by Blair Holden
“Found your pants! It looks like the place has been hit with Hurricane Colessa, I love it!
“Nice to see you’ve stocked up on the protection front.” Cami is practically cackling as she runs back down. The pants hit the door and my heart plummets.
“I’m so mortified, I think it’s paralyzed me.”
And then the smug bastard lifts me up and throws me over his shoulder, still sans jeans!
“Good thing I can still carry you even when I’ve got a bad knee, huh?”
“Just you wait, I’m going to get sweet, sweet revenge for what you’re doing right now, and I will hold it over you for the rest of our lives.”
“As long as you’re in the rocking chair beside me when we’re a hundred and five, go for it, Shortcake.”
The master of swoon strikes again. My eyes threaten to well up, and I’m filled with a kind of joy that’s terrifying because you’re afraid to even think of what life will be like if it ever were to go missing. That’s what Cole is to me, my light, my happiness, the one person I could never even begin to imagine life without. So as he carries me downstairs to the whooping laughter and jeers from all our friends, I realize that this right here is where I belong. No more doubting, no more questions, insecurities are a thing of the past. This, the life I have with him and the family we’ve created for ourselves, is the only one that matters, and I’ll never second-guess it ever again.
Chapter Eighteen: They’ll Do Just About Anything If You Feed Them Enough
Two Months Later
An unpopular opinion if I’ve ever heard one is that things happen for a reason. Whenever someone like me, for example, would use that clichéd phrase, they’d get booed and told to stop sitting on their butts and do something about whatever’s causing them to use the sorry excuse for a saying in the first place. The naysayers, I suppose, believe that things don’t just happen for a reason, and if you accept that without doing anything about it, then you’re the one at fault, not destiny. If the thing that’s happened is a setback in any way, you’re not just supposed to accept the cards you’ve been dealt, you’re supposed to fight back. If what’s happened is positive, then you do not attribute it to some mystical power, you believe you deserve the good that comes your way.
Things happen for a reason and I side with the believers and the non-believers. If times are tough, if I’ve gone through an experience that is challenging and threatens to break my resolve, my answer to it won’t be to say that the universe has it out for me or that I’m the sacrificial goat for the greater good. No, you bet I’ll fight. And when the good comes my way, I’ll be the first to say that I’ve worked hard to achieve whatever it is that I get. So, some may call me a non-believer.
But some things in life do happen for a reason, a reason you may not know or figure out at the time. Things like a devilish, dark-haired, blue-eyed boy in kindergarten taking one look at you and deciding that you were his. His to tease, his to anger, his to make laugh, his to love, his to protect.
His.
And I can’t fathom what I did to deserve someone like Cole Grayson Stone. For a girl who has spent so much time wishing the people in her life could just love her back the way she loves them, it’s absolutely mind-boggling that I have a man in my life whose devotion to me threatens to constantly split my heart right open, just because of how powerful it is. We’re young, nineteen soon to turn twenty, and people will tell us that there’s more to life than finding the great love of your life in high school. Most people who don’t know us are skeptical, they don’t think we’ll make it past college, because rarely do high school relationships survive the next four years. In college you grow up, you figure out who you want to be for the rest of your life. Four years of freedom, of experiencing life in a completely different way, a series of firsts you’ve never had before.
It’s supposed to change a person, it’s supposed to change who you are and what you want from life. The person you see yourself being with at age eighteen, graduating high school with, might not be the same person whose hand you want to hold when you’re getting your degree and are ready to step out in the real world. The thought is mildly terrifying; one can never know when that epiphanic moment occurs when you realize that your priorities have changed, that you have changed. I could spend the next three years holding my breath, waiting for Cole to realize that I’m not the person he sees himself with anymore.
Or I can trust, I can trust that the boy who walked into my life two years ago is now the man who has slain dragons for me. He’s changed me forever, for the better, and every day he makes me love him a little bit more. Every day he does something that truly makes me believe that things happen for a reason, people come into your life for a reason, and that maybe, soul mates exist after all. Because when you find that one person, the one you think about every day when you’re not with them, who makes your heart soar with happiness when they’re around, who make everything in life better, easier, because you know you’ve got at least one person who’ll be happy when you are, sad when you are, offer you a shoulder to cry on, to offer you love and comfort on the days you need it.
And as I mentally tick the boxes in my head, reminding myself how lucky I am that I’ve found my person, I realize with some pride that after all this time, I’ve managed to become that person for Cole as well.
***
“Ten pizzas? No, that’s not enough! Do you see the number of ‘growing boys’ in the room? I’d leave it to Lan to at least demolish seven of them.”
“That still leaves three for the rest. I’m sure they’ll manage.” I roll my eyes and continue placing my order, but Cami is adamant we need enough food to feed a small country. Why? Because I’m currently playing hostess to half a dozen men, all of whom apparently need more than three thousand calories to get through the day.
“She’s right, I just saw Travis demolish the turkey sub you had in your fridge as well as the backup of your backup ice cream stash, and I think he’s still looking for more food. So tap, tap, tap the buttons, little birdie. We’re going to need a lot more pizza and pretty much all the sides they have to offer.” Beth rounds the corner to the kitchen island and peers over my shoulder making sure her boyfriend doesn’t go without nourishment. Hard to believe since it looks like he’s emptied my fridge.
