Page 127 of College-Virgin & Dark Bully Next-Door

“You told me you love me finally. That’s present enough.” But he reaches into his pocket and takes a slow breath. “I got you one, too.”

“Ash!” I shove him. “You flew all the way here and gave me you!”

He chuckles and pulls out a black box. It’s not huge, but it’s bigger than ring size. I narrow my eyes at him, though. I just said the ‘I love you’. If he’s proposing, he’s going to be sad.

“Open it. It doesn’t bite,” he chuckles, then bites my neck. “Not like me.”

I open the box and see a silver bracelet. As I hold it up, I see different charms. There’s a stag beetle, a spider that looks like a black widow, another spider that looks like Dracula, a moth, a bee.

“Do you like it? It took me time to get all the bugs.”

I groan and press my face to his chest. He clasps it around my wrist. “I love you. I love how much you love bugs, how fearless you are, how determined and ambitious. I love your prickly sarcastic side and the soft side that I get to see when you start getting talkative. I love you, Skylar Bennett.”

I wipe my eyes and kiss him, holding his face between my hands. “I love you so much, Ashton. You’re so fucking thoughtful and even when you’re an asshole, you make me laugh. You push me in the best ways, and I love how you always surprise me.”

“God, I’m so happy I took this risk.”

I shake my head, remembering what he said when Bonnie left. “It’s just because you can’t fucking behave with me.”

He hugs me tightly. “Not a fucking chance, baby. I’m wrapped around your finger and loving every second of it.”

“Just give me at least a year before you start thinking about wedding shit.”

“Thinking or talking?” He teases.

I giggle and kiss him again before we take a picture together, bracelet included and send it to Bonnie. She video calls me immediately.

“Ash! You did it!” She squeals.

He nods and kisses my cheek. “And you were right. She liked the surprise.”

“Both surprises,” I argue. “Thank you, Bonbon. Warning would have been nice.”

“It wouldn’t have been a surprise, and I’m a romantic,” she argues. “Now you two have fun. Call me later. Love you!”

She hangs up, and I put my phone to the side after that. I give Ash all my attention, happily listening to his stories about traveling, all the things he wants to see and do together, including how we clearly need weirder décor in our house.

With every additional idea, every comment that includes me, with every warm smile, my heart grows bigger and bigger. I shake my head and climb onto his lap, wrapping my arms around him as I play with his hair.

He groans and presses his face to my chest as I keep scratching his scalp and tugging his hair. “Sky.”

“I love you more than I can even put into words, Ash.”

“You don’t hate me?”

“Nope. I love you.” I kiss his forehead. “Can you handle that?”

He beams. “I loved the way you hated me. I’m going to need a new word to describe how much I love you loving on me.”

“Better start studying the dictionary then.”

He beams and pinches my sides, making me squeal before laughing. “You loving me has me thinking about forever.”

“Forever sounds really good,” I say.

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