Page 55 of Austen, Edited

“She’s worth it, son,” he said, winking.

Greyson shook his head, not sure how his father knew what the urgency was all about. He waved and ran to the garage, adrenaline pumping through his body. He just hoped he could find her and get everything resolved tonight.

He swerved to miss a few cars on the street heading toward Boston College, knowing they would take forever driving as they tried to find a parking spot. As he neared Gabelli Hall, every spot along the road was taken. The downside to it being dark and everyone at home.

He turned into the campus, hoping to find something temporary so he could at least go talk to her. There was a single spot at the back of the lower parking lot, and he barely took time to pull the key out of the ignition before he was off, running up the large hill that ran around the back of the dorm building.

The outer door was locked, and he wasn’t even sure if Abby had come home yet. He’d have to call her.

She picked up on the third ring, her voice shaky. “Hey.”

“Where are you?”

“Are you okay?”

Greyson realized his words had come out harsher than he’d expected. “Yes, I just really want to see you. Where are you?”

“On a bench down Linden Lane.”

It took Greyson a few seconds to remember where that was, but he ran past a few more of the dormitories and up the stairs that led to the area by the library. His lungs were on fire by the time he made it to the top of them, but he didn’t slow down and kept running toward the road that led up to the quad. It was where he’d lined up with his friends almost a year and a half ago on the day of his graduation, and even in the darkness, the landscaping was near perfect.

He squinted, looking for the benches set every so often down the road. Near the end, he saw a silhouette he thought was Abby and headed in that direction.

As he neared the bench, he saw she was staring up into the sky, and the dim light from the lanterns along the road shone on her face. He stopped several feet from her, amazed at the beauty and strength she exuded.

“Are you just going to stand there like a creeper?” she asked, only turning her head a couple of inches in his direction.

Greyson let out a chuckle, releasing some of his deepest emotions, and he walked over to her. “Is this seat taken, ma’am?” he asked with a flourish of his arm.

She laughed and sat up straighter. “It’s yours.” Once he sat down, she asked, “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?” Her smile faded, and a somber expression appeared, the one he recognized from the day he’d taken off for grad school.

Greyson tried to think of something to say, to explain how her words in the app made him feel. Instead, his eyes kept dropping to her lips.

Without thinking, he leaned forward and kissed her, sending a shockwave of heat running through him. He reached his hand up and cupped her face, wrapping the other around the back of her neck as he deepened the kiss.

He wasn’t sure how long had passed when he finally pulled back, taking a large breath. Abby’s heavy-lidded eyes made him smile, and he lightly touched her cheek with his knuckles.

“What was that for?” she asked, her voice breathy.

“For your note in the app. It might have taken me ten times as long to figure out how much I need you in my life, but I don’t ever want to let you go.”

A tear streaked down Abby’s cheek, and he reached up to wipe it away. “Don’t cry, Abby. I’m supposed to make you happy, not frustrated or sad or a million other things.”

“This whole thing is surreal. It’s like I’m dreaming, and when I wake up, you’ll still be gone or you will always just see me as your next-door best friend.” She wiped under her eyes and smiled at him.

“If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.” Greyson leaned forward and kissed her again, the sensation even better than the first time. If only he’d known a year ago how he’d felt for Abby, he would have never left.

She settled into his arms, her head resting in the crook of his neck. “So, where do we go from here?”

“Be my girlfriend?”

Abby sat forward just enough to see into his eyes, her mouth open and her eyes darting around his face. “Yes. A thousand times, yes.”

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