Page 36 of Down My Chimney

“I know,” I said, my voice small.

“I got stopped on the street the other day.” Blake shook his head. “Someone actually asked if they could take a picture with me. That’s never happened before. I was just getting coffee, and she asked, all breathless. Like I was an actual famous person.”

“Well, clearly you don’t just lookhoton the internet, you also look friendly, or she wouldn’t have asked.” I nudged him with my elbow. “So there you go—you have two talents.”

“What a relief.”

We walked farther down the pier, talking about our upcoming finals, and the classes Blake had to take that summer. There would be an eight-day break, at least, between the day his last paper was due and when summer classes started. He promised to spend all of it in LA.

I knew he had to get back to San Diego that night, but when I asked if he wanted to head out, he shook his head.

“I don’t want to say goodbye yet.”

As the sun set, I snapped a picture of him in profile, looking out over the water. He looked gorgeous—duh—and a little sad, but the kindness in his eyes was evident. I sent it to him, and he insisted on taking some pictures together. For the last one, he snaked a hand around my waist and tickled me, making me shake with laughter. When I wasn’t looking, he pressed a kiss to my cheek.

“You’re gonna need to stop tickling me,” I told him, “or I’ll be forced to retaliate.”

“Oh yeah?” Blake grinned. “What are you gonna do?”

“Oh, I’ll think of something. Possibly involving a funnel and some frozen grapes.”

He gasped in horror. “You wouldn’t.”

“What, so it’s only my ass that’s allowed to be vandalized?” I said.

“It’s just that yours has had so much more experience with strange things going inside it.” He grinned. “Croissants. Vibrating anal beads. Twelve-inch rainbow dildos.”

“It’s only ten inches,” I said modestly. “And because I’ve been keeping to our agreement, my ass actuallyhasn’thad any practice with that one yet.”

“It sounds like we’ve got our work cut out for us then.” The look he gave me sent electricity straight to my cock.

“God, the end of this semester cannot come soon enough.”

* * *

It passed sooner than expected, all things considered. Between completing my own final projects and helping Noreen with her students’ performances, I barely had a moment to sleep. I was so loopy that when an email appeared in my inbox withArts Abroadin the subject line, I’d already opened it before I registered who it was from.

But the wordsYou’re Accepted!burned through the fog pretty quickly.

I stared at my phone in shock. I’d gotten in. This whole time, I’d been bracing for disappointment. Told myself it wasn’t going to happen. I’d spent the whole semester trying not to get my hopes up.

But I’d gotten in.

My heart was racing. I realized, suddenly, that was part of the reason I hadn’t wanted to apply in the first place. I hadn’t wanted to set my sights on something out of reach. It had seemed easier to pretend I didn’t want it than to contend with heartbreak if it didn’t work out.

But I’d gotten in. I’d never been to Europe before, never even left the country, and now I got to go to three different countries? Sure, I’d have to work like crazy all summer, and yeah, it was going to be hard being apart from Blake, but suddenly, Noreen’s words made a little more sense to me. This was an incredible opportunity. I couldn’t stop grinning.

Blake. I had to tell Blake. He’d made me promise to let him know the instant I found out.

I called, but it went to voicemail. I left a message, then texted him too, telling him to call me back because I had news. Then I paced my bedroom for ten minutes before realizing that I had too much energy to stay cooped up. I needed to move.

I needed to see him. I wanted to tell him in person. He’d driven up to LA to surprise me once. Why couldn’t I do the same thing?

Half an hour later, I was writing a note for my parents on the kitchen counter, telling them I was staying at Allyson’s for the night. That was the same thing I’d said back in February, and they hadn’t ever questioned it. I grabbed my backpack, shoved in a change of clothes and a certain rainbow dildo, and headed for my car.

Traffic was unsurprisingly terrible, but my good mood buoyed me through it. Even the fact that I still hadn’t heard back from Blake when I got to his building wasn’t enough to put a damper on things. He was probably just buried in work right now. I knew he still had two papers to turn in.

He didn’t answer when I called him again, so I got out of my car and buzzed his apartment unit on the building’s call box.

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