One of Them Girls
Page 18
“Alright. See you after winter break. Have a great holiday.”
“You too.”
As soon as the door shuts, I let my smile fall. It’s exhausting faking a smile all the time.
After my trip out to Cassi’s house, I tried to play it off like it didn’t hurt me as badly as it did.
Truth is, seeing her, but not being with her hurt me worse than the truck that hit me did. My chest has felt tight ever since.
Jack could tell I’d been off, but thankfully he let me alone.
He invited me home with him for Christmas, but I couldn’t stomach the thought of being social.
It’s the same reason I told Tinsley I was going home with Jack when she asked me to come home. She misses me, but I can’t imagine being around her right now.
Not because I still have feelings for her, but because my misplaced feelings for her are part of the reason, I lost Cassi. It’s not her fault, but I can’t bear being around her and Finley.
Rubbing my hand down my face, I shake off my thoughts.
Pulling out my laptop, I put a movie on.
Hours later, a knock at the door wakes me.
Answering the door, I find a short, pudgy man on the other side.
“You’re supposed to be gone. You can’t stay here.”
“It’s my dorm. Why can’t I stay?”
“School rules. Students have to vacate during break. It’s my job to make sure everyone’s left.”
“Come on, man. I have nowhere to go.”
He shrugs. “Nothing I can do.”
Sighing, I pull out my wallet. “Would a couple hundred dollars change your mind?”
He looks down at the five hundred-dollar bills. “It might make me turn a blind eye, but if anyone catches you, I know nothing.”
“Deal.” I hand him the cash.
“Merry Christmas.”
“You too,” I grumble as he makes his way to the next door.
Then I head back to my bed, determined to sleep the entire break.
19
Cassi
“Didn’t Xavier bring you a gift?” Dad asks as he’s cleaning up the living room.
We had a pretty tame Christmas compared to years past, but there were still plenty of presents. It was bittersweet. I could tell we were all missing Ryan, but we muscled through, creating new memories. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do for now.
“He did. I think I’ll open that one in my room though.”
Mom laughs. “Why don’t you go do that, honey? I’ll start with dinner.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
I give them each a hug, running up to my room.
I won’t lie. I wanted to open his gift first thing this morning, but I must be a masochist. I made myself stop. I made myself wait, knowing it would be hard to resist the urge to text him once I saw whatever gift he got me.
Sitting on the edge of my bed, I hold the box in my lap. I start by carefully unwrapping the paper. A plain brown box greets me. Pulling the tape from the top, I slowly open the flaps.
Then I gaze inside.
My eyes burn with unshed tears as I take in the object.
I pull it out, no longer able to hold it in.
He’s perfect.
That’s all I can think as I stare at the piece of wood in my hands.
No, the tree.
That’s what it is. Xavier somehow was able to get the part of the tree that I showed him, which held mine and Ryan’s initials. Not only was he able to remove it without damaging it, he made it into something I could hang on the wall. The reminder of that memory that means so much to me.
The box falls to the floor as I hold it to my chest, hugging it as if I was hugging Ryan. I let the mixture of grief and relief fill my body.
I miss Ryan so much. This gift means more to me than anything anyone else could have gotten me. The only thing that could best it would be bringing Ryan back, which is impossible.
I rock back and forth until I’m able to calm down. As soon as I have a grip on my emotions, I move to grab my phone, but a card on the floor captures my attention.
I pick it up, seeing the nickname Xavier calls me across the front of the envelope.
Adra.
My heart hammers, not sure I’m ready to read his words, but knowing I have to. I cannot stop myself.
Adra,
I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing anymore, but I hope I am. I know how much this meant to you and Ryan. I know you were worried it would disappear one day. I wanted to take that anxiety away from you. I would do anything to keep you from feeling the pain of that loss again. I hope you look at this every day and remember that even if Ryan isn’t here with you physically, he will always be in your heart.
Love,
Avi
In that moment, I knew what I had to do.
I pick up the phone, dialing Xavier’s number.
When it goes straight to voicemail, I curse. Then I dial Jack.
“What’s up, Ace? Miss me yet?”
“Never, but I’m sure Rebecca might,” I tease.
“Wait. Does she really?”
I shake my head at his antics. “A best friend never tells. Anyway, I need to talk to Xavier, but his phone is off. Can you get him for me?”
