Twenty Questions

TWENTY QUESTIONS A FOOLISH GAMES NOVEL BOOK 1 HOPE IRVING CONTENTS Introduction 1. Tip of My Tongue 2. Raise Vibration 3. Not Enough 4. Again 5. Humble and Kind 6. Where Are We Runnin’? 7. No One Knows 8. Stillness of Heart 9. We’re Going To Be Friends 10. Gravity 11. Always on the Run 12. Strong 13. I’ll Be Waiting 14. Habits (Stay High) 15. Can’t Get You Off My Mind 16. Truly Madly Deeply 17. The Pleasure and The Pain 18. Let’s Fall in Love for the Night 19. Fields of Joy 20. Song to the Siren 21. I Want Your Sex 22. Heaven Help 23. Hate That You Know Me 24. Believe 25. Bilingual 26. On Hold 27. I Belong to You 28. Happiness 29. It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over 30. Save Me Epilogue – Let Love Rule Spotify - Playlist About the Author Also by Hope Irving Twenty Questions © copyright 2023 Hope Irving Copyright notice: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the authors’ imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, things, living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. * * * Editing: Sarah TORPEY / Proofreading: Eileen PROKSCH Cover Design: Simon FRANKLIN Created with Vellum INTRODUCTION The Foolish Games Series is a contemporary M/M series with interconnected stories that can be read as a standalone. Each book follows a different couple. I suggest the following reading order to better enjoy background stories and Easter eggs: - Seven Minutes In Heaven, Book 0.5: Prequel to the series (novella); James and Alex's story. An exclusive novella that's only available to my subscribers for now. - Twenty Questions, Book 1; Ash and Nino's story. - This or That, Book 2; Mike and Troy's story. Book 3 is a WIP at the moment. Stay tuned by subscribing to my newsletter or following me on social media. Twenty Questions was previously published as a novella called Lip Service as part as an anthology that's no longer available. Since then, it has been expanded to a full-length rebranded novel with new content, fresh edits, and more swoon moments between Ash and Nino. * * * TWENTY QUESTIONS One unexpected kiss. Two wounded men. Twenty unanswered questions… but only one matters. When I went on vacation with my boyfriend Alex, I never expected to end up with another man’s lips on mine. My savior, fashion photographer Nino Toussaint, only intended to bring me back to life after a surfing accident nearly ended me. Still, his lips spark a connection that turns my safe world upside down by offering a lifelong friendship worth keeping, even long distance. Bogged down in a slowly suffocating relationship that oversteps my boundaries, I turn to my new friend as a breather. Doubting Nino will accept me as I am, my overthinking head turns to my favorite game, Twenty Questions, until he raises more life-altering questions. As life unravels, ghosts from the past continue waking me up at night and haunting me during the daytime. I’m willing to risk everything for a positive answer to this lingering question… Can Nino be the answer I am truly seeking? CHAPTER 1 TIP OF MY TONGUE Ash Smiling at my parents in the distance, I can’t wait to hug them. My heart swells and aches at the same time. Why do I feel so conflicted? I love my parents and I’ve missed them. So damn much! Drowsy, a piece of the puzzle snaps into place. Why are they here? It’s been eight excruciating years. A migraine slams my muddled brain. I instinctively invite the pain, although it’s not the kind I am familiar with. Still, it’ll help me cope with the situation. All that matters is seeing my beloved parents. The last time that we hugged, they were departing for the airport and leaving me home alone for the first time at seventeen. Only it didn’t turn out the way that I’d hoped. No hookup with the hot, popular Benjamin Williamson. No alone time to do whatever I wanted. No future in Loomis in Northern California. Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink… Coleridge’s poem resonates in my numb head. Water. I’m sure that the die-hard metalhead that Benjamin was would argue that these were originally Iron Maiden lyrics. Water. The nerdy student that I was knew better and wanted nothing more than to teach him. Everywhere. Yeah, despite my lack of actual experience, we all knew that my straight-A report cards were the only straight thing about me, and my parents were okay with it. Why is my high school crush popping up in my muddled mind? Reality? Nightmare? Coma? Nah… “Mmmphfff…” Coming up for air, I flash back to the insignificant wave that plunged me underwater while I searched for my surfboard in a panic. Was that seconds ago? Minutes? Hours? Nah, I would have died if… The fleeting thought drags me back to my parents. My dead parents. Wait, what? Frantically flapping my arms to rise to the surface, my body craves oxygen and my heart races. Desperately trying to keep my head above the waves has drained me. The darkness beneath my increasingly heavy feet is calling to me. There’s a strange appeal in the abyss. Wait, I’m not ready. I may be delusional, but what’s left of my coherent brain knows that much! When I