Catching Butterflies
Page 14
“We will never be ready to let our babies go.” She sniffles, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
“Knock knock.” Gilly interrupts, barging past my father. “Roommate coming through!” Arm laden with bags, Charlie and Henry follow close behind, arms full and looking exhausted.
“Where’s your Mom?” my Dad asks Gilly.
“She didn’t make it back up here. The waterworks started at the car and she could have people see her like that!” she says mockingly.
“Well, that’s our cue. We love you,” Dad says. Henry coughs. “Both. Be safe and we will see you soon,” He finishes, pulling us into a group hug, before heading back down the corridor.
Gilly checks her watch and moves to gather some things. “I need to head out too. Don’t want to be late for my chemistry induction,” she says, tossing a bag over her shoulder.
“Chemistry? You hate chemistry!” I laugh, furrowing my brow in confusion. She usually complained the entire lesson and spend most of it playing with apparatus and making chemistry related jokes.
“I can’t try new things!” she exclaims, a little higher than needed. “It will help me with forensics,” she adds, rifling through her bag, avoiding eye contact. Strange.
“What about your 3 other electives?” She has been talking non-stop about Criminal Justice, Psychology and Sociology since we have been accepted.
“I’m doing those too!” she says a little exasperated. “Now I have to go. I’ll see you later. I don’t want to be late. I still don’t know my way around.”
“I’ll show you,” Henry jogs after her out the door, before giving us a parting wave. He has gotten used to me and Charlie over the summer. We spent most of the summer together, me, Charlie, Henry and Gilly before she headed to her summer programme. He still doesn’t like it when we kiss in front of him but when he has a girlfriend, hopefully he won’t care anymore.
A pair of strong arms wrap around my waist. “Looks like we’re all alone.” Charlie whispers in my ear, making my neck tingle.
“Don’t you think she was acting a little weird?” I ask, turning in his arms. “She’s been like this since she came back.”
“Probably just nervous. She has wanted to be in the FBI forever, maybe she’s worried that she doesn’t stand out enough?” It does sound plausible. I lean up and kiss him chastely, but it isn’t long before things turn heated. He pulls away reluctantly. “So I was thinking. I’m going to show you all the best spots. Then maybe you can stay at my place?” he says winking, but seeming a little nervous.
I step back a little. We haven’t done an overnight before. Usually we had to sneak around to spend ‘alone time’ together, If you know what I mean. Charlie and Henry are living off campus this year, in a place together. “We don’t have to, if you don’t want to. It was just an idea.” He says, rubbing the back of his neck. I snap out of my thoughts.
“No, I’d love too. But what about Henry?”
“He’s cool. We talked about it. A lot. He just said keep it down, in the end.” He laughs, pulling me back to him and burying he head in my neck. I blush.
“Okay, I just have to get some stuff.”
“Good, because I have been waiting to have you in my bed all summer.” He murmurs into my neck, tickling the sensitive skin. He pulls away his face serious. “But you need to know, once you’re in there, you won’t want to leave and I’ll want you there every night,” he says, with one of his renowned grins spreading across his face. I giggle.
“Sounds perfect. But I will have to stay here sometimes. Gilly will kill me.” I laugh. He starts to tickle me.
“Oh yeah? What happens to you and me?” He laughs. I struggle to get out of his grip, laughing uncontrollably.
“Okay, okay. You win! I’ll stay forever!” I laugh. He stops his tirade.
“That sounds more like it.” He says, smugly. Swooping me into his arms and fitting his lips to mine, like pieces of a puzzle, perfectly.
Author's Note
Thank you for reading Catching Butterflies! I hope you enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please keep an eye out for the next book in the series about Gilly and Henry, and please leave a review.
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