“Ah, it’s nothin’. But it’s good to hear from you too, sweetheart. How you been though?” he asked, and I imagined him still dressed in khakis and a polo from the school day. Or maybe he got to wear a t-shirt and jeans since art teachers rarely stayed clean.
Either way, just the thought of him molding minds and looking fine as hell while doing it had me gnawing on my lip as I answered, “I’ve been… alright. Busy with school starting and all, but I can’t complain.”
“Yeah? How was your first day back?”
“The first day was… the first day. Wiped some tears, washed away some parent nerves, put out some fires, laid down the law, had some fun. But the kids are all cute, though there weren’t any fine ass daddies for me to lust after. How was your first day?” I asked, interested to hear what middle school drama he already had to deal with.
I was turning to make my final stretch down the street to my place when he answered, “I wouldn’t know.”
“What do you mean you…” the sentence fell from my lips once I saw the man of my dreams sitting on the stairs in front of my building, his phone still glued to his ear as he waited for me to respond. And I couldn’t respond, far too stunned by his presence that didn’t even seem real. But as the speed of my steps increased to get closer as quickly as possible, I realized he was definitely real as I tossed my arms around his neck and gushed, “Guy, what are you... doing here?”
He wrapped his arms around my waist, giving me a lingering kiss against my chin before he pulled away to answer, “Taking a risk, letting my feelings be known, coming to get my damn woman.”
My eyes felt glossy, my heart racing as I tried to process the surprise of him being here, right now, doing exactly what he had just told me; tried to process him referring to me as his. Still, the next question that came to mind was, “You really got a substitute teacher on the first day of school just to come see about me?”
It was so extra yet so adorable that I almost wanted to laugh. But Guy was completely serious when he stood up to answer, “No. I got a substitute teacher on the first week of school to come out here and tell you that I love you, shorty and I wanna be with you. All the way.”
“Guy…” I sighed, the weight of his words in combination with his presence overwhelming.
But that didn’t stop him from continuing, “I know, I know. Grand ass gesture for something I probably could’ve said over the phone, but… I needed you to understand how serious I am, Nova. About you, about us, about this. These last couple weeks have been hell without you, and…”
“I love you too, Guy.”
“For real?” he asked, his eyebrow piqued and his lips pulled into a smirk as if my words surprised him.
The smile on my face was beginning to hurt as I nodded. “Yeah, for real. I’ve… I’ve missed you too, like crazy. But when I didn’t hear from you for all that time, I assumed what we shared was just a… summer fling.”
He quickly brushed me off. “Nah, that casual shit flew out the window a long time ago, baby. And I don’t care what we gotta do to make it work. If I gotta pack me and Jaxson’s shit up and move west, find a new job, work you into the budget and get my frequent flier miles up. Whatever I gotta do, Nova, it’s already done. Just say the word.”
His rush of words made my heart so full I thought it would burst, though I wasn’t exactly interested in making him go through as much trouble as he was willing to when I told him, “Guy, I’m flattered but…”
He was already shaking his head disappointedly when he groaned, “Ahh, shit. I don’t think I like the sound of that.”
“No, no. It’s not that. I just… I didn’t see myself doing this again, doing this with anybody. But now, here you are and…”
“And I’m not worth the trouble?” he tried to finish for me.
I was quick to correct him as I snuggled deeper against his frame, tilting my head back to meet his eyes with a smile when I said, “No, you are the trouble that’s got me going back on my word.”
While I originally thought the entire concept of long-distance relationships had been ruined for me, I had learned it was more about the person I was doing it with, thinking back to Kaylin’s words of it being done the right way. And now that it was clear Guy was willing to do whatever it took to do just that, I felt confident in my decision to do the same, especially once he pressed his forehead to mine and whispered, “What’d you do to me, woman?”
“I should be asking you the same thing,” I replied, lifting just enough to reach his lips for a kiss.
That single kiss almost had us making out for the whole neighborhood to see until he pulled away to ask, “Did you have a salad for lunch or somethin’? Your mouth tastes like… grass.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I told him, “Long story. Just kiss me.”
But he didn’t, keeping his distance to ask, “So we’re really gonna do this, Miss. Nova? Me and you?”
“I mean… I got you if you got me,” I replied, knowing it wasn’t even a question.
The smile he wore in response only solidified that more as he said, “You know I got you, baby. Always.”
“Well in that case, let’s hurry up and get inside before I really put on a show out here.”
epilogue.
Guy
Long-distance didn’t last long at all, though I shouldn’t have been surprised as I carried the last boxes of Nova’s shit into what was now our crib. A year had passed since the summer that brought us together. And after doing the best we could to see each other as much as possible, video calls every morning, texting through our lunch breaks, falling asleep on the phone at night, and splitting major holidays and random weekends between the two cities, Nova made the decision to trade her life in the mountains for life in the Midwest.
I worried she’d come to regret it later, worried she’d be miserable meeting new people and learning a new city, worried she’d figure out living with me for the summer wasn’t the same as living with me full-time. But none of that seemed to matter once I saw the smile on her face as she sat in the middle of the living room floor playing action figures with Jaxson, peeking up to ask, “Was that the last of it?”
Dusting my hands off for emphasis, I answered, “That’s everything. But wait… I gotta bring you home the right way.”
“What do you mean?” she asked as I helped her up from the ground and dragged her towards the front door, her legs barely keeping up as she giggled, “Guy, what are you doing?”
I waited until I had her outside of the door to reply, “Wouldn’t be right if I didn’t carry you over the threshold.”
She shook her head with another laugh. “Babe, that’s what people do when they get married. Not when they’re just... shacking up.”
“Well…” I trailed as I pulled the ring box from the pocket of my basketball shorts, Nova’s eyes going wide and her jaw-dropping before she pulled her hands to cover her mouth.
Through her hands, she asked, “Oh my… are you serious?”
I nodded proudly, pulling a hand of hers away to hold as I replied, “So serious, baby. You really think I’d let you uproot your life and move all the way down here without making it official?”
When she only diverted her eyes, I quickly added, “Don’t answer that.”
Since the tears were already beginning to well up in her eyes, I wasted no time dropping to one knee, keeping her hand as I gave her the proposal I had practiced in the mirror before she moved down. “Nova Grant, I love you. So damn much. You’re an amazing woman, amazing teacher, amazing companion, amazing… everything. And I’d be honored if you’d let me add amazing wife to that list. So… will you?”
She nodded vigorously, pushing out a breathy, “Y-yes. Of course.” Then she waited for me to slip the ring onto her finger before she threw her arms around my neck in a hug.
Now that the pressure of the moment had passed, now that I had gotten the answer I was hoping for, and now that I had solidified something I was hoping for from the
very beginning, the emotions of it all finally came with it, wiping my cheek against her tank top as I groaned, “Ahh fuck. You done made a nigga cry over your sweet ass.”
“Well you made me cry last summer so now we’re even!” she screeched, giggling through her own tears as she wiped mine.
And as I looked up at her, the love of my life, my future wife, I couldn’t help but smirk when I asked, “Well what’s a summer when you can have forever?”
The End.
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More Books by Alexandra Warren
Attractions & Distractions Series
Getting The Edge
An Unconventional Love
The PreGame Ritual
Distracted
The Real Deal
A Rehearsal For Love
An Encore For Love
Love at First Spite
In Spite of it All
Accidental Arrangements
Heated Harmonies
If Only for the Summer Page 23
