Seducing My Ex by Tarin Lex

She is the ocean—wild, spirited, untamed.
He is stone and granite and loam—grounded, immutable earth.
The shore upon which she can finally still.

Bianca:
I wasn’t supposed to love him.
Wade was my older brother Carter’s best friend. They grew up together, joined the Army together, deployed together.
But only one of them came back.
Now I’ve lost two men—my dad when I was little, and now my brother.
It hurt more than I could bear.
Heartbreak is for the bees.
And roots are for trees.
I have arms and legs that can’t stay put. I’m meant to move. To make music. To explore.
To run.
Until it’s time for me to come back home.

Wade:
She was beautiful like a sunset is beautiful—most inspiring right before it goes away.
I never got stuck on the going-away. She would do that sometimes.
But she always came back.
Bianca was my dirty little secret.
And the love of my life.
I don’t know why she ran away. No one in this small town knows.
I gave her space. I kept growing up, planted roots, like I said I would.
I’m still here—a veteran; a captain in the Starlight Police Department.
Protecting. Serving.
Listening for her siren song.