(Un)breakable (Gezellig #2)
by Kesh Tanglao
by Kesh Tanglao
Book Information
Lorin Perez’s life is finally back on track after almost losing it six years ago. She knows meeting and dating sizzling hot professional rugby player Spence Clarke is a huge part of her healing process. But with her father starting a new family, she decides to follow her best friend Caitlin to UK–Spence’s home country–and start a new life. However, moving to UK brings certain complications in the form of Gezellig band member Nigel Whitmore, a.k.a. the one who didn’t follow through three years ago. And even though Lorin is very clear about her no commitment rule, Nigel ignores this and pursues Lorin like never before. Caught between the man who made her feel safe and the one who makes her feel alive, will she finally be able to set her heart free and make the right choice?
Book Links
Excerpt Reveal
*****
I shrugged. “Suit yourself,” I said. “Speaking of getting all loved up, I caught Pops and Elena.”
“Caught them doing what?”
I gave her a mischievous smile in response and waited for her to catch on.
The look on her face was priceless. “Ohmygod, each other?”
I nodded. “It was...pretty awkward. Glad I’m leaving home.”
Caitlin paused, watching me through the screen intently. “Are you?” she asked. “I mean, you don't have to leave home this drastically. Lore, you're moving continents to give your father the space he needs to form a new family. You can just move to another apartment or something.”
It was my turn to sigh heavily. We'd gone over this conversation repeatedly, and this was the part where Caitlin made sure that I was moving to London not just because I felt like I was this huge barrier to my father’s happiness (even if he did not want to admit it). I think partly she was also feeling guilty; at the time that I told her I was thinking of moving out, she said that there was an opening for a senior media strategist at her new company. And while Caitlin had started there—for a month now—she had impressed her bosses, and I hoped to ride her coattails. After all, Caitlin trained me to be a media strategist herself. I submitted my application impulsively. Two weeks and three Skype interviews later, they called me and told me I got the job. I fixed my papers, waited for my work permit for a month, and it was done.
I was moving away. I was leaving life as I knew it—and I did it all in a matter of eight weeks.
“It’s okay, Cait. I’m doing what I told you to do before—take the Golden Ticket to a new adventure and whatnot,” I replied. “And Spence lives in London, so I would see him more often.”
“Sure,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Except Spence lives in Brighton, which is outside of London, and judging by the schedule you were complaining about the other day, he’s out of the country when you get here. Tough luck.”
I closed my eyes, trying to visualize the schedule that Spence and I had talked about the other day. Caitlin was right. I was moving to London in a couple of weeks, and Spence was already busy for the World Cup training. He was leaving for Russia just when I would leave for London, which was by the end of June. He’d be back in the UK for a couple of weeks in July, before returning to the Philippines again for the Asian 7s tourneys lined up from August to November. Plus, he wanted to try out to play professional rugby in Japan in the middle of his tourneys...
I sighed and told Cait the same thing that I told Spence. “Well, our scheds would match eventually.” I didn't tell Caitlin about Japan, though—that was still an elephant in the room between me and Spence. What if he got a job in Japan? What exactly was the point of my moving to the same continent he usually lived in if he wasn't there?
I opened my eyes and looked at Caitlin, whom I found to be smiling. I raised an eyebrow in question, and her smile turned into a grin.
“Since Spence is out of the country, there’s always Nigel.” She winked at me, and I rolled my eyes. Nigel, my favorite Gezellig member. There were so many other descriptions I could have said about him, but I didn't want to think about him.
“That was a one-time thing, Caitlin.”
“Huh,” was all she managed to say. She was about to say more—I could see it on her face—but something interrupted her, causing her to look behind her.
“Coming!” she yelled, and then she turned back to me. “I mean, you and Spence are in this ‘open’ relationship bullshit that I don't really buy, but since it’s open, you can see other guys, right?” She spoke so fast as she stood up. She was wearing lacy underwear—I didn’t know she had anything lacy in her lingerie collection to begin with, but I guess, for her, having a boyfriend merited a change in underwear choice. I whistled, and she looked at me sharply to stop me from teasing her.
Those glares never stopped me before.
“Glad to know you’re taking my advice, Cait! Always wear pretty underthings because you'll never know when...you know,” I said, and that made Caitlin just turn into this fantastic shade of even darker red. I laughed, and she changed the direction of the conversation.
“So, see Nigel when you get here. It wasn't a one-time thing for him, Lore,” she said. But before I could ask her what she meant by that, she disappeared momentarily from the screen. Then I spotted her shooting her legs into boxer shorts. When she got back in the view of the screen, she was blowing me kisses.
