“Through a can? Does that even work?”
I look at the guy just as Ally glares at him. “Yes, and it is fucking romantic, okay?”
The guy laughs as he walks off to get everything ready. “Whatever you say.”
“You know he is in control of the needles.”
“I don’t care. He is making fun of our love.”
“I don’t care. I love our love.”
“Damn right, you do.” She decides as she sits in my lap. I cuddle her close to my chest before kissing her jaw. Just like we always have been, we’re inseparable. Not much has changed with our families. They love us, but sometimes I feel they love us more when we’re together. I know I love us.
She leans into my face as she holds up her phone to read the text she just got. I notice it’s from Angie.
“Is she settled?”
“Yes. She even likes her little apartment.”
“Good,” I say since I know Ally was worried about her. Angie moved out a week ago, heading to South Carolina for that program she got into. And because Angie left, Ally moved in with me. Really, Ally moved out a long time ago, but she insisted on staying at the dorm once a week so Angie wouldn’t be totally alone. Crazy, but I dreaded that one night a week. I missed her like mad, but now, I’ve got her for the long haul.
Ally opens her email and groans loudly. “Still nothing?” I ask, and she shakes her head.
“No, I’m supposed to get an answer today. Maybe I should call?”
“Give it until tomorrow.”
She rests her head back on mine, and I know she’s stressed. She didn’t get the job in South Carolina, but she did get offered four other ones. One in New York, which, ew, snow. One in California, ew, Jasmine. One in Vancouver—yeah, I got nothing, which she sees as an opportunity to drag me out there, but I’m not really down for that. The one she really wants is here in Nashville with the Nashville Rockets. Our soccer team. She made it to the last round of interviews, and she feels it went great. They had a player commit suicide a year ago, and some of the guys still haven’t recovered, getting into some substance abuse and other stuff like that. The need for help is great, and Ally wants to be that person. She feels it’s a job she was meant to do, helping athletes with their mental and emotional health, and I love how excited she is. Now, we’re just waiting for an email.
No matter what, I’ve said I’ll go anywhere. I just want to be with her. It’s been months since the dreaded six days of hell, but still, they haunt me. I love this girl, I want to be with her, but her staying in Nashville would work out great for me. I don’t want to leave my jobs. Not only am I working for the Bullies and the Assassins, I’ve been asked to be on the staff for the Nashville Aces, our football team. I haven’t committed since I’m unsure of the future, but then nothing else matters, as long as it’s our future.
“I’m ready for you two.”
She grins at me, and I grin back, getting up and heading to his workstation. I go first since I somehow lost rock, paper, scissors in the car. I’m still convinced it was because she grabbed my dick when she threw her paper. I had no choice but to throw rock, but she says she did no such thing. I felt it, and I know for a fact that she wasn’t looking for my car keys. She leans on my leg and watches as the guy gets started. I move her hair out of her face and ask, “When’s Posey getting back?”
“Hopefully the Assassins win tonight, and they’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Cool, and then we start the shitshow of wedding bullshit?”
She shakes her head. “No, after the Cup finals. July, probably.”
“Why are we celebrating a wedding before the wedding?”
“Because it’s Shelli?”
It’s a valid answer. “Will we make it?”
“I sure hope so.”
“You know what, I want to go on a trip.”
“I’m down.”
“To celebrate your graduation and all.”
She gives me a smile. “I thought this was celebrating that.”
“No, this is celebrating the all-consuming love I have for you,” I say, all dramatically, and she snickers. “I don’t know how men do this all the time.”
Aaron snorts. “I thought you were serious.”
Ally nods. “He is. He’s trying to act tough in front of you.”
“Ally!” She laughs as I squeeze her ass, but I laugh too. I really don’t understand why I resisted all this. But I’m glad I did all the years before now with Ally. If I struggled as an adult, no telling how bad I would have fucked this up as a teenager. But when she kissed me back in the hospital during my short stint as a pirate, I wish I had just told her how I really felt. How, when I looked at her, I saw my whole future laid out like a map. Could have saved me the six days of hell and alleviated some of the stress I caused. Now, though, I can’t stop my feelings for her. At every turn, she evokes a new emotion, and I love it. I love her. While she does stress about school, finals, and jobs, I truly believe that she’s happy. That I make her happy, because she brings such absolute joy into my life.
I really don’t know how I thought I could live without her.
Without us.
“Is Stella really moving out?”
I roll my eyes. The latest drama of the Brooks sisters is a knee-slapper. “She claims to be, but Emery doesn’t believe it. I don’t know what my sister was thinking when she cut holes in all Stella’s bras.”
Ally gives me a look. “Stella told the guy who came to bring Emery flowers that she wasn’t into him.”
I just look at her. “Apparently, he wasn’t good enough for her.”
Ally rolls her eyes. “Emery really liked him.”
“She’s a baby! She doesn’t know.”
“I knew I loved you at that age.”
I blink. “No one said you were the brightest crayon in the box.”
She glares and then leans toward Aaron. “Can you stab him a bit harder?”
I grin over at her as she gives me a sideways glance, but the spite doesn’t reach her eyes. No, those green depths promise me lots of kisses and loving when I get home. The tattoo goes quick, and soon it’s Ally’s turn. She holds my hand as he gets started, and I inspect mine. “Yup, mine is cooler.”
“He’s not even done with mine.”
“True, but my handwriting is shit compared to yours.”
She rolls her eyes as she takes a picture of me pointing to my tattoo. “I’m sending it to your mom.”
“You’re such an ass,” I accuse, but then I take one of her. “I’ll caption it, ‘Her first tattoo is of my face and my name.’”
“I’ll kill you dead.”
I snort as I tuck my phone between my legs and watch. She leans on my shoulder and says, “We should go to Disney World.”
I bring my brows together. “What? We’re not kids anymore, Ally T.”
“I know. But we can make it, like, a yearly thing.”
“A yearly thing?”
“We can go as pirates.”
I give her a dry look. “You’re not funny.”
“But, Ash, you’re the Jack Sparrow to the Black Pearl.”