“I would love to, but he’s not with me. He’s at Tinsley’s.”
My heart stops. Did he lie to me because he didn’t want to hurt me?
“He told me he was spending Christmas with you.” I frown. “Never mind, I don’t have her number. Fuck.”
“I have her number. Hold on. I’ll call you right back.”
I pace in my room, feeling an undeniable need to be with Xavier. I really want to see him, but talking to him will have to do until he comes back.
When my phone rings, I half expect it to be Xavier, ready to tell him how I feel, but it’s Jack.
“Jack?”
“He’s not there either. She said he told her he was staying with me too. I have no idea where he is. I’m getting in the truck now.”
“Shit. How far are you?”
“A couple hours at least.”
“Don’t head this way yet. I’m only thirty minutes from campus. I’ll go look around and see if I can figure out where he would go. At Thanksgiving, he was planning to stay in a hotel. I bet he did that.”
“Okay. You go look and I’ll call hotels.”
“Call me if you find anything.”
“You too.”
Xavier
Pounding on my door startles me awake. I stumble to the door, careful of my cast.
Fucking thing keeps getting in my way.
I open the door, expecting campus security, but find an angel on the other side.
“Adra, what are you doing here?”
“Me? What are you doing here? You said you were with Jack. You lied.” She smacks my chest.
“Ow. Still injured,” I say in jest. “Merry Christmas to you too.”
“Whatever. Were you sleeping? It’s noon.”
I shrug. “Didn’t sleep well. I didn’t have any big plans today.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you had nowhere to go? My parents would have let you stay.”
“It’s not that I had nowhere to go. Jack would’ve let me go home with him. Tinsley begged me to come home to her. I didn’t feel like being around people.”
“Why? You shouldn’t be alone on Christmas.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “I’ve been alone more Christmases than I can count. I’m okay. Really, Adra. You can go home and spend the day with your family.”
She sighs. “Avi.”
“It’s okay. I heard you loud and clear. I fucked up. I was up in my head and I messed it up. Jack warned me it had to be the right time for it to work with one of them girls. With the only girl.”
“I’m going to pretend I know what being one of them girls means and ignore the rest of that nonsense. I thought about what you said. It wasn’t all you. It was me too. I was caught up in
my head too and let it affect us. I talked to my parents. It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. Everything to do with the fact that I haven’t dealt with the death of Ryan. Your gift brought that clarity. That was the sweetest, most selfless thing you could have given me,” she chokes up.
“Baby, don’t cry. Please. I can’t take any more of your tears. I’m supposed to make you happy, not sad.”
“These aren’t tears of sadness. They are tears of gratitude. Opening that gift to find that piece of wood polished and looking nice. Being able to trace our initials? That did something for me. It helped me see that I’ve been avoiding processing my grief for Ryan. I haven’t given myself a chance to heal. I want to heal now. I’m going to start going to counseling for a while. I want to be a healthier me. I had already had it figured out with my mom before you even came over.”
“I’m happy to hear that, Adra. I want you to heal too. I want you to be happy.”
“You want to know the funny thing about that?”
“What?”
“When Ryan died, I didn’t think I would ever be happy again. I did some things to try to feel something. Anything other than the agonizing grief I was feeling. I was surviving, but I wasn’t living. Then I met you. You changed that for me. I was happy with you. No. I am happy with you. Avi, I know what I said the other day, but after some time to reflect, I don’t want this to end. I don’t want us to end.”
My heart races. “What are you saying?”
“I’m yours, Avi. That is, if you’ll still have me.”
I pull her into my arms and kiss her hard. “I’ve always been yours. Even when we didn’t know each other, I was yours.” Kiss. “Fuck. I didn’t think I would ever get to kiss you again.”
She giggles. “You missed kissing me?”
“Fuck yeah. Holding you. Kissing you. Talking to you. Waking up next to you. I missed it all. That’s why I didn’t want to see anyone today. I wanted to miss you in peace.”
“Well now, that you don’t have to miss me, come home with me. Mom pretty much demanded it when I told her I thought you were spending Christmas alone.”
“Well, I can’t disappoint my future mother-in-law.”
“You’re so silly. Jumping ahead of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Not at all. When you meet one of them girls, you marry her. One day, Cassandra May Davis, I will marry you.”