Our fridge—Cole’s not going to be happy when he gets out of the shower since half of the ice cream is his.
“Would you go out there and remind them that we still have the dinner at Cole’s parents’ house tonight?”
“Yeah, I don’t think they’re actually planning on moving from the living room anytime soon. There’s a game on TV and the promise of free pizza in the future. They’re pretty much dead to us.”
“Cami, would you say your boyfriend would still be more interested in eating as opposed to, I don’t know, other more physical activities if you were to entice him?” I suggest casually. The boys need to get a move on. What started out as helping Cole and me move into a new apartment off campus has turned into the boys deciding it would do them good to play some basketball in the apartment building’s court and they’ve come back a sweaty mess, demanding food. But to their credit, they’ve already brought up most of the boxes while the girls and I start working on the paint.
My friends are like puppies. They’ll do just about anything if you feed them enough.
“I’m not taking my top off, if that’s what you’re suggesting. We might be a little on the wild side, but Lan and I haven’t started experimenting with being exhibitionists yet.”
They really are a match made in kinky hell. I’ve never seen two people better suited for each other, and with the way things have progressed with them, the fact that they’re in a serious relationship after a month of dating, I’m not surprised that Lan’s basically living in Cami’s apartment down the hall from us.
“Tessa, I really think you should reconsider the color you’re going to paint the spare room.” Megan walks in with the shade card clutched in her hand, biting he
r lip, Sarah following her lead. My former roommate and Megan get along really well, and I’m glad that Megan’s taken it upon herself to make sure Sarah feels welcome in the group. Cami has had a chance to bond with my friends in the drama-filled month she spent with me, and she’s firmly a part of our group now, but I know Sarah’s been a little overwhelmed with the group of us.
Before leaving for summer break, we’d discussed moving off campus, and Sarah’s found herself two really nice girls to move in with, and hers is the next building in our row of student residences. She’s over quite a lot and in the time that my friends have been visiting, she’s formed a great bond with Megan. More importantly, having broken up with her boyfriend from back home, I’ve seen Sarah and Jameson in deep conversation several times, and if I do say so myself, that could be a very interesting development.
“I’d say go for Snow and not the Ivory; I’m getting bad vibes from it.”
“How do you get bad vibes from a shade of white?” I shake my head and the pizza conundrum continues. After mentally calculating how much money I’ll actually have left for the groceries after this, I bite the bullet and order fifteen pies. It’s still not the twenty that Cami’s been requesting, but I’ll be damned if I spend that much money on pizza when they won’t even let me order extra mushrooms on all of them.
“The second bedroom is for guests, right? You want it to be warm and inviting, homely. Ivory screams hospital waiting room with a side of, I don’t really want you here, whereas snow reminds you of marshmallows in hot chocolate. Plus, it’ll go really well with the duvet we got yesterday. So which one is it?”
She holds up two identical paint swatches, and at this point, I’d be more than okay with going for a lovely shade of tangerine. “Go for Snow, it sounds lovely.”
“Yay.” She claps her hands, her inner interior decorator taking over. She beckons her apprentice, oh, my bad, Sarah, to follow her as they start prepping the room.
She’s taking this way too seriously, but I appreciate it. If I’m going to have this place transformed by someone else, then I’m glad it’s a person who makes lists about the kind of lists she wants to make.
Cami, Beth, and I watch the duo walk away, and I shut my laptop down after placing the order. Leaning on my elbows against the counter, I realize that this is the first moment I’ve had all day to take a breather. It’s been pretty hectic because even with the high rent, the place definitely needed some love and care, and Cole and I are more than happy to put that into it. We’re also extremely lucky to have friends who’ll help us. Since Lan, Seth, and Jameson go to school quite nearby, it’s been easy for them to come in every day and help out where they can, especially with moving and assembling furniture. Beth and Travis have come up, so have Megan and Alex, and we’re all going back home today as a sort of farewell for all of us, since we’ll be heading back to different parts of the country once again. I try not to dwell on it for too long; the summer has just shown that our friendship can survive anything, and it’s as strong as ever.
“Worrying about dinner with the parents?”
Beth knows me a little too well, and ever since she’s found out all about the Cassandra debacle and subsequently about Cole’s knee, she’s done her best to give me the tough love and advice I can actually use. I know she feels guilty that she went off the grid after her fallout with Travis. I’d tried to reach her several time, so had Megan, and of course, my brother. But during her time in Boston, she had wanted to be on her own and figure out whether she could continue seeing Travis after witnessing a side of him she said she didn’t know existed. But nearly two months after she up and left, I found Beth outside my bedroom door, knocking like a maniac and telling me to get my lazy ass out of bed, and I knew in my heart that she had healed. To my surprise, it’d been Travis who’d driven to get her after getting a call. I’m not sure how much he groveled and what exactly he’s said to her, but I see them now as stronger, happier, and maybe even more open to a gross public display of affection than ever before; it’s sickly, and I couldn’t be happier for them.
