“I don’t think I’ve ever told you how much I appreciate what you did for me during all that, Finn.”
He smiled. “You have so many times.”
“I doubt it, but I’ll keep trying.”
I settled against him again. “Just stay right there and I’ll know.”
He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my head. We sat quietly and for the first time in forever, I actually appreciated the silence.
The wind whipped around us as we all stood around the unlit bonfire. We were trying to make a wind break so we could light the fire, but it wasn’t working. The girls were starting to shiver and I was ready to give up and head back to Nate and Olivia’s house. Nate had poured enough lighter fluid that as soon as we got a spark on there, it was going to burn hot, that is if we could get it lit.
“Motherfucker,” I murmured under my breath again. My fingers were numb from being out of my gloves for so long and I was getting more pissed off by the second. Cora cupped my hands by her face and blew her warm breath over them to help ward off some of the cold.
“Let me try,” she said, taking the matches from me.
I stood behind her and opened my coat to give her as great of a chance as possible. Olivia stood on her tiptoes trying to see over my jacket. We all watched in shock as she babied the fire to life. Within a few minutes she had a crackling fire going.
“How in the hell did you do that, Princess?”
She smirked. “I just have a way with fire. I might have been a pyro as a kid.”
I sat down on one of the large pieces of driftwood that surrounded the fire and pulled her into my lap. Nate and Olivia sat across from us, cuddled together under a huge fluffy blanket. We had decided to come out here on a whim and I was glad because it reminded me of my favorite place back home. There was no better place to be on New Year’s Eve than on the beach.
Olivia pulled out the items we needed for s’mores and I smiled. This was a tradition that I was happy to keep. Every year since we were little we roasted marshmallows and ate the sticky concoctions as our last meal of the year. Cora had joined in on years she spent New Year’s with us. This would be Nate’s second year and it seemed surreal that he was my brother-in-law this time around.
“What’s your resolution this year, Finn?” Liv asked, while we prepped our sticks to be shoved in the fire. I looked over at Cora and she looked over her shoulder at me.
“I want to try harder this year. Whether it’s in school, or the gym, or relationships, I want to push myself to give more. I also want to have a plan for next year. Everything is about to change.”
Olivia beamed at me. “What about you, Liv?” I asked, mirroring her question. We all took bites of our gooey treats and tried not to get sand stuck in our teeth.
She looked at Nate and smiled. “I want to finish school this year and find a great job. I also want to be the best wife possible.” Nate kissed Olivia and put his arm around her shoulder. “What about you, babe? What do you want to do this year?”
Nate’s brow scrunched together. “Mine’s easy, I want to get into medical school.”
I tried to steal a bite of Cora’s s’more and she laughed and jerked away.
“Didn’t you get like a perfect score on the MCATs? I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Nate.”
“And what about you, Cora? What’s next for you?” Nate asked.
She thought for a minute. “This year I want to let go of the guilt I feel.”
I moved next to her in the sand. “Why do you feel guilty about what he did to you?”
I watched her stare into the fire. She was quiet when she finally answered. “I should have seen it coming. Surely there were signs that I missed. Then I kept secrets that I shouldn’t have. I just want to let go of everything this year.”
Olivia moved to Cora’s other side. “You can’t blame yourself for anything that Derek did. That could have been any other girl in your place easily. He’s a sick man and I thank God that he’s behind bars right now.”
Cora laid her head on Olivia’s shoulder. “Me too.” She sniffed and looked around at us. “I’m sorry guys; I didn’t mean to make our night so damn serious.”
I took her hand in mine and threaded our fingers together. “Are you ready?”
She smiled and bit down on her lip. “For what?”
Nate reached back into the bag Olivia had brought and held up two boxes of sparklers.
“Are you kidding me?” she screeched, jumping up and running over to grab them from him. She bounced from foot to foot in excitement. I smiled, happy that I had decided to grab them at the last minute.
Nate glanced down at his watch. “Five minutes until midnight.”
Cora opened the first box and lit one of the white sparklers off of our bonfire. I stood up and took the box from her. We all took turns lighting sparkler after sparkler. Cora and Olivia ran up and down to the water and made shapes with the light. I grabbed Cora around the waist and spun her around. She squealed and my booming laugh filled the night.
When midnight struck huge, bright fireworks filled the sky. Cora curled into my side as we watched the captivating show. I brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead. A soft sigh escaped her and I captured her lips with mine. This was the perfect way to start the year, my family, my best friends, and my amazing girlfriend.
____
We settled into a routine with the new semester. Cora spent every other night at the frat house with me and we ate lunch together every day in the Union. Nate and Olivia were able to join us three days a week. Somehow they had managed to take a few more classes together their last semester.
None of our friends seemed too surprised to see us together as a couple and it made me wonder just how well we’d done covering our tracks last semester. Apparently Nate and Olivia were really the only people we had gone out of the way to hide it from. Several of the guys had given me a thumbs up when they found out, but other than that, there wasn’t much of a reaction.
