Why You Shouldn't Lend A Bad Boy Your Clothes Read online

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  Copyright © 2018 by Philline Harms

  All Rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of required fees you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this book. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known, hereinafter invented, without express written permission of BLVNP Inc. For more information contact BLVNP Inc.The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content. This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  DISCLAIMER

  This book is a work of FICTION. It is fiction and not to be confused with reality. Neither the author nor the publisher or its associates assume any responsibility for any loss, injury, death or legal consequences resulting from acting on the contents in this book.The author’s opinions are not to be construed as the opinions of the publisher.The material in this book is for entertainment purposes ONLY. Cover image from Shutterstock com.

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  Praise for Why You Shouldn’t Lend A Bad Boy Your Clothes

  This book has been one of my favorite LGBT+ books so far. I love how the characters are portrayed and how their feelings are described so well. This book has made me feel a lot of things because of how unique it is. The way that the author has written the book makes you feel as if you're present in the book. This book will remain one of my faves (sic) and I think that the author should continue doing this amazing job that she does.

  -Jamaine Van Utrecht, Goodreads

  It's an amazing story. I read the book and it was so good that I had to read it again and again. I love the personality each character has and how much I can relate to them. You never know what person can make a huge impact on your life and that with just one mistake your future will change not just for you, but for others as well. I definitely recommend this story.

  -Nicole Rodriguez, Goodreads

  This book was absolutely STUNNING. This is definitely one of my favourite books, by far. It explores aspects of gay relationships that most authors just skim over. This book had me up all night for weeks. You won't be disappointed, I can promise you that.

  -Alyn Blackburn, Goodreads

  This is one of the best books I have ever read. The plot is stunning, the characters are all amazing, just every single detail about this entire book is perfect. The way that the plot was laid out wasn't a typical "guy meets guy, they hate each other for approximately two chapters, then suddenly they're having tons of sex until a cheesy epilogue where they're married with a kid or two." It clearly has a ton of love, time, and effort laced into every single word. Also, each character has a special place in my heart, because of the fact that their personalities are all so genuine and realistic, which is so rare in books nowadays. I've read this book more times than I can even count, and I plan on buying the book the moment it comes out and reading it more again. Even the author of this book is absolutely one of the most lovely people I have ever interacted with in my life, and I truly adore her from the bottom of my heart. I really do hope that this book gets just as much love and attention as it deserves.

  -Hachi Ono, Goodreads

  This book made me feel so many emotions at the same time. It really shows the real struggles of an LGBTQ person, just like coming out or homophobic parents. I'm pretty sure that lots of us can relate to him and his story. An amazing book.

  -Emese Horák

  This book is amazing, it makes the reader feel as if they're in the book feeling all the emotions the characters, which is something I see very rarely.

  -Caitlin Murray

  Why You Shouldn’t Lend A Bad Boy Your Clothes

  By: Philline Harms

  ISBN: 978-1-64434-015-8

  ©Philline Harms 2018

  Table of contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Epilogue

  For the lovers and the fighters.

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  Chapter 1

  Jules

  “Yeah, Emily. I know…Okay. I’ll be there on time.”

  I definitely won’t be there on time, I thought, mentally hitting myself on the head.

  I really hadn’t meant to forget about our anniversary. I wanted to go to the cinema with her, but I simply lost track of time at some point while I had been drawing. It happened before; I started a new portrait and the next thing I knew, three hours had passed, and I had filled a few pages of my sketchbook without looking up once.

  Usually, I loved those moments when my thoughts came to a screeching halt and blissful quiet took its place, no thoughts or worries, just the sound of the pencil scratching across the paper. It was, however, quite inconvenient when it resulted in being late to a date, which we had been planning for days.

  On the other end of the line, Emily was still talking, her tone growing more and more impatient by the minute. Holding the phone away from my ear, I quietly ordered a venti cafe latte from the grumpy-looking Starbucks barista.

  “What? No. Why would I forget our anniversary, babe?” I asked with a faked laugh and immediately felt bad for lying to her. If there was a contest for The World’s Worst Boyfriend, I was sure that I would win it.

  In the meantime, grumpy-face put my coffee down on the counter and waited impatiently for me to hand him the money. I quickly fished a crinkled banknote out of my pocket and didn’t wait for him to give me the change. Then, I left with the hot paper cup in my hand.

