As I gazed into his eyes, I was positive it was both.
Sixteen
“Good morning,” I whispered as I cuddled into Oliver’s back, wrapping my arm over his side and tucking my face into the crook of his neck.
Only a few hours had passed since he returned home, his alarm having gone off seconds ago, signaling it was time to get up for class.
His fingers landed on mine, clasping them together. “Mmm.” He rolled over and pulled me onto his chest, his other hand rubbing across my back. “Do you need to go to your dorm before class?” His movements paused while he waited for my answer.
“No.” My fingers were lost in his chest, rotating between the small patch of hair between his pecs and running across his collarbone. “I brought everything I need with me.”
He kissed the top of my head. “I like having you stay here.”
“Me too.”
The last time I’d spent the night, he’d just walked me home in the morning, but soon, I’d be getting ready in the bathroom he shared with Jake, and we’d ride to our class together—things I’d never done with a guy … before today.
“I think I’ll have time to cook us some breakfast.”
The thought of Oliver standing at the stove—a sight I would never grow tired of—should have filled me with the most intense warmth. And it did, but that was what made this even harder. “I have to talk to you about something.” My voice was so soft, not sounding like I’d just woken up.
That was because I hadn’t. In fact, I hadn’t even gone to bed, unable to get my mind off the conversation I’d had with Molly. I didn’t know if this was the right time to bring it up, but I had to say something.
He leaned up on his elbow to get a better look at me and searched my eyes before he said, “What’s wrong, gorgeous?”
I took a deep breath, unsure of where to start or how to say this. “Oliver, I’m fucking crazy about you.” I’d used his own words, but they were so perfect; there was no reason to change them. “But …” I shook my head, an ache moving through my chest that was threatening to strangle me. “I’m only here for the semester, and then I’m going back to Boston. And …” I didn’t know how the feeling could strengthen, but it was gripping me like the lock I tied around my bike in the city. “I know what that’s going to mean for us.”
I wasn’t experienced when it came to men. But I wasn’t stupid enough to believe a relationship could last when we lived thousands of miles apart and when we weren’t in a financial situation where we could afford to fly back and forth.
His hand was now on my cheek, his thumb rubbing across my skin, each pass making this even harder. We stayed like that for a while until he finally broke the silence. “Have you booked your return flight?”
A heavy pressure slid to the back of my throat. “No.”
When he went to my other cheek, he sent me a whiff of his cologne, and it felt like the lock twisted and narrowed around my throat.
“Stay for the summer,” he said. “You’ll have to leave the dorm, so move in here and fly back to the States when school starts.”
My mouth opened, eyes widening as I processed what he’d just said. “You want me to … move in with you?”
That wasn’t something I’d considered or thought was even an option. I’d planned on leaving when school ended even though I had no reason to rush back.
His stare intensified, shifting between mine. “I would like that a lot. Chloe …” His teeth ground across his bottom lip, his light-blue eyes turning more emotional. “I can’t change what’s going to happen between us or fix where we live, but I can buy us a little more time.”
In the softest voice, I said, “It still won’t be enough.”
“You’re right.” He kissed my cheek, leaving his mouth there. “But I have you through the summer, and you can bet your arse I’m not going to waste a single second of that.”
One thought plagued my mind as I stared at this handsome, wonderful guy.
How will I ever say good-bye to you?
Seventeen
“Is this what Maine looks like?” Oliver asked from the driver’s seat of Jake’s car.
I wrapped my other hand around his, sandwiching his fingers, as I glanced through the window at the countryside. “Almost identical.” I grinned, thinking of the magnificent hills we had in my hometown and the cabins that lined the road similar to here. “Both places are just beautiful.”
He hadn’t given me many details on where he was taking me for the weekend, aside from wanting to leave after his class this morning and that I needed to pack warm clothes for two nights. We’d spent the last six weekends together, and we hadn’t traveled more than ten miles outside the city. Now, we’d been in the car for over three hours, and I wasn’t even close to guessing where we were.
He pulled my fingers up to his mouth, kissing the tops of my knuckles just as he began to slow down the car. He turned off the main road and onto a gravel path, weaving us through a thick section of woods. It wasn’t dense like the forest of Maine but enough that I couldn’t see where it ended. We stayed on the narrow trail for several minutes before it opened into a clearing, a house sitting at the end.
“Oh, it’s adorable,” I said, looking at the stone cottage that was pretty enough for a fairy tale. “Is this where we’re staying?”
He shifted into park and nodded, the warmest smile growing over his face. “I’m happy you like it.”
He gave my hand a final kiss before he released me, and then he climbed out of the car. I followed, meeting him by the trunk, where he grabbed our bags and carried them up the front steps. The key was already in his hand, and he had the door unlocked and was holding it open for me.
The inside of the home reminded me of the camps back in Maine that my friends’ parents owned, where everything was an outdated shade and trimmed in a doily. But what I loved about places like this was their coziness, how the scent of the wood fireplace and the dusty books on the shelves made me want to snuggle and listen to all the stories.
I’d barely made it through the kitchen when Oliver came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, turning me to face him.
“You’ve been working really hard …” His hands hung halfway between my ribs and hips, thumbs swiping whatever they could reach on my body. “I wanted to take you to a place where I could get uni off your mind.” He brushed his lips across mine. “My flat isn’t far enough away, but this one certainly is.”
I shook my head, emotion burning the back of my throat. “You’re always so incredibly thoughtful.”
Balancing school and this wonderful man hadn’t been easy, and I was constantly struggling, trying to make it all fit in every day. Oliver was getting much more of my time than school was, and my grades weren’t nearly as strong this semester as a result.
“Thank you,” I said so softly, feeling the warmth of his skin seep through his sweater. “You are really all I need …” I swallowed, breathing through it. “But this, this is really special.” My body tingled as I gazed up at him, something that still happened every time he touched me.