by Hughes, Maya
“When are you moving in, Keyton?” Berk rocked back in his chair.
“Whenever works for you guys. My lease is up at the end of the month, but I can find another place to stay if you need more time.” Keyton tapped his fingers along the edge of his plate and looked at me.
“Nah, I’ll get out of your hair and let you get settled before summer training camp starts. There’s an apartment over Tavola that Gramps hasn’t used in ages, so I’ll move in and start fixing it up.” I sat in my chair and pulled Elle onto my lap.
She sank into me, completely relaxed, and ran her fingers along the hair at the nape of my neck. This was a perfect moment, the kind you swear you’ll remember forever until there’s nothing but that glowing feeling of happiness, even when the details fade.
Berk and Reece pushed back through our circle of chairs. “We’ll start fixing it up. It’s not like we’ve got much else to do.” Berk handed out the frosty bottles to everyone in our circle.
“And we’ll make sure it has a comfy couch for when these two are driving me crazy.” Berk jerked his finger toward LJ and Marisa.
“I vote we dump that couch. Anyone else in favor?” Marisa held up her hand like she was voting in a boardroom.
“I have a couch, if you guys need a replacement,” Keyton offered.
“Have you sat on ours? We should ship it off to a torture museum to be added to their medieval punishment section. This is yet another reason I knew you’d make an awesome roommate.” Berk clapped him on the shoulder.
“Happy to help.”
“You know Berk’s going to be at Tavola sniffing around for free meals.” LJ kicked back in his chair.
“I still can’t believe you’re not going pro next year.” Berk drained his beer before spitting it out and spraying it all over LJ and Marisa.
They both sat there holding their arms out to their sides like they’d just been hit in the face by a water balloon completely drenched.
“Sorry, there was a bee in it.”
The two of them stood and waddled back into the house like they’d peed their pants.
“How much beer can you hold in your mouth? It looks like a firehose sprayed them both.”
“Sorry, guys. I’ll save a brownie for you.” Berk opened a new beer, drank some of it, and set the brownie box in front of him. “You outdid yourself this time, Jules. These are insane.”
“Thanks. I added espresso chocolate chips.”
“Those are my favorite.”
“I know.” She said the words so low, I didn’t know if anyone else other than me and Elle heard. I turned to Elle, and she shook her head, one quick move that told me not to touch that with a twenty-foot pole.
“These things are never easy, are they?” I whispered into her ear.
“Unfortunately not.” She took my hand in hers. “But nothing great is ever easy, right?”
“You’ve got that right.” I dropped a kiss on her shoulder and jumped back into the conversation with the guys. It was time to soak up as much of this as possible before the real world intruded and we all went our separate ways. I’d have Elle by my side, and that took the sting out of losing this place and these guys and made it a hell of a lot easier.
She was a part of me I hadn’t even known was missing.
She was the first best decision I’d made in my life, and her love made every day worth it.
39
Elle
Boxes lined the hallway of our two-bedroom apartment over Tavola. We were still removing old wallpaper and repainting the place, but over the past two months, it had started to become ours. Between Nix’s new role at the restaurant and my new position with one of the biggest event-planning companies in the city, we were exhausted at the end of long days that sometimes stretched on until two AM, but collapsing into bed beside him each night, I’d never been happier.
After folding back the flap of the box with ‘Nix’s stuff’ scrawled across one side, I walked back out to the kitchen. The treasure trove inside deserved its own prized spot in the apartment.
He had every serving plate we’d unpacked so far piled high with food that made my mouth water. The sizzle and pop of the pan on the stove was a constant soundtrack in our apartment. While a lot of people always said chefs never like to cook at home, Nix had years of pent-up culinary expression ready for a delicious explosion, and I was more than happy to be in the blast zone with my mouth open. Between him trying out new things and the quick and easy access to the restaurant, I was glad my job entailed a lot of racing across the city to get thing organized for the events I coordinated.
“You were holding out on me, Golden Boy.” I looped my arms around Nix’s neck, rocking from side to side.
He wrapped one arm around me and flipped the chicken in the pan beside him. “I’ve cooked for you before.”
“I’m not talking about cooking.”
He turned off the fire. “What exactly have I been holding out on?” The charmer smile didn’t just work on his football fans and customers at the restaurant. It still made my knees practically elastic.
When he was this close to me and smelled like yummy food and freshly folded laundry, it was hard to keep my train of thought.
“Your vinyl collection. You’d put most record stores to shame.”
“Maybe I just didn’t want to clue you in to my secret stash, B and E.” He rubbed his nose against mine.
“Maybe I’ll look into it and see how much they sell for on eBay.” I tapped my finger against my chin.
“I’ve got something for you to look into.” He dipped his knees and lifted me, navigating our maze of boxes and dropping me onto our bed.
Pushing my hair back out of my face, I grinned up at him. “We have guests coming in about twenty minutes.”
He looked down at me with a primal hunger that sent a sizzling flush throughout my body. “We’d better be fast, then.”
