When I’m released, my legs are wobbly and I’m a little breathless. I see a knowing smile spread on Katy’s face.
Spencer takes off on his bike. Katy and I walk the long way home. We don’t talk about Andrew. I feel like everything with him is very far behind me now.
Better to simply forget.
Katy and I stay up late sitting on the couch, talking. Both of us are trying to make the most of our last hours together. The movers are coming tomorrow, and Katy will be gone by the time the sun goes down.
I tell her everything about Spencer. She deserves to know. I tell her of his music, his workshop, his books. She listens to me ramble on with a sweet smile on her face. Then she asks me about the sex.
I blush a little, but everything I’ve said has been building to the point. I tell her about what happened today. About how amazing he made me feel. She says she’s glad he turned out to be right for me, and that she is sure it will last.
Then we go to sleep, our hearts filled with sadness for the friendship we share, but also with hope for the chance of love that our future brings.
***
I wake up the next morning to the blaring of my alarm. Drowsy, I feel around the nightstand for my phone, find it, hit snooze… then throw it halfway across the room.
Seconds later—well, actually ten minutes, but it doesn’t feel that way to my sleep-deprived mind—the phone starts screaming again.
I had the brilliant idea of setting the most obnoxious alarm I could find last night. To make sure I actually got out of bed.
Right now, there’s nothing I regret more.
I groan and swing my legs over the edge, then stagger across the room and pick up my phone. I turn around to find Katy sitting up on her bunk.
“Ugh, what time is it?” she grumbles.
“Eleven,” I say. “We got five hours of beauty sleep. Come on, the moving truck’s going to be here soon.”
I start the coffee maker while Katy dresses. I pour myself a cup, throw some ice in it to cool it quickly, and chug it black. The bitterness makes me gag. But it also makes me feel more awake. I make another cup, adding cream and sugar this time, and sip it hot while I wait for the caffeine to hit my bloodstream.
It’s overcast outside. It also looks cold. I come to the window and open it to let the air in. There’s a smell of an impending rainstorm in the air. The perfect weather for a perfect day, I think sourly.
Katy comes out of the shower, and we share breakfast in silence. It’s ironic how well the weather matches our moods. We said all we had to say last night. Today, it’s about facing the music.
Katy sighs when her phone buzzes, bringing both of us out of our trance. “The truck’s here,” she says.
“Looks like we gotta get started,” I remark.
“No sense putting it off.” Katy smiles weakly. “Thanks for offering to help.”
I frown at her in mock-displeasure. “Are you kidding? Just because I don’t want you to leave doesn’t mean I’m going to throw a tantrum and sabotage the move.”
That earns a little laugh from her. I’m glad. There’s too much gloom in the apartment.
She picks up the phone. “Hi. Yeah. Yeah, you’re at the right place. I’ll come down and open the doors.” She hangs up and looks at me. “The guy said he’ll leave the truck open while he goes for lunch. He’ll give me the key after.”
“He’s not going to help?”
Katy shrugs. “Apparently it’s just a rental service. He drops the truck off, gives me the keys, and leaves. I have to drive it home.”
“Okay.” I stand up. “Let’s go.”
***
An hour or two later, I sit down on the edge of my bed and sigh, looking around the room. Katy has been downstairs for a while, insisting on organizing the truck herself before taking off.
The quiet of her absence is already echoing through our room.
Skinny arms suddenly come around my shoulders, enveloping me in a hug. “You’re amazing,” Katy whispers. “And I’m going to miss you so much when I’m gone.”
I feel tears building behind my eyes. There goes my calm. “I’m going to miss you, too,” I mumble. “Thank you for everything.”
She nudges my shoulder and smiles. “Me? I didn’t do anything.”
“You taught me a lot,” I say. “About life. Boys. All the important stuff.”
“Pssh, don’t make me blush,” Katy says, looking away. She rubs at her eyes.
“Hey, what were you doing out there for so long, anyway?” I ask. “When I left you, most of the stuff in the truck seemed to be in good order.”
“Oh.” Katy suddenly looks very coy. “I got a phone call from… an acquaintance of ours. Asking about you.”
I bunch up my brows. “Who?”
She smiles. “Who do you think?”
“Spencer?”
“The one and only!”
“Wait, he called you… about me?” I frown. “Why?”
Katy bites her lip. “He made me promise not to tell.”
I laugh. “Now I have to know.”
She considers it for a moment… and nods. “Okay. But only to get your mind off Andrew. And you can’t rat me out to Spencer. Deal? You have to act all surprised when he asks.”
“Asks what?”
“Well, you know how Spencer has his apartment, right?”
“Yeah?”
“He called me…” Katy pauses, “…to ask if I thought it would be a good idea for him to offer you the spare bedroom once I’m gone!”
“What?” I’m shocked. “Why?”
