“We’re so psyched you guys are coming to S.F.! It’ll be awesome to see more of you.” Lani smiles as we all clink our drinks.
Yeah, we lucked out there. I got recruited by tech start-ups all over the country and Noah got into to several prestigious grad programs but the Bay Area worked out best for both of us. Still, I’m glad the decisions are made and our next step is settled.
The sound of a key in the lock interrupts our conversation. I gape as Matt and Annika enter the room.
“Hey guys!” Annika calls out.
“What the hell, Matt? You still have a key?” Noah looks exasperated.
“Clearly I do.” Matt looks smug as he waves a hand at us and tosses the keys on a side table. “What’s up? Congrats guys!” He advances to greet everyone, following Annika as she makes a round of kissing cheeks and hugging everyone.
“Fine. Just stop by whenever,” Noah grumbles.
“Thanks, man, but since we live in D.C. we’ll probably call first.” Matt is as smooth as ever, but his amusement is evident. I pull Annika onto the sofa on my other side.
“So?! How did it go?”
I’m excited for her. She always wanted to work at the U.N. and she finally got a chance to interview there.
The timing was perfect for our little graduation reunion. When Matt graduated last year they spent the summer together working for a human rights organization in Geneva, then traveling around Europe. But then she had to finish another semester here at Carlyle and he took a job with a think tank in D.C. They bitched and whined through three months apart; then when she graduated in December she found a temporary internship with the state department and moved in with Matt.
“Well! I mean, really well, I think. I hope!” She makes a show of crossing her fingers but she can barely contain her enthusiasm. “It’s like my ideal job….” She glances at Matt, who is watching her with a huge smile on his face.
“You’ll get it. You’re a superstar. As if they’re going to find anyone else who’s so smart and speaks four languages.” He shakes his head in admiration, settling into another armchair and grabbing one of the beers on the table.
“Sweetie, I’m telling you--being multilingual is, like, normal in Europe.” She pauses, scanning the table. “What, no vodka?” Her hands go to her hips and she looks pretty scary for a minute.
“Ah….” Kyle hesitates. The truth is none of us like vodka but when Annika is around she shames us into drinking it anyway. “They didn’t have the Russian kind you like at the liquor store.”
Annika frowns at him, then jumps up to dash out of the room.
“Oh shit,” I say just as Noah slaps a hand on his forehead and groans.
“Aha!” We hear her from the kitchen. She returns waving a bottle in one hand. “I figured you wouldn’t have finished it from last time and see!” She gestures with it again. “I was right!”
Yeah, it’s been in our freezer for months. Since we drank shots for Annika’s graduation. But that was her event. This one is ours.
“No thanks!” I sing out, just to nip it in the bud. The others shake their heads too. Annika looks incredulous for a moment, then her chin goes up.
“Well, I’m going to have some because we have lots to celebrate!” She sinks to the carpet near Matt and pours a small amount into one of our oversized glasses.
“Na zdorovie!” she says, lifting her glass.
“Whatever!”
“Yeah, that!”
We all chime in, clinking bottles and glasses. Annika tosses back her shot and slams the glass on the table with a big smile. Then we all start talking at once because we have a lot of catching up to do.
“So you guys would really move to New York if Annika gets this job?” Noah asks Matt.
Matt shifts so Annika can lean against him. “Hell yeah. I go where she goes.”
Noah smiles. “So what would you do here?”
Matt makes a face, mumbling something under his breath.
“What?” Everyone leans forward to hear now.
Annika grins and jabs Matt with her elbow. “Tell them!”
“Okay! I might go to grad school!” He pauses as if waiting for an attack. The rest of us look bewildered but Annika chuckles. “I told you no one but you is surprised, honey.”
“What’s the matter with grad school?” I ask, gesturing to Noah. “One of us is already accepted and another’s in med school. So what?”
Matt sighs heavily and slumps back in his chair to study the ceiling. Annika rests her head against his leg and looks up at him.
