Chapter Seventeen
Lennon
“Don’t tease me,” I said after she agreed to my insane idea of her coming on tour with me. “You don’t have to be in if you’re not sure. I know this has happened insanely fast.” Well, not totally fast. It took me four years to work up the courage to finally embrace the love I had for this girl.
She eyed me like she knew exactly what I was thinking. “The last four years—”
“Exactly,” I said, cutting her off. “You’re right.” She did that snort-laugh thing, and I bolted off my bed, too excited to sit still. “You’re really going to come?” I asked.
“I should probably run it by my parents, but seeing as how we’ve graduated, it’s not like they can stop me.”
“We can talk to them together. And mine. We’ll show them we’re serious.” She swallowed hard, and I dropped to my knees before her. “Tell me if I’m being too much.” I smoothed my hands on her thighs. “I feel like we’ve got so much time to make up for, and I’m trying to cram it all into one night.”
“You’re not,” she said, cupping my face. “I promise. And I get it. Trust me.” She put her forehead against mine like I had to hers earlier. “I’m just glad this finally happened.”
“Thank God for graduation, right?”
She chuckled. “Yes.”
We laughed, but the day, the freedom from school, it had changed everything. Something I’d been anticipating for four years had ended up being more perfect than I could ever imagine. I stood up, hauling Jade off the bed as I went.
She giggled as I wrapped my hands around her waist, lifting her to my eye level.
“You’re incredible,” I said.
“And you’re insane.” She laughed, teasing my nose with hers.
“Maybe. But it’s your fault.”
She scoffed and attempted to wiggle out of my grasp. I held her closer, capturing her mouth with mine. She melted into my embrace, and I kissed her gently but deeply. The girl had stolen my heart a long time ago, but tonight she’d turned it into something more.
I walked us to the closed door of my room, pressing her against it to kiss her harder. She gasped between my lips, and I knew I’d never tire of the sound. Our future was a blink away, promising, inviting, and so surreal. I couldn’t wait until dawn broke the sky on a new day.
But before that happened, I still had one major task I couldn’t ignore.
I groaned, ripping myself away from the gorgeous girl before me.
“What is it?” she asked, her cheeks flushed and her lips slightly swollen from our kiss.
I glanced at my cell before pocketing it again. “It’s almost four a.m.”
“Whoa.” She snort-laughed again. “I’ve never stayed out this late. Ever.”
“I’m a bad influence on you.”
“You’re an amazing influence of me,” she said, smirking.
I blew out a slow breath.
“What’s wrong?” A wrinkle formed between her brow and it was so damned adorable.
“I threw a party tonight.”
“Yes, I’m aware.”
“And the entire senior class plus half the college friends of my sister’s were here.”
She nodded before tilting her head. Something clicked behind her eyes, and I laughed as the realization hit her.
“You have to clean.”
I snapped my fingers. “I do.”
She moved away from the door, cracking it open. “I’ll help you.”
“You’ve already helped me enough tonight, Jade. You won’t clean up the mess, too.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m shocked you don’t have a team of people doing this for you, rock star.”
I hissed, following her into the hallway. “I’m surprised you’re willing to stay out even later, mathlete.”
She spun around, a fake frown on her face. I captured her wrist and pulled her to me, kissing the look off her mouth. “No more of that,” I said, wagging my finger at her. “I don’t ever want to cause that look again.”
She giggled. “So serious.” She patted my chest, turning back around before stopping at the chaotic sight of the kitchen.
We both looked around to the next couple rooms, all properly demolished with cups, snacks, abandoned drinking games, and general disarray.
“Where do we start?” she asked.
“I kind of want to go back to my bedroom,” I teased.
She smacked my chest, and I planted a kiss on the palm of her hand before releasing her again.
“You start in the kitchen. I’ll work on the library-turned-make-out-room, and we’ll meet in the middle?”
“What will you charge me for the help?”
“You’ll owe me breakfast.” She reached up on her tiptoes, planting me with a too-quick kiss. “And volume twenty-seven.” She spun on her heels, disappearing around the hallway to the library.
I forced myself not to follow her, knowing the sooner we finished the cleaning of the place the faster I could have her in my arms again.
I’d never cleaned harder, but when the reward waiting for me at the end of it all was Jade?
It was beyond worth it.