Page 148 of Choosing You

“Whatever. But it’s not what kept us up all night.”

“Maybe not, but it definitely started things.”

I put on my dress. Garret comes over and zips it up, then gives me a kiss. “I’ll meet you downstairs.” He grabs a towel and heads down to the showers.

I hurry back to my room, hoping I don’t run into anyone. Given what I’m wearing, it’s obvious I spent the night somewhere. Everyone on my floor assumes I’m dating Garret, so it’s not like they’d judge me over it, but still.

When I put my key in the door, it jams. I wiggle it side to side. Still jammed. I keep moving it different ways but it won’t budge. I’ve never had a problem with this key and now it decides not to work?

Jasmine, my RA, has a spare key, but I’m too embarrassed to show up at her door in an evening gown and heels on a Sunday morning. I go back upstairs to Garret’s room.

I knock on his door, but he doesn’t answer. He must still be in the shower. I open the door and go inside. Garret never locks his door when he goes down to the bathroom. It’s completely crazy to me, especially given all the expensive electronic equipment he has in here. I take a seat on his bed and wait for him to return.

He comes in a few minutes later. “What’s this? You missed me so much you came right back?” There’s that cocky smile. And today it’s accompanied only by a towel wrapped around his waist.

I try to stay focused. “I can’t get the door to my room open. Can you try?”

“Sure. Did something happen to your key?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Hold on. Just let me get dressed.” He goes to his closet and lets the towel drop to the floor.

“Garret! You didn’t even warn me this time.”

“Seriously, Jade? After what we did last night you can’t look at my naked ass?”

“No. Not in the daylight.” It’s such a lie. I love looking at his naked ass. And his naked everything else.

“Well, too bad. Because it’s yours now, so just enjoy the view.”

I don’t say anything, but simply do as he says and enjoy the view.

Once he’s dressed, we head back downstairs. He has trouble with the key, too. “Are you sure this is your key? Maybe you picked up someone else’s.”

“I used that key to lock the door last night and then we left for the fundraiser, so it was with me the whole time.”

He tries again, wiggling the key while he pushes the door back and forth. Eventually it opens. He hands me the key. “Tell Jasmine to fix that lock. Something’s wrong with it. I’ll go get my stuff and be right back.” He disappears into the stairwell.

I open the door. “Garret!” I yell it really loud, forgetting that I’m probably waking everyone on my floor up. I hear Garret racing back down the stairs.

“What is—” He stops when he sees the inside of my room. It looks like a tornado went through it. The sheets and blankets are torn off my bed and the mattress is half on the floor. All of my dresser drawers have been taken out, the contents dumped out into messy piles. Textbooks and notebooks are scattered everywhere. My laptop is still there on my desk, but it’s open, as if someone was using it.

The desk drawer is the only thing left intact. I slowly open it, noticing that my hands are shaking. Inside, everything is as I left it. Except for one thing. My mother’s letter.

CHAPTERFORTY

“It’s gone.”I’m so shocked I can barely speak.

“What’s gone?” Garret asks. “What did they take?”

“The letter. That guy came for the letter. He took it.” My whole body is shaking now.

“The guy who called you? He did this?”

“It had to be him. Who else would want the letter? He was in my room. That psycho guy was in my room.”

Garret pulls me into his arms. “It’s okay. He’s gone now.”

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