Page 336 of His Virgin Romance Series

“Oh, man,” I said. “Thank you, Seth. You have no idea how much this helps me out.”

“Happy to help.” Seth nodded, and again I felt another spasm of guilt for everything I was keeping from him.

Not just the fact that I was living and sleeping with his sister, but also the fact that I was currently dealing pot. I vowed to myself that now that I had a job lined up, I would finish the last of my pot supply and that would be the end of it. I couldn’t afford to risk my friendship with Seth or my relationship with Gabby. She was just too important to me.

I spent four hours at the station, checking the time on my phone because I really wanted to go to Gabby’s campus and surprise her. The second I was done, I found Seth in the lounge room so that I could sign off with him.

“Last day, huh?” one of the guys asked me.

“Yeah.”

I was expecting him to shoot some snide comment at me and but instead, he nodded once and said. “You did a good job while you were here.”

I was so shocked, I didn’t even respond. Then one by one all the guys came up to me and either gave me a handshake or a gruff good luck. I looked at Seth in disbelief and smiled.

“Did you make them do that?” I asked.

“Nope,” I said convincingly. “I told you. They’re good guys, they just believe in due process, and now that you’ve had yours, they can be nicer.”

“Yeah, that and the fact that I’m leaving.”

Seth smiled. “Don’t be a stranger, Miles; keep in touch.”

“I will,” I said. “Definitely.”

I didn’t let myself think about what he would say if the next time he saw me I was hand in hand with his sister. I just raced out of the station and headed to the nearest florist in the area. I picked the most beautiful bouquet I could find and then I raced to the campus and tried to find the Jefferson building where Gabby would be playing her composition for her professors.

It took me fifteen minutes to find the damn building and then another five minutes to find the theatre she was playing in. By the time I got there, Gabby was already on stage, and I realized she was almost done with her set. I stood at the back and watched her with awe. She cut such a beautiful figure sitting at the piano with her back upright and slightly arched. If I’d had a pad with me, I could have just sat there and sketched her.

The song finished and I started clapping instinctively, only to realize that no one else was. My claps resonated around the large room and bounced off the walls. I saw Gabby’s face snap towards me, and even from a distance, I saw her eyes light up. I walked down as she came off the stage and she ran into my arms.

“You came,” she sighed. “I can’t believe you came.”

“Of course I came,” I said. “I love you.”

She looked at me in surprise, and I realized that this was the first time I’d ever said that to her.

“Do you… mean that?” she asked.

I smiled at her. “I mean it.” I nodded. “I mean it more than you realize.”

Laughing, Gabby jumped into my arms and kissed me hard on the lips. It felt like my life was finally taking a turn for the better. I was done with community service, I had finally got a job, and most important of all, I had Gabby… and she really was the one thing I never knew I needed.

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