by Ivy Kovacs
- How's your girlfriend? – He asked, not knowing what happened months ago.
- I'm not sure she's my girlfriend anymore. – I muttered and looked away, watching a man walk his dog. We met at the park since it was a public place and if my mom would find us, she couldn't freak out in front of every passerby.
- So you're moving to Florida without her? – He asked, furrowing his brows.
- Yup. – I nodded once.
- I thought you chose that university because of her. –
- No, you dork. I chose it because it had a great program and their football team is famous too. – I teased him and bumped my arm against his shoulder.
- Will you visit? – His hopeful blue eyes looked into mine. He just got me back, of course he wouldn't want to lose me again.
- Sure. –
- Alright. – He nodded and looked away.
- What is it, Dan? – I saw something was wrong when he first walked up to me.
- It's mom and Steve... they fight a lot. – His expression made my teeth clench together. How could she be that stupid to fight in front of Daniel? – She said she was fine, but I saw the purple bruises on her arm. –
- He hits her? – I asked raising my brow.
- No, he just grabbed her arm. At least that's how it looked like. – His body shuddered and I placed my hand on his shoulder.
- Don't get involved in their stuff, okay? Promise me you'll keep yourself away from Steve whenever he's angry. – I looked into his eyes, afraid he'd get the same treatment I got when I lived there. If I could, I would shove Daniel into my car and drive him to Florida with me, but I couldn't...
- I promise. –
- Good, if anything's wrong you can talk to Lily. – I said and thought about what he told me one time we met after school. – I'm pretty sure she likes you too. – I grinned at my little brother and he blushed, punching my arm playfully.
- I'll miss you, Dylan. – He sighed.
- I'll miss you too, Danny. – I smiled and messed up his curly hair so he groaned. I was going to miss him. It was only thanks to Grace that I found him again and she encouraged me to have the guts to tell him the truth.
I went to Max's place to finish packing up my stuff. I didn't have much to pack, I was just lazy to do it earlier. Max and Ollie's boxes were already packed and ready, waiting in the living room.
- Bro, are you sure you won't transfer to UGA? – Oliver said as he grabbed a beer from the fridge.
- I'm sure. – I responded curtly.
- I thought since you and G... –
- I'm not going there because of her, Oliver. – I snapped. Everyone around me seemed to think I applied to FAU because of Grace, which was not the case. Though knowing we’d be together for years while we study in the same school made my heart race.
- Okay, okay. – He raised his hands and plopped down on the couch.
- Have you talked to her? – Max asked while playing on his PS4.
- No. –
- So she doesn't know you got accepted to the same school as her? –
- Nope, she doesn't. – I plopped down next to them. It was already late, but I thought a beer wouldn't hurt me. It would disappear from my system by the morning anyway.
- That's fucked up. – Oliver said and handed me the bottle opener. - Well, I'm sure there will be hot chicks in Boca. – He grinned but his grin faded when he saw my angry expression.
- I'm not looking for a girlfriend, or a hookup, or any kind of company okay? I'm going there to get a diploma and play football. –
- Alright. Whatever you say. – Oliver raised his bottle and drank from it.
My alarm went off at 6.30. The drive to Boca Raton was eight hours so I wanted to get on the road as early as possible. I only stopped three or four times on the way there. My car was stuffed with the boxes in the back so I wasn't able to sleep in the car.
I arrived at the frat-house at around 5 p.m. The parking lot was full of nerds and jocks and suddenly I felt like I didn't fit into any of their groups.
I grabbed a few boxes from my car and walked upstairs to the room number I was given. One side of the room was empty, the other was full of boxes. I guessed that the empty side was going to be mine, so I packed down the boxes and walked back to my car to grab the other ones.
When I walked back up, a large blonde guy was in the room, packing out of his boxes.
- Hey. – I said and placed the boxes on my bed.
- Hi. I'm Christian Evans. - He flashed a bright smile at me. Was he a model or something?
- Dylan. Torres. – I shook hands with him. His grip was firm. – Evans huh? -
- Yeah, I'm not Captain America, though. – He joked then went back to packing his stuff. – Where did you come from? –
- Atlanta. But I was born in Spain. – I admitted. – You? – From his accent, I could guess he was Australian but he probably lived in the US because it wasn't a strong accent.
- Melbourne. But my mom is from San Francisco so I traveled back and forth. –
- So you're a dual citizen? – I asked and opened my boxes to fill my closet with my clothes.
- Yeah, you too? –
- Yeah, my mom married an American that's why we moved to the States. – I responded.
- Cool. – He said and finished packing.
- You play? – He asked when he saw the ball that the team signed for me after the last match.
- Yeah, the Chancellor sent me a letter saying he found me eligible to make it into the team here. –
- Nice, I'm on the team too. – He grinned. – Center? –
- Quarterback. – I corrected him.
- I'm a tackle. – I could've guessed from the massive biceps he had.
I didn't reply to him, I just finished packing out from my boxes. I realized I didn't bring my socks and underwear. I probably left them between Max's boxes. Great, now I had to go and buy new ones...
Christian left before I did so I closed the room with my key and headed down to my car. I checked the map on my phone to see where the closest Target was and drove there. I parked next to a silver Jeep and headed inside.
I grabbed a cart and pushed it around, searching for whatever I needed. I grabbed some snacks when I passed that aisle. The home decor section was wild and mostly women shopped there as always. I once looked up FAU on Youtube and the amount of room tour videos that popped up on the screen was insane. I could never understand why girls flipped their rooms inside out whenever they moved in.
I rolled my eyes and walked forwards to find some underwear for myself.
My eyes spotted them in the back of the store so I grabbed a few that were my size and tossed them into the cart.
