Once the class was over, I made my way to the campus Bookstore. I bought all my books last week, but I had a lunch date. He got a job the day he moved into the house, and now I felt like I was seeing him even less than before. That was not really possible, but I was starting to explore the more dramatic parts of my personality these days. I was told it was the influence of living with guys. Apparently, you need to make a big deal out of everything in order to get them to make a big deal out of anything. I had yet to really test this theory.
I walked in and looked around until I spotted him through the thick sea of students. His shift ended ten minutes ago, but he was still behind the counter ringing up books. I could tell he was ready to go just by the look on his face. As I began to approach, he looked up, and our eyes met. A slow, lazy smile started to creep across his face, and his eyes lit up.
“Joe, I was supposed to be done”—he paused to take a look at his watch before continuing to scream across the room at his boss—“ten minutes ago, and my lunch date is here to get me.” He wiggled his eyes at me, and I rolled mine high so that I was sure he saw me.
A handful of eyes followed his gaze. There were a few who looked a moment too long, probably trying to place me outside the tennis courts. Those few people gave me a wave like we were old friends and not just passing acquaintances. I didn’t care either way and waved back with a smile.
My smile disappeared when I felt Joe walk up behind me. He was creepy and weird but very nice. I hated it when he would touch me, but if he kept his distance, I could be comfortable. Today, that was not possible as he pushed his way through the crowd and bumped into me from behind. My body automatically shivered in response to him being so close to me, but I realized that he probably didn’t do it on purpose.
“Brad’s a bit cranky today. You better keep an eye on him,” he said but never stopped walking, thankfully. I saw him take Brad’s place behind one of the registers, and Brad disappeared into the back room. He emerged with his backpack in hand, and I motioned that I would meet him outside.
I was only about twenty seconds ahead of him, but getting out of the chaos was refreshing. It felt like a mosh pit in there. Too many bodies, not enough room, and the temperature was about 102° today, so the mingling of scents was becoming overpowering.
I pushed past the last few people and felt immediate relief as I stepped out into the scorching heat of the city.
“Hey, right on time. How was your first class?” Brad asked excitedly.
As we took our first steps toward the cafeteria where we were meeting Ethan and Ella, I realized that Brad and I had not been alone together since he was in the hospital last year. Ella or Ethan were always with us, no matter what we were doing. I don’t think it was on purpose or a safety measure for them; it just happened to be that way most of the time. I was excited to be able to spend time with my friend, my roommate.
When Brad told me that he applied to the U and was accepted, I about fainted on sight. We were in Cancun with a bunch of our friends, and Ethan was standing behind me to catch me. He was incredibly supportive of our friendship, especially after I almost lost Brad. I don’t think he really understood what he meant to me until that moment in the hospital when Brad first woke up.
I was excited for him, and we were hugging each other when Ella walked up and told me the same thing. She and Brad had started dating shortly after he recovered. He had called me first to tell me. She called me as soon as I hung up with him and asked me for my permission. I thought it was funny at the time but gave her my blessing. I now realized that our love for each other must have been apparent to others before it was apparent to us. She didn’t need my permission, but I was happy that he was dating someone that I thought would finally make him happy. My shock had finally worn off when I saw them at Christmas, but it still felt weird.
I gave her a big hug and congratulated her. When I realized that I would be going to college with two of my best friends in the world and the love of my life too, I started to cry, which prompted Ella to cry. Brad and Ethan stood by our sides, rubbing our backs. I started to think how great this was going to be and how wonderful they were when I looked up and realized that they were silently laughing at us. I composed myself and smacked them both on their defined chests, and so did Ella.
My joy was compounded when Ethan suggested that we all get a house together, instead of living in the dorms. I was shocked that he would want to live with Brad, but after observing them on our vacation, I saw why. They were becoming friends. I was their common thread at first, but now they were finding things to talk about besides me (thank God). At the end of spring break, when we parted ways at the airport, I noticed them do the man hug thing again, and this time, it looked comfortable to them. I was excited for high school to end, college to start, and the next chapter of my life to begin.
As we approached the cafeteria, I saw Ella and Ethan waiting for us on a bench outside. Ella ran up and jumped in Brad’s arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing him fiercely. It reminded me of how affectionate Ethan and I used to be. Now we saved all that extra affection for our moments alone. It was so much better that way.
I grabbed Ethan’s hand as he approached, and he twirled me into his arms. With my back pressed against his chest, he kissed my neck. I had never been so happy I was running late and pulled my hair up that morning! He loved when he had full access to my neck, and truthfully, so did I. If I never wore my hair down again, I would die a happy woman. Plus, I knew that he liked it when I showed off the emerald earrings that he had given me for graduation.
They matched my ring perfectly. He knew that I would never take that ring off until I had something to wear in its place, not that I was rushing for a replacement. It was no longer a symbol of love between me and Brad, although we still very much cared for each other. It was a symbol of friendship. To me, it was a reminder of how I found the love of my life, how I found myself. It represented the fact that no matter what happens in life, the only thing that matters are the people that you choose to surround yourself with and how you choose to live. Had I not moved here, I would never be the person I have become right now, and I would be forever changed because of it.
When his lips started to move north, I thought I feel my knees go weak. We were standing in the middle of a courtyard, people were walking past us, like nothing was going on, and all I could think about was taking him home to our bedroom. Too bad I had two more classes to go to today, and so did he. Finally, he reached my ear, and instead of nibbling like he normally would, he whispered my three favorite words.
I turned in his arms and planted a kiss smack on his lips. It was full of passion, heat, and mostly love. I knew he could feel what I was trying to say. The words never seemed enough, but when I pulled away, I said them anyway, just to make sure he got the message. His smile was mischievous, his eyes were dark with passion, and I knew at that moment that the words were not necessary.
“I love you, Ethan Green, so much.”
“I love you too, gorgeous.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck, closing my eyes and hugging him tightly. I opened my eyes to see Brad staring straight at me, Ella still wrapped around him. The look he was giving me was enough to make my stomach twist into a knot. His eyes were burning with passion, and even though we were not wrapped around each other, you would have thought we were the only two people in the world at that moment. Crap!
To be continued…
A note to my readers…
Thank you all so much for picking up Holding On and giving it a chance. It means the world to me. I hope you enjoyed Becca, Ethan and Brad’s story. It’s continues in book two, Unglued.
~Rachael
If you would like to know more about Rachael
and her other books, visit her website at
www.AuthorRachaelBrownell.com
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Holding On Page 23