Some love stories don’t have clean endings—and some heartbreaks never quite heal. In The Next Breath, Laurel Osterkamp brings us a poignant, layered novel about grief, performance, and the blurry lines between memory and truth.
Robin was young when she gave Jed her whole heart, even though he warned her not to. His love was intense, beautiful, and ultimately fleeting—his death shattered her sense of safety, love, and identity. Now, ten years later, Robin is finally beginning to breathe again. She’s with Nick, a kind and genuine man who makes her laugh and helps her feel seen. But Robin hasn’t told him everything. Before they met, she agreed to star in a play Jed wrote for her before his death. As rehearsals begin and Jed visits her in haunting dreams, Robin realizes she’s emotionally divided—caught between a man who’s very much alive and one she never said goodbye to. Can she open her future to Nick if she still lives in Jed’s shadow?
Amazon: http://bit.ly/3GeVJqO
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212336698-the-next-breath
Excerpt
We hovered for a moment, moving towards each other. When our lips met, his mouth was soft, inviting, and powerful enough to make my toes curl. He let out a little sigh, like he was relieved to be kissing me, but before I could wrap my arms around his shoulders, he stepped away.
“No,” he said. “This is a bad idea.”
“Why?” I tried to sound jokey, light. “You’ll sleep with anything that moves.”
He matched my tone. “That’s not true. I’ll only sleep with human females, in my age range, and attractive.”
“Don’t I fit that requirement?”
He looked me up and down, his nostrils flaring. “Yeah, of course you do.”
“Then why?”
Jed stepped back again, making new space between us. “I just think we’re better off as friends.”
I squared my shoulders to pretend I wasn’t wounded. “If it’s because you think you’ll corrupt me, don’t worry. I’m not a virgin.”
“Okay.” He raised his hands in defeat and kept his voice steady, like I’d bite him if he wasn’t careful. “Look, I’m not in a relationshipy place right now; I can’t be, with all my health issues. If we were together, you’d have high expectations because that’s how you are.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I see you, Robin. You don’t hide or lower your standards. I like that about you, but it also makes us bad for each other.” Lines crumpled his forehead as he held my gaze. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
I leaned against the side of the house. How had I gotten to this point, practically begging Jed to have sex with me? I was a pathetic cliché.
“No, you’re right.” I forced out a weird, strained laugh. “We’d regret it, you and me…” I tilted my head towards the stars and groaned. “Never mind. Delete the last couple of minutes from your memory.”
I turned to go inside.
“Robin…” He grabbed my arm and I let him pull me towards him. The yearning on his face told a different story to the one he’d just recited. I put my hand at the base of his neck, but withdrew my fingers in shock.
“Oh my God. You’re burning up.” His forehead was clammy and hot and not the way a healthy forehead should be.
He ducked from my touch. “I’m fine,” he growled.
“No you’re not.”
He started to hack. “Just tired.”
“Can I help you get home?”
“I don’t need your help. And I’m not ready to leave yet.”
He slammed the door as he went back into the party.
About the Author
Laurel Osterkamp writes the kind of fiction that lingers—heartfelt, reflective, and character-driven. Her novels often explore themes of grief, growth, love, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. In addition to being an Amazon bestselling author (Beautiful Little Furies), Laurel teaches adult ESL and middle school enrichment classes, and lives in Minneapolis with her family and a couple of argumentative cats. She has a penchant for running while listening to twisty audiobooks and for rewatching Beverly Hills, 90210 with near-academic zeal. Learn more at laurellit.com or follow her on Instagram.