Epilogue
Cassi
Four years later
Graduation Day
I sit in the stands with Tinsley and Finley on my left and my parents on my right. My graduation already over.
“I’m so excited,” Tinsley gushes for the thousandth time since we sat down.
“Trust me, we know you are, Tin,” Finley says as he squeezes her knee.
I smile as the two of them fall into each other.
They are something else.
“They are something else,” my mother says under her breath with a smile on her face.
“You get used to it.”
When I met them we didn’t get off on the best start, but over the years, we’ve found our way.
I sit back and think about all the things that have happened since Avi came into my life. Going into sophomore year, Jack and Avi decided they didn’t want to be in the dorms, so they bought a house together. By junior year I moved in and going into senior year Rebecca did as well. Late-night arguments about who knows what. Study dates and holidays. We’ve done it all together.
It’s a little sad thinking of the four of us no longer being together on a daily basis. Avi and I have had our ups and downs as a couple, same with Jack and Rebecca, but that’s their story to tell. Or not. But in the end, we made it out together.
“What time is your flight?” Finley asks, pulling me out of my head.
“Nine tonight.”
“Still no idea where you’re going?” He smirks.
“Not a clue.” I sigh. “Any chance you’ll tell me?”
“Not a chance in hell.” He laughs.
“I guess I will find out in a few hours,” I muse. “Xavier does love surprising me.”
Xavier
My eyes shift between a sleeping Cassi and the view outside the window. The sun rising behind the Eiffel Tower. I roll the ring between my fingers and smile.
She doesn’t know.
For the last year, I’ve been carrying this ring around with me, waiting for the perfect time to put it on her finger. Taking pictures of me holding it with her in the background, completely clueless. As Cassi lays sleeping, I slip it onto her left hand and just stare at it.
What if I left it there? Toss my original plan out the window and do something simple, like this.
Cassi shifts in her sleep, tucking her left hand under her chin.
Shit. The ring.
For a moment, I panic. I can’t reach the ring.
Fuck it.
“Adra.” I shake her.
Cass hums.
“Time to wake up, beautiful,” I tell her as I brush some hair away from her face.
“Unless there is coffee and those French pastries you promised me, I’m not moving,” she rasps, making me laugh.
“Don’t worry, room service should bring them up any minute.”
I hold my breath as Cassi brings her left hand up to her mouth, yawning.
She freezes with her fist to her mouth, the ring staring back at her.
“Avi,” she says breathlessly.
“I told you I was going to marry you one day,” I say nervously. “Marry me, Cassandra May. Be my wife. Build a life with me.”
Her eyes fill with tears. “Of course I’ll marry you.” She laughs.
I lean down as she sits up, meeting in the middle as we kiss.
“I love you,” we say in unison.
Our kiss turns heated as I climb under the covers, pulling her body into mine.
“How about we spend the day in bed?” Cassi whispers in my ear.
“I think that can be arranged,” I tell her as I toss the blanket over our heads, blocking out the world.
I may have spent my life rich with money, but now with Cassi by my side, I’m far richer than I could have ever imagined.
The End.
Author Bio
Cala Riley, better known as Cala and Riley, are a pair of friends with a deep-seated love of books and writing. Both Cala and Riley are happily married and each have children, Cala with the four-legged kind while Riley has a mixture of both two-legged and four. While they live apart, that does not affect their connection. They are the true definition of family. What started as an idea that quickly turned into a full-length book and a bond that will never end.
Where to find us
Cala Riley’s Boudoir of Sin
Website
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Acknowledgments
Husbands/Family- Thank you for loving us through the crazy and listening to us ramble.
Ashley Estep- Thank you for staying on us to make sure we stayed on schedule.
Louise O’Reilly- Thank you for being you.
Jenny Dicks- Thank you for all the swoons & ideas.
Procrastination Station- Thank you for being the ultimate cheer squad and the endless TikToks.
My Brothers Editor/ Elle- Thank you for being the most laid back editor and making the entire process painless.
Books n Moods- Thank you for everything that you do for us. From covers to formatting and just being a cheerleader in our corner.
Bloggers/Readers- Thank you for loving our stories as much as we do and spreading the word.
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One of Them Girls