“I'll see you in a few weeks! Think about what I said—Nigel wants to see you when you get here.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but she ended the call quickly.
It wasn't a one-time thing for him? Nigel would want to see me? Huh. Where was that three years ago?
*****
“Hmm,” Nigel said, his face thoughtful. “So why aren’t you dating anyone?”
“Who said I wasn’t?” I said rather defensively.
“Well,” he began, placing his beer bottle on the floor next to him. “I sense that there is this wall that you don't want anyone to break into.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What if I'm just cautious? You can never have anyone too close without them hurting you.” I cleared my throat. “Besides, I’m still young. We are still young. I think we both have the license to enjoy more than one person’s company than just get stuck in one committed relationship.”
Nigel smirked. “You say that but I think you're the type of woman who values loyalty and faithfulness. This,” he said, gesturing to me, “is just a front.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, my smile mocking. Jesus, was I that transparent? “Didn’t know you can read people this well, Mr. Whitmore. Where is this psychobabble coming from? Careful; it scares people away if you read them too well.”
Nigel let out a harrumph, and then said, “The truth is always scary, Lorin.”
He placed his hand on top of mine, and I looked at our hands instead of his face. His gaze was getting a little too intense for me. “So are you scared because I'm hitting all the right buttons?” he asked.
I pulled out my hand from underneath his and looked at him, accepting the challenge in his gaze. “There was this time in my life that I did, you know?” I didn’t know why but once the words were out there, I couldn't stop. I felt challenged, like I had to prove him wrong, but I knew I wouldn't be able to.
“I valued loyalty. I even valued honesty, and I still value it up to now, so thanks for all the things that you're throwing at me.” I sighed heavily, then plowed on.
“But I also valued making the effort and keeping promises. If you say that you're going to make it work, then make it work. You just don't disappear on me because you couldn't figure out how to make it work anymore. You say something. And it should come from you, not from other people, because the only thing that hurts far more than being left on your own is realizing that you weren't even worth an explanation. And people deserve that. No matter how bullshit the explanation may be, people deserve to know why they can’t be good enough for you anymore.”
I kept his gaze as I breathed heavily, trying to calm myself down. Stupid, stupid Day of Mourning. Why did it fall tonight when I was in Sydney with the biggest boy band in the world? Why did I have to feel like this on the night when I was with one of my biggest crushes?
Nigel just stared at me, and for a moment I thought I scared him with my outburst, but then he reached up and cupped my face in his hands. Those eyes penetrated through me, like I was a puzzle he couldn't quite crack just yet. When he spoke, his voice a whisper, confusion evident in his tone.
“Who hurt you?”
---END REVEAL---
Book Review
A story about love lost, love freed, love found, and love welcomed. (Un)breakable bravely depicts the struggle of living after a terrible heartache, and slowly stirs to the direction of healing through opening up the pain to allow the story of the past or "the day of mourning" to echo through the walls until it find its way out and opening up to let people in; people who can either make us feel safe or make us feel alive, as in the case with Lorin's Spence and Nigel. While sailing on two rivers is not everyone's cup of tea, I am sure people can resonate to Lorin's fight to break free from the wall she built because of the pain.
(Un)breakable (Gezellig #2) will introduce us to another member of the band and to the world of Rugby as Lorin enters these two worlds.
For readers and lovers of The Real Score (Gezellig #1), Kesh's first book, except to be treated once again to the charm of the band as well as the sweet chemistry of the our favorite couple Gezellig's de facto frontman Marcus and marketing sweetheart Caitlin.
For readers and lovers of The Real Score (Gezellig #1), Kesh's first book, except to be treated once again to the charm of the band as well as the sweet chemistry of the our favorite couple Gezellig's de facto frontman Marcus and marketing sweetheart Caitlin.
I am sure bibliophiles like myself, fangirls (hello Directioners), and sport fanatics especially of the Philippine's Rugby team would want to hear more about this book from the mouth of the fabulous author herself so stay tuned for my interview with Kesh Tanglao.
Meanwhile, you may join this amazing
Giveaway
A dog tag necklace with the winner’s name on it + a choice between jersey of the Philippine Volcanoes or any DVD mentioned in the book (Ted, The Hangover, The Hangover II, The Anchorman, The Grown-Ups, 21 Jump Street, Serendipity, The Notebook, One Day, When Harry Met Sally, We Bought a Zoo) + ebook of The Real Score.
Philippines residents only.
While you're at it, check out:
breakable (Gezellig #2) | Book Review and Excerpt Reveal + Giveaway){kind=link}