  Maybe the tip could lighten up his mood.

  I was pretty sure that almost everyone would’ve t
hought that buying coffee instead of heading to meet my girlfriend right away was a waste of time, but it wasn’t to me. Sometimes I was pretty sure that caffeine was the only thing keeping my body going, which sounded a little unhealthy when I thought about it but was entirely accurate nevertheless. If I wanted to get through the day and go on that date, I knew that I needed at least a venti-sized cup of coffee. Besides, the Starbucks shop was just down the road, only a stone’s throw from the cinema, so it was only a small detour.

  “I’m on my way. Don’t worry. I’ll be there in just a minute. Bye, I love you,” I said.

  Hanging up, I stepped outside and hurriedly crossed the street.

  I glanced at the time on my phone only to realize that I was already eight minutes late. Swearing quietly under my breath, I slipped the phone back into my pocket. However, before I could look up again, I bumped into someone.

  There was a quiet thump as our bodies collided, then a string of hissed curses. Before I could even process what happened, I stumbled back and looked up to see a furious guy with black coffee spilled all over his white t-shirt.

  I stood frozen in shock, blinking up at him. I was met with green eyes staring into mine. They belonged to a guy who was around my age but a good few inches taller.

  His voice, dark and angry, ripped me out of my daze. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Shit. I’m so sorry.” I stammered and looked at the ugly coffee stain on his chest. “Are you okay? Are you hurt or anything?”

  The boy rolled his eyes, anger slowly turning into irritation. “Nah, it’s not like you just spilled boiling hot coffee all over me, you idiot.”

  I scratched the back of my neck in embarrassment and felt my cheeks flushing red.

  “But it’s okay. I’m hotter than that anyway,” he mumbled under his breath.

  I was honestly not sure if I had heard wrong, so I just kept my mouth shut, overwhelmed with the entire situation. Then, on an impulse I couldn’t explain, I quickly pulled my hoodie over my head and handed it to him. Fortunately, I had been wearing a black t-shirt underneath.

  “Here, you can wear this. I’m really sorry, mate.”

  “Don’t call me mate. It’s not like spilling coffee over another person is some fucking bonding experience.” He snapped but took the hoodie and put it on in one flowing motion.

  I didn’t know what to reply to that, so I just watched him silently.

  “What are you staring at?” he asked, his tone clearly annoyed. “Aren’t you in a rush? It sure as hell seemed like it when you ran face-forward into me.”

  “Yeah, right. Again, I’m really so—”

  The boy just ran his fingers through his dark hair and cut me off. “You’re sorry. I get it. Just leave me alone, mate.” He pronounced the last word as if it was some kind of a disease.

  Without another word, he put on the expensive-looking headphones that were hanging around his neck and walked off, not without shoving me out of the way with his shoulder.

  How lovely. I just gave my favorite hoodie to a dick.

  I probably wouldn’t see it or him ever again. While I was kind of sad about the first one, I really didn’t mind the latter, knowing I’d probably die from embarrassment if I ever talk to him again.

  Sighing softly, I threw the empty cup of coffee in the bin, pretty disappointed that I hadn’t been able to drink a single sip of it. Then I turned around and made my way to the cinema as fast as I could, knowing that Em would be furious.

  As expected, she was already standing in front of the building, leaning against a pillar with her arms crossed over her chest. Even from afar, I could see that her lips were pressed together in a thin line, a clear sign that she was angry.

  She looked pretty today, as she always did. Something about her always reminded me of a china doll, probably because of her light skin, the big brown eyes, and the button nose. Her brown hair fell over her shoulders. A feeling of guilt washed over me as I saw that she had even made an effort to style it into curls for our date. And I had forgotten about it completely.

  “Hey, Em,” I said with an apologetic smile and leaned down to kiss her, but she turned her head away. I bit down on my lip and took a step back to give her some space.

  She replied with a glare that really wasn’t very intimidating at all. The problem was that whenever she tried to shoot me an angry look, she always ended up looking even more like Bambi. It was adorable, really, but now was probably not the right time to point that out.

  “Hey, Em?” She imitated me. “That’s all you have to say?”

  “Listen, I’m sorry that I’m late. I didn’t mean to, but there was this guy, and I ran into him, and I spilled my coffee all over him, and then I had to lend him my hoodie and—”

  “Seriously, Jules?” She crossed her arms with an exasperated scowl. “If you don’t want to go on a date with me, you can just tell me. But don’t make any stupid excuses.”