“He just made a really big deal about not going to law school. So now he’s treating this as some sort of big concession to his parents,” she explains to us.
“Which it isn’t!” Matt interrupts.
“Of course not!” We’re all grinning now. Or most of us.
“What would you go for?” As usual, Lani’s tone is mild.
Matt clears his throat, looking awkward for a change. “Um. A master’s in public policy. Probably. I mean, maybe.”
Lani nods. “That makes sense.”
“He’s applying to Columbia and NYU,” Annika offers though Matt shoots her a quelling look.
“What?” She raises her hands in the air and widens her eyes innocently at him. “Are you afraid you won’t get in?” When he opens his mouth to retort she cuts him off. “Or you don’t want to seem to be following me around?”
He smirks. “Not a problem. We both know who’s the boss of us.”
“Yeah, we do!” she tosses back. Their eyes meet and hold.
“Kyle still worries about dragging me to San Francisco,” Lani says quietly, breaking their spell. She places a gentle finger on the frown that appears on his face.
“Yeah, you do. But that’s not what it feels like, you know? It just feels like being together. And we have a long time. Who knows what other trade offs are around the corner?” Her shoulders lift gracefully and Kyle takes her hand in his.
There’s a pause in the conversation while we refill glasses. And maybe we’re pondering all the changes ahead.
“It’s been two years since the Extra Credit class,” Kyle announces, looking around the room. He sounds weird.
I frown and point between him and Lani. “You must have an anniversary around now, don’t you?”
Lani smiles. “Yeah, depending on how we count it.”
“How do you count it?” I wonder, looking at Noah. What was our turning point from friends to being a couple? He gets an alarmed look as if he can tell what’s coming before I can. “I mean, is it a first date or the first kiss or the first…”
“We get the idea, Holly!” Everyone laughs as Noah slaps a hand across my mouth. “Our anniversary is officially November 1st, the day of the New York City marathon, a year and a half ago. Remember? We agreed on that.”
I melt into him as he moves his hand away. Yeah, we did agree on that.
“Well, we’d have seniority if we count from our first night together,” Matt says, nudging Annika.
She snorts. “Yeah, let’s not.” Then she smiles. “We did have a great do-over though.”
“Yeah,” Matt echoes, smiling back at her. “That was almost two years ago too. But that wasn’t really the start….” They start bickering until Kyle interrupts them.
“Really? You’re gonna fight about how long you’ve been together?” He shakes his head. It draws them out of their familiar routine and everyone starts talking over each other again.
“It’s so rare for us all to be in the same place now,” Annika muses after a while. “Even if Matt and I move back to New York for this job the rest of you will all be on the West Coast soon. When will we even see each other again?”
“At our wedding,” Kyle announces. We all gawk at him and Lani for a moment, astonished. He looks tense, his eyes on Lani, who is perched on the arm of his chair. Her forehead crinkles for a moment and then her face clears.
“Kyle, you’re something else! I knew you were up to so
mething—you’ve been cagier than usual.” Her amusement turns into a big grin and for a moment they just stare at each other.
“Wow,” I interrupt their romantic bubble, still amazed by their news. “When did you propose? We had no idea!” I shake my head. My friends getting married. Wow.
Lani laughs again, her whole face glowing. She drops into Kyle’s lap and throws her arms around his neck. His tighten on her and he lets out a long exhale as if he’s been holding his breath.
“Just now,” she declares. “That was it.”
“Wait. What?” Annika frowns. Noah and I exchange a glance, eyes wide.
Matt bursts out laughing. “Oh man! For real?”
Kyle nods slowly, still watching Lani. They seem to be having some sort of silent communication in Kyle-Lani language.
I snicker. “Well, then she hasn’t answered yet, has she?”
There’s a moment of silence before Lani seems to come out of her trance. “Hmm?” She looks around at us, then shrugs. “Sure.” One corner of her mouth ticks up.
