“So am I,” I confess. “There’s no pressure, it’s just you and me digging a little deeper into each other’s minds. I’m kind of loving it.”
“Me too, Dev,” he admits, pressing one more kiss to my lips. “I think I have a good one. Would you rather be too hot or too cold?”
“Definitely too cold, it’s why my favorite seasons are autumn and winter,” I say easily. “I mean, there’s only so many layers I can take off, but I can bundle up as much as I want.”
He smirks, chuckling. “And I would say too hot because I can just rock my birthday suit all day every day and be completely at ease.”
“Your self-confidence when it comes to anything and everything is kind of amazing,” I tell him, and his only response is a mock hair flip. “Would you rather have the ability to communicate with animals or understand and speak every single language?”
“Speak every single language, hands down,” he states, voice strong. “Can you imagine how incredible that would be? Man, I wish.”
“You’re absolutely right, that would be incredible, but my love for animals far outweighs my love for humans in that it’s unconditional and all they have to do is breathe for me to love them.” I pause. “Actually, they don’t even have to do that. They can just stand anywhere near me, and I’ll love them regardless. So, being able to communicate with them? Ugh, I would be the happiest girl ever.”
“Opposites attract,” he grumbles jokingly, repeating my earlier words. “Ironically, even though you’re my complete opposite, I somehow love you even more now than I did before coming over today.”
“Yeah, well, I feel the same,” I say softly, cheeks heating from all the affection I feel toward this guy.
“Yeah?” he asks, eyes brightening. “Well, this next question might be a deal-breaker for me, I don’t know.”
I narrow my eyes, knowing he’s joking but still wanting to shove him off the bed for some reason. “Oh gosh, what is it?”
He takes a deep breath. “Okay, this is serious, Dev. This could make or break us.”
I throw a pillow at him. “Get on with it before I conjure up the worst possible question ever.”
“Okay, Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?” He poses the question slow and steady, as if he’s unsure of what my answer will be.
I close my eyes, taking in my own deep breath, before opening them lazily and staring at him straight-faced. “That’s the easiest question you’ve asked me all night. Harry Potter, obviously.”
A smile lights his face and he claps obnoxiously, like he’s in the audience at a game show. “Finally. Something you and I both agree on.”
“What house are you in?” I ask, genuinely curious as to where he’s been sorted because if he’s a fan of the series, then he’s definitely taken some quizzes to figure that out.
“Gryffindor,” he states, full of confidence and zest.
I smirk. “Figures. I’ll give you an extra kiss at midnight if you guess my house correctly.”
“Oh, Dev, you’re a Hufflepuff all the way.” He smiles, leaning over to kiss me hard and deep. “And even if I hadn’t gotten that right, you know I’d be getting a second kiss either way.”
“Mmm, so cocky. For that I should really make you suffer.” I cringe at how seductive the words sound once they leave my mouth. “Actually, please ignore that.”
“Nah, you’re being extra cute right now, and it’s making me even more glad that we chose to stay in tonight.”
And then we’re interrupted by my mother, who loves this day because it signifies the beginning of something new. Ever the optimist, she truly believes that setting goals for the New Year can help shape a person.
“Devon, we have five minutes until the ball drops,” she calls from the other room, voice full of enthusiasm. “Come on out and join us!”
“Looks like that’s our cue,” I say, hopping off the bed. “I can’t believe it’s already nearly midnight and I haven’t yawned once. I impress myself sometimes.”
“You did take that three-hour nap earlier today,” Jules happily points out, so I pinch him in the side just as we join my parents in the living room.
“Just a few more minutes, so here’s some chilled apple cider in plastic cups,” Mom says, handing each of us a plastic cup.
All four of us stare at the TV screen, anxiously waiting for the countdown to begin, and when it does, I can’t help but stare at Jules the entire time. In just a handful of months, he’s transformed my life—heck, he’s transformed me. I never realized how important it is to find someone you can be yourself with, to find someone who loves you for who you are, even when you’re nearly the direct opposite of them but the same in all the ways that matter.
When the ball drops and the time changes to midnight, we each take a drink from our cups, and then as soon as it leaves my lips, Jules is leaning down and kissing me. His free hand holds my waist, gripping gently.
I smile against his lips, feeling happy and full of love, before kissing him back. “Happy New Year, Jules.”
“Happy New Year, Dev.” He pulls away, and I turn to my parents, about to give them a hug, only to catch my dad glaring at Jules, fist shaking in the air.
Dad laughs, throwing his head back. “Ah, I’m just kidding. Happy New Year, kids!”
“Seth, it’s not nice to threaten young boys like that, even if it is just to joke,” my mother tries to scold, but she ends up laughing too.
Jules and I share a look, both shaking our heads at my parents’ antics. They’re insane in the best of ways, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
“So, Jules, feel like going to sleep now?” I ask, a yawn breaking through.
He nods, exhaustion drooping his eyes. “Yes, please. It’s been a long day. A good day, just long.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” I agree, grabbing his hand and leading him to my room, where he’ll surprisingly be sleeping beside me in bed with the blessing of my parents.
