Page 78 of Matched

He fumbled for my hand, and when he found it, he brought it to his lips, kissing my knuckles. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” Holding his gaze, I cupped his cheek. The words that had seemed so hard to speak aloud came out easily. “I love you, Charlie Brooks. I love you so much. I can find another postgrad course, but I can’t find another you.”

36

This news was too important to be shared by text, and I’d already waited too many days to tell them. Hitting the button on my phone, I paced up and down my bedroom as I waited for the video call to connect.

There was a flash of a fence panel, followed by a blinding strip of sunlight, and then Gem and Rocky both appeared on the screen.“Charlie!”

“Hi. How are you two doing? The weather looks good there.”

“Yeah. Rock’s been mowing the lawn for me, and I’ve been pulling up weeds.” Gem flipped the camera around. “What do you think of the new stain we used on the fence panels?”

“It looks good. I miss you guys. Not long until I come home now, and I can help you with whatever still needs doing.” I paused. “How would you feel if I brought an extra person back with me?”

The camera switched back to my siblings, both of them wearing identical expressions of curiosity, and I grinned.

“Bet you ten pounds he’s gonna say it’s Nate,” Rocky stated confidently.

Gem’s brows rose. “Is it Nate?”

Was I that easy to read? “It is, in fact. I might have a boyfriend, and he might have decided to stay in London instead of moving to Plymouth.”

My words were followed by a flurry of congratulations, and then the questions came. When my phone beeped with the reminder I’d set, I realised we’d been talking for almost an hour.

“I’ve gotta go. I’m meeting some of my friends. I’ll see you next week, okay?”

After I ended the call, I crossed the room to my bedside table, where my little trophy sat next to my lamp so I could see it before I went to sleep. Stroking my finger over the smooth surface, I smiled.

“Over here!”

Bringing my bike to a stop, I dismounted and then wheeled it over to where Ander was waiting under a huge tree.

“Ander? What’s all this about?” I looked around, taking in the piles of bags, bikes, and assorted paraphernalia strewn across the ground. There was even a guitar case propped up against the tree trunk. “Why did Nate make me set a reminder on my phone? Where is he?”

“Surprise!” Ander shouted, spinning me around, and I watched as figures emerged from the tree line, gathering on the large open patch of grass.

“What’s happening?”

“Your boyfriend thought we should all play football for old time’s sake. Like when we were all training together. So we rounded up as many free people from the team as we could get. Nate wanted enough for a proper five-a-side match, and with the help of a few extra volunteers, here we are.”

They’d done this for me?

Fuck. There was a lump in my throat.

Nate reached me first, pulling me into him. I slid my hands up his arms. “Hi, mugger. I can’t believe you did all this for me.”

He dipped his head to place a soft kiss just below my ear. “Believe it. They didn’t need much persuading, anyway. Everyone wanted to come, but some of them were working or doing assignments and exam revision. Elliot came through at the last minute—he got his cousin to come, and Ander somehow persuaded JJ to bring Killian.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “Apparently, he’s got good ball-handling skills, although I’m honestly not sure which kind of balls he’s referring to.”

I smirked at the sight of Elliot eyeing Killian with caution, but I noticed that they both looked much more relaxed around each other than the times I’d seen them on campus. Here, there was no distinction between student and teacher. Just a group of guys preparing for a kickaround in the park on a sunny afternoon.

“Levi and Preston both wanted to come, but they’re away with their boyfriends, and Travis and Damon both have big projects they have to submit by tomorrow, so Elliot’s gonna play, as well as Cole and Hux. That way, we have ten people, and we can do a five-a-side match,” Ander announced, sidling up next to me and throwing his arm across my shoulders. He pressed his cheek into mine, his face close to Nate’s. “This is cosy, isn’t it?”

“Get away from my boyfriend.” Nate shoved at him, and he smirked.

“Sorry, Nate. Do you want me to cuddle you?” Before Nate could respond, Ander moved, hugging him from behind.

Used to the antics of my housemate, I sighed as I stepped away from them both. “It’s best to humour him.”

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