We all laugh now at Kyle’s expression, which is pretty priceless.
“Hey!” he manages to say just as Matt stops howling long enough to point to Noah and gasp. “We better take notes, dude! This is how not to do it.”
His eyes widen as soon as he realizes what he’s just said. He darts an anxious glance at Annika while Noah freezes. I roll my eyes and smack his shoulder because really?
In the meantime Kyle seems to have pulled himself together and now he echoes Lani’s shrug. “I know my girl,” he says smugly. “She wouldn’t want the Jumbotron or the skywriting or the ring shoved in a piece of cake crap! Not Lani!” He shakes his head and his voice softens.
“But here with you guys? Who we hardly ever see and who were with us when we started? That’s Lani’s thing.” He takes a deep breath and turns to her again. “I know you don’t like big scenes but you deserve some attention.” He offers her a crooked smile.
Lani lets out a little sound and starts blinking rapidly. Then she ducks her head into Kyle’s neck, hiding her face. He whispers something low in her ear and she nods vigorously and whispers something back that makes him redden.
God, they’re so cute!
“Awww!” I say, clapping my hands together. With a start Noah jumps to his feet and runs into the kitchen, returning in a moment with another bottle in one hand and more glasses in the other.
“Now I get it.” He flourishes a bottle of champagne as Kyle grins. “You planned this all along.”
“You have a ring and everything?” Matt marvels, still looking flustered.
“Of course I have a ring!” Kyle scoffs. His hand moves up and down Lani’s back. “But that part’s not for you assholes. That’s just for us. Later.” He looks smug again and Lani snorts, her face still hidden. As Noah and I pass around glasses of champagne she turns in her fiancé’s lap to take a glass. Her face is flushed and her smile is wide.
“Pretty confident, weren’t you?” Annika smirks.
“Yeah.”
We hold up our glasses for a toast but before anyone can speak Lani’s quiet voice stops us. “Yes I said yes I will. Yes.”
The words hang in the air for a moment before she whispers, almost shyly. “Molly Bloom’s soliloquy from Ulysses. I’ve been waiting for a chance to say that to you!” She leans forward to kiss him very lightly, murmuring “I’ll read you the rest later.”
He looks a little stunned as the rest of us clap and cheer and clink glasses again.
“Mazel tov!” Noah squeezes my hand.
“To love and friendship!” I proclaim, feeling moved. That’s how we all began, in friendship.
Annika rests against Matt’s legs and he leans down to kiss the top of her head. “To old friends and new beginnings,” he says softly.
“Long years and much happiness,” Annika adds. We all drink from our glasses and then conversation erupts again and I shift closer to Noah, feeling very blessed.
NOAH
I’m quiet as Holly and I get ready for bed. It’s very late and the night was intense. We drank and laughed and never ran out of stuff to say. I feel flooded with feelings that I can’t quite name. It’s weird. Holly’s doesn’t say much either and that’s even weirder.
I watch her as she brushes her teeth, her movements slow and methodical. Her eyes meet mine in the mirror, wide and unfocussed, like she’s thinking hard.
“You okay?”
She nods and seems to snap out of it.
“They’re really getting married? Can you believe it?” She shakes her head and pads barefoot toward her side of the bed, looking adorable in her sleep tee shirt. I pull off my shirt but leave on my boxers.
“Yeah, I can.” The words are soft and I see her eyes dart to mine again. She climbs into bed and pats the place next to her for me to join her.
I fold my glasses carefully on the nightstand, still feeling like we’re moving in slow motion, then settle next to her. I roll to my side so I can see her face, so close to mine and so familiar. Her eyes are a cloudless blue and her lips part on a sigh. Her bright curls are hanging over her shoulder and I brush them back. I see her every day but sometimes I still can’t get over her. She reaches out and strokes a hand through my hair, sighing again.
“What’s up, Holl?”
She blinks, watching me, her expression tender, but says nothing. I know that look. That’s her I’m-not-yet-sure-what-I’m-feeling face. It can be frustrating or charming or both.