  I lifted my hands in defeat. “Emily, I swear. I’m not lying. I know how this sounds, but that’s what happened and I…” I inhaled deeply before I continued, hoping that she could tell I was telling the truth. “I actually really, really want to go on that date with you.”

  Her eyes softened as she looked at me. She remained silent for a moment before she sighed. “Fine. It’s okay. I’m sorry for acting like a crazy bitch.”

  I laughed and stepped forward to cross the distance between us. “It’s okay. After all, you’re my crazy bitch.” I grinned and pulled her into a kiss.

  After a second, I felt her melting in my arms and her body pressing closer against mine.

  I really don’t get what people find so great about kissing. It’s really just pressing your lips together and exchanging body liquids, isn’t it?

  After a few seconds, I broke away from her and pulled out my mobile to check the time. “Crap,” I muttered. “The movie has already started.”

  Emily grimaced in disappointment. “There goes our movie date…”

  “Wait, I have an idea,” I said. “How about watching movies and ordering pizza at my place?”

  Her face lit up a little at that. “Star Wars?”

  “Sure thing, nerd.”

  “Then pizza and movies it is!” She announced happily and grabbed my hand.

  And just like that, everything between us was fine again, like it always was. As we made our way back to my house, Em was already chattering about how her day had been and how excited she was for school to start again tomorrow, but I was only listening with half an ear, too busy wondering what that weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that wouldn’t go away was.

  Chapter 2

  The light of a thousand suns blinded my eyes the next morning…Never mind, it was just the screen of my mobile as I turned the alarm off.

  With a tired groan, I looked at the time and groaned again as I saw that it was already half past seven. It seemed like I had accidentally hit snooze twice.

  Oops.

  I suppressed the urge to just crawl back under the covers and miss the first day of school when I remembered that I had promised Nate that I would pick him up on my way to school. As much as I would love to skip a few classes, I couldn’t leave my best friend hanging like that. So I rolled myself out of bed, quickly put on some clothes that were scattered across my room and slipped into my white Vans.

  Then I styled my hair and took a quick glance at the mirror. I thought of myself as pretty average looking: light brown, incredibly curly hair, blue eyes that sometimes tended to look greenish, and I’d been told I had dimples when I smiled.

  With a halfway satisfied smile, I brushed my teeth and headed downstairs to the kitchen. My parents had already left for work and had taken my little sister, Maya, to the kindergarten, so there was no one there to scold me when I ate a chocolate pudding for breakfast and put three spoons of sugar in my coffee.

  After pouring the coffee into my thermos cup, I swung my backpack and the duffel bag with sports clothes over my shoulder and left the
house. My car was parked at the curb right outside the door. It wasn’t one of the expensive rides that some of these rich kids at my school had, but as long as it moved, I was cool with my little Peugeot 206. It was my mom’s old car, and for some reason, she had bought it in this horrible green color, which was why I lovingly called it Froggy.

  Ten minutes later, I pulled up in front of Nate’s house where I honked twice, sipping my coffee. Mere seconds later, Nate stumbled out, wearing one of his obligatory band t-shirts. He hadn’t even laced his shoes yet, which was why he nearly fell a few times before he, cussing colorful words, opened the door and collapsed on the passenger seat, breathing heavily.

  “Good morning, dumbass.” He greeted me, friendly as usual, and bent down to lace his shoes.

  I started the car but braked immediately afterward to make Froggy hop forward just a little, causing Nate to hit his head on the dashboard.

  “And a good morning to you too, jerk,” I said and smiled sweetly at him.

  “Ouch, fuck you! I came out to have a good time, and I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now.”

  I just rolled my eyes at his remark and started the car again, speeding down the streets because there were only five minutes left until class would start. When we stopped at a red light, I drank my coffee, feeling Nate’s judging gaze on me.

  “Dude, your caffeine addiction is going completely out of control,” he said and took the cup out of my hand to drink a sip. “And how much sugar did you put in this? This is way too sweet.”

  “Nate, what the hell!” I complained as he handed it back to me and I realized he had finished the entire cup.

  “I’m just trying to help you with your unhealthy addiction!” he exclaimed. “Don’t worry. Coffee Addicts Anonymous is here for you.”