Fall For You: A Four Seasons Novel

by Geneva Lee

  “How did you feel when I was diagnosed?” I asked Jess.

  “I felt helpless. You were my best friend. My wild friend,” she added. “I thought you were the strong one, and I didn’t feel like I could do anything for you.”

  And yet, Jess had stuck around. She’d learned how to give me shots and handle episodes. She’d run interference with Tara when I felt overwhelmed. “You might have felt that way,” I told her, “but you’ve always known exactly what I needed.”

  I looked to Liam, unsure how to ask him what was on my mind. If I had thought talking about my condition in front of the class was difficult, bringing up our fledgling relationship felt too personal. But he was sitting next to me, sharing his thoughts and concerns, and I owed it to him to be honest.

  “I feel like you’ve treated me differently since you found out, like I am going to break.” Our recent experiences in the bedroom sprang to mind, but I left that out.

  “I think that has a lot more to do with how you reacted when I saw you during that episode. I wanted to talk to you.” He was choosing his words carefully, struggling not to say the wrong thing, so I put a hand on his arm to reassure him. “I don’t know how I would have felt if you had told me from day one. I like to think that it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but I was hurt when you pushed me away after that night. If I hadn’t already been in love with you that might have been the end.”

  Our audience murmured to one another at his declaration, clearly impressed by Liam’s honesty and I felt a swell of pride in my chest. Somehow we’d made it through this to sit here today. That might have been due to Liam, but I finally understood that it took both of us to get here.

  “What do you wish people knew about Parkinson's?” Jess asked me, and I wondered how much time her and Liam had spent preparing for this. The question sounded well-rehearsed.

  “I guess that it doesn’t make me all that different. If people knew that—” I immediately thought of Tara— “I think I would spend less time hiding it.”

  “Okay, last question,” Liam said. “Do you really like Chiclets?”

  “I can unequivocally say that I love them,” I said with a laugh . It was over. I had gotten through it and come out on the other side.

  There was brief applause from our small audience, but no one spoke until Markson stood and addressed everyone. “Thank you to those of you who showed up. I’m sure we can find the rest of the class on Pine Street, and thank you to Miss Nichols for being brave today. I hope that this wasn’t too painful for you.”

  I glanced around, momentarily confused, Markson had said there were two finals left today, but he didn’t stop anyone as the other students gathered their things and exited. A few stopped to share their own secrets with me, and one girl threw her arms around me. That had never happened after a final before.

  When it was only the four of us left in the room, Markson handed Liam and I a sheet of paper. “Your presentation was excellent, but remember to watch those I-statements Liam.”

  Liam bowed his head to him. “Will do.”

  “But there were supposed to be two final presentations today,” I pointed out.

  “There were,” Markson said. “Yours and Mr. McAvoy’s.”

  “You told me you already presented.” I turned on Liam.

  “I statements,” Markson said behind me.

  “I didn’t want to stress you out anymore,” Liam confessed. “So I fibbed.”

  “I feel like that wasn’t very good communication.” But even as I said it, I took his hand to let him know I was grateful. He was thinking of me like always.

  “So what did you get?” Liam asked, pointing to my sheet of paper.

  My heart froze when I realized what Markson had handed to us. He’d graded the presentation in class and given us our final scores.

  “What did you get?” I asked, wanting to avoid the moment of truth.

  “I got a B,” he said, “with a note to work on my I statements.”

  If Liam got a B after attending every class and doing all the work, I was going to be lucky to skate by with a D. Tara wouldn’t be pleased, but it was technically a passing grade. I turned the paper over and read through it. I’d missed enough classes to drop my participation grade to an F, but it was only a small percentage of my grade. The midterm project and final presentation accounted for well over 80% of the points. I held up the paper to show Liam a clear C written at the bottom.

  “I’ll take it,” I told him as he leaned down and gave me a swift kiss. When our lips met, it felt victorious as though we’d overcome something huge together. Suddenly all the things that had stood in our way vanished, leaving only the two of us for that brief second.

  “Save it for the bedroom,” Jess said, and Markson looked at his feet.

  She grabbed for my paper and raised an eyebrow.

  “I know, I know. You got an A,” I said.

  “That’s a passing grade, Jills. You know what that means! First round is on me tonight.” She wrapped me into a tight hug.

  But I knew that it meant a lot more than meeting Tara’s ultimatum. It meant I was staying at Olympic State and that I’d finally faced the one thing I’d been hiding from for two years. It meant I’d finally realized I wasn’t broken.

  Chapter 29

  When we arrived at Garrett’s, the party had already started. The bar was packed with students drinking to their successes or drowning their sorrows, and we had to fight our way through the crowd. We finally spotted Jess and Brett in a booth, waving us down. Liam and I slid into the seat across from them while Jess poured two beers from a pitcher.

  “Sorry,” she called over the din surrounding us. “I figured a pitcher was our best shot at getting drinks tonight.

  “It’s cool. Where’s Cassie?” I asked.

