Page 65 of Campus Crush
Sam broke our trance when she reappeared, a jacket slung over her arm. “Alright, lovebirds, I’m out. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
She blew us a kiss and left, the door closing behind her with a click.
Foster and I looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Well, that was…” I began.
“Perfect timing?” he suggested.
“Not the words I was going to use.”
He smiled, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Maybe it’s for the best. I was getting a little carried away.” He glanced at his watch and sighed. “I shouldprobably actually study a bit more before I head out. As much as I’d rather keep doing…other things.”
“Responsible of you,” I teased.
“I have my moments.” He picked up his textbook again.
We settled back into studying, though there was a new awareness between us, a current of electricity that hadn’t been there before. Every now and then, our eyes would meet over our books, and I’d feel that now-familiar flutter in my stomach.
After another hour, Foster reluctantly packed up his things. “I gotta go. Early practice tomorrow.”
I walked him to the door, suddenly shy again despite everything we’d shared. “Talk tomorrow?”
“Definitely.” He kissed me once more. “Goodnight, girlfriend.”
“Goodnight, boyfriend,” I replied, the word still new and thrilling on my tongue.
I’d never had a boyfriend before.
I closed the door behind him and then leaned against it, a smile spreading across my face. If someone had told me six months ago that I’d be dating Foster Kane—that I’d be falling for him—I would have laughed in their face.
Yet here I was, my lips still tingling from his kisses, my heart full in a way it hadn’t been in years—maybe ever.
For the first time since my mom died, I felt like I was truly living again, not just going through the motions.
And it felt amazing.
THIRTY-THREE
It was stupid to be nervous at my own house party, but as I waited for Abby to arrive, I was. I wasn’t worried about what other people would think, or about finally letting her stake her claim on me. I wanted everyone to know I was taken.
But I was nervous that this party might bring up bad memories for her. While I couldn’t remember our night together freshman year, it was clear she did, and I did not want that negative memory to pop up tonight when it was supposed to be about us moving forward.
I checked my hair in the hall mirror one last time and readjusted my shirt when Liam walked around the corner. “Dude, what is your deal? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this nervous before.”
Liam was right. I was fidgeting like I was about to take the ice for a championship game, not host a party I’d been to a hundred times before. My hands kept smoothing down my dark blue shirt that I’d chosen specifically because Abby had once mentioned she liked that color on me.
“I just want tonight to go well.”
“Relax,” Liam said, slapping me on the back. “We won’t let anything happen with your girl. We’ll make sure she’s protected from any of the vultures.”
What he meant was puck bunnies.
It didn’t matter the popularity of the sport—athletes were never short on their choice of girls. Girls who’d throw themselves at any guy wearing our team’s logo, looking for a hookup and the status that came with bedding one of us.
Before Abby, I might have indulged occasionally. But now the thought of anyone but her made me feel hollow.
Liam’s hand gripped my shoulder as he guided me down the hall and into our living room, which was already teeming with people. The bass from Drew’s carefully curated playlist thumped through the floorboards, and the scent of beer and perfume mingled in the air. Red plastic cups already littered every flat surface despite the trash cans we’d strategically placed around the room. With one last slap on the back, Liam made his way over to a group of girls, his arms extended.