“Well, he knows your rent will double without me. But he doesn’t want his offer to seem like charity. He asked for my advice.”
I’m dying from anticipation. “What did you tell him?”
She beams at me. “I told him it was a great idea!”
“What? Katy, no—”
“Why not?” she interrupts. “He has the place. He obviously digs you. I can tell you’re into him. You can even think of it as a temporary thing until the school sets you up with another dorm of your own.”
“Moving in together is a pretty big step,” I tell her cautiously. “We’re not even officially dating!”
Katy laughs. “And what makes it official? A Facebook status? Come on, worst comes to worst, it’ll give you some flexibility to figure out another living arrangement.” She winks. “But I don’t think it’ll come to that.”
“I’ll think about it,” I promise.
“See that you do,” Katy says. “I feel awful making you bear the burden of having to pay for our place on your own.”
“It’s not your fault,” I say. “Your parents made you go home.”
“No. If I hadn’t… Well, you know… I’d be here for the rest of the year.”
“That was an accident.”
She rolls her eyes. “Come on. Don’t feed me that. I’m entirely responsible.”
“Katy—”
“I’m not going to take no for an answer. I doubt Spencer will, either.” Katy’s eyes twinkle. “Besides, with me gone, who are you going to count on to add some excitement to your life?”
“I’ve got Pickles, for one…” I say, only half-serious. Katy laughs. Then I remember something else. “Hey, didn’t Spencer say he was allergic to cats? Remember, the first time we all met?”
“Nah,” Katy shakes her head. “He was just bullshitting to get out of here faster. Trust me. I’d know.” She stands up and looks around the room. “Where is the little guy, anyway? I want to say goodbye.”
I point at the bathroom door. I’d locked him in there to make sure he didn’t escape while we carried Katy’s things down the stairs.
Katy opens it and lets Pickles out. She picks him up and snuggles him close to her face, whispering goodbyes into his fur.
I lean against one bedpost and watch them, trying not to let my growing excitement show. Spencer called Katy about me? He wants me to move in with him?
I wonder how he�
��ll break the news. If I agree to it, we might just set the record for the fastest time between the start of a relationship and living together. He’s been around since the beginning of the year, but it’s only in these last few days that we’ve actually gotten to know each other.
I walk downstairs with Katy. We’re both teary and emotional when she hugs me one last time and climbs into the truck. I wave until the vehicle disappears around a corner at the end of the street. Then, I run to the lobby window on the twelfth floor, pick out her truck in traffic, and follow it until I can’t see it anymore.
I feel an uncomfortable chill run down my spine. I turn around. But, I’m the only one here. Maybe it’s the sensation of truly being alone that’s settling in.
I take the elevator to the seventh floor and unlock my dorm. I walk inside and look around the empty apartment.
It’s just me, I think to myself. Again.
Pickles struts across the room and settles down by the sofa. I take his cue and sit down. He rubs against my leg then lies on my feet.
I lean back and grapple with the emotions running through my head. I’m sad but excited, confused yet angry—
My phone buzzes with a text. I pull it from my pocket and see a message from Spencer.
Him: Meet me at the café in an hour. I have something I want to ask you.
A nervous energy builds inside. He’s really going to do it. He’s going to ask me to move in with him.
I already know I will say, “Yes.”
The move has the potential to be earthshattering. The question is: Will it be the best thing to ever happen to me?
Or the greatest disaster of my life?
The End
PS: Did you love Never Let Go? The best way to let me know is to leave a review on the site you bought it! I read all of them, good or bad, and each one helps me get a little bit better as an author.
So, give me your feedback! Nothing motivates me more :)
About the Book:
This book was inspired by true events, so it’s very personal to me.
I entered college as a freshman in September 2010. While I wouldn’t say Paige’s story is my own, elements of every single scene that made it into this book directly come from experiences I had the first few months.
You can’t believe how long I’ve been waiting to share this story with everyone. It’s not done yet. You still haven’t read the best parts!
One day, after the conclusion of this series, I hope to show everyone exactly what I mean by “true events”... and tell you how things ended up for all the characters from this book in real life.
Scarlett
October 15, 2013
Other Books by Scarlett Edwards:
Yours to Savor -
Available at all online retailers.
DESCRIPTION:
AN INNOCENT WOMAN...
Twenty-five year old Sandra Hawthorne once had a life that many would envy. Smart, beautiful, and engaged to an accomplished young professional, she seemed to have anything she desired at her fingertips.
Nobody suspects the emotional turmoil she lives with under the surface. Stalked by demons from her past, Sandra abandons everything on the cusp of her wedding and seeks refuge in a small town far away. But no matter where she hides, she cannot escape from the nightmares that torment her existence.
...AND A DANGEROUS MAN...
