins gave me that ability. “Don’t get bent out of shape if after tonight she only wants me.” Branch announced.

“Did you practice on your pillow?” Banter was normal between the two of us. It was something my brother enjoyed, and in a way it had become how he’d learned to communicate when he was nervous or afraid. This gave me an advantage from the get-go.

Lucky for me Branch was in fact a pussy. He couldn’t bring himself to kiss her, which gave me an added benefit.

At first I was shaking profusely. Our lips met and the shock of it all made me lose control. I was unhinged, forgetting what I was supposed to be doing with my tongue. The utter disgust in myself made me pull away.

Branch laughed at us. “I knew you wouldn’t do it right.”

That was all the motivation I needed to give it another go. “Come on, Kat, let’s try it again.”

I leaned forward, only closing my eyes after I looked into hers, hidden behind long strands of hair that were always in her face, back then. I had no idea how this very moment would seal the deal for me, utterly and completely. I took my time, memorizing, savoring, and trying not to become embarrassingly aroused. Being this close to her was too much for me to handle. Even as our bodies remained parted while we embraced, it was still enough to make it difficult, to say the least.

After a few long seconds Branch had seen enough. He made a snarky comment, announcing that my time was up. “Let me show you both how it’s done.”

Opening my eyes to see her pulling away was unbearable. My brother shoved himself between us to get his own fix. I’d never in my life been jealous of him. We’d learned to share before we came out of the womb, yet this circumstance introduced us to what it felt like to want something completely for ourselves. While they took their moment together I could feel myself turning; the disgust of it all hitting me like a deer in headlights. I hated that he was kissing those perfect lips, wiping away remnants of mine. He was distorting our perfect moment, damaging how innocent it all was.

While stewing in anger, I heard our mother calling out to us. It was time to go inside for the night, and a part of me was relieved. It meant that Branch had to get his grabby hands off of Kat.

While I stood there watching him running inside, I turned to see Kat doing the same. An instant reaction caused me to reach out and take her by the hand. “Thanks for being my first kiss, Kat.” She looked down with a huge smile across her face as if I’d embarrassed her by talking about it.

She responded in a whisper. “Thanks for being mine, Brooks.”

I looked down at the ground and kicked some rocks, feeling overwhelmed by how close we were to each other. Those lips, so sweet, were calling my name. I was experiencing many emotions, but mostly an intense need to feel them again. “So can we try it one more time, so we’ll be sure we got it right?”

Kat shrugged before leaning her body close to mine. As soon as our lips touched, our tongues played together. A jolt of unexpected pleasure rushed through me, causing me to react by continuing our embrace.

Then I heard my mother’s voice, calling out to me for a second time. We broke apart and looked at one another for a single moment.

“I gotta go.”

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She turned to begin running away from me. Even though I started to do the same, I couldn’t help but freeze and look back to watch her.

It was in that moment when I knew she’d be my future. “Bye, Kat.”

Once inside I had to hear a bunch of crap from my twin. It began as soon as my foot hit the top step in our two-story home. Branch was standing in the hallway, waiting with his arms folded across his chest. “What took you so long?”

The look in his eyes was discerning. I could tell he already knew exactly what had went on when he left. Because I didn’t want to hurt my brother, I gritted my teeth and looked away. “It was nothing.”

“It looked like more than nothing. We agreed to one kiss.”

“It’s Katy, Branch. It’s not like it’s some girl you like. We’re all friends. Leave it alone.” I needed to go to my room before he saw right through me. Unlike my brother, it was impossible for me to stand before someone and lie.

“Maybe I do like her. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t kiss her again, and if you do it behind my back I’ll make sure to tell her things so she hates you.”

“Stop being such a jerk, Branch.”

“I’m not being a jerk. She told me herself. She said she only likes you as a friend. She said she’d never be interested in you that way. The chances of her ever picking you were slim anyway, not when she has me. Just because you act like a pussy and kiss up her ass doesn’t mean she likes you more. Girls aren’t like that. They want the tough guy, who makes them laugh. They like the ones that are hard to get, not the guys who follow them around like a lost puppy.”

As I turned to walk away I closed my eyes, wishing I hadn’t heard that. She didn’t feel the way I did about her. She liked him more. There was nothing left to say. We’d been taught to be respectful of each other. Our parents had instilled values that I appreciated. Even at twelve, I couldn’t see anything, including Kat, coming between us. If I didn’t know how fickle my brother was perhaps it would have bothered me more. Maybe I would have stood my ground and fought for Kat back then. I couldn’t have seen that it was the first step in my demise; what would lead me to break and eventually have to flee. I should have known he was full of crap, saying whatever he had to in order to get under my skin. Back then I was too naïve to fathom that he could be blowing smoke just to have an advantage. Up until this point I didn’t think he had it in him.

None of us could have known that the next day would change us forever.

The ride to school was obviously quiet. I was unable to even glance at her without wanting to kiss those lips again. Looking back, I know it wasn’t just puberty beckoning me to explore. It was something deeper that came from my heart, not the muscle between my legs. Even after hearing she wasn’t interested, something kept telling me not to give up. If there was some slim chance that she could change her mind I’d be there waiting for her.

Once inside of the classroom it was obvious that the teacher was upset about something. We’d done fire drills, and even discussed circumstances such as shootings, but this seemed worse. As she delivered us the first bout of news, I looked back to find Kat worried. I stuck out my tongue to make her smile, knowing it was only temporary. Out of the corner of my eye I could see my brother staring at the two of us. I turned quickly to prevent him from thinking there was more to it.