Page 55 of Game Changer
“Oh, you thought I was sticking around? I just dropped off the books.” He laughs when I swat his arm. “Okay, but in all seriousness, helping my girlfriend write a paper shouldn’t be something girls rave about. The bar is really fucking low, huh?”
“You havenoidea.” The little things mean the most to me, and that’s what he doesn’t realize. I don’t need fancy jewelry, designer bags, or a luxurious car. Having him go out of his way to bring me a coffee and help me with my paper matters more than all those things combined.
“Well, let’s get started,” he says, flipping one of the texts to the first page. “This paper isn’t going to write itself.”
~
Three hours later, I’m walking hand in hand with Ethan back to the dorm after submitting my completed assignment.
Now that the deadline isn’t hanging over my head anymore, I feel light and carefree, and so fucking giddy that I get to call him my boyfriend. We knocked the paper out in three hours, a record time for me. I’m on cloud nine as I huddle closer to his side, relishing in his warmth. It’s a shame he’s so self-conscious about his body because I wouldn’t change a damn thing about it. I like him exactly the way he is.
It’s getting colder, and my choice of a T-shirt and shorts wasn’t the brightest. Then again, I didn’t expect to be at the library all day either. Ethan notices and strips his sweatshirt off and passes it over to me. I make no complaints when I slide the fabric over my head, his scent and warmth causing my chest to become warm and fuzzy.
I lift the sleeve to my nose and inhale deeply. “It smells like your cologne.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Averygood thing. On the nights we don’t sleep together, I miss it. I mean, my sheets carry a hint of it, but nothing like this.”
His eyes soften a fraction. “Keep it. I have plenty more of them.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” He briefly glances down at my bare legs, his lips twitching at whatever he sees. “It looks adorable on you.”
The fabric swallows me whole. I highly doubt I lookadorable, but before I can offer a rebuttal, he tugs at my hand and leads me through the quad, my favorite spot on campus.
I guess I appreciate it so much because it’s a constant reminder that everyone is unique in their own way. Some kids are lying on a picnic blanket reading textbooks while some jocks are passing a football by the science building. One girl has her back against a tree with a sketchpad tabled on her knees, deep in thought, as she scribbles away with charcoal. We all have different interests and hobbies, and college is the place where we try to turn those hobbies into the rest of our lives.
It’s as clear as day who these people want to become.
And it gives me hope that my time here will clarify that for me as well.
We pass the statute of Pete the Bulldog—the school’s mascot—and continue walking until the dining hall comes into view. Our dorm is just over the hill, the building Ethan keeps heading for until I pull out of his grasp.
“I’m starving,” I admit. “Let’s eat something first.”
He draws up short, sending me a sympathetic grin. “I can’t stop today. I’ve got a meeting I can’t miss.”
“Ooooh,” I taunt. “Is this a follow-up meeting to the one you were so secretive about during yoga?” When he doesn’t answer right away, I bounce from foot to foot impatiently. “Come on! Tell me. What is it?”
He rolls his eyes. “Remember what I told you before? It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, now would it?”
“Well,no, but it’d make me happy.”
“And youwillbe happy once I feel confident enough to share it with you.”
What the hell is he up to? Over the past few weeks we’ve fallen into a comfortable routine with each other, but every Wednesday night he mysteriously disappears to whatevermeetinghe has scheduled.
The old me, the one who is used to dealing with toxic guys, wants to question him further about it, but deep down, I know Ethan is nothing like the boys from my past. He wouldn’t screw me over or mess with other girls. Whatever he’s hiding from me, he has a reason for it, and I trust him implicitly.
Leaning up on my tiptoes, I kiss him quickly. “Okay, fine. You’ll come over after, though, right?” My hand drags down his chest, covered only by a T-shirt, and I love how his pupils dilate from the slight touch. “I’ve been thinking of alotof ways to say thank you for helping me with that paper . . .”
“Maya.” He groans, knowing precisely what I’m referring to. “Come on. Don’t make me walk back to the dorm with a raging hard-on. Leo already teases me enough.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Batting my eyelashes innocently at him, I continue to act oblivious. “All I’m offering is to wrap my lips right around your thick—”
He throws his head back and laughs, slowly backing away from me. “Nuh-uh. You’re trouble! I’m not falling for it.”