“I feel lucky,” she whispers, and I’ve never been more in love with her. She must see this in my face because she smiles and leans forward to press her mouth on mine and the kiss is very slow and very sweet. She’s minty with toothpaste over the faint taste of champagne.
“Me too,” I manage. Somehow my hand ended up tangled in her hair and I sift through the mass of curls. Her bare legs shift against mine and I feel her toes rubbing against my calf. If she were a cat she’d be purring. It’s sweet and sexy and I’m in awe of her.
“But now I’m thinking about the future, trying to see around the corner. We want things to be always equal and fair, but maybe sometimes they won’t be.” She sighs and flops onto her back to stare at the ceiling.
She looks back at the ceiling and I study her profile. She’s right. Little things could drive us apart if we let them. I realize she’s still talking, even though she’s not looking at me.
“…what if it gets worse? In six years you’ll be looking for an assistant professorship somewhere and what if there aren’t any jobs or you’re making less money than me and then what will we do? Or your job could take you to some college town with no tech industry and then what would I do? And I can’t believe I’m saying this out loud but it keeps me up at night, worrying….” She’s biting her lip and trembling and I can’t stand it.
“Hey—shhh.” I roll on top of her so I can prop myself on my elbows and stare down into her lovely, troubled face. “I worry too. That your career’s going to take off and you’ll leave me behind.”
Her mouth opens but I cover it with a swift kiss. She’s warm and soft and Holly. “But I feel better tonight. I mean, our friends are all going through the same thing and they’re managing. Matt’s willing to follow Annika to New York and Lani’s okay with following Kyle’s career for awhile…. There’s a big picture, like she says. If they have to make those choices maybe we can too. Because I love you so much.”
I drop my head for a deeper kiss and her arms wind around me, bringing me closer and tighter. Her mouth is eager and her breath comes faster and…. I drag myself away, leaning my forehead on hers to catch my breath.
“I love you so much, Noah,” she murmurs, sounding so, so sexy. Her hands are running all over me now and her soft curves are pressing against me and… I burrow my face in her neck because I’m losing my grip on this conversation.
“We can do this,” I repeat. Because I got that much.
“It depends what you mean by this,” Holl
y teases, arching her hips against mine.
“Uh. Yeah. That.”
“So articulate!”
I nip at her earlobe and she squeaks, then squirms. “Noah!”
“Mmm?”
“Scoot off me!”
I pause in my exploration of her throat to roll off her and watch as she pulls her tee shirt over her head in one smooth motion.
“There,” she says, while I’m still lost in admiration. “Come back now.”
Then we’re both wrestling with our underwear and it’s a good thing she’s got a few words for both of us. Words like: yes, that feels so good, more, and Oh my God and now and love. And we take our time because we have forever.
THE END
Acknowledgments
This book (and the series!) wouldn’t exist without the help of many people— especially Karen Dale Harris, who was a huge help with editing and encouragement, and Cassie Leigh and Maggie Dallen, awesome authors themselves as well as amazing beta readers. I’m also grateful to Marianne Nowicki for the beautiful covers.
And huge THANK YOUs to those of you reading it now! I hope you’ll check out the other stories in the series and enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Please leave reviews and comments on Goodreads and Amazon! They make a big difference for new authors and they give you a chance to influence future works! Your honest opinion is always appreciated.
About the Author
Charlotte Penn Clark is a lifelong reader of historical romances and a writer of contemporary and new adult romances. She puts smart women and sexy men in complicated situations while trying to keep them away from Awful Misunderstandings. Her Carmichael series interweaves the lives and loves of five privileged sisters in a political family. Her Extra Credit series tells the stories of three unlikely couples thrown together on a college campus. She's a diehard New Yorker.
I’d love to hear from you!
@charpennclark
CharlottePennClark
www.charlottepennclark.com
The Lesson Plan (Extra Credit #3) Page 13