I was furious.

The green eyed monster has risen and there was nothing that could stop her. It had been two days since my last conversation with Adam when he blatantly refused to tell me what was wrong. I've cooled down since and have tried to contact him but he wouldn't answer.

Now I was staring at my laptop screen with a website of some gossip magazine being displayed, and right there was a paparazzi shot of Adam and Heart laughing along with their arms heavy with shopping bags. I understand that they might have met up because it was the holidays and they both went back to their original hometowns, but the least he could do was say it to me.

Okay, let's lower my standards by saying that the least he could have done was pick up my calls.

Heart Valentine, fueling an old flame?

It's well known that Heart Valentine recently became the other half of Hollywood's most high profile couple. However, back during summer before Valentine and her boyfriend, Axel Brooks, announced that they were dating, there was a speculation that she was in a relationship with a non-celebrity boy.

Yesterday, the same duo had been spotted in England, Hollywood's Princess' home country, acting cozy as said by those who saw them. All the while her boyfriend's reportedly back in his own hometown. Could this be the end of our favorite couple?

I knew that this could be some senseless rumor created by the media to rouse up some drama, but they really did their job well. I slammed my laptop shut, pressing my head on the surface of my desk in frustration.

Moved on, my ass.

"Sienna, they're here!" I heard my mom yell from downstairs and I jolted up. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and I shouldn't let some lying man get on my nerves when I should be merrily celebrating with my family.

When I got down, I was engulfed in a hug by Emma, "It's so good to see you again."

"Not like we saw each other a week ago," I laughed, returning the embrace. I felt a hand on top of my head and I craned my neck to smile at Andy, "Hey."

Uncle Levi and his family were going to stay here for tonight before all us head down to my grandparents' place. It wasn't that far but since it was only grandma and grandpa living alone together, their home wasn't really spacious enough to accommodate all of us.

"Late as ever, my dear baby brother," mom snickered after all of us cousins have said hello. She had now placed on an arrogant smirk directed towards her one and only sibling, "Be a little punctual next time."

Even though Uncle Levi was younger, he was still taller than her so he was able to look down with a matching leer, "That's because I had the guts to leave our hometown, but I doubt you'll understand; always the coward and doesn't have a daring bone in her body."

You could almost hear the crows and lightning in the background as they did their usual stare down. Aunt Janine sighed heavily while dad just waved it off and offered her a cup of tea.

So while our oh-so responsible parents were out there having their usual sibling war, we headed upstairs to get their belongings situated. Emma was going to sleep in my bedroom while Andy will sleep in Sam's. I know that my darling female cousin was happy to see me, but like I mentioned before, she was closer to Sam so the moment we had her suitcase in order, she went off to catch up with my brother.

I didn't mind though so I just let them be. This was also an opportunity for me to continue on with my book, something I've been completely neglecting for the past week because honestly, I was on vacation mode.

But because I was reminded of one particular boy, I was now pissed beyond belief. When I opened my laptop once again and opened my Facebook to see his multiple attempts of messaging me, I wasn't in the most forgiving mood. When I switched back to the window of that pathetic article, my emotions were a mix.

Next time, answer my calls before I find out through the damn media why you were going AWOL on me.

Grabbing the sketchbook that I safely tucked inside one of my drawers, I took a pen and started scribbling down on it. The last place where I left off was during the day that Adam took my phone away from me when I was talking to Justin and my friends.

That was the first time I felt his jealousy, and when my hopes went up ten folds.

When the tip of my pen made contact with the paper, I stopped because I knew exactly which scene I had to recall. That exact moment when he was talking to Heart and I finally lost my senses. Till this day, I'm still wholeheartedly convinced that what I did was far from the expected, but it made me happy that I did it.

Well, that was me a week ago.

I bit my lip so hard until it bled because if I didn't, I would have started crying. I knew it from the start that his heart didn't belong to me and it appears that it never will. He had his best friend, an extremely attractive girl that he had fallen head over heels with, how can I ever compete?

He told me he liked me when he kissed me, right? Did he really or was it just the spur of the moment?

