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“Honey, it’s a private event.”
“And he’s Kayleigh’s friend.” I do my best not to wince at the word I’ve grown to hate. “This is her house too, and if she wants him here, then he’s more than welcome to be here.”
The woman doesn’t look happy but after sparing one last look at Kayleigh and I, she nods and walks away. Kay whispers a quiet thank you to the man and he winks at her in response.
“I’m John.” He introduces himself.
I take his hand and shake it eagerly. “Holden. It’s nice to meet you, sir.”
“You as well. I trust you’re taking good care of my daughter up in Maine?”
Ah, so this is her dad. “Absolutely. I wouldn’t dream of anything less.”
He smiles happily at that and excuses himself to go back to the party. As soon as he’s gone, Kayleigh nods towards the stairs. I follow her up and into a bedroom I can only assume is hers. It looks nothing like her dorm. The four-post bed seems too big for her small body and I’ve never taken her for someone who likes the light shade of pink the walls are coated in.
“Well, your mother is… pleasant.”
She snorts as she walks over and lies on her bed. “Yeah, she’s a real prize.”
The second I’m close enough, she pulls me down and cuddles into my side, resting her head on my chest. I let my fingers lace into her hair, missing the feeling of the silky locks.
“Your dad didn’t seem too bad though.” I’m hesitant to bring it up because she hasn’t told me much about her relationship with him – only her mom.
“Step-dad.” She corrects. “My dad ran out on my mom and I when I was three – but yeah, John’s okay.”
Her words make me want to ask more questions but the tone and quivering of her voice tells me I’d better not. Instead, I kiss the top of her head and talk about something else. It’s nice to catch up with her like this, even though we’ve been talking on a constant basis since we went our separate ways at the airport. There’s nothing like being able to hold her while talking about anything and everything.
The closer it gets to midnight, the more I think about how I’d like this year to go. No matter where my mind takes me, there’s one thing that always remains the same – her by my side. Now that I know I’m in love with her, I don’t think I can spend another day without making her mine. I don’t care if it takes asking her every day for the rest of my life. I need her.
The minutes start to pass and before I know it, she’s turning on the TV to watch the ball drop. I move down to where she’s sitting at the end of her bed and wrap my arms around her tightly, hoping the next words to come out of my mouth don’t make her run for the hills.
“Kayleigh?” I get her attention as they begin the countdown from ten.
“Yeah?”
The lump in my throat almost stops me but I swallow it down. Here goes nothing.
“Will you be my girlfriend?” Her breath hitches and her body tenses in my arms. The panic inside me begins to brew. “Okay, don’t freak. Just hear me out, okay?” She turns to face me and the terrified look in her eyes makes me a puddle of mush in an instant. “I know I still need to earn your trust back. I don’t expect to have done that within a month. I hurt you, and for that I am so unbelievably sorry.” I raise my hand to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “I just know that you’re the only person I want to be with, and if you’re okay with it, I’d like to work on getting you to trust me again while we’re in a relationship.”
She shakes her head and looks down, causing my heart to sink. “It’s… I do trust you. You didn’t mean to kiss her. I believe you.” Okay, well if it’s not that, does she just not want to be with me? “I’m just scared.”
I place my knuckle under her chin and lift her head gently until she’s looking in my eyes. “I am, too. I know it’s cliché and it sounds like a line, but this, these feelings, they’re all completely new to me. I’ve only ever felt this way about you. You’re the only person, besides my sister, who doesn’t take any of my shit. You’re not afraid to be yourself around me and you make me comfortable enough to do the same. I’m crazy about you, Kayleigh, and I don’t want to spend another day knowing you’re not mine.”
Time stands still as we don’t dare to look away from each other. I don’t even think we blink, until finally, she smiles. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I furrow my eyebrows in confusion.
She nods happily. “Okay, yeah. I’ll be your girlfriend.”
The feeling that rushes through my entire body is like something from out of this world. A broad grin stretches across my face and I pull her in to kiss her the way she deserves. Her hand goes directly to my hair as mine caresses her face. This girl, the one I am madly in love with, is finally my girlfriend. I don’t think life could possibly get any better than this.
MOVEMENT NEXT TO ME pulls me out of the best sleep I’ve gotten in weeks. I can tell by the way her breathing is unsteady that Kayleigh is awake. A smile graces my face when I think of last night. That really happened. She’s really mine.
“Good morning, gorgeous.”
“Morning.” She replies, looking up and giving me a chaste kiss. I hum into it.
Can I wake up this way every morning? I never want to be away from her again. It’s absolute torture and I hate it.
