Free A Beautiful Star (Beautiful Series, Book 5) by Lilliana Anderson Page A

the same page.”
    "Probably not," I laugh as I stand up and leave.
    "Catch you later, Red," he calls out as I walk away, and I frown, releasing a laugh as I wonder how I managed to get a nickname so quickly. And as I leave, I can't help but notice that I step a little lighter, a smile playing on the edge of my lips for the rest of the day.

Chapter 12
     
     
    "I think I might go back to my place tonight," I tell my mother that evening as we sit across from each other eating chicken and avocado salad for our evening meal. “Things seem to have calmed down enough now.”
    "I’d be going back too," she agrees. "You can't exactly bring that chef of yours back here to roll around on that tiny bed. Not to mention the floral pattern the boy band posters. That stuff is just embarrassing."
    Shaking my head, I spear a piece of chicken with my fork. "No one else I know has a mother like you, you know."
    “And thank god for that. Even I know the world can’t handle too many awesome people like me,” she states as a matter of fact.
    I press my lips in a smile as I stand up and wrap my arms around her neck. “I love you, mum.”
    She pats my arm, her voice sounding serious for a change. “I love you too, sweetheart. Now, eat your food before your father comes home, otherwise he’ll get to the television before we do and force us to watch Sons of Anarchy. I have a Nicolas Sparks movie that you’ll love.”
    Taking my seat, I finish my food then help her with the dishes before we settle in to our movie, watching as yet another of his novels plays out on the screen and leaves us all devastated and heartbroken for the characters at the end.
    “I hate Nicolas Sparks,” mum cries, blowing her nose into a tissue as tears stream down her face. “I don’t know why I keep doing this to myself.”
    “Me too,” my father says as he takes the box of tissues from my mother and dabs one at his eyes. He’d come home part way through the movie and joined us, and being a fairly emotional man, he got wrapped up in the story too. “At least in Sons of Anarchy you know it’s going to end badly.”
    “How are you not crying, Sandra?” mum asks, her brow furrowed in bewilderment as she takes in my dry eyes.
    I shrug. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s sad and I feel sad for the characters. But, I guess I just see Nicolas Sparks’s stuff as a little truer to life than most romantic stories. He’s all about hope and small moments, which is great, but he also shows that the reality is, it doesn’t last. Bad things happen, people get their hearts broken, and somehow, they have to learn to live on. Learning to be happy on your own is inspiring. Getting married and living happily ever after isn’t real.”
    My mother looks at me with her mouth agape. "What has made you such a cynic at your age? I thought things were going well with your chef"
    "What chef?" my father asks.
    My mother waves him off with her hand. "I'll tell you later, Tony," she says before turning her attention back to me. "What's going on?"
    "Nothing," I say as I stand up and get ready to head to my room. "I just think that Nicholas Sparks is right. Life and love can be devastating and there isn’t always a happy ending.”
    My father is the one who sucks in his breath like I just swore at him. “How can you say that? Your mother and I are living proof.”
    “Dad, not everyone finds what you two have, and that’s ok. You’re the lucky ones. I’d love to find what you have. But the reality is, it’s just not always the case for most people. I’m twenty-three years old, and I’m yet to find one man who makes me feel like I belong. All I’ve found so far, are good looks and shallow hearts. This whole soul mate search could take the rest of my life, so I have to be happy with who I am when I’m on my own.”
    “What has happened to you?” my mother repeats again.
    I wave my hand, as if the action will clear my words from the air between us. I’ve obviously said way