Although right now, I’m kind of annoyed by just how well Beth knows me.
“Don’t worry, Tessa, if the step-monster tries to attack you, I’m sure I can take her. But her husband is the sheriff; I might need to be a little sneaky. I should go research.” Cami pats my shoulder and heads out. I’m not sure if she’s being serious or if she’s trying to subtly let Beth and me talk alone.
“You don’t think she’ll actually hit Cassandra, do you? I don’t see that going well for her.”
“I…I’m not sure, but we’ll try to keep her away from the Stones in any case.”
Beth agrees. “Great idea and while we’re on the topic, how are things at home now? I thought they’d be kissing the ground you walk on since you persuaded Cole to go for physical therapy.”
I sigh; it’s been a tough couple of months. Since Cole decided that he doesn’t want to play either in college or professionally, he’s been more accepting of actually having his knee examined by a doctor and going for therapy. I nearly cried when we were told that he wouldn’t need surgery to repair the damage he’d already done, and while he still plays for fun whenever the guys are around, with me constantly reminding him to be careful about putting too much pressure on his knee, I know that he’s much happier now that he can play the game for fun and not because he wants to make his dad happy.
Speaking of his parents, any fallout that Cole had with them is now on the mend. He’s still not forgiven Cassandra for the way she handled things with me, and despite me asking him repeatedly to not be angry or offended on my behalf, he’s being stubborn. But he’s thankful that she pushed him into thinking about his injury and his future, and perhaps it’s because she did so that Cole and I were able to be completely honest with each other. I’ve managed to score some points with the Stones then for practically blackmailing Cole into being honest, but I’ve also lost some points for creating a rift among the family. Things between Cassandra and me are somewhat better, and I can tell she’s embarrassed about how rashly she went about her agenda; she wishes she’d approached me in a more appropriate manner, and I’m no longer on her hit list now that she knows that I’m not forcing Cole to stay at a school that he doesn’t even want to go to. The kind of hard work Cole puts into school, honoring his grandfather along the way, would prove it to anyone, not just Cassandra, that Cole truly does want to stay at Brown.
Things are even better now that Cole’s more sure about his major. He’s passionate about political science and since he’s on the pre-law track, he wants to go ahead and give law school his best shot. I couldn’t be prouder of him.
But I don’t think we’ll ever go back to being close the way we used to be. I applaud Cassandra for putting Cole first, but her treatment of me has also shown how little she thinks of me, and I’m not even sure for how long she’s thought the way she has. If this year has taught me anything at all, it’s that the only people I want around me in life are the ones who’re willing to reciprocate the amount of love and respect I have for them. Cassandra clearly doesn’t respect me for who I am and, mommy issues aside, the only reason I’m trying to get along with her is because of Cole, and he knows that.
“I’m not holding out hope for a family reunion like we’re the Brady Bunch, but I think we can all be civilized. I’ve been to their house a couple of times and Cassandra’s been polite enough, that’s as much as I can hope for.”
“I can’t believe she’d turn on you like this and pin Cole’s mistakes on you. You didn’t know because he was really good at hiding his injury.”
“But that’s the problem, I should have known, I should have paid more attention, and I guess in a twisted way I’ll be grateful to Cassandra for the wakeup call, but that’s about it. She’s made it clear where our relationship stands, and the only thing we have in common now is Cole.”
“And you’re okay with that?” Beth knows that I’d thought of Cassandra as somethi
ng resembling a mother, and I don’t necessarily have the best luck with those.
“I am. It may have taken me some time, but I’ve realized that I don’t need a certain person or a figure in my life in order for it to be complete. My own mom, god bless her, flawed as she is, is actually trying to fix things between us, but I’m not expecting a miracle there as well. I’m happy with my life right now, Beth, really happy. I couldn’t ask for more.”
She hugs me. “I’m happy for you too. Not just because of this, you know,” she gestures toward my apartment, “but because finally, you’ve kicked aside all your doubts and stopped listening to that voice inside your head that made you question yourself all the damn time. I notice it, you know, so does everyone else, just how confident you are and how your relationship with Cole has evolved. It’s like someone took away all the fear and left behind this ball-buster who’s not going to let anything get between her and her man.”
Feeling strangely emotional and choked up, I wrap Beth in a tight hug. “I’m going to miss you guys so much next week.”
She hugs me back just as tightly. “You’re not getting rid of us that easily. We made it work this year, we’ll make it work forever. No matter what happens, we’ve always got each other’s backs.”
“Get in on the hug, Meg!” Beth yells, and I’m being tackled by the redhead weighing a hundred and ten pounds. “I was waiting for my entry to be announced.”
This right here? It’s all the family I need.
***
While on the subject of surprising new friend duos, another set of people that are really getting along are Lan and Bentley. Yes, Bentley, my friend slash doomed gym trainer. I’d never be one of those girls who gets excited to go to the gym every single day. My stomach still plummets whenever I think of going near a StairMaster, but one positive about trying to be healthier and forcing myself to drag my butt to the gym three times a week is that I’ve found another person to add to my makeshift family, Bentley, and this week as my friends have driven up and down Providence, Bentley’s managed to fit right in.
