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I cracked a smile at that and nodded, realizing that she had a good point. I was glad that we had taken this risk on each other. It was one of the best decisions that I had ever made, and this was only the beginning. Who knew where we would be a year from now?
“You’re not wrong,” I said as I reached up to place my hand on her cheek. I drew her lips to mine, kissing her sweetly as we cuddled close. I could’ve sat there and kissed her all night, but I was sure that we could get more comfortable elsewhere. “Want to go out tonight? We can pick up dinner and then relax at my place.”
Madison’s lips formed a slight pout. “I wish I could, but I really need to practice for my presentation. I don’t want to let Hannah and Nick down,” she told me.
I patted her thigh, giving her an understanding look. I didn’t want her to feel guilty about skipping out on tonight. I wanted her to nail her presentation, which meant giving her all the time that she needed to practice. We would have plenty of time for dates after she finished up her final projects.
“That’s okay. Go practice,” I encouraged her. “We’ll celebrate after your presentation because I know you and your friends are going to nail it.”
“Thank you,” she told me sincerely.
“One night, we can all go out to dinner. I should meet them soon,” I added, feeling quite generous and sappy today. I didn’t know what was up with me, but when she was happy, I was happy too.
Madison immediately nodded, looking ecstatic.
“You’re the best,” she said before pressing another deep kiss against my lips. When she pulled away, she stroked my cheek. “I’ll text you.”
“After you practice,” I said with a firm look. I didn’t want her to distract herself from me. She had to finish her college career strong, which meant taking advantage of every minute that she had left to practice and prepare.
Madison laughed softly and nodded. She slipped off my lap and grabbed her things, waving goodbye to me before leaving my office.
A soft sigh drifted from me as I gazed at my office door. I already missed her. I was hopelessly in love with this girl, and it was one of the best feelings in the world.
Chapter 21
Madison
My nerves were almost too much to handle as I paced outside of the classroom, passing by other business students who were waiting to present their business ideas as well. I couldn’t believe the final presentation day was already here. This was the last thing that I had to do for my capstone class. If I passed, all I had to do was finish my internship and then I was cleared to graduate. It felt surreal.
“Quit pacing. You’re making me nervous,” Nick told me as he leaned against the wall opposite the classroom door. He wore a business suit like the rest of the guys in the hallway. The girls wore various outfits, ranging from business dresses to blouses and blazers. We either looked on edge or already over it.
“I feel like I’m going to throw up,” I muttered as I pushed my fingers through my hair, feeling sweat along my hairline. I didn’t know why it was so hot in this building, but I was burning up right now with a churning stomach. I was so tired of not feeling good.
“You probably have like five minutes before we go in,” Nick said after checking the time on his phone.
Hannah bumped his shoulder with her own. “Be nice. We’re all nervous,” she chastised him before adjusting her dark grey, A-line dress for the hundredth time since she put it on this morning. She was fidgeting almost as much as I was.
I forced myself to lean against the wall next to Hannah, taking in a deep breath to try to steady myself. I hated feeling so nervous, but I wanted to do well so badly. I worked so hard for this, and Tyler wanted to celebrate later. It would be embarrassing to tell him that there wasn’t anything worth celebrating.
“I just don’t want to choke. I practiced my parts a million times, but it’s hard to remember everything when I’m so nervous,” I sighed as I leaned my head back against the wall. It made me feel a little better that everyone else was nervous too, but it wasn’t like that would make me perform any better.
“Just breathe. You know what to say. It’s all in here,” Hannah said as she lightly tapped the side of my head.
Before I could crack a smile, our professor poked his head out of the classroom and called for us. Fear spread through my veins like ice, making me freeze in place for a few seconds until Hannah gave me a gentle nudge. I followed them into the classroom, seeing a few other business professors sitting together at a table in the back.
