Back Before We Were
Chapters (250)
  1. Dedication
  2. A NOTE TO READERS
  3. WELCOME TO EDEN MIXTAPE
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. 1. The Summer Before Seventeen
  6. THE SUMMER BEFORE SEVENTEEN
  7. NORA
  8. 2. Don’t Forget The Curly Fries
  9. DON’T FORGET THE CURLY FRIES
  10. NORA
  11. PRESENT DAY
  12. 3. Busted
  13. BUSTED
  14. NATE
  15. 4. You’re Only Sixteen Once
  16. YOU’RE ONLY SIXTEEN ONCE
  17. NORA
  18. 5. Specks With Colossal Problems
  19. SPECKS WITH COLOSSAL PROBLEMS
  20. NATE
  21. 6. Vodka, Lime And Old Flames
  22. VODKA, LIME AND OLD FLAMES
  23. NORA
  24. 7. Connor James
  25. CONNOR JAMES
  26. NATE
  27. 8. Breathe In, Breathe Out
  28. BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT
  29. NORA
  30. 9. Last Summer
  31. LAST SUMMER
  32. NORA
  33. 10. Never Drinking Again
  34. NEVER DRINKING AGAIN
  35. NORA
  36. PRESENT DAY
  37. 11. You Should See The Other Guy
  38. YOU SHOULD SEE THE OTHER GUY
  39. NATE
  40. 12. Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones
  41. STICKS AND STONES MAY BREAK MY BONES
  42. NATE
  43. 13. Bitches And Bonfires
  44. BITCHES AND BONFIRES
  45. NORA
  46. PRESENT DAY
  47. 14. Late Night Swims
  48. LATE NIGHT SWIMS
  49. NATE
  50. 15. The Beginning Of The Downfall
  51. THE BEGINNING OF THE DOWNFALL
  52. NATE
  53. 16. Lost Stories, Found Words
  54. LOST STORIES, FOUND WORDS
  55. NORA
  56. 17. Lads Day Out
  57. LADS DAY OUT
  58. NATE
  59. 18. Carnivals And Confrontations
  60. CARNIVALS AND CONFRONTATIONS
  61. NORA
  62. 19. Cotton Candy And Daisy Bracelets
  63. COTTON CANDY AND DAISY BRACELETS
  64. NATE
  65. 20. I Got You
  66. I GOT YOU
  67. NORA
  68. 21. Seeing Ghosts
  69. SEEING GHOSTS
  70. NORA
  71. PRESENT DAY
  72. 22. Pieces Of A Puzzle
  73. PIECES OF A PUZZLE
  74. NORA
  75. 23. The Thing About Odds
  76. THE THING ABOUT ODDS
  77. NATE
  78. 24. Sunrises And Cinnabons
  79. SUNRISES AND CINNABONS
  80. NORA
  81. 25. A Part Of Me Died
  82. A PART OF ME DIED
  83. NORA
  84. 26. What's His Name?
  85. WHAT'S HIS NAME?
  86. NORA
  87. PRESENT DAY
  88. 27. Late Night Drives
  89. LATE NIGHT DRIVES
  90. NATE
  91. 28. You’re Naked
  92. YOU’RE NAKED
  93. NORA
  94. 29. The Quiet Destruction
  95. THE QUIET DESTRUCTION
  96. NATE
  97. 30. Wanna Fly?
  98. WANNA FLY?
  99. NATE
  100. 31. Frosted Flakes At 2Am
  101. FROSTED FLAKES AT 2AM
  102. NORA
  103. PRESENT DAY
  104. 32. You're Safe With Me
  105. YOU'RE SAFE WITH ME
  106. NORA
  107. 33. Happy Birthday Jake
  108. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE
  109. NATE
  110. PRESENT DAY
  111. 34. Expect The Unexpected
  112. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
  113. NORA
  114. 35. Ripples Of The Past
  115. RIPPLES OF THE PAST
  116. NATE
  117. 36. Drowning In Truth
  118. DROWNING IN TRUTH
  119. NORA
  120. 37. Reckonings
  121. RECKONINGS
  122. NATE
  123. 38. Just Like Old Times
  124. JUST LIKE OLD TIMES
  125. NORA
  126. 39. Parallel Lines
  127. PARALLEL LINES
  128. NATE
  129. 40. Front Row Seats To The Shit Show
  130. FRONT ROW SEATS TO THE SHIT SHOW
  131. NORA
  132. 41. Nora's Mixtape #17
  133. NORA'S MIXTAPE #17
  134. NATE
  135. 42. Sorry On Repeat
  136. SORRY ON REPEAT
  137. NATE
  138. 43. Seventeen
  139. SEVENTEEN
  140. NORA
  141. 44. The Rent Is Free In My Head
  142. THE RENT IS FREE IN MY HEAD
  143. NATE
  144. 45. The Geometry Of Almost
  145. THE GEOMETRY OF ALMOST
  146. NORA
  147. 46. Fresh Paint Over Old Cracks
  148. FRESH PAINT OVER OLD CRACKS
  149. NATE
  150. 47. Found Family
  151. FOUND FAMILY
  152. NORA
  153. 48. Deaf Or Blind?
  154. DEAF OR BLIND?
  155. NATE
  156. 49. Sixty Seconds
  157. SIXTY SECONDS
  158. NORA
  159. 50. Where Shadows Meet
  160. WHERE SHADOWS MEET
  161. NATE
  162. 51. The Alchemy Of Letting Go
  163. THE ALCHEMY OF LETTING GO
  164. NORA
  165. 52. Father Figure
  166. FATHER FIGURE
  167. NATE
  168. 53. A Very Unhappy Fourth Of July
  169. A VERY UNHAPPY FOURTH OF JULY
  170. NATE
  171. PRESENT DAY
  172. 54. Like A Bull In A China Shop
  173. LIKE A BULL IN A CHINA SHOP
  174. NORA
  175. 55. The Responsible Adult
  176. THE RESPONSIBLE ADULT
  177. NATE
  178. 56. The Call
  179. THE CALL
  180. NORA
  181. 57. Magnata
  182. MAGNATA
  183. NATE
  184. 58. The Aftermath
  185. THE AFTERMATH
  186. NORA
  187. 59. He Won't Hurt You Anymore
  188. HE WON'T HURT YOU ANYMORE
  189. NATE
  190. 60. I Know What You Did Last Summer
  191. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
  192. NORA
  193. 61. Restoring What's Broken
  194. RESTORING WHAT'S BROKEN
  195. NATE
  196. 62. Three Words, None Of Them I Love You
  197. THREE WORDS, NONE OF THEM I LOVE YOU
  198. NORA
  199. 63. He Can’t, But I Will
  200. HE CAN’T, BUT I WILL
  201. NATE
  202. 64. A Wrinkle In Time
  203. A WRINKLE IN TIME
  204. NORA
  205. 65. A Flicker Of Hope
  206. A FLICKER OF HOPE
  207. NATE
  208. 66. Name
  209. NAME
  210. NORA
  211. 67. Did We Just Become Best Friends?
  212. DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS?
  213. NATE
  214. 68. Dancing In The Dark
  215. DANCING IN THE DARK
  216. NORA
  217. 69. No More Hiding
  218. NO MORE HIDING
  219. NATE
  220. 70. Mic Drops And Bombshells
  221. MIC DROPS AND BOMBSHELLS
  222. NORA
  223. 71. The Sins We Inherit
  224. THE SINS WE INHERIT
  225. NATE
  226. 72. Blink And Gone
  227. BLINK AND GONE
  228. NORA
  229. 73. God, Can You Hear Me?
  230. GOD, CAN YOU HEAR ME?
  231. NATE
  232. 74. Blur
  233. BLUR
  234. NORA
  235. 75. Dancing With The Devil
  236. DANCING WITH THE DEVIL
  237. NATE
  238. 76. Becoming Through Breaking
  239. BECOMING THROUGH BREAKING
  240. NORA
  241. 77. Broken Promiƨeƨ
  242. BROKEN PROMIƧEƧ
  243. NATE
  244. 78. Choices
  245. CHOICES
  246. NORA
  247. EPILOGUE
  248. NICK
  249. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  250. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The way he looks at me—like I'm his salvation and destruction all at once—makes my heart stutter. His gaze drops to my lips, and before I can respond, his mouth crashes against mine again, stealing every coherent thought. It's overwhelming, intoxicating, the way he takes me apart piece by piece. I arch into him, needing more, craving the way his touch sets me on fire and soothes me at the same time. He pulls back just enough for his eyes to lock onto mine. There's something raw in the way he looks at me—primal and unrestrained—like I'm the only thing he's ever wanted.