  “She stepped outside to call Trevor. He’s MIA.” Jess raised her glass to us. “To being done with our fifth semester.”

  “It’s all down hill from here,” I said as we tapped our plastic cups in a toast.

  Liam’s arm snaked around my shoulder, bringing me close to him. I cuddled against him, dropping a kiss on his neck. Across from us, Jess and Brett didn’t touch, although Brett shifted a little closer to her.

  Cassie plopped into the booth beside me, still holding her phone.

  “Any luck?” Jess asked.

  “No. He was supposed to be here by now.” Cassie frowned, trying to look pissed, but her eyes glinted with something else: fear. She checked her phone again and sent a text.

  “Let’s dance,” I suggested, eager to get her mind off Trevor for a second.

  Pulling her arm, I dragged her out to the dance floor. Jess followed close behind us and we began to dip and move spastically to the latest Billboard hit. This is what I loved about Olympic State: my best friends and I. Despite being independent women and set on very different paths, we always came back together in the end.

  Two familiar hands grabbed my hips, drawing me against the firm body I knew so well. I gyrated close to him as his hands held me tightly. It was the perfect end to the semester. Laughing, dancing, being together. The deejay tk called out for karaoke participants and we took the cue to flea the dance floor, heading back to our booth.

  Brett sat, guarding our pitcher and jackets, and looking mildly put out that we’d left him there alone.

  “I tried to get him to come out there, but he said he doesn’t dance,” Liam whispered against my hair.

  That hardly mattered. None of us could dance, but I resolved to stay in the booth for the rest of the evening anyway. We managed to procure another pitcher while Cassie checked her phone again.

  “I’m going to head over there,” she told us after another hour. Poor thing. She couldn’t be having too much fun hanging out with her best friends and their boyfriends. I’d been in that situation myself these last few months, so I gave her a hug and watched as she pushed her way through the crowd to the exit.

  “When do you leave?” I asked Jess.

>   She shrugged, casting a sideways glance at Brett. “I haven’t decided yet. Things are kinda up in the air.”

  It occurred to me then that a single word hadn’t passed between the two of them all night. Later, in the morning maybe, I’d ask her about what was going on. Brett wasn’t much of a partier, but this was morose, even for him. For now though, I downed the remnants of my beer and turned to Liam.

  “I’m exhausted. Take me home?” I asked him.

  Something wicked gleamed in his eyes as he nodded at my request. “I’ve been waiting all night for you to say that.”

  “I’ll see you both in the morning,” Jess said as we stood to leave.

  “I’ll make waffles,” Liam promised her.

  Jess winked at me, and I realized I was going home with him tonight because of her. She had guided me to Markson’s class and nagged me to give Liam a second chance. Tomorrow I would give her a giant hug and thank her.

  As we made our way past the bar, Liam grabbed my hand and motioned for me to stop. He disappeared past the crush of bodies and returned a few moments later with a bottle of water.

  “You should drink this,” he suggested as he handed it me.

  “Worried about my hydration?” I asked, twisting off the cap.

  “A couple of beers and your meds are not a great combination.” But before I could be annoyed, he added, “And I want to make sure you stay alert. I have plans for you.”

  A shiver ran through me, raising bumps on my skin. I liked the sound of that. The thought of taking Liam home for the night made my knees feel weak. Of course, he usually had that affect on me, but tonight there would be nothing hanging over our heads. My new medications were working wonders, I was through finals, and I’d managed to pass all my classes per Tara’s orders. Best of all, I was staying in Olympic Falls.

  Who needed Garrett’s? The party was at home tonight. In my bed. With Liam.

  He hooked a finger in the back pocket of my jeans as I led the way out of the bar. Night had fallen while we were inside and the world was painted in shades of deep blue. A chill cut through the air, so I tugged my jacket together and pressed against him. There was no rush as we walked toward my apartment under the star-speckled sky. When we reached my complex though it was a different story, Liam took the stairs two at a time, bouncing on his heels as I struggled to unlock the door.

  As soon as were inside, he lifted me off my feet, cupping my ass and pressing me against the door, pushing it shut behind us. His lips moved slowly against mine, soft and certain, but I felt greedy, hungry for more after weeks of stress and distraction. I clutched his neck and slipped my tongue into his mouth, licking against the back of his teeth, biting gently on his lower lip. Liam groaned and carried me into the bedroom.

  He laid me on the bed softly, but it wasn’t an act of caution. He watched me with reverence as I unbuttoned my shirt in slow, precise movements, letting it fall open to reveal a lacy bra I’d worn just for him.

  “I want to stare at you all night,” he murmured as he stripped off his shirt to reveal his chiseled chest and carved abdomen. I could same the same thing to him. Except for the fact that his jeans hung low on his hips, showcasing the deep v cutting down past the waistline of his pants.

  “This is a hands on exhibit,” I told him, wiggling off my shirt and tossing it to the floor.

  “In that case.” Liam bent forward and tugged off my pants in a swift, urgent motion as he dropped to his knees, positioning himself between my dangling legs. He hooked his arms around my thighs, kissing along them until his lips brushed against me, sending a tremor of anticipation through my body. Blowing softly against my sensitive skin, he trailed up to kiss along my pelvis. “I want to worship you.”

