by Nicole Marsh
That sneaky girl!
A grin blooms across my face, my appreciation growing for my meddling best friend. I reply quickly: Thank you, Katie. You’re the best.
Then I open the door to reveal a shirtless Collin waiting in the cramped hallway. He smirks at me, sliding his body against my still, drooling form as he passes and enters the bathroom. Forcing myself to snap out of it, I exit to give him space.
He lounges against the door frame, his emerald gaze raking over my body. “Wanna get waffles?” He asks, the words infused with warmth and happiness.
Yeah, big guy. I’d love to go anywhere with you.
Collin laughs, and I realize I’ve spoken the words out loud. Maybe it was unintentional, but either way, the sentiment remains the same. I shoot him a quick wink as he slowly closes the door, milking the moment of staring at his handsome face before he disappears from sight.
Then, I skip into my bedroom, ready to start the next chapter of my life.
Epilogue
Almost a Year Later
I clutch my packet of papers, containing all the information I’ll need for the next year of my life, against my chest as Collin navigates the busy streets onto campus. Despite having all the directions memorized, I glance down at the map one more time and remind Collin, “My dorm is in Clara Hall.”
He nods distractedly, as he carefully maneuvers his SUV around a crowd of students carrying boxes into a large, ornate, brick building. “I think we need to take this right up here,” I instruct, eyeing the street sign as it slowly approaches, giving us plenty of time to prepare for the turn.
“Mhmm,” he agrees his brow furrowed in concentration, while our vehicle continues moving forward at a snail’s pace to avoid hitting the swarms of students and parents milling about.
By the time we make it to the intersection, I’m bouncing up and down on the firm leather seat. My giddiness is filling me to the brim but I’m focusing on keeping it contained so I don’t annoy Collin with the seven-hundredth conversation about how excited I am today. It’s extremely difficult to keep it to myself because I am so excited.
In my head, I run through my classes again, then transition to mentally checking off the dormitory move-in list. Reaffirming I purchased everything I need to start college off on the right foot when classes begin in three days. My distraction works so well, it takes me a few extra seconds to realize that Collin turned left at the road, not right like I had asked.
“Hey, we missed our turn!” I exclaim.
“There’s actually been a change of plans,” Collin admits, seeming a little sheepish. “I was trying to figure out the best time to tell you, but I thought maybe you would like the surprise.”
“What change in plans?” I ask, a little frantic.
I’ve planned everything about this day for months. Reading and rereading the guides on Berry College’s website to make sure that I was enrolled in the best courses and placed in the best dorm for a female freshman. I even stayed up until midnight with Katie on the day of dorm assignments so we could request each other, instead of being assigned some random that might smell like cheese. I’ve literally prepared for everything except a change in plans.
I tamp down the panic rising in my chest. This is Collin, he thinks of everything. He knows how important today is; how hard I worked to get here. He was by my side all of the late nights. He even held onto me when I cried before opening my admissions letter, maintaining his grasp when joyful tears continued to flow after I read the word “accepted”.
There’s no way my sweet, thoughtful guy would do anything to mess this up. The thought reassures me slightly, but my heart is still racing in my chest when the SUV slowly rolls to a stop in the driveway of a two-story, brick townhouse.
“What is this?” I ask.
Collin just smirks, hopping out of his car and rounding the hood. He reaches the passenger side before I’ve moved a muscle. Opening my door for me, he grabs my hand, tugging me up the driveway and inside the townhouse.
I drag my feet to a stop, just past the threshold, taking in the clean hardwood floors and pale gray walls of a spacious living room. Off to the side, I can see a moderately sized, square kitchen that looks like it belongs in a farmhouse, a hall runs between the two rooms, disappearing past a set of stairs.
“What is this place?” I ask, turning to Collin to find his emerald gaze drinking in my every expression.
“It’s our new residence,” he drawls, flashing his teeth at me in a grin before tugging me into his side and walking us the rest of the way into the room.
“What about my dorm? And what about Katie? We were supposed to room toget—“
Collin silences me with a soft kiss, placed gently against my lips. Removing his mouth from mine, he hovers just out of reach, his warm breath fanning across my face. “I’ve got you. Everything has been handled. Just trust me, McKenzie Carslyle.”
My tense shoulders slowly relax and I lean forward, chasing his lips with mine. He chuckles, but doesn’t hold back, quickly taking over and claiming me in a searing kiss. He walks me backwards, pressing me against the wall and I have no complaints as he turns up the heat, devouring me with his kisses. I arch into him as my pulse races and my insides become a raging inferno, encouraging me to get as much of our skin touching as possible.
“Oh, yuck,” a familiar, chipper voice calls out, interrupting my make out session as the sound echoes across the empty space. I peek around Collin’s shoulder and find Katie standing on the stairs, at the edge of the room. “We definitely need to set some ground rules against PDA if this is going to work out. First on the list is definitely: ‘No Sex against the Living Room Wall’.” She tugs her phone from her pocket and continues, “You know what? I’m actually going to start that list, on my phone, like right now.”
A dry voice adds, “I second that.” Then Isabelle steps into sight, halting on the step just above Katie.
I squeal, pushing past Collin to rush over. The two girls finish descending the stairs and return my excited hugs. Although Isabelle lacks just a little bit of our enthusiasm. Over the past year, I’ve learned not to take it too personally, it’s just who she is. The acceptance of each other’s quirks is part of the reason we’ve become close friends after our rocky beginning.
“What are you guys doing here?” I ask. “Where are you living now? I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” I say, turning to address Katie.
She giggles, and throws an arm around my shoulders, steering me to the front door. “Do you think Collin was able to arrange this without the help of your besties? No way!” She exclaims. “We’re all living here!”
My eyes seek out Collin’s across the room and the heat continues to sizzle between us, but stronger than that is a thread of love. I love this guy and his thoughtful caring nature. The way he always thinks of me, even when he’s doing something like moving us in together for freshman year.
“Collin gets the room downstairs, and us girls will stay upstairs,” Katie continues, undeterred by my silence. “There’s even three bathrooms in this place which is like AMAZING.”
My guy strides across the room and grabs my hand, tugging me towards him and away from Katie’s endless chatter. “Do you like it?” He asks quietly, his confident gaze peppered with a little concern.
“I love it and you,” I confirm, laying a quick peck on his lips before turning back to my girls.
Katie claps once, then gets straight down to business. “Let’s bring all your things in, ASAP,” she squeals. “That’s the last of the stuff we need to carry, before movers arrive with actual furniture tomorrow, and I want to go get a picture with the ‘Berry College’ sign before it gets dark!”
Isabelle, Collin, and I groan in unison, already anticipating the two-hour photo shoot in our future, but we trail out of the house behind her anyways. Pausing in the doorway, I watch as my boyfriend and two of my best friends walk to the SUV, opening the trunk and snagging some of the boxes nestled inside.
I take
the extra seconds to appreciate how far I’ve come since this time last year, and all the gifts that I’ve been given—in the form of love.
“Stop being a sentimental sap and come grab your shit,” Isabelle shouts, breaking through my thoughts.
I laugh, but jog down the steps to join the group at the back of the SUV. Collin pulls me against his side, laying a soft kiss against my forehead before handing me a box with his signature sparkle-eyed grin.
Returning the look, I saunter inside, swaying my hips for his benefit, as I carry the cardboard.
It’s time to start my next adventure.
The End.
Books by Nicole Marsh
The Curse Trilogy (Paranormal Romance)
Cursed
Bound
Shattered (Summer 2020)
Standalone
The Con
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