He moves, and the next thing I feel is his hand sliding down, warm and deliberate, as if he's savoring every second. When his finger enters me, my breath leaves my lungs in a sharp gasp and the sheer sensation has me clutching onto him like he's the only thing keeping me grounded.

"Nate," I manage, his name breaking on a moan.

"I've dreamt of you like this," he whispers into my ear, his breath hot against my skin, sending shivers cascading down my spine. "For so fucking long. Come for me."

The word falls from my lips before I can think, a breathless whisper that's equal parts surrender and certainty. "Yes."

A devilish grin tugs at the corner of his mouth, wicked and devastatingly beautiful.

"Good."

My body arches against him, desperate and willing as he moves with an intimacy so devastatingly raw it feels like he's branding himself onto my soul.

"Nate…"

"What is it, Nora?" His tone is teasing, but there's an edge to it, a hunger that matches mine.

"I…"

"You what?" His smirk grows, dark and knowing as his pace quickens.

Every time he moves, my body screams for more. It's like nothing will ever be enough with him. He's unrelenting, driving me to the brink of madness, and I barely form the words, but I force them out.

"More."

"More what, Len? Tell me."

"I need more," I whisper, the plea cracking through the tension.

Another low, devilish laugh escapes his lips, and his eyes—those dark, amber-flecked eyes—grow impossibly darker, pulling me into their depths like a vortex.

"You want me to take you right here?"

I nod, but it's not enough for him.

"Words. I need your words."

It's possessive and tender, and it sets my pulse racing like a drumbeat.

"Yes, Nate. Yes, I want you to fuck me right here," I say, the words tumbling out, raw and unfiltered. “Please.”

An animalistic groan escapes him, low and primal, and I feel it reverberate through his chest, straight into mine. His hands tighten on my hips, and his lips crash against mine with a ferocity that's intoxicating. He devours me like he's starved, his movements deliberate and intense, his body pressing against mine with the kind of need that makes me feel like I'm the only thing keeping him alive.