  “I won’t stop you.” My words came out as moans as he bit down on the elastic edge of my thong, drawing it slowly off me until his hands removed it completely. He stayed there, nestled between my legs, dropping kisses along my skin as my core coiled and tightened, ready for him. Instead he gripped my left leg and urged me on to my stomach, pushing me further up on the bed and spreading me legs apart. My hands clutched the sheets and he continued his exploration along the curves of my back down to my ass. His fingers traced its outline, their marks scorching into me, leaving a trail of fire and longing in their wake until they tracked down between my legs. He lingered there, massaging long caresses across the sensitive area as my muscles tensed and pleasure mounted into my body.

  “I need you,” I whispered. “I need to feel you.”

  He wrenched my hips up to him. My chest remained flat against the mattress as he slid inside me agonizingly slow. I was full of him, stretched to the line between pain and pleasure as he slipped in and out of me in hard, deep strokes.

  “I could do this all day,” he said and I could feel his gaze on me.

  “Promise?” I flipped my head to the side to watch him as he moved against me, our eyes meeting at the exact moment that my body tightened and my orgasm burst through me, splintering through every piece of me in glorious surges of pleasure. I moaned his name and he met my call by plunging faster and further, his hard abdomen smacking against the soft flesh of my ass. My name was a whisper on his lips. A promise that in this moment we were whole and infinite. tk

  Liam wrapped his arms around my waist and drew me to the bed without leaving me. We lay in near-silence, the only noise our quick, shallow breath. Although I was sure the rapid beat of my heart vibrated in the air around us.

  The stillness of the dark left room for thoughts of tomorrow and the months ahead. I tried to push them away, to ignore the burning ache that consumed me at the thought of the end of next semester. There would be no celebrating for me then, but, I argued to myself, that was months away. I was sure to fuck things up before then.

  “What’s wrong, chicken?” Liam asked in a whisper. I realized then that my entire body was tense, rigid with self-doubt and fear.

  “I was thinking about next semester,” I said in a quiet voice.

  “You were thinking about me leaving? he guessed. He brought his hand to rest over my heart, and I thought it might collapse under the weight of our uncertain future. I would always love Liam, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe the old platitude that it was better to have loved and lost.

  “How do you feel about Scotland?” he asked me.

  I laughed joylessly at the suggestion. “I barely convinced Tara to let me stay at Olympic State. It might kill her if I cross the Atlantic Ocean.”

  “I think you would like Scotland,” he continued, ignoring my response. “We have months left before we have to make a decision.”

  My breath hitched on his last statement. “Before we have to make a decision?”

  “You aren’t getting rid of me so easily, Jillian Nichols,” he promised and I relaxed into his arms. “Not when I finally caught you.”

  It was silly to be worrying about this now when we were together, so I rolled over to face him. Minutes, maybe hours, passed as we looked into each other’s eyes. We didn’t need to speak to understand how far we’d come over the last few months. The ‘we’ he spoke of was a fixed point in time that would define us both for as far ahead as I could see. And while part of me wanted to reject that and spare myself the chance of future heartache, I knew I was as much a part of him as he was of me.

  Liam’s brought his lips to mine to seal the unspoken vow flickering between us. Our limbs tangled together, our breathing slowed until we were dependent on each other for the air we needed to survive. No matter what happened in the coming months, it was worth it for this one moment. His kiss ravaged me, rendering me incapable of any thought, except one.

  He had finally caught me indeed.

  Thanks for reading! Please take the time to leave a review! It helps me so much. And be sure to check out the rest of the Four Seasons novels, starting with Jessica’s story, Spring Fever!

  Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.

  √ Life in order.
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  √ Five year plan.

  √ Reliable, predictable boyfriend.

  Jessica Stone is right on track until her boyfriend throws her for a loop and proposes, which should not have happened for another 2.5 years.

  That’s when she realizes he isn’t the one.

  So when her best friend demands her presence on a spontaneous winter vacation in Mexico, she runs away from him and his ring. Sand, sun, and no men might give her a chance to figure things out. Except life has a sense of humor and no regard for her five year plan, because the last person she expects is heading to Mexico, too: her smoking hot, former professor Roman Markson. As sparks fly the pair decide to break the rules for one week. But can what happened in Mexico stay there when something fun turns into something more?

  Spring Fever: A Four Seasons Novel is available now!

  Keep reading for a sneak peek of Jessica’s story, Spring Fever!

  Want to know when my next book releases? Text Geneva to 31996 or click her to be added to the list: https://slkt.io/63E4

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  And now a sneak peek of Spring Fever…

  Although I had no prior experience, I’d always imagined a marriage proposal resulted in tears and smiling. Boy asks, girl bursts into a waterfall of happy tears, wedding plans ensue. I didn’t cry, which was a bad sign. We both knew that, but Brett was still down there on one knee with a ring in his hand.