I loved the nights that Cora stayed with me and I dreaded the nights I had to spend alone. She didn’t want to abandon Hannah and I could understand that. It didn’t mean that I liked it, but I knew she wouldn’t budge on her decision. A stubborn Cora wasn’t anything to mess around with.
My classes were a lot easier this semester and I wasn’t busting my ass just to make sure I would pass. I was still taking fifteen hours, but at least cutting back on one class meant I had more time for Cora and our friends. The days seemed to go by quickly and I was happier. From what I could tell, Cora was too. It was easier now that we weren’t hiding our relationship.
Olivia and I had talked about why I had kept things from her for so long. She understood that Cora and I were trying to protect her, but she told us both that we were idiots and that she just wanted us to be happy. I think she had been trying to push us together, not that she would ever admit it. But looking back, little things she had done stood out to me. Every time she sent me to pick up Cora, or when she asked me to check on her, stood out in my mind. Sneaky little brat knew exactly what she was doing.
Things were good. It felt cliché to say it, but I was truly happy for the first time in forever. I had never been unhappy, but I had just been drifting along waiting for something better. Cora was something better for me. I wanted to spend time showing her I wasn’t always the cocky asshole she thought I was. She was going to see a whole new side of Finn Crawford.
Finn led me onto the North Oval and laid out a blanket. We were tucked under a tree where we wouldn’t be hit by stray footballs or run over by runners. It was a gorgeous spring day. The temperature was finally starting to warm up and this was the first day in weeks that it wasn’t freezing outside.
I couldn’t believe this was something that Finn had planned for me. He was so different now that we were officially dating. Dating in secret was one thing, but being with him now was absolutely amazing. I had never been with anyone so thoughtful. Finn constantly we
nt out of his way to make my days incredible.
“What did you do all this for?”
“We’ve both been a little high strung lately, and I wanted to give us an afternoon to just relax. We are out of class for the day and it’s gorgeous outside.”
I sat down and patted the blanket next to me. Finn stretched out on his back and put his hands behind his head. He settled in quickly and I found myself resting my head on his chest. His sunglasses covered his eyes, but I could tell they were closed. I took the romance novel I had been reading out of my purse and started to read.
Finn’s breathing became soft and even. Laying with him in the sunshine felt right. I didn’t hear the silence. The overwhelming sense of panic that I felt at times wasn’t surrounding us and I could just relax with him. It was nice being able to live in the moment for once. He was teaching me to slow down and that not all silence is terrifying. For the time being, I wasn’t living in the silence following the attack where I didn’t know if I would live or die.
He made that possible. Without even trying, Finn was making me fall even harder for him. I took a deep breath. That thought should have been terrifying, but it wasn’t. Finn stirred below me.
“What are you doing?” His voice sounded sleepy.
“Enjoying the quiet.”
He smiled and linked his fingers with mine.
“That’s my girl.”
____
Finn and I were having dinner at Nate and Olivia’s house a week before spring break. We were talking about what we wanted to do and so far we were coming up with nothing. I honestly didn’t care what we did as long as we all got to spend the week together. Nate and Olivia graduated in a few months and this would be the last time we could all hang out together as carefree kids. If Nate went to medical school out of state, then they would be moving over the summer.
I pushed the pasta in front of me around on my plate. Things were changing again and I didn’t like it. This melancholy mood had been following me for a few days, but I had no idea how to shake it.
“What if we just stayed here?” I suggested. Nate stopped searching through his phone and Olivia looked at Finn. “We have a perfectly good beach twenty minutes from here and there are plenty of touristy things we could do. Now that we are all twenty-one, we can do a lot of the things we couldn’t do before.”
Finn reached for my hand. “I like it. We did just get back from Aspen. Why do we need to go anywhere again?”
Olivia reached for her phone and started making a list of things we could do. Nate pulled up the ten most popular things to do around us. By the time we finished dinner we had an entire week’s worth of things to do. I was in charge of getting the tickets and Finn was going to make reservations at some of the restaurants we wanted to go to. He was being kicked out of the frat house for the week, so he was going to stay here.
Finn dropped me off at my dorm and kissed me goodnight. I was surprised that he wasn’t coming up, but he had a quiz he needed to study for. My phone buzzed right as I walked into my room.
Finn: I miss you.
Me: You literally just dropped me off. It hasn’t even been three minutes.
Finn: I don’t care.
Me: I’ll see you first thing tomorrow. We can get coffee.
Finn: I don’t think I can wait that long.
Me: What are you talking about? You have to study.
Finn: Open your door.
I walked to my door and opened it. Finn stood there with a sheepish expression on his face. I shook my head and pulled him inside.
“What are you doing?”
He kissed me and I looped my arms around his neck.
“I had to share you with Nate and Olivia tonight. I didn’t get enough time alone with you.”
I giggled. “You’re insane, you know that?”
“Definitely, but you know you like it.”
“I do, but I don’t want to be the reason you fail your quiz.”
He grinned. “I brought my bag.”
