Page 137 of Lovestruck at Sundown
“You do?” He slowly lowered me back to my feet but kept my body close to his.
“It means I’ll have a lot of husbands, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to be one of them.”
William’s nostrils flared with annoyance, and I laughed. “You are going to be the most stubborn, naughty, and disobedientwife,won’t you?”
“I’ll make myhusbandsgo mad for sure.” I looped my arms around his neck and kissed the left corner of his lips.
“You’ll pay for this.”
“Looking forward to it.”
Aaron drove usback home in silence. He was visibly upset about what had happened earlier with Naomi, but I knew better than to ask him about it. This wasn’t the time or place to do so.
Outside, the sky’s darkness was beginning to fade with the promise of dawn. It was a few minutes past 5:00 a.m., and I didn’t know how I’d managed to stay up this late—or early, for that matter. But the wedding had been a success in every possible way.
When we arrived home, William led me to his apartment door. Nina was going to spend the night at Liam’s, so William and I had the entire floor to ourselves.
“Should I start calling you 9B now?” William pushed the door open with a smile. He wasn’t drunk or even tipsy anymore. He’d stopped drinking a few hours ago, but he seemed exhausted, and so was I.
“I’m kind of attached to 9A if you ask me.” That was the first nickname he ever gave me. It reminded me of the day we met.
“I’ll call you whatever you want.” He slid the door shut behind him. “Either way, the whole ninth floor is yours.” He grabbed my hand and took it to his lips to kiss it. “I’ll go grab ussome water. Don’t go anywhere.”
“Not even to my room to grab my charger and toothbrush?” I teased. “My phone is dead.”
“Nope,” he teased back. “You keep a spare toothbrush here, remember? And there’s an extra charger in my right nightstand drawer. Feel free to use it. I want you here all night. Or morning, that is.”
I smiled and nodded, and William walked away to the kitchen. I removed my shoes and tossed my bag on his lounge chair before heading to brush my teeth. When I was done, I walked over to his nightstand.
When I opened the drawer, I found more than his cell phone charger inside. There was a letter from Parsons addressed to me. It was identical to the one I’d received weeks ago. But I’d kept mine, so I didn’t understand what this was. A copy, maybe? I pulled the letter out of the envelope and started reading.
Guillermina Murphy
483 Park Ave Apt. 9A
New York, NY 10022
Dear Ms. Murphy,
I hope this letter finds you well. It is with regret that I write to inform you that your scholarship application at Parsons has been carefully reviewed, and unfortunately, we are unable to offer you the scholarship at this time.
We want to express our appreciation for the time and effort you dedicated to the application process. The selection committee had the challenging task of evaluating numerous outstanding candidates, and your application truly stood out. Your dedication as a student has been commendable, and we recognize the passion you bring to your field.
While we are unable to offer you the scholarship for the upcoming academic year, we encourage you to continue your pursuit of …
“Did you find it?” William interrupted me, setting the glasses of water on the other nightstand. I stared at him, stunned. “The charger. Did you find—” He trailed off when he turned to look at me, his eyes widening with the realization of what had happened. Meanwhile, my breathing turned faster and shallower.
“Why?” I tossed the letter on the bed. I’d read enough.
“Guille—”
“You know what?” I said, raising a hand in front of me. “I don’t even want to know why.” Brushing the angry tears off my face, I collected my things and pushed the invisible door to flee to my room. It’s not like I didn’t already know why he did it, but that’s not what pissed me off.
“Guille!” William shouted as he dashed after me.
Learning I hadn’t won a scholarship on my own merit was shocking and devastating. I sat on my sofa, rested my elbows on my knees, and took my hands to my face as the humiliation chipped away at me.
I sensed the subtle shift of William’s weight on the cushion beside me. “I’m so fucking upset I can’t even look at you right now.”