"Sienna, do you have a flash drive I can borrow?" Andy asked as he swung open my door, not even bothering to knock. Although his stance was calm and casual, his facial expression morphed into surprise when he saw me sitting on my desk, the pen almost boring a hole through the paper, with my eyes filled with tears threatening to fall down, "What happened?"

I gasped, dropping my hold of the writing device and covering my face with my hands, "Sorry, I don't have a flash drive."

"What's wrong?" I then heard Sam's voice and also identifying Emma's as well. Since I blocked my own vision, I had no idea what was happening. Although judging from the way the door clicked close and that I could still feel their presence, I was sure they remained inside.

"Adam's with Heart Valentine?" Emma gaped and I finally placed down my hands to see that her eyes were scanning the article flashed on my laptop.

"Who's Adam?" Sam questioned, his voice filled with confusion and panic, "What does he have to do with sis?"

He tried to peek over Emma's shoulder, also getting a good image of the paparazzi shot. It sent both anger and sadness throughout my system – his face was so joyful, a smile dancing beautifully on his lips and his eyes alight with happiness. Never in my time since I've known him did he display such merriment and it made me want to burst into another round of sobs. Because she offered him everything he ever wanted without even trying.

"A guy Sienna got involved with," Andy responded, sitting down on my bed, "And from the looks of it, the subject of her novel was off with another woman."

Sam attempted to connect the dots with our cousin's vague explanation, but his gaze switched from my teary face, the article, and Emma's sympathetic stare. With the gears in his head turning, he finally came with the correct conclusion, "You like him?!"

This was not a subject I wanted to talk to my little brother about.

"Completely one-sided, it looks like," I huffed, leaning against my chair, "Fuck, I'm so stupid to think that I had a chance with him."

I got played like a badly tuned violin. That moment when he said he liked me? Completely bullshit, if I say so myself. The Kingsley siblings shared a look before Andy spoke, and though it was conveyed in his usual bored manner of speaking, there was still sincerity laced within, "We're sorry too for encouraging you."

"Why is this the first time I'm hearing about this?" Sam groaned, plopping down on the spot next to Andy.

I harshly rubbed my eyes to get rid of the wetness that pooled in them. To get heartbroken was one thing, to cry about it was another.

"And to think we even shared a moment," I groaned, pushing my laptop to an angle wherein I wouldn't be able to see the screen. As the seconds ticked by, my sadness was once again replaced by anger, "Next time you think I'm falling for somebody, give me a hard smack on the head."

That managed to lift the mood a little bit, but Emma still gave me a hug as soon as I stood up. The name Adam was never brought up again and that mishap that happened inside my bedroom wasn't mentioned for the rest of the day. Dinner seemed to make me laugh because mom and Uncle Levi's feud kept on going so we had some sort of entertainment to take my mind off of everything.

I retreated to my bedroom earlier than everybody else, claiming that I wanted to get some writing in. This caused a certain amount of stares shot towards Emma and Sam, judging them once again for their choice of artistry. I felt kind of guilty that I unintentionally placed them under scrutiny once again, but they've reassured me countless times that they don't antagonize me for it.

This time, it was Adam's turn to repetitively call me without any response. He fucking deserves it after he did the exact same thing to me.

I silenced my phone and went to writing on the sketchbook. Instead of getting into great detail about the damn kiss, I just wrote the four letter word and moved on. What I did go into a tirade on was the evening when my friends and I went around the city.

I even went as far as drawing a small timeline of what happened in those hours. It was amazing, thrilling, and everything that I used to be. That was the Sienna I wanted myself to be, the girl who always got caught up in adventures with little care about the rules. The contrast between my outgoing personality here and my need for calm back in England just shows how much my environment and the people around me influence my actions.

I should have realized it before – I'm meant for the noisy and exciting city lights, not the twinkling and quiet twilight sky.

You know what? I'm going to get my damn degree without messing around. I'm going to keep my eyes on the prize so that I could permanently return to this place because I've had enough.

I've had enough with being so distant with my dormmates, I've had enough of being the only American in half of my classes and having people give sideward glances, I've had enough of pretending not to know Uncle Levi while sitting through his lectures, and most importantly, I've had enough of being caught up with a man who would only give me the time of day when his best friend wasn't around.

