Four Months Later

Days, weeks, even four months later, I still can’t believe Clay’s in love with me. I wasted so many years being hung up on the wrong Mitchell brother, and now, I can’t believe I never saw it. That doesn’t mean Clay is suddenly this perfect guy. He’s far from it—crude, unapologetic, cocky … all things I professed to hate about him for the longest time. In fact, out of the two of us, I’m probably the only one who made any changes. The girl who he considered allergic-to-fun is no more.

Now, instead of spending the majority of my free time locked up in my dorm room studying, or reading, sometimes hanging out with Scarlett or Peyton, I’ve come out of my shell. A lot of that is due to Clay and the fact that he’s the life of the party no matter where we go. He knows no strangers, and he’s invited to every party or event going on near campus. That doesn’t mean I don’t get studying done, because I do. It’s just that now, instead of doing it in my dorm alone, I do it at Clay’s, with him. The added benefit there? He studies too … and the incentives I get to promise him in exchange for him giving me time to study … well, those are pretty fantastic too.

I spend almost every night with him, but sometimes, the sulky way Max acts gets to be too much, and I wind up back in my room. One that’s now a single since Becca left. Clay’s never told me exactly what happened between them when he went to the dorms looking for me, but whatever it was, it was enough to make her uncomfortable around him. Uncomfortable to the point that when he started spending a lot of time there with me, she decided to move out. Now she’s living with one of the girls she was telling all the rumors too.

There were still quite a few rumors going around about Clay and me, but, they were more the “will they be engaged before graduation” and “will she end up knocked up before the end of the semester” kind. The answer to both? A big fat no. I’m only a soon-to-be Junior, and unlike Peyton, I’m not ready to plan a wedding. I’m also nowhere near ready for kids. Clay isn’t either, considering he’s still just a big kid himself.

We made it to his graduation with no ring or positive tests, so I think we’ve done pretty well. If someone had told me six months ago I’d sit with Clay’s parents, and mine, watching him walk across the stage as his girlfriend, I would have said they were crazy. His mom is over the moon with her excitement, and his dad’s so proud of his son, his chest is puffed out. The only downer on the day is Max, who still hasn’t forgiven me for hooking up with his brother. It’s sad that someone I once considered my best friend is barely speaking to me, but I’m not going to end things with Clay just to get him back. He’s proven time and time again that what I want or need isn’t his top priority. I’m happy with Clay; hopefully he’ll understand that someday.

When they call his name we all stand and clap for him, even though they told everyone to wait until the last name was called. We’re sitting pretty far from the stage, but I still see him shake his head as he walks across. He knew we were going to act like fools. Linc even cupped his hands around his mouth to yell, “Get it son,” making us all dissolve into laughter. We yell once more when Wyatt crosses the stage, Peyton louder than anyone with her, “Woo-hoo! Go sexy!”

The only person missing today is Emmett, who chose not to walk. This semester, really this whole year, has been hard for him, and by the time they could all register to walk, he was done with school. He hasn’t been around much this semester at all, and while I know Clay is worried about him, he’s been giving him the space he asked for, especially after Emmett moved out of the apartment when we got back from spring break.

“Come on,” Peyton says, tugging my hand. I look up and realize graduation is almost over. The last speech is being given, and then the class will be dismissed. “Kat, let’s go! If we don’t start down now, we’ll have to push our way through the crowd.”

Once I stand, she leads us down the row we’re sitting on, then down the stairs and out of the auditorium to wait for Wyatt and Clay to come out. We aren’t the only ones with this idea, so it takes some time to get through, and once we get outside we don’t have long to wait before the graduates start coming out. Peyton stands on her tip toes trying to see her taller-than-most-people fiancé. “There they are,” she shrieks, bouncing up and down, a huge smile on her face. She starts waving and shouting Wyatt’s name to get his attention, and Clay’s eyes come to rest on me. His grin is lopsided, and his steps quicken.

I ignore Peyton and start pushing my way through people to get to him. As soon as I’m close enough, I reach for him, throwing my arms around his neck, forcing him to take a step back to absorb my weight. Clay’s arms come around my waist, and he lifts, spinning me around in a circle. I cup his cheeks in my hands, pressing my lips to his and giving him an enthusiastic kiss.

He sets me back down, his arms tightening around me as he kisses me, not caring who’s around to watch. His lips don’t leave mine until a hand claps down on his shoulder. Releasing me, he turns to hug first his dad, then his mom, rolling his eyes at how tightly she hugs him. She’s sobbing against his throat, muttering words I can’t understand, while his dad hugs them both.

“We’re so proud of you, son,” he tells Clay once his mom calms down, though tears still trickle down her cheeks.

Mrs. Mitchell, or Heather as she keeps telling me to call her, hands me the camera that’s been pretty much attached to her face today, asking, “Honey, will you take a picture of us?” I take it from her, and she stands on the one side of Clay, directing his dad to stand on the other. Beaming, they both look at me.

I can tell Clay’s embarrassed by the attention, so I can’t help but goad him. “Smile for the camera, Clay.” He gives me one, but it’s not genuine. He’s gritting his teeth, and it’s totally fake. I lower the camera to glare at him. “A real smile please.”