It took some convincing on my mom’s end, but she said it didn’t make sense for Jules to sleep on the couch or floor when my bed was big enough for two. So, the compromise? We need to have a wall of pillows between us, and Dad will supposedly check in throughout the night. Though, knowing him, he’ll check once and then be satisfied.
Gotta love caring, protective parents.
We’re in bed, staring at one another over the pillows between us, when Jules speaks up, asking another question. “I know we’ve sort of covered this recently, but me or One Direction?”
I fake a snore and pretend to be asleep, which is met with an overdramatic groan from his side of the bed.
“You, Jules, always you.”
Twenty-Five
“Best, you look so happy!” Erin exclaims as she approaches me in the hallway, arms wide open for a hug, which I happily give. “It’s been so weird talking about all these milestones of yours via video chat and text, but I’m back now, so you’re gonna have to tell me all about everything like I haven’t already grilled you for details, got it?”
I laugh, rolling my eyes as I pull away from her. “Whatever you say. Though I want to hear all about your family trip to Boston. It all looked so magical.”
“It was, it really was,” Erin swoons, eyes glazing over as she recounts her love for her annual family vacation. “And I met someone one night while exploring the city. She was incredible, and our seven-day romance is one I’ll cherish forever.”
“Romance?” I question, all of this news to me.
“Well, romance-ish.” She waves it off nonchalantly. “I mean, we flirted and held hands a few times because she was staying in the same hotel we were.”
I give her a look, remaining silent as she continues to recount this supposed romance of hers, one she never mentioned once while we talked over break.
“Ugh, fine,” she sighs. “I mostly flirted, but I know with a little more time and without her girlfriend being there too that we would have definitely sparked something.”
&nb
sp; I shake my head in wonder, forever amazed at my best friend. “Please don’t ever change. I’m going to write that repeatedly in your yearbook at the end of the year, just wait.”
“Ugh, you mean the end of the year that’s creeping on us way too fast for comfort? Let’s not mention it.”
“High school isn’t the end of the world, Erin, no matter how scary what comes after may seem.”
“Exactly,” she says sadly. “It’s the end of an era, and then we’ll start another when we head to college, and Lord knows what’ll go down there.”
“Well, no matter what new chapter we start, we’ll always have each other,” I promise. “So we can struggle, flourish, fail, and learn together. We’ll be just fine. I know it.”
“I know, I know, and we’re, like, five months away from having to really freak out about that stuff, so I’m going to think happy thoughts now.”
“I adore you, Erin, you know that?” I hug her again, this time tighter, so she knows just how truly appreciated she is. “And thank you for basically coaching Jules on how to date me.”
“I hardly do that, I just give him advice or help when he needs it,” she brushes off like it’s no big deal.
“Still, it means the world to me.”
“I know you would do the same for me,” she says simply. “But if someone ever tries to tell me they love me using One Direction, please do not let that happen.”
“You’ve always hated on my boys. Why is that? What did they ever do to you?” I ask, sounding appalled at her lack of love for them, only half-joking.
“They’re just,” she sighs dramatically, hands pressing together like she’s about to deliver the most important news, “they’re just not 5SOS.”
“5SOS?” I question right before it hits me. “Five Seconds of Summer? You still think they’re better than my boys?”
“Not better,” she slowly denies. “They’re just more my type than your clean-cut baby boys. I mean, they’re more rugged and dark, and we know I like them bad.”
“Okay, way too much information this early in the morning,” I say, covering my ears jokingly.
She smiles, knowing full well that she successfully curved the conversation. I smile back, silently promising to have that conversation again at a later time when she’s ready, especially because we applied to the same colleges; all state schools because, well, let’s be honest, higher education can be expensive and in-state tuition is much more doable. At least that’s the conclusion my parents and I came to when we discussed loans, grants, scholarships and—yeah, Erin was right, this is definitely a conversation for another time, even if I am having it by myself right now.
Anyway, back to the present, Dev.
Just then the morning bell rings, and we both groan, not at all ready for a full day of school after such an amazing, relaxing holiday break.
“See you later, best,” Erin says, pouting as she gives me one last hug before heading to class.
It hits me then how much I’ll miss moments like these, our mini conversations before school, and I vow to make the most of them while I can.
As I’m walking to class, my phone buzzes, and I pull it out, reading the message on my screen.
Jules: Love you. Looking forward to lunch.
Me: Same. But I’m really into this new book, so I may ignore you the entire time.
Jules: That’s cool. I’ll just sit there and stare at you, you won’t even know I’m there.
Me: Ha ha, is that a challenge? Jk. See you in a few suuuuuper long hours.
I’m deep into the start of my umpteenth read through of the book, where the meet-cute is about to happen, when a body joins me on the floor, knee bumping mine.
“This one again? I thought you said you were really into a new book,” Julian comments, leaning over to look at the pages I’m reading.
“Yes, this one again,” I say, voice deepening to match his, and then laugh. “I was, but then it started to get boring, so I’ll have to give it a second chance another time. So, for now, it’s back to Nerdgasm. It’s just one of those books that I can’t get enough of, ya know?”
