I walk through the arrivals gate, dodging people who are strolling along leisurely. I’m dragging my carry-on along behind me; I only brought hand luggage because I didn’t want to waste a single second when I got off the plane. My eyes dart around, trying to spot him through the thick crowd. I quickly scan and dismiss every person that isn’t him, and it takes almost a minute before I spot the familiar figure. He’s leaning against a wall to the right, his arms crossed over his chest and his gaze locked on me. My face breaks out in a huge smile, and my heart swells just at the sight of him. I’ve been counting down the days until I see him, and now, when he’s only maybe thirty feet away from me, I’m frozen in place, happy just to watch him, to soak him in. He raises an eyebrow, and a cocky smirk crosses his face as he stares straight back at me. My feet kick into motion and I make my way over to him. His gaze never leaves me; it rakes up and down my body, making me blush like a schoolgirl. I stop in front of him and can’t wipe the humongous grin off my face.
“Hey,” he says. His stunning blue eyes twinkle as he looks into mine.
“Hey,” I say right back, my heart swelling with happiness.
We stare at each other for a couple of seconds, soaking each other in. It’s the first time we’ve seen each other in two months. It’s the longest we’ve ever gone, and it felt like a lifetime. His gaze flickers to my lips, and with reflexes quicker than I can comprehend, he steps forward and scoops me up in his arms, pulling me tightly against his body and spinning me around. I laugh with delight, hugging him back until he silences me with a kiss so passionate I lose my breath and have to pull back.
“I missed you,” he tells me, smiling against my mouth.
“I missed you too,” I say, leaning my forehead against his and staring into the eyes I’ve been dreaming about for weeks. He squeezes me again and picks me up off the ground. I start to laugh again, but then he shuts me up with another kiss.
“Ryan, I need to eat,” I tell him.
I’m sprawled out, facedown in his bed, trying to stop my yawn. We got back to his house three hours ago and didn’t even stop to see who else was home. We headed straight upstairs, and we’ve spent the whole time in his bed. He shifts next to me, and the next thing I know, he’s hooking his right arm under my neck and turning my body so I’m facing him. He pulls me up against him so my head rests in the crook of his neck and my arm stretches across his stomach, skimming over the solid muscles of his abs. He starts to trace small circles on my arm with his fingers, and it’s both relaxing and exciting at the same time. I sigh, completely content and happy to finally be with him.
“Did you think any more about what we talked about?” he asks.
I freeze and try to stifle a sigh. I’m not ready to have this conversation yet; it’ll only lead to a fight, and I just want to enjoy being together.
“Becca?”
I lean back and prop myself up on my elbows so I can see him. His blue eyes stare back into mine with such hope, I feel terrible that I’m about to crush him. “I can’t transfer, Ryan.” I see the flash of annoyance in his eyes so I rush on. “I love being at Southern U. I have friends there, my classes are there. We just have to get through the rest of this year, then we’ll have the whole summer, and then it’s only one more year ’til we graduate.”
“That’s more than eighteen months, Becca.”
“It’ll fly by, you know it will. We’ve already done more than two years.”
He sighs. “Please, Becca. I’d do it for you if I could.”
If I could—that’s the thing. Ryan has a football scholarship at California State, and is on the fast track to make it to the NFL—something I never thought would happen. Ryan can’t leave Cal State, even if he wanted to. If someone is going to make the sacrifice and move, it has to be me. It’s something we both know. We also both know I don’t want to.
I shake my head slightly and look away from him. I hate making him upset, but being at Southern U is my thing. It’s my thing away from him, and I kinda love it. I love living in Texas. It’s somewhere so completely different from the California town I grew up in; it’s new and exciting, and I’m not ready to give it up yet. I know people laughed when we said we were going to stay together through college while living in different states, but we’ve made it work; only now, Ryan’s starting to lose patience.
“Please don’t be mad. It’s just one more year.” That’s not true; it’s closer to two years, and we both know it.
He sighs but doesn’t look at me. His whole body has gone tense and I bite my lip, knowing how upset he is, even if he’s not willing to say it. He thinks I’m not willing to make the sacrifice for him, that I don’t care enough to move here for him, but that’s just not true. I just like being something other than Ryan Jackson’s girlfriend, but I can’t say that to him.
I dip my head and kiss him on the mouth; he doesn’t respond. I kiss him again. I don’t stop giving him big, wet, sloppy kisses. He tries to move his head away but I turn with him, not letting him get away from me, keeping my mouth attached to his, moving with him. Finally he gives in. Finally he starts to laugh and starts kissing me back, and they soon stop being wet and sloppy and turn to passion and hunger. I breathe an internal sigh of relief that he’s not going to stay mad at me. I don’t stop kissing him though, not when I’ve been apart from him for so long, and not when I want to prove how much I love him and how much I want him—because I do. I love Ryan Jackson with a passion that shocks me. He kisses me back, and before I know it, he’s flipped me over and is towering above me, grinning down at me.
“Dinner?” I ask, smiling.
His eyes are heavy with lust, and he dips down and plants another kiss on my mouth, his hand slipping under the bedsheets. I know I’m not leaving this bed any time soon.