“Don’t laugh,” his mom leans close to tell him. As soon as she does, he bites down on his lip, trying to hold it in. Her saying that works on all three boys. As soon as she tells them not to laugh, they grin these huge, goofy smiles. It’s awesome. I’ve tried to do it to him, but it seems to only work for her. Poking him in the side, she says, “Don’t do it. Don’t even smile.” One side of his mouth tips up, and she continues, “Oh, there it is … I can see it. You better not!” He can’t hold it in anymore, and shaking his head, he finally smiles. I take three pictures in quick succession before he’s finally able to control it, and she leans up to kiss his cheek. “I love you, baby boy.”

“Mooom,” he groans, closing his eyes. I start to snicker, hiding my grin with my hand, and he opens his eyes back up to glare at me. As soon as his parents release him, he stalks over to me, wrapping one arm around my waist and taking the camera out of my hands with the other. “Here,” he hands it to his mom.

She immediately holds it up to take a picture of us. “Say cheese, you two.”

“Is it over yet?” he complains in a low voice so she can’t hear. I smack him on the chest and shake my head. He sighs heavily but turns us both to face his mom, not releasing the hold he has on my waist. She snaps a few pictures, then directs us to pose with our arms around each other, looking down at each other. Clay looks adorable in his graduation robes, and when I tell him that, he actually blushes. “Don’t get used to it,” he mutters, “I’m never putting these on again.”

Peyton and Wyatt walk over to join us with Wyatt’s mom and sister, who Linc has been staring at all day. I nudge Clay, pointing out his little brother’s lovesick expression, and he drops his head, burying his face in my neck, his body shaking with laughter. “Oh, that’s going to be so much fun in a few years. Wyatt’s going to kill him if he notices.”

Both Wyatt’s mom and Clay’s take more pictures, both of the guys together, then of them with Peyton and me. Finally, pictures are done, and it’s time to go back to Clay’s parent’s for a graduation party. Clay strips out of his robes as soon as we get to his car, loosening his tie and rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt. “It’s too damn hot for all this,” he grouses, climbing into the driver’s seat. Once we’re on the road, he grows quiet, and the closer we get to his parents’, the more nervous he appears.

“What’s wrong?” I finally ask him.

He doesn’t look at me or answer at first. I wonder if I should ask again, but just as I start to, he pulls into a parking lot and puts the car in park. His hands squeeze the steering wheel, so hard I worry he might actually do damage, then turns to look at me. “I start working for dad on Monday.” I nod my head, already knowing this, but not sure where he’s going with the conversation. He inhales a deep breath, looking away as if to gather courage, then asks, “Are you moving in with Anna for the summer?”

“Yes,” I answer tentatively. I’m supposed to start moving out of the dorms tomorrow.

Clay swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and the expression on his face changes from nervous to determined. “I want you to move in with me instead.” My eyes widen, and my mouth drops open. I don’t even know what to say. We’ve only been a couple for four months. “C’mon Kat, you’ve been practically living at my apartment for the past two months.”

That might be true, but there’s a difference between “practically” and “actually”. When I tell him this, he groans in exasperation. His eyes are earnest when he tells me, “I want you with me. When school starts in August, you’ll be busy, and between your classes and my job, we won’t see each other as much. I want as much time with you as I can get before that happens.”

“Wow,” I breathe, not sure how I can say no to that. My parents won’t be thrilled about me moving in with him. They wouldn’t be thrilled about me moving in with any guy. But, I can see his point. I want to spend as much time with him as I can too. I take a few minutes to consider what he’s asking, though I know it’s driving him crazy to not get an immediate answer.

Clay waits as long as he can, which is not long at all, maybe three or four minutes before he breaks. “Yes or no, Kat. It’s not a hard question.” Ah, there’s the jerk side of Clay I love so much.

“Jeez, give me a minute to think.”

He leans into me, cupping my cheek in his hand. “I tried. Please say yes. If you decide you hate living with me, you can always go back to your sister’s. But think about it … we’ll see each other more, you won’t have to deal with your sister and whatever she’s doing with her boss, and you’ll get regular sex.” He waggles his eyebrows at the last, and I laugh.

“Oh, well, if you’re promising me regular sex, how can I say no?” I’ve already made my decision, but it’s too much fun to tease him. He always said I was easy to rile up, but now, our roles are reversed. It doesn’t take much at all for me to antagonize him. Clay continues to glare at me, so I reach up to press a quick kiss on his mouth. “If it means that much to you …” I pause, and a grin grows on his face. “I guess I can move in.”

This time. he’s the one who laughs. “Gee, thanks. You sound so excited about it.”

I smile up at him, and say, “I am excited. I just like to make you wonder.”

“You definitely do, Kitty Kat, you definitely do.” Using his hands on my cheeks, he pulls me into a much deeper kiss than the one I gave him, his tongue sliding into my mouth to explore, causing both of us to groan. I grip his biceps with my hands and give myself over to his kiss. Kissing him is one of my favorite things to do, and now that I’ll be living with him, I can kiss him whenever I want. Now I just have to figure out how I’m going to explain my new living situation to my parents. Oh well, I’ll worry about that later … when Clay isn’t devouring my mouth.