The only time I picked up my phone was when Julia called. Though I was happy to talk to her again, I wasn't jumping for joy at the topic she chose to talk about, "Did you know that Adam's with Heart Valentine?"

"Completely aware," I replied with bitterness dripping in my voice.

Fortunately, it didn't fly over her head, because her smile instantly dropped, "What's wrong?"

Unlike earlier when my cousins and brother interrogated me, I actually told her instead of making her do a pathetic game of 'solve the hidden message', "We kissed before I left and I've realized that I have no chance with him."

Now that I said it out loud, it sounded more pathetic than it actually was, but that didn't stop me from weeping once again. I held back earlier but now there was something about talking to roommate, who had actually fired up the thought of dating in my head, that made allow those tears to fall down.

"Fuck!" I yelled, causing her to flinch, "This is ridiculous."

"Have you talked to him yet?" she questioned and I saw her scrambling around on the screen. It wasn't like she can hug me like Emma did or even giving comforting pats on the back. For her, this was enough to cause her to slightly panic.

I shook my head, "I don't even want to hear his voice or see his face."

She saw me every single day so out of everybody, she was the one to watch firsthand how my shyness around him dissipated into constant wishing. How behind those heavy textbook and rage-inducing projects, I always find myself staring into thin air as I daydreamt about him.

"You know, I'm the last person who has the right to give advice about this because my love life hasn't been smooth sailing," she said and it cause me smile a little bit, "But I think you should talk to him, at least one last time."

I frowned because I didn't disagree with her. It's more like I was avoiding the inevitable news that the kiss was just a mistake, but I truly didn't hate him to the point that I refused to even speak to him. Besides, my last relationship broke off to pieces because the lack of communication and maybe subconsciously, I didn't want this one to be the same.

"I guess..." I trailed off and she grinned when I agreed.

"And if things go well, you better tell me about that kiss," her tone was silly and lighthearted, reminding me why I've always been open with her. She can be serious when you need her to be, but she'll always snap back to her excitable personality.

When I let out a short laugh, her victorious expression was the only thing I could see, "Yeah, I'll talk to him. Thank you, Julia."

"And by the way, it's already Christmas Eve here," she said, reminding me of the time difference, "So Merry Christmas Eve I guess."

"Merry Christmas Eve," I echoed before I said one more goodbye before hanging up.

Adam may or may not be asleep because it was nearly one in the morning over there, but I willed myself to do it. Taking a deep breath, I requested a video chat and my heart started to thump harshly in my chest when I heard the ringing.

And when his face appeared on my screen, I wanted to end it immediately because I never thought I would go this far.

"Crap," he muttered before I got the chance to say anything. Although there wasn't much to tell, all he needed was a view of my distraught expression, "Crap, this is my fault."

Well, he got that part right.

I couldn't open my mouth because I was afraid that a sob would escape my lips. His features were a mixture of concern and panic, staring right at me through his phone. Although I've managed to stop my small whimpers, the tears were still freely escaping my eyes and I no longer bothered to mask them.

See what you did to me?

This was our second argument and unlike the last one when he appeared on the door with an apology, this time we were miles apart. If we ever do get together and experience a long distance relationship, can we really survive when even a fight like this erupted from some frivolous situation?

"Sienna, whatever the rumors said, it wasn't true," he said, his tone pleading for me to believe him, "Please, please stop crying."

I did, actually. I knew he's telling the truth but the problem has escalated from something that could have been resolved easily by just simply picking up his phone.

"You wouldn't answer my calls for two days," I spoke, my voice cracking midway. This caused him more alarm and I heard the ruffling of his sheet, sitting up from his laying position on the bed, "When I didn't even know why you refused to do so, the next thing I heard any news about you was when you were with Heart and I know you guys are best friend but..."

I couldn't even manage to finish my sentence nor was it cohesive enough for me to convey what I wanted. I stopped and placed the phone down on my bed as I started to wipe my tears with my fingers, inhaling and exhaling while I heard him speak. I blocked him out, I needed to gain composure before I could talk to him again.

