CHAPTER NINETEEN
LEIGH
"I think I'm going to be sick." I pace in the tiled hallway, trying to peek through the slim window in the door, but the asshole prof has covered it up. "He's taking forever."
"I'm sure it's fine." Sealy flips through a magazine like this isn't one of the biggest days of my life. Our life. Our lives? Whatever, it's huge.
"What if he's taking so long because he's forgotten everything?"
"You used flash cards for like six weeks. You used freaking football analogies. In the spring. No, baby girl, I'm sure he's got it and is just checking his work."
"That's a really long time to check his work."
"Not everyone can be geniuses like us."
She has a point. "True."
Her words don't soothe me, though. Heath and I have spent what felt like a billion hours studying for his big midterm exam. We've studied so long we fell asleep before we could have sex on countless nights. When we weren't working or sleeping together or talking shit about LSU and TU (yes, I've converted), we were studying. The wait is going to kill me dead.
"It'll be fine." Sealy says again, snapping a dozen selfies with her breasts prominently displayed. No doubt for Clark. I don't want to see what's on the receiving end of her phone.
Well, okay, I do and I don't. She's spent so much time bragging about the size of his dick that I'm almost desperate to know, but he's practically a brother to me now, and that would be really weird. Confliction emotions are weirder.
"He doesn't even need to graduate, anyway. That boy is heading straight for the NFL next season."
"That's not the point, though." I frown. We've had this conversation one hundred times, since Sealy got tired of us staying up until the early hours of morning studying. Fucking, she said, was acceptable, but somehow using books was not. "He needs this degree. For himself. He spent four years here, so he may as well walk out with something for it. And, you know, to prove he's more than—"
"Yeah, yeah. Got it. Degree super important."
I cock my head and study her, eyes squinty. "What's the deal?"
"Deal?" Sealy becomes extra interested in her phone.
"You tramp. What are you not telling me? Why do you not give a shit about my life drama right now?"
"I do care! You've just obsessed over this for weeks and I'm so tired of hearing about it. Never mind that your midterms are just as stressful as… oh my god, Leigh, stop looking at me like that." Sealy rambles and flails. "God. Fine. FINE. I've just been a little... distracted."
"No." I pretend to gape. "You? Distracted? Lately?"
"You shush. Things with Clark have taken a weird turn, I guess."
"As in?"
“Assssssss in.” She swallows. “Well, as in I’m probably—"
The door bangs open and Heath walks out, fists in the air. "I got an 88!"
"What?!" I squeal. "You did?"
"How could you doubt, when I had a tutor as great as you?" Heath grins wide and scoops me up into his arms. He spins us in circles and my entire body feels light as a feather now that the stress has been lifted. "I don't think I can ever thank you enough, Leigh. I couldn't do this without you."
"Yes, you could. I only helped pull out what I saw in you." I grab his face and kiss him hard. "Heath Davis, you are amazing."
"Leigh Samworth, you are the best part of me."
He kisses me back, but the kisses drift from hard and excited to hot and intense. It's like the climax after weeks of foreplay, a sweet release from one of the last bits of stress we have before spring break and ultimate relaxation. Sealy clears her throat twice before we break away.
"Hey, lovebirds, get a room."
"Look who's talking, champ." Heath grins against me and gives me another quick kiss. "You and Clark act like the world is your bedroom. I don't want to hear it."
"Whatever. Jealous." She pretends to blow us off and collects her things. "Clark is ready to meet us for a sweet celebratory drink at Crazy Eights. Shall we?"
"First round on the man of the hour." I squeeze Heath's arm. "As payment for my many hours of tutoring."
"Oh, girl, I can give you a lot more than that as payment. I've got a whole stick with your name on it."
"I'm still right here!" Sealy yells.
"I love payment sticks." I gush, playing along and feeling lighter than air. "They're so big and so tasty and so—"
"Is this what it's always like around me and Clark? Because holy hell this is terrible."
"This is literally nothing." I laugh at my best friend. "This is G-rated compared to you two. Remember the time he stuck his hand down your shirt at the bar?"
"We were high and horny. Shut up."
"Just saying, no room to bitch."
We pile into Sealy's car just as my phone sets off with an email alert. I swipe down to clear the notification and almost die on the spot.
"Oh my god."
"What's wrong?" Sealy asks, peering over.
"I just got an email."
"Not an email!"
"From Space-X."
"OH MY GOD."
Heath slides next to me in the backseat. "What's going on?'
"DID YOU JUST GET AN INTERVIEW IN CALIFORNIA WITH GODDAMN SELECTIVE ELON MUSK?!"
Everything freezes as I unlock my phone. My heart stops while the email loads. All I read is, "Ms. Samworth, we've reviewed your application and would like to meet...." and everything starts to go fuzzy.
"I JUST GOT AN INTERVIEW IN CALIFORNIA WITH GODDAMN SELECTIVE ELON MUSK!"
Her tiny little car erupts in a chorus of screams and squeals and giggles and hiccups and every bit of chaos that comes with finally tasting the dream. It keeps up the whole way to Crazy Eights, with Heath staring at me like I'm a maniac. Sealy almost runs us off the road twice as I reread the email in disbelief.
They want me in California as soon as I graduate. For an interview. The company of my dreams. Everything I’ve worked so hard for has finally culminated into magic.
"Babe, this is amazing." Heath wraps his big arms around me and squeezes. It helps ground me from the stratosphere I catapulted into after reading the email that could change my life. "I'm so proud of you."
"Wait. Wait." I shake my head, trying to regain my grasp on reality. "What about... what about us?"
"What do you mean, what about us?" Heath shakes his head with a laugh. "This is amazing! Don't do that!"
"No, I mean... California. That's huge. That's... far."
"That's where you dream awaits, Leigh. That's where everything you've been working so hard on comes to life. That's where you need to be. And I know you'll be everything they ever want."
"But you're going to the opposite coast."
"Hey." Heath cups my face with his hands and kisses me tenderly. "Do not sacrifice fucking space flight for this cow town football meathead. You deserve the world."
A knot forms in my throat. "But I found my world in you."
His kiss is so soft and so sweet I could cry, despite this being the best day of my life. "Our world is big enough to handle anything it throws at us. Including living on opposite coasts. We survived studying for midterms. We can get through anything."
I laugh even though I want to cry. "Are you sure? Are you sure this will be okay?"
"I could never dream of stepping between you and Mars. Besides." He slings an arm around me and walks us to Crazy Eights. "How great would it be if, in like two years, I'm playing for the '49ers? Los Angeles team, Los Angeles space flight. Like two years, babe. We can ace that no problem."
"You’ve only ever wanted to play for the Patriots. Don’t change your plans for me.”
“I want to play pro ball and get stupid rich. If I do that in Los Angeles, I’d still count it as a success.
“Are you sure?”
He leans in to give me a lingering kiss that makes me want to move our celebration to the bedroom. "Absolutely."