Page 34 of Somewhere Between Falling

Chapter Nineteen

The sound of chirping birds, croaking frogs, and the rustle of new leaves as the breeze blew through the branches of the trees was our alarm clock.Everything was peaceful and magical.

“So what’s the verdict on your first camping experience?” he asked as we packed up.

“I have a feeling this wasn’t a normal camping experience,” I said, raking my fingers through my hair so I could pull up the mess of curls into a ponytail. The dewy morning was a little chilly, so I had slipped on the extra pair of gray sweats and a flannel shirt he packed. I was sure I looked ridiculous, but at least I was warm,plus I liked wearing his clothes.

“I need to stop by the library before you drop me off,” I told him once we had everything loaded into the car. I knew I should probably change first, but I was cozy so I didn’t want to yet.

“Of course,” he said, getting into the car. “Are you researching your next paper? Because we could just do that at my house.”

“No, I wish,” I told him as I buckled my seatbelt. “I’m actually picking up a study book for the LSAT. I take it soon, so I figured I need all the resources I can get.”

“So law school is still the plan, then?”

“It’s what my mom thinks I should do,” I responded with a heavy sigh.

“And what do you want to do?”

“I haven’t quite figured that out yet,” I said, leaning my head back against the headrest of his passenger seat.

“What would make you the happiest?”

“If I could pick anything in the world?”

“Anything.”

“Probably something with books, I think.”

Getting paid to read all day sounded like a pretty sweet deal to me.

“So do that,” he said, like it was easy.

“My mom would probably lose her mind,” I said sardonically.

“It’s not her life, though,” he pointed out gently.

I didn’t have a response for that, but he seemed to understand without words. He rested his hand on top of my thigh as we headed back into town.

He let me sit quietly in my own thoughts, lightly humming to himself to whatever song was on the radio, which was nice because I had a lot to think about. What would Mom say if I decide not to go to law school? Would she be angry? Disappointed? Or, by some chance, would she be understanding? Maybe she thinks this is what I want, so she is just being a supportive parent by encouraging it and keeping me on track? Maybe she doesn’t even realize this is not what I want? I have been so worried about disappointing her, but maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t be? I realized I was going to have to have a conversation with her sometime, and I should probably do it soon.

We got drive-through coffee on our way back to his place. I helped him get everything inside, and we showered together. He washed my hair; I washed his back. We spent longer than necessary soaping each other up and laughing playfully until finally the water grew cold.

I dried my hair the best I could with a towel before putting my clothes from yesterday back on.When I emerged from the bathroom, he was casually sprawled across the bed with one hand resting behind his head and the other hand petting Atticus who was purring very loudly. I thought about saying screw the LSAT and just staying with him in bed all day, but until I had a conversation with my mom, I figured I better follow through on my end. It didn’t make it any easier to leave him, though.

But alas, I had to take care of responsibilities first.

The car ride back to campus was much too short, and even though we had just spent the last twenty-four hours together, neither one of us was ready for it to be over yet.

“Want to come over tonight?” he asked.

At the exact same time I asked, “Can I come over later?” We both laughed.

“I’ll order pizza,” he said, pulling up to the curb in front of the library.

“I’ll text you later,” I said as I gave him a quick kiss before jumping out of his car.

The library was practically empty, which was fine by me since I was sure I looked ridiculous wearing the same clothes as yesterday with wet hair hanging down my back. I was eager to get to my room so I could change into my comfy study clothes.

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