I shook my head, but I was still smiling. “Fine. Let’s get settled in and you can study here. I don’t even know if Hannah is coming back tonight. She hasn’t texted me yet.”
He nuzzled my neck and I closed my eyes. “I don’t think it would hurt my feelings if she didn’t.”
“Finn,” I said in warning. “You get me for an entire week.”
He pouted. “I guess. Maybe I should have sent the text asking you for a blow job.”
“And there’s the Finn I know and despise so much,” I teased.
His hands crept up my shirt and tweaked my nipple. “You know you love it.”
I was about to make an equally offensive comment back when the handle to the door turned. Finn pulled his hand out of my shirt just in time. Hannah stood in the doorway, her gaze bouncing between the two of us.
“Why do I always get the feeling I’m interrupting something when it comes to you two?”
Finn laughed. “Because I’m always thinking about sex and you know me well enough by now to realize it.”
He grabbed her bags and moved out of her way so she could walk into the room. She hesitated at the door.
“I really can just come back later if you guys want to be alone.”
“Quit being silly. Get your ass in here. Finn was going to study.” He groaned. “And I was going to start a movie. All my classes are cancelled for the next few days.”
“Mine too,” she said. “I was actually thinking about going home tonight. Maybe I should just pack up—”
“I’m going to leave if you think I’m trying to kick you out of your room.” Finn pinned her with a look and she flushed.
“Okay, movie time it is. Have you decided what to watch yet?”
“Nope, we can pick out a chick flick that way Finn will study instead of watching it.” Finn made a sound, but I ignored it. “So what are your plans for spring break?”
Hannah turned bright red and started digging around in her bag.
“I’m going to Niagara Falls with a guy I’ve been seeing.”
“I didn’t even know you had been dating anyone. I’m a horrible friend!”
“No, you’re not. I have been keeping it secret because he’s not the type of guy I would usually date. Nothing against frat guys, Finn, but you guys aren’t typically my cup of tea. Chance is different though.”
“Awe.” I cooed.
“I met him at one of the house parties and we started talking.”
“Do I need to have a word with him to make sure he treats you right?” Finn chimed in from my bed.
“You do and I’ll junk punch you,” Hannah said, raising her eyebrow.
“I like her. She’s spunky.” Finn said to me.
“She just doesn’t put up with your shit.” He grinned and went back to his book. “Well let me know if plans change, Hannah. We’re having a staycation here.”
“That sounds fun, but I’ll stick with the Falls,” she said, winking.
____
We spent spring break running around the beach. All of us were sun burnt beyond recognition, but we’d had the most amazing time. Three full days on the beach, with tons of pictures to document each second, were part of the madness. We also spent a day at the aquarium and a night at a baseball game. Each restaurant we went to was better than the last. I didn’t want it to end, but we honestly were more exhausted by our staycation than if we had gone somewhere for a week.
I ended up crashing at Nate and Olivia’s house each night after dinner. Finn and I would curl up and fall asleep before our heads even hit the pillow. We discovered just how much we like morning sex that week. The last few days were spent lying around the house trying to recover. Olivia and I watched movies in the den while Nate and Finn watched basketball in the living room. It was honestly the perfect end to our crazy week.
On Sunday night I stayed with Finn at the frat house. We should have been sleeping, but we couldn’t get enough of each other. I woke up exhausted but in an incredibly goo
d mood on Monday morning. Finn watched me leave with a wicked smile. Until I pointed out that he was going to be late for class on his first day back. It was satisfying to watch him jump out of bed and run since he always prided himself on never being late. Good to know that I could distract him so much.
My feet bounced nervously as I waited outside the journalism building for Cora. She would be walking through those doors any second and I had to figure out how to tell her what her stepfather had just told me over the phone. The bastard should have come down here and told her himself, but he was too busy to be bothered to talk to his stepdaughter.
Cora came out with one of her friends, smiling at something they had said. Her face lit up when she saw me sitting there, but as she studied me, a frown formed on her lips. She walked to me, hesitating the last few steps.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Cora, we need to talk.”
She winced. “Are you breaking up with me?”
I jumped up and cupped her face.
“God no. Cora, I need to tell you something about Derek.” Her knees started to buckle, but I caught her before she could fall. I moved us towards the bench slowly. “Princess, can we go back to your dorm to talk?”
“Just tell me.”
She stared at the tree directly in front of us. I wanted her to look at me so I could see how she reacted. It wasn’t going to be good, but I needed to make sure she was okay.
“Cora—”
“Finn, just tell me. Please.”
I took her hand in mine and she winced. “Paul called me and said that Derek is getting out early on good behavior.” I practically spat the words. “His dad pulled a few strings with the judge and because he hasn’t caused waves on the inside, they are going to release him.”
“When?”
I closed my eyes. “Tomorrow.”
She cursed under her breath and tugged her hand away.
“Look, we’re going to deal with this. Your restraining order is still good for another two years and if he gets anywhere near you, I’ll kill him.”
Waiting to Fall: Book Two of the Waiting Duet Page 18