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I wanted to reach out and touch her hand, but something held me back. Maybe the need to know why she shut me out instead of talking to me.
“I talked to my parents tonight.”
“About?” she asked hesitantly.
“You. Me. Us.”
She swallowed. “What did you say?”
“I told them how wonderful you are. How happy you make me.”
Her smile was a little sad. “Sometimes that isn’t enough.”
“It is for me. All my life, I’ve been the good son. Did what I was told. Not because I was a pushover, but because it made my parents happy. My mom got me into baseball. It was tough, but fun. And I saw how happy it made my dad. Especially because I was good at it. So good I got a scholarship.”
I pulled into the dorm drive and parked the car. Livvie had turned toward me and was listening intently.
“I went into healthcare administration, because it made both my parents happy. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my work a lot. It hit me though over the last week, that everything in my life has been to make other people happy. Except you. You make me happy. For once, I’m doing something for myself.”
That was it. I had to touch her. I reached across the console for her hand. I threaded our fingers. She didn’t pull away. Our eyes met. “I want you to be selfish as well, because I think I make you happy too.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she nodded. “You do. You do make me happy.”
Livvie launched herself across the car, and I wrapped my arms tightly around her holding her close to me. I pulled back and brushed the fine hairs that had escaped her ponytail back off her face.
“I think I’m falling in love with you, Livvie.”
She smiled and my heart skipped. “I think I am too.”
Cradling her neck, I lowered my mouth to hers. This was all I needed right here. Love.
Chapter 11
2008
Livvie
“You’re almostnineteen years old, and you’ve never had a birthday party?” Jackie screeched so loudly multiple heads turned in our direction.
I shushed her with my hands. “Lord, you don’t have to act like that’s the weirdest thing on the planet. I’m sure there are plenty of people who’ve never had one.” I turned to Gareth. “Right?’
He reached across and laid his hand on my knee. “I’m sure there are.”
Jackie looked between us with a patronizing expression. “Well, I don’t know anyone.”
I crossed my arms and stared her down. “Well, you do now.”
She shrugged me off and went back to studying. Ever since the night she’d found be brokenhearted and sobbing my head off in the bathroom after Gareth and I broke up we’d become friends. We were still on rocky ground at times, and I’ve had to catch myself from snapping at her sometimes, but she was actually a really nice person. Unbelievably, I enjoyed her sarcastic sense of humor. She also had the most confidence of anyone I’d ever met. I was a little envious of it. There were times I wished I was more like her.
"How are your parents doing?" I asked Gareth.
We all got together a final time before they’d left a few months ago, and while things between the four of us had been a little awkward and tense at first, our lunch together was much more pleasant than the first time. Both his parents had made an effort to get to know more about me. Mrs. Brown even asked me to show her some of my pencil drawings.
"They’re good. Dad’s practice is suddenly booming. Said he got fifteen new patients just over the last week. Mom has been busy finalizing Valentine’s Day charity function for some big business. Either way, they’re both swamped. They said to tell you hello."
"You two know we’re supposed to be studying, right?" Jackie asked.
Gareth and I smiled sheepishly, but I still stuck my tongue out at her. "Yeah, yeah. You’re getting practically all A’s anyway."
