I didn’t want another roommate. I didn’t want anyone who wasn’t Mel. Maybe that was foolish of me, but she was my friend, and even though I wasn’t the religious sort, every night I prayed for that girl to open her eyes again. I prayed. Never thought I’d see the day when I folded my hands together and spoke to whatever God was listening.
It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break, and I sat in my seat in bio lab, trying to pay attention to whatever worksheet my partner and I had to complete. Usually what ended up happening was she figured out all the answers and gave them to me because our grades were linked. One partner couldn’t get an A while the other scored an F. It didn’t work like that, not here. Not in this stupid class.
I wasn’t going to complain, because after this class, I never wanted to take another science lab ever again. I hated it. I hated it so freaking much it was unbelievable.
The minutes ticked by, and we were allowed to leave once our worksheet was done—and since my partner was one of the smarter ones in the class, we were one of the first to turn them in. Lucky me for complaining about Levi and nabbing myself a smarty-pants. As I tore the paper from my workbook, following my partner to the front of the room to turn it in, I couldn’t help but glance at the one man I shouldn’t.
Levi.
I noticed his worksheet was only half done. His sapphire gaze flicked up and met mine, and I knew once I passed him that he now stared at my ass. He definitely had a thing for it, not like I was going to complain. Once the paper was in the professor’s hand, my partner and I left, mumbling things like Have a good break and Happy Thanksgiving before parting ways.
The dorm was my destination, and I let my feet drag, slowly making my way there once I was out of the science building. I actually wore two layers under my hoodie; the weather had taken a turn for the worse lately. Ash must have it good down in Hillcrest; I bet they were warmer. Not as warm as lower California or Florida, but still. I was jealous.
Not that I’d talked to her lately. Still no messages from her, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this Thanksgiving break was going to be an awkward one. What if I saw her around town? We’d be home for a little less than a week; it wasn’t that far-fetched that we’d run into each other.
I sighed to myself as I entered my dorm room, tossing my key and my bag on my desk. I’d get to it when and if I got to it. Refusing to linger on it was my way of avoiding it, since I couldn’t exactly run away.
My shoes were kicked off and on the floor, my body laying atop my bed by the time the door opened and Levi snuck in.
Because we had to sneak. We had to act like we hardly spoke to each other in public, just in case. We had to be careful. Dean couldn’t see us together. It really sucked, living a lie. I could hardly remember what it was like before, when Levi and I were sneaking around, finding the strangest of places to hook up. Those days honestly felt like they took place years ago.
Funny how much things had changed in one semester.
Levi locked the door behind him, placing his backpack near mine. He came to join me on the bed, stepping out of his shoes before crawling beside me and wrapping an arm around me. He held me to him, my back against his chest, and I felt his hot breath on my ear.
This was how things were supposed to be. This was how life was meant to be. Even with all the shit going on, being in Levi’s arms relaxed me. Well, they relaxed me and worked me up, depending on what we were doing, but I’d take either one no matter what time of the day it was.
“Are you ready for break?” Levi’s rough, low voice spoke in a bare whisper, sending a shiver down my spine. The way my body reacted to his voice was almost ridiculous. That man could be talking about rainbow ponies and I’d be standing there, losing myself to the timbre of his tone, my thighs clenching.
“No,” I muttered, grabbing the hand of the arm draped across me and bringing it to my chest, my fingers lightly dancing across his. I didn’t want to go five or six days without seeing him. I depended on this man now; he was literally my strength when I had none.
“Me either,” he whispered, “but I was thinking…”
I couldn’t help but smirk at the way his voice trailed off. “You were thinking what?”
“I was thinking maybe you could come to my house for Thanksgiving, if you want.” I felt him shrug behind me. “I figured you’d want to avoid your parents and your friend Ash.”
If I went somewhere else for Thanksgiving, my parents would kill me—but, you know what? I didn’t care. Why would we have a family Thanksgiving anyways when we weren’t even a family anymore? My mom and dad were getting divorced, so what was the point in the fake celebration of thanks? Hint: there was none.
“Your mom would be okay with me tagging along?” I asked, slow to turn around and face him on the bed. We laid on our sides next to each other, and the hand that I’d brought to my chest now moved to rest on the curve of my ass. “Just for the day, or for the whole break?” Frankly, I’d do either without hesitation. Any time spent