“I don’t, no.” He shakes his head, looking thoughtful. “I’ve never really been much of a reader, but now might be a good time to start, especially because you, my gorgeous book-loving girlfriend, are definitely a reader.”
“Oh my gosh, we could do buddy reads together, wouldn’t that be fun?” I mention excitedly, body tingling at all the possibilities.
“Buddy reads?” Jules questions, brows drawing together in confusion. “That’s a thing? I’m assuming it means exactly what it sounds like.”
“You’d be assuming correctly.” I smile, sighing dreamily at the idea of him reading a book, of us reading one together. “We would read the same book at the same time and talk about it as we go. That’s actually a really great way for us to bond, so don’t be surprised if I show up one day with two copies of the same book for us to read together.”
“You sound so hopeful and excited about this that the only thing I’m going to do right now is smile, nod, and kiss you until we get scolded for PDA by our lunchtime librarian over there.”
He’s referring to Ms. Samuel, who sits at the front while monitoring everyone in here. She’s chill and lenient, but she’d definitely not take well to us kissing if she saw. She hasn’t so far, which means we must be pretty sneaky, because half the time I’m with Jules in the library, I definitely forget about her presence.
“I forget she’s even here, to be honest, which could either be a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it,” I confess, glancing over to where she’s sitting, her own nose buried deep in a book.
And then Jules gently pulls my face toward his, gracing me with a small smile just before his lips touch mine in a slow, searing, sweet kiss.
I sigh, kissing him back just as intimately. “I love you,” I whisper, closing my eyes for a moment to soak in all of these emotions floating through me, to soak him in. My taste buds crave an Altoids, but I don’t want to move for fear that I’ll ruin the moment.
“I love you too,” he whispers back, and I can feel him smile against my lips before giving me another kiss.
“You know what song just randomly popped into my head?” I ask, laughing at my own cheesiness. “It’s going to sound really lame.”
He chuckles. “What song?”
“‘What Dreams Are Made Of’ by Hilary Duff,” I say slowly, already laughing again before the words fully leave my mouth. “You’re turning me all mushy.”
Jules gives me a strange look before barking out a laugh, head shaking as he grabs either side of my face, kissing me quickly. “You’re so damn adorable.”
“I’m really glad you think so because I’m sure it’s only going to get more lame from here,” I tell him, voice lowering in all seriousness.
“Not lame, no.” He shakes his head, a smile still lighting up his face and my soul—see, lame, I think to myself. “Adorable. You’re adorable. And I love you.”
Even though we just said the words, when he says them again, it affects me just as much. My heart does that tripping thing, and I have to swallow back the emotion threatening to make me cry. It’s strong and real, and being seventeen and in love is not a place I ever thought I’d be, but here I am. Seventeen and in love and happy. But of all those things, I’m mostly just happy. And it’s insane that one human has the power to determine the fate of my heart. Will it break? Will it grow in size the longer we’re together? Overfill with love? Who knows?
“Dev,” Jules says gently, pulling me from my thoughts. “Are you good?”
“Yes,” I say confidently, voice thick with emotion. “Yes, I’m good. Just happy. Really freaking happy.”
“Yeah?” He gives me a lopsided smile, eyes shining with love. “I’m really freaking happy too. Thanks for changing your mind that night about pursuing Brax from that list of yours.”
“Thank you for being persistent and wanting to hang out with me,”
I tell him, vividly remembering that first night. “Honestly, nothing will ever compare to that first game of beer pong. We should do it again sometime. I’m sure I could beat you now.”
“Oh, is that so?” He chuckles, shaking his head like I’m so cute for thinking that. “What makes you say that?”
“Simple, you’ll be too distracted by me to focus on the game, and then you’ll miss every shot.”
“You sound awfully confident about that,” he says suspiciously. “I’m not easily distracted when it comes to games, it’s not in my nature. I’m competitive.”
“Eh,” I shrug. “A kiss here and there when it’s your turn, and I’m sure I can figure out how to make you miss your shots.”
“Devious,” he murmurs. “You know what, I take it back, you’re no longer adorable.”
I laugh, shoving him lightly. “No take-backs. You already uttered the words into the universe, which makes them true for all of time.”
“Where do you come up with this stuff?” he asks, bewildered and amused. “Is there some manual I should be reading?”
“My brain, silly,” I respond, like it’s so obvious.
He just shakes his head, eyes rolling playfully as his lips find mine again.
“Come on guys, no kissing in the library, you know this,” Ms. Samuel sighs from the other side of the room.
We break apart, laughing. And I’ve never felt more whole in my entire life, all thanks to a guy with a boyish smile and sweet words. Love is weird, and so is seventeen.
Twenty-Six
Nerves are freezing my entire body as I get ready for the Valentine’s Day themed Sadie Hawkins dance. Homecoming came and went, but I’ve never been a fan of school dances, so I didn’t go, despite some failed convincing on Erin’s part. I think she still holds a small grudge for not going with her, but I really just didn’t want to go at the time. Things with Jules and I were still so new that I never even thought to ask him. I’m not even sure who he went with or if he even went at all, not that it matters now. So, this is mine and Jules’ first dance together, and thank goodness it’s a bit more of an informal one.
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