I tugged my shirt up over my head. By the time I was free from it, Nix was completely naked like a quick-change magician. Laughing, I fought with the button of my jeans.
He leaned over, catching my foot against his chest and tickling my toes.
I bucked and twisted away from his grip. “You’re supposed to be helping.” Tears of laughter caught in my eyelashes.
Gripping the bottoms of my jeans, he tugged them down my legs. The feel of his hands on me never failed to drive the simmering ache into a full-blown keening need in a matter of seconds.
“This is the first day off we’ve both had in over a month.”
He fell down on top of me, bracing himself on his arms. “Are you sure you want to spend it with my pain-in-the-ass friends?”
I hitched my leg over his hip and pushed my heel into his ass. “You’ve missed them, and we haven’t gotten a chance to show this place off yet.”
Lifting his head, he looked at the wall behind our bed, which currently sported five different paint swatches. “Still a work in progress.”
“Isn’t everything?” I ran my fingers along the stubble on his jaw.
“Have I told you how much I love you?” He took my fingers and kissed the fingertips.
“Not today.” I lifted my hips to meet the erection sandwiched between us. The head of his cock teased my entrance.
“Then I guess I should show you.” He ducked his head and kissed me, pushing his tongue into my mouth and changing the angle of his hips. In an instant, there was no more tease to his touch. There was only hunger, power, and his love for me, a love I could return without reservation or hesitation.
My orgasm crashed into me, overwhelming all my senses. He knew my body so well it was like the playbook was seared into his mind. One second I could breathe and the next I was floating, holding on as he tightened his grasp on me and expanded inside me. Our collapse was short-lived; a timer went off in the kitchen and forced us back down to earth.
He rested his forehead against mine. “That’s the bread.” His breath came out in pants.
“You�
�d better go get it.” I fell back onto the bed with my chest rising and falling in time to my heartbeat.
“Be right back. Hop in the shower and I’ll wash your back.” He jumped up and darted out of the room, giving me a very nice view of those still incredibly tight buns.
* * *
Fresh from our lightning-quick shower, I jogged to the door after the first knock.
Berk and LJ were back in town for training camp. Jules had thankfully stayed in our old place—now hers and Zoe’s, so really hers alone. She had to go to an engagement party for her sister over the long weekend in a few weeks, so I was stocking up on booze and hugs. Marisa had worked on campus all summer.
“Where’s Berk?” I peered down the short hallway.
“Said he had something to do.” LJ shrugged.
“Probably something to do with the new letter he got. I swear, he squirrels himself away for half a day whenever one of those shows up.” Marisa handed over a container of God knows what that was glowing like a radioactive isotope.
Jules chugged her entire drink and held it up even after she was done, inspecting the bottom of the glass and ignoring my gaze. No matter how many times I’d told her to come clean, she was adamantly against it.
I got everyone a drink, and we flicked through the movies on the screen.
“Guys.” Berk threw the door open and nearly took a chunk out of the wall behind it. He spun around with a letter gripped in his hand and slammed the door shut.
“What the hell, Berk?” Nix came out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn.
“She said she’s done.” His gaze was frantic.
“Who?”
He thrust the wrinkled piece of paper and envelope into the air.
“Your letter girl?” LJ pried them from Berk’s hand.
“Yes.” He sank into the armchair by the door.
Jules became fascinated by the threads of our Ikea rug, tugging at it and keeping her head down.
“What did you say to her?”
“Nothing outside of our normal stuff. I got the next letter and—” He gestured to the one in LJ’s hand. He passed it over to Marisa, who tried to pass it to Jules. She shook her head and moved on to inspecting the wood grain of our coffee table.
“All it says is ‘I don’t think we should do this anymore.’” Marisa flipped it over. “Why would she cut you off after so many months?”
Berk sank his head into his hands. “I don’t know, but I put another note in the box when I went to pick this up, and it’s still there.”
I tried to keep my gaze from boring a hole in the side of Jules’ head.
“Maybe she’s moving away and doesn’t want a pen pal anymore.” Nix set down another plate of food on the table.
Berk shook his head. “I’m not ready for this to be over.”
Jules’ gaze flicked to him. The corner of her mouth quirked up.
I caught her gaze and tilted my head toward them, my eyebrows raised. “Tell him,” I mouthed.
She gave me one hard shake of her head.
Marisa handed the note back to him. “Doesn’t seem like you have a choice.”
“What does Alexis think of all this?” LJ leaned against the fridge.
Jules had taken a step toward Berk but now froze and recoiled like someone had dropped a rattlesnake in front of her.
“What about her?”
LJ crossed his arms over his chest and lifted an eyebrow.
“Get over it. She’s not someone I can just leave behind, but she doesn’t have anything to do with Letter Girl. She can’t just barge into my life with these notes and then peace out like it was nothing.”
Jules’ throat worked up and down, and she grabbed her beer off the table. Her gaze darted to floor.
“It seems like she can and just did.”
“No, I don’t accept that.”
“What are your other options?”
“I’m going to find her.” Berk’s steely air of determination filled the room.