Having made his fortune supplying high-end drugs to the most affluent clientele, thirty-three year old Brandon Galliani now seeks to reform himself and reestablish ties with his long-estranged family. But when one final business trip beckons him to a small Washington seacoast community, the last thing he expects to find is a secretive, enigmatic woman who captures his heart, enraptures his soul, and changes his life forever.
...BROUGHT TOGETHER BY FATE.
For two years, Sandra has kept to herself while desperately hunting for relief from her nightmares. Everything changes when she crosses paths with a mysterious, dazzling stranger one crisp spring morning. Sandra knows she cannot afford to let down her guard around him. Yet the man quickly becomes hell-bent on breaking through the walls of her self-imposed prison. Sandra resists, but soon discovers that what her mind thinks it wants and what her heart knows it needs are two very different things.
YOURS TO SAVOR is the riveting, erotic tale of two opposites colliding in a fiery clash of passion, lust, and love. Each holds secrets from the other. The truth will strain all the flawed underpinnings of their relationship. In the end, will Sandra and Brandon’s budding love be enough to overcome the most despairing odds?..
(Published February 11, 2013)
Change of Heart, Part 1 -
Available at all online retailers and as an audiobook.
DESCRIPTION:
Persevere.
That's how I've gotten through nineteen years of life. It's what I do every single day–no matter how badly the odds are stacked against me.
Persevere, and survive.
Those are my two guiding words. I never knew either of my parents. I have no family and no home. The only person I could ever rely on was myself. In this cruel world, that's about as much as I can ask for.
Love? Hah. Don't talk to me about love. I stopped believing in it the day my first boyfriend ripped out my heart three years ago.
That's why love is the last thing on my mind when I leave a packed college bar with a captivating stranger. Yet everything changes when I'm awakened in the middle of the night by a pounding at the door. Suddenly, an arrangement meant for just one night threatens to become something much deeper.
All expectations are thrown to the wind as I'm tangled in a dangerous world unlike anything I can believe. The man I met has secrets swirling around him like a dark cape. I'm about to become his biggest one…
(Published May 20, 2013)
Change of Heart, Part 2 -
Available at all online retailers and as an audiobook.
DESCRIPTION:
If you told me two weeks ago that I would fall in love with my would-be kidnapper, I would have laughed in your face.
Yet here I am today. Madly, deeply, and hopelessly in love. With Richard Blackthorne. With the man who drugged me and left me for myself… but with the same man who came back for me later.
Nobody in my life has ever given a shit. I've always been on my own—before Rich.
Now, things are different. Feelings I'd never have thought possible are rushing through me. With Rich, I feel… alive. Alive, and treasured.
Yet doubts still poison my thoughts. Can a relationship that began with a lie lead to true happiness? How will Rich and I escape our pursuers? Will Min ever be free?
As I open my heart to the man I love, our devotion to each other will be tested. In this tumultuous world, friends become enemies and enemies friends. Every choice I make leads to consequences for those around me. The secrets Rich holds spread far deeper than he ever let on. When cracks begin to show in our relationship, I'm faced with the most important question of all: Can Rich and I ever find the peace I so dearly crave?
Change of Heart, Part 2 concludes Rich and Penny's story. Will they get the happily-ever-after they deserve? There's only one way to find out…
(Published July 16, 2013)
Change of Heart 1
Book Description:
Persevere.
That's how I've gotten through nineteen years of life. It's what I do every single day—no matter how badly the odds are stacked against me.
Persevere, and survive.
Those are my two guiding words. I never knew either of my parents. I have no family and no home. The only person I could ever rely on was myself. In this cruel world, that's about as much as I could ask for.
Love? Hah. Don't talk to me about love. I stopped believing in it the day my first boyfriend ripped out my heart three years ago.
That's why love is the last thing on my mind when I leave a packed college bar with a captivating stranger. Yet everything changes when I'm awa
kened in the middle of the night by a pounding at the door. Suddenly, an arrangement meant for just one night threatens to become something much deeper.
All expectations are thrown to the wind as I'm tangled in a dangerous world unlike anything I can believe. The man I met has secrets swirling around him like a dark cape. I'm about to become his biggest one...
This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been use fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
CHANGE OF HEART, Part 1
Second Edition
Copyright © 2013 Edwards Publishing, Ltd.
All rights reserved.
Edited by Gail Lennon.
Cover design by Scarlett Edwards.
Interior design by Scarlett Edwards.
Published by Edwards Publishing, Ltd.
Edwards Publishing
477 Peace Portal Drive
Suite 107-154
Blaine, WA 98230
The uploading, scanning, and distribution of this book in any form or by any means---including but not limited to electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise---without the permission of the copyright holder is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized editions of this work, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s work is appreciated.
Uncovering You: The Complete Series (Mega Box Set) Page 185
