Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 116759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
There was my sister in the doorway, Leona at her back. Juno grinned deviously. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Junebug, but I currently hate you.”
My sister cackled with sadistic delight.
Lily shoved me playfully. “Be nice!” She hopped off the bed while I covered my current situation with a pillow. “Juno!”
My sister and girlfriend enfolded each other in a thrilled hug. On any normal occasion, I’d be delighted they liked each other so much.
“Lily, this is my girlfriend, Leona.” Juno introduced the tall, brown-skinned beauty who had stolen my sister’s heart.
“It’s so lovely to meet you.”
“You too.” Leona pulled her into a hug. “I’ve heard so much about you.” She beamed over Lily’s shoulder and waved. “Hi, Bastian.”
“Good to see you.” I nodded gruffly. “Now all of you, except Lily, get out.”
Lily whirled on me. “Sebastian, manners.” Then she slid her arm around Juno’s shoulders and guided them out of the room. “Tea? Wine? How long are you here for?”
I groaned, closing my eyes in despair as their voices drifted away. “I love my sister,” I reminded myself between gritted teeth. “One cannot kill one’s sister.”
“Hey, Bas.”
My eyes flew open to find Zac leaning against my door frame. “Do you know your sister is here?”
“Painfully, painfully aware of the fact.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
LILY
One of my favorite perks of having a mum who’s the university’s head librarian was getting my hands on the much sought-after study room. It was almost impossible to book one, but Mum tried to allocate me one whenever I needed it. My dissertation was almost finished. Most of the interview requests I’d made at the beginning of the year had come through, and yesterday I’d completed my last interview with the author of a best-selling book about the impact of social media on our mental health. I was proud of myself for being so ahead of the curve because I knew from talking to my peers that some of them were way behind on their dissertation.
Being this close to finishing meant I could send it to Professor McAvoy in plenty of time to get feedback.
My conclusions were interesting and worrying. While there were differences between genders with regard to the impact of social media and that was my primary focus, there was one unifying conclusion to my research. Governments needed to step in and regulate social media apps more effectively. The platform themselves, and not merely individual users, needed to be held legally accountable not only for the harassment, bullying, and grooming that were allowed to run rampant, but also for the intentional negative targeting of their algorithm. I’d interviewed several experts who all confirmed the platforms, having deduced people engaged more with negative content, were deliberately amplifying negative content on everyone’s algorithms to encourage engagement, regardless of the adverse effects on our mental health.
It was complicated and, honestly, a political and social quagmire. If I thought about it too much, it depressed the heck out of me. Instead, I chose to focus on helping where I could. Getting my degree and graduating onto my postgrad was the next step toward helping people with their mental health.
First, though, I had to finish my dissertation, and Mum had promised me a study room at the library when I called to beg for one. Maddie and Shaun had been fighting a lot recently. Maddie was convinced something had happened between him and some rugby fan when he was in Europe two weeks ago, and Shaun was convinced she was causing fictional conflict to cover the fact that she didn’t want to leave him behind when she moved back to Newcastle for the job waiting for her in her dad’s architect firm.
Their arguing was loud and interspersed with even louder sex, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I would have hauled my arse over to Sebastian’s, but yesterday his sister’s arrival interrupted impending sexy times. If I went anywhere near him, no work would get done, other than the work of stripping him naked and having my way with him.
I groaned under my breath as I approached Mum’s office. The truth was I desperately wanted to have sex with him. Sebastian reluctantly parted ways with me last night because of his sister’s impromptu visit, so I’d spent the night alone and had a very, very vivid dream about him.
As giddy and excited as I was to be embarking on a real relationship with Sebastian when I’d long given up hope we’d ever have that, I had a dissertation to finish. I couldn’t let myself be distracted by my extremely primal need to repeat the best sex I’d ever had.
Not wanting carnal thoughts showing on my face in front of my mother, I tried to shove said thoughts about my boyfriend (boyfriend!) out of my head. I knocked and entered at her Come in. Usually, Mum was out on the library floor somewhere, but today she was hunched over her computer, rubbing a frown from between her eyes.