Chapter 19
CHLOE
“Hey, Chloe!”
I turned at the sound of my name.
My lap partner waved at me.
“Oh, hey Jamie, what’s up?” I asked.
“I was wondering if you wanted to grab some lunch with me.”
“Yeah. Sure.” I walked over to the school cafeteria with her. “How do you think you did on the exam?”
“Decent. I hope. I was surprised they gave us one this early in the semester. There wasn’t very much for them to test us on.” She shrugged. “Hopefully, I passed.”
“With all that studying we did…”
She laughed, “You’re right. I have most of the purines memorized so well that I could tell them to you in my sleep.”
I chuckled, “And I could tell you all twenty amino acids in ten seconds or less.”
“But, can you balance chemical reactions with a 99% accuracy rate?”
“Yeah. 99.9%,” I said with a smirk.
She hit my shoulder. “You’re such a nerd.”
“Look who’s talking.”
“99.9% is a whole new level of nerdiness,” she said, trying to defend herself.
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes, stepping forward in the burrito line.
“What are you getting?”
“A breakfast burrito.”
“But, it’s one.”
“It’s always a good time for a breakfast burrito. In America, they eat breakfast for dinner sometimes.” I pointed out.
She shook her head. “They are such a backward country.”
“I think that’s what they would say of us.”
“What was it like there?”
I thought back to my time in the States. I hadn’t done much sightseeing while I was there, but my time with Adam would always make me remember it fondly. The sunset on the abandoned bridge was still the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
“It was… nice.”
“Was it? I don’t think I would like it. I’m too much of a homebody, you know?” She grabbed a pre-made salad before contemplating her choice of dressing. “Thousand island or balsamic?”
“Thousand island. Totally.”
“Balsamic it is. Trying to watch the calories anyway.”
“Why? You look good,” I said, carrying my food over to the till. Once that was settled we headed to the outdoor seating area.
“Girl, do you see these hips?” she asked with a sassy pout. “I can barely fit through doorways.”
I rolled my eyes. “I think you look fine. Besides, guys like something to hold on to while they’re... you know…” I blushed slightly, trailing off. My thoughts immediately brought me back to Adam, his hands on my hips, his fingers digging into my flesh as he pounded into me harder and harder.
“How would you know? I thought you were single.”
“I am…”
“Speaking of which, did you ever talk to that guy that’s been asking around about you?”
I cocked my head to the side. “Someone’s been asking around for me?”
“Yeah. I was studying on the main green when I saw him stopping people and asking if they knew where you were.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugged. “I was studying for the exam. I figured you were too. I didn’t think you wanted to be bothered by some creepy stalker.”
“What did he look like?” I asked my heart beating fast. Could it be? No…
She shrugged again. “I didn’t really get a good look at him.”
“Please… it’s important that you remember…” I reached across the table and grabbed her arm with more force than I intended to.
“Jeez.” She pulled away, rubbing her arm.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” She stabbed her fork into her salad. “He was kind of tall. Had dark brown hair, close cut on the sides but a little longer on top. Brown eyes, I think. Tanned skin.”
“What did he wear?” I was on the edge of my seat, my heart beating a mile a minute. I knew it was foolish of me to get my hopes up, however, I just couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe this mysterious man was Adam.
But how had he gotten to the UK?
“Um, darker clothes? Black skinny jeans and a band tee? Nothing too special that I can remember.” She took another bite of her food. “You were right, I should have gone with the Thousand Island. I’ll be right back.”
“Are you going to put Thousand Island on top of the balsamic?”
“You know it,” she grinned, disappearing inside.
Alone, I looked out at the campus, praying that I would spot Adam amongst the crowd, but of course, I didn’t. It was silly of me to think that he was the one asking about me.
But if he wasn’t the one, then who was?
I tried to think of who might want to talk to me, but no one came to mind.
Soon enough, Jamie reappeared with a basket of fries.
“So much for counting calories.”
She shrugged. “You’re right. Who cares if my hips are a little thick?”
“Damn right.” I laughed, snagging one of her fries and popping it into my mouth.
***
By late afternoon, I was on my route back home. I clutched my books to my chest, taking my time. The day was surprisingly nice, the sun shining overhead. Spending the summer in America had almost made me forget how often it rained back home.
Birds twittered as they flew from power line to tree branch. Two doves perched together, rustling each other’s feathers affectionately. It seemed like everywhere I went people were enjoying happy relationships while I walked around feeling like an empty husk.
Eventually, I rounded the corner onto my street. I reached into my bag, pulling out my keys.
When I looked up, my heart stopped, my keys falling out of my hands.
No, it couldn’t be… could it?
Standing in front of my doorsteps was Adam, a wild grin on his face. “Did you miss me?”
Suddenly, I rushed forward, running as fast as I could. I rammed into him, my arms wrapping around him tightly. The tears sprang from my eyes the second I felt his body against mine. If I was dreaming, I never wanted to wake up.
He folded me into his armed, kissing the top of my head.
We were quiet for a long, long time, like neither one of us knew what to say.
I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heart beating. It calmed me down until I was able to look into his eyes.
Not caring who saw us, I moved onto my tippy toes and kissed him. It was the sweetest kiss of my life. I melted into it, my fingers tightening around the fabric of his shirt, threatening to never let go.
He kissed me back with a fiery passion. All the emotion and desire we had suppressed came to the forefront, flooding my soul. I moved even closer, feeling like I could just disappear inside of him.
His hand pressed into the small of my back until our hips locked together. Subtly, his member rubbed against my thigh, reminding me of our night under the stars.
I had been such a fool to think that what we did was a mistake. Being with Adam that night was the best thing I ever did.
“What are you doing here?” I finally asked.
“I couldn’t stay away from you, Chloe…” he whispered, his fingers tracing along my cheekbone before pinning a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I thought I’d be able to live without you, but I was wrong. I can’t. I need you.” He took my face in his hands and kissed me once more.
When I pulled away, I was breathless, feeling like I could float away at any moment. I held onto him making sure that didn’t happen.
“I don’t understand… how did you get here?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I sold my bike.”
My eyes widened. “You sold your bike?” I repeated, unable to believe he would ever part with his prized possession. “For me?”
He nodded, “You’re a hundred – no a million times – more important than that bike. I couldn’t sleep because I spent all night just thinking about you. I couldn’t eat because nothing tasted as sweet as you. I would have gone crazy if I didn’t come and see you.” He held my hands. “I know that our relationship isn’t exactly orthodox, but I want to make it work.”
“I do too…” I whispered. “I’m sorry that I pushed you away. I was just scared about what would happen… but I don’t care anymore. I love you.”
“What did you say?” he asked, his face dangerously close to mine, his hands on my arms.
“I said…” I paused, wetting my lips, my cheeks burning. “I said… I love you.”
His whole face lit up with the biggest smile I had ever seen. He took me into his arms and spun me around until the whole world was a blur.
I laughed, tilting my head back in glee.
Eventually, he put me back down, kissing my forehead. “You’ve just made me the happiest man in the universe.”