Grabbing the phone and pointing the front camera back to my face again, I almost screamed at the sight of my red nose and cheeks along with my swollen eyes. My current state was far from attractive and yet, I stayed firmly on the line.

"I was jealous," he admitted and before I was able to ask why, my bedroom door swung open. My mouth opened slightly when I saw Sam and Emma, but they beat me to it. She lunged forward in order to give me another hug while Sam snatched the device from my hands. I tried to get it from him but he faced the front camera towards him.

"Never talk to my sister," from the usual passive manner of speaking, the threatening way and obvious anger was prevalent in the way he warned Adam. Without missing another beat, he hung up the phone and placed it down on my bedside table.

This made me erupt to another round of crying and when I felt his hand on the top of my head. I thought to myself – when did my baby brother grow up so much?

Sure, it wasn't the most mature way to handle things and right before I got the chance to hear his explanation, he was cut off. Still, I was an emotional mess because Sam, who I dearly tried to protect even in the middle of our petty arguments, was the one who gave me comfort.

Emma convinced me to go to bed right after I've calmed down. We laid together on my bed with the lights turned off so the whole room was dark. All I heard was her steady breathing though she wasn't asleep yet, judging from the constant turning off her body. I knew she was begging for an explanation.

But she didn't push, instead she rolled over to her side and looked at me, "You know, Sam was furious when I was talking about Adam to him."

"He had come a long way from letting his big sister fight his battles for him," I sighed, turning to her, "Though I think it's sweet."

"Would you mind telling me the whole story?"

So I said everything to her – from when Adam was obviously irritated at me a couple of days ago to when he finally picked up my call earlier. She didn't interrupt me for a single second, only nodding and shaking her head at appropriate times, "And I don't even know why I'm breaking down like this when he's not even my boyfriend."

"Because you like him," she stated for a fact. Somehow, that single line has been so consistent – it came from almost everybody's mouths and it was grand to think how my insistent denial turned into complete acceptance, not that it went to my favor anyway.

I groaned, covering my face with the blanket, "I know that and since he kissed me, I thought he felt the same."

"Hold on!" she jolted up into a sitting position, leaning out to open the bedside lamp, "He kissed you?!"

"Well, I kissed him first," I confessed when I remembered that aside from Julia, I never really talked to anybody about this.

"You two had a snog sesh and you didn't tell me," she gaped, all sleep gone from her system, "How? When?"

"Long story short, I kissed him then I ran away, he pulled me then it was his turn to make a move," I recalled, peeking from under the blanket, "Stupid, I know."

She plopped back down on the mattress with a huff, "If he hurts my cousin like that then there's no mercy coming from me."

That made the corners of my mouth twitch and when she saw me smile, a grin split on her face, "Good night, Sienna."

"Good night."

Family really is the best.

--------------

Okay, let's get down to business! First of all, this author's note won't be much about the chapter but I'm so freaking happy to announce that I published a new book! It's a collab with two other authors and it's nowhere to be found on Wattpad or online because it's a new original story exclusive to our publisher.

And oh my god, did I have so much fun writing it. Fantasy has been my dream genre but romance is my forte so I stuck with that throughout my writing career. But this is the first book where it's just me and my imagination running wild. Elira, my main character, is just such a beautiful witch with so much spirit in her.

If you're in the Philippines, please go support us and grab a copy. Again, it's wherever Pop Fiction books are available and sold. Also can be purchased online through Lazada soon, we're just waiting for the prints to be delivered.

Here's the cover. Isn't she pretty? The one who made that is James John Andres, you know, the same person who has done the cover for both the published versions of Falling For The Opposite and Hollywood's Princess:

Elira's the one at the very bottom, with her cute ass outfit. I'm so freaking excited for this! Thank you once again for all of your support.

{Old A/N: How was your week, my peaches? Mine, it was a freaking rollercoaster and adventure but I think that's the fun part of it all.

Question: Honestly, what do you think of Sienna?}

I love you guys, please vote, comment, and follow. I shall see you all next chapter!