Jules’ hacking cough drew everyone’s attention. Foam bubbled out of the top of her beer, and she grabbed a fistful of napkins to cover her mouth.
“Jules?” Berk called out her name and dropped down to the floor beside her.
She stared back at him like her eyes were about to pop out of her head. A squeak that sounded a little like “Yes?” flew out of her mouth.
“You’re in the same class as her—well, we both are. She’s a senior now too. Can you help me?”
“Maybe it’s better to leave things alone, like she said.”
“It’s not that easy. None of you understand.” His panicked gaze swept over all of us. “Jules, you’ll help me, right?”
Her mouth hung open and she stared into his eyes, nodding once.
Berk’s big, wide smile could’ve practically been seen from space, and he dove onto her, wrapping his arms around her, hugging her tight and shaking her from side to side.
She stared at me over his shoulder throughout the ragdoll treatment, and I shrugged, giving her a helpless look.
He jumped up and paced in front of the TV, going over their investigation options like they were Scooby-Doo characters. Jules drummed her fingers on her leg like she was ready to bolt at any second.
“We can narrow things down once classes start and everyone’s back on campus. Maybe I can find a way to get handwriting samples.” He tapped his chin.
Jules hid her hands behind her back like they’d give her away at any moment.
“I’m not stopping until I find her. We’ll turn this place upside down. We’ll be a great team, right, Jules?”
Her mouth opened and closed as her eyes widened, going straight past anime to trapped in the vacuum of space. The word was high-pitched and barely audible. “Sure.”
There was no escape now. Berk was determined, and it was only a matter of time before the pressure got to her.
Let the fireworks begin.
Epilogue
Boxes lined the hallway of our two bedroom apartment over Tavola. We were still removing old wallpaper and re-painting the place, but over the past two months it was becoming ours. Between Nix’s new role at the restaurant and my new position with one of the biggest event planning companies in the city, we were exhausted at the end of long days that sometimes stretched on until two am, but collapsing in bed each night beside him, I’d never been happier.
Folding back the flap to the box with ‘Nix’s stuff’ scrawled across one side, I walked back out to the kitchen. The treasure trove inside deserved its own prized spot in the apartment.
He had every serving plate we’d unpacked so far piled high with food that made my mouth water. The sizzle and pop of the pan on the stove was a constant soundtrack in our apartment. While a lot of people always said chefs never liked to cook at home, Nix had years of pent up culinary expression ready for a delicious explosion and I was more than happy to be in the blast zone with my mouth open. Between him trying out new things and the quick and easy access to the restaurant, I was glad my job entailed a lot of racing across the city to get thing organized for the events I coordinated.
“You were holding out on me, Golden Boy.” I looped my arms around Nix’s neck, rocking from side to side.
He wrapped one arm around me and flipped the chicken in the pan beside him. “I’ve cooked for you before.”
“I’m not talking about cooking.”
He turned off the fire. “What exactly have I been holding out on you?” The charmer smile didn’t just work on his football fans and customers at the restaurant. It still made my knees practically elastic.
When he was this close to me and smelled like yummy food and freshly folded laundry, it was hard to keep my train of thought.
“Your vinyl collection. You’d put most record stores to shame.”
“Maybe I just didn’t want to clue you into my secret stash, B + E.” He rubbed his nose against mine.
“Maybe I’ll look into it and see how much they sell for on e
Bay.” I tapped my finger against my chin.
“I’ve got something for you to look into.” He dipped his knees and lifted me, navigating our maze of boxes and dropping me onto our bed.
Pushing my hair back out of my face, I grinned up at him. “We have guests coming in about twenty minutes.”
He looked down at me with a primal hunger that sent a sizzling flush throughout my body. “We’d better be fast, then.”
I tugged my shirt up over my head. By the time my head was free from it, Nix was completely naked like a quick change magician. Laughing, I fought with the button of my jeans.
He leaned over, catching my foot against his chest and tickling my toes.
I bucked and twisted away from his grip. “You’re supposed to be helping.” Tears of laughter caught in my eyelashes.
Gripping the bottoms of my jeans, he tugged them down my legs. The feel of his hands on me never failed to drive the simmering ache into a full blown keening need in a matter of seconds.
“This is the first day off we’ve both had in over a month.”
He fell down on top of me, bracing himself on his arms. “Are you sure you want to spend it with my pain in the ass friends?”
I hitched my leg over his hip and pushed my heel into his ass. “You missed them. And we haven’t gotten a chance to show this place off yet.”
Lifting his head, he looked at the wall behind our bed, covered in five different paint swatches. “Still a work in progress.”
“Isn’t everything?” I ran my fingers along the stubble on his jaw.
“Have I told you how much I love you?” He took my fingers and kissed the fingertips.
“Not today.” I lifted my hips to meet the erection sandwiched between us. The head of his cock teased my entrance.
“Then I guess I should show you.” He ducked his head and kissed me, pushing his tongue into my mouth and changing the angle of his hips and in an instant there was no tease to his touch. There was only hunger, power, and his love for me. A love I could return without reservation or hesitation.