Page 199 of The Perfect Love

I drop my mouth against hers. “Okay, that’s definitely hotter.”

We’ve gotten a little looser with birth control lately, switching it up between using a condom or the pull-out method depending on the time of the month. During her period, I get to finish inside her without a condom, and that is the best feeling in the whole fucking world. Even though there’s probably some microscopic risk, we’ve both agreed we want to have kids early on, so we’re not stressing about it. Granted, we’d like to be out of college before we start trying, but there’s only two months until graduation.

The last two years of my life have been an insane whirlwind, but being here with Chelsea makes all of it worth it. We’re both in good places with our mental health after everything that happened in the fall, though we’re preparing for more stress in the coming months. The trial is set for November, so we’re trying to enjoy our lives right now and not let any of that filter in.

“Oh, did I tell you I saw another apartment listing? It’s available the first of May, but since we’re done halfway through the month, that makes sense anyway,” Chelsea says.

“Good to know hot as fuck sex makes you think of apartment listings.”

She pushes me over and rolls on top of me. “I was thinking about how we’ll have a new apartment to christen, but if you’re going to be sassy about it—”

“I take it all back.”

“Good.” She leans down until her lips are hovering centimeters above mine, then leans over and grabs her phone.

“Tease.”

She licks up the side of my neck. “You love it.”

She’s not wrong.

“This one’s closer to Ida, but that probably makes more sense. I won’t be working at the campground as much. Plus, your job is in Ida.”

To my surprise, the Boys and Girls Club where I interned last year reached out to me last month because the Adolescent Program Director for the county is leaving, and they were impressed by the work I did as an intern.

I still had to go through the interview—and explain my arrest record—but it ended up working out. I’ll start right after graduation, and since the current director is leaving a few weeks before me, I’ll be thrown in the deep end, but after interning with the college athletic director this year, I’m confident and up to the challenge.

Chelsea will be doing a mix of things. Helping out here and there at her family’s campground over the summer—likely the last summer she’ll help out there—preparing to start her counseling master’s degree in the fall, and doing outreach for Promise, with a twist. The center in Ida where Rae has volunteered for years lost a lot of its funding and closed its doors, but because of how passionate Chelsea and Rae are, their boss from Promise convinced the board of directors to connect with colleges and high schools in Ida and work with them to have Chelsea and Rae do outreach there. And because my girl has no chill, she’ll also be working part time as part of a mentorship program run by one of the local colleges. She is determined to change the world, and I couldn’t be prouder of her.

Chelsea shows me the pictures, which look nice, meaning it’s probably just okay because the pictures make it look better, but okay is a step up from a craphole. She adds it to the list of potential options, but I haven’t seen anywhere yet that gives me the feeling of home. Anywhere would feel like home as long as I have Chelsea, but I want something that feels right.

I remember how my dad talked about his dream house—the one he never got to see—but even without that, he loved the little house I grew up in, and it had a strong sense of warmth and home to it. But maybe that was just my dad.

Missing him will never get easier, but I’m finding more ways to celebrate him.

Chelsea keeps Loganberry in the fridge all the time now. She got more pictures from my mom of me and my dad and hung them up without telling me. She’s always thinking about little things like that.

She’s so far past being my dream girl at this point. She’s my everything. Sometimes that still scares the shit out of me, but I refuse to let the part of me that’s scared to lose again prevent me from enjoying what I have now.

Chelsea throws her leg over me and rests her head on my chest. If I could stay like this forever, I would.

“I’m happy,” she sighs.

“That’s good. Glad to know you haven’t tired of me yet.”

“Never. You’re sweet, you smell good, you cook, you’re the best cuddler ever, and you’d do anything to protect me.”

“Wasn’t kill my way across a continent one of the requirements?”

She waves a hand. “That was forfantasybook boyfriends. You’re my real life one, and that’s so much better.” Her eyes flit to mine. “In fact, maybe I should upgrade you to a book husband.”

My eyes fly wide.

Did she just…

“Baby, did you just propose to me?”

She smiles innocently, pink dusting her cheeks. “Maybe? I don’t know. Didn’t we kind of do that already?”

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