- Dylan? – A familiar voice called from behind me. I turned around and my eyes spotted her. The gorgeous girl I haven't seen in months, but she hasn't changed at all. The girl, who turned my life and my beliefs upside-down and showed me that I was able to be someone’s happiness for more than just a lustful night. The girl, who loved me for who I was and I loved her back. I still do.
- Hey. – I said and shoved the cart behind myself to hide the fact that I was here to buy underwear. – How are you? –
- I'm...good. What are you doing here? – Her curious brown eyes checked me out in a very attractive way.
- I'm here for university. – I admitted and swallowed the lump in my throat. The arrogant side of me kept pushing to the surface and telling me to shove her off because she hadn’t talked to me though she promised she would. But it was the closest I’ve been to her for months and the desperation took over my whole body.
- You got accepted? – Her eyes widened and her lips curved into a smile.
- Yeah, I should've told you. – I said and shrugged.
- Congrats, Dylan! – She wrapped her arms around me as she cheered. I hesitated for a second but when her hair's vanilla scent hit my nose, my arms folded around her waist, enjoying every second of her closure.
-Oh, uh... sorry. – She pulled away
too soon, awkwardly apologizing.
- No, it's good. Don't worry. – I said and scratched the back of my head.
- Hey, uh... why don't you come over to my place and we could talk. I kind of blew you off at the graduation. –
- Sure. – I responded without thinking. I would take any chance to be with her for a little longer.
- Okay, uh. I'll finish shopping and I'll see you at the exit in 5 minutes? – She suggested.
- Okay. –
She gave me an unsure smile and pushed her cart away. I exhaled deeply, grasping what just happened. I was about to be with her, at her place because she wanted to talk about us. Did she miss me as I missed her?
I paid for my stuff and waited for her at the exit. She came a few minutes after me, paying for her stuff and greeting me with a smile as she walked out of the shop. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and opened her car.
- This is your car? – I asked, surprised as the lights turned on at the silver Jeep I parked next to.
- Yeah... Uncle Seb's friend sold it to me. – She said and opened up her trunk.
- Wow... it's very nice. – I said and helped her pack the bags inside.
- Yeah, I love it. – She smiled brightly.
- Estate cars are still better, though. – I grinned and she chuckled, rolling her eyes. How I missed that sweet chuckle and her chestnut-colored eyes rolling at my teasing comments.
- Alright, this is my address. – She said showing it on the maps app on her phone. I had no idea where that was because I was completely new here, but I would follow her.
- Okay. – I nodded and waited for her to drive away first. I followed her car closely and parked in front of the building.
I grabbed a few bags from her and helped her carry them upstairs to her condo. – Well, this is my place. – She said packing the bags down at the kitchen island. Her apartment looked very nice. It was exactly her style: neutral and chic.
- It looks great, Grace. – I said packing down the bags that I held where she did.
- So... – She said opening the fridge and grabbed some kind of fruit juice from it, then poured it into two glasses.
- So. –
- I'm really sorry I didn't listen to you, Dylan. – She began.
- I'm sorry I lied to you. – I added.
- I know why you did it and I understand... I just needed time to clear out my head. – She placed the glass in front of me and I sat down at the barstool.
- Are you okay now? – I asked taking a sip of the orange juice she poured for me.
- I guess I am. I'm hoping my father won't follow me all the way here. – She leaned against the counter and sipped her juice.
- He still bothers you? –
- Sometimes he calls, but I don't answer anymore. –
- Good. –
- And you? How are you? –
- I'm okay. – I shrugged. – I moved into the frat-house nearby. –
- That's good. – She said.
- I really miss you, Grace. – I opened up and looked into her eyes, hoping she would say she missed me too.
- I miss you too... – She sighed, her eyes glistening in the light.
- Do you think there's still a chance for us? – I asked walking closer to her with slow steps.
- I... – I heard her breathing quicken. I still had the same effect on her.
- I never said we broke up... – I whispered and reached for her hand.
- I never said that either... but we haven't talked in months. – She looked into my eyes, a small gasp leaving her rosy lips when I touched her hand.
- We could always start fresh... I still love you. – I muttered very closely against her plump lips. - I never stopped loving you. – I felt her body shudder slightly as I pressed my lips against hers. It was probably a bad idea to just attack her like that, but my lust took over. She didn't hesitate to kiss me back, which was a good sign and only made our kiss intensify.
That night we spent together was incredible. Her heavy eyes shut down as soon as she laid her head on my bare chest, making it impossible to continue the conversation we had before.
I stroked her wavy hair and light skin with my fingertips, soaking in every bit of the moments we shared, afraid to lose it all when the sun would rise again.
Acknowledgements
Here we are, one year and a finished book later. I couldn’t be happier with how this story turned out and more thankful for the people who’ve inspired me.
Major thank you to my family for helping me create these characters even without their knowledge. Special thanks to my grandmother and my mom for being a huge influence on my life. Without you, I couldn’t have given justice to Grace’s story.
Thanks to my beloved boyfriend, who has listened to me brag about my book countless times and still being so supportive.
Massive thank you to my friend, Em for being the influence on why I started creating stories and loving it so dearly. Your writing was the very first thing I adored reading and without you, I wouldn’t be doing this now.
Thank you to the talented musicians, who got me in the mood to write the happy and the sad stuff. I have a whole Spotify playlist dedicated to those amazing songs.
Thank you to those who have read my work and told me how much they liked it. It really gave me the courage to put this out to the world.
I always dreamed about writing my own book when I was a child, but the stories never seemed right. With this book, I finally managed to write something I enjoyed and hope the readers will enjoy as well.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
- I