Page 128 of Love, Academically
“Rhys has told me what he did and he’s a fucking idiot,” she said. Jasmeet nodded. “I know a people pleaser when I see one. If there’s one thing I have learned from Rhys, it’s that you have to live your own life. But if you tell him I said that, I’ll never forgive you.”
Lila couldn’t find any words. “I, uh…”
“If you decide to be with Rhys, do it because you want to. Not because that will make him happy. Do it for you.”
Elin sat back and rested her hand on James’s shoulder, a smile on her face as she watched her brother.
Rhys was up there forher. He wasn’t just words and bluster. He’d taken something that he knew she loved, which he absolutely hated, and he’d done it in front of people, wearing a too-tight unicorn onesie.
If he was willing to do this for her, he would do anything.
How could she not.
Lila pushed herself unsteadily up from the table and weaved her way through the tables. Rhys dragged his eyes away from the words long enough to spot her coming towards him, and he messed up the next line because a heartfelt and breathy ‘Lila’ certainly wasn’t part of the song.
She cupped her hands to her mouth and called over the cheers, “Keep going, Rhys!” He pulled his gaze back to the screen.Stepping up onto the stage with him, Lila entwined her fingers with his and leaned towards the microphone to join in. The crowd hollered, and she could hear Jasmeet’s wolf-whistle from the back of the room.
Rhys turned to look at her, words no longer in his mouth and she smiled as the chorus came round again. He spread his hands across her cheeks, fingertips reaching round to the nape of her neck and turned her face to him. Lila reached up on her toes to kiss him.
“I love you, Miss Cartwright,” Rhys breathed before he ghosted his lips across hers, to raucous cheers and wolf-whistles from around the pub.
“I love you, Rhys Aubrey,” she whispered.
“Yeah?” he asked, an uncertain, vulnerable smile tilting his lips.
Gripping his arms, she kissed him back, not caring that they were on show for the world. It was just him and her, Rhys and Lila, Lila and Rhys.
“How could I not?” she said.
EPILOGUE
One year later
Lila
“No, Lila. I’m not having that there.”
“But Rhys,” she whined. “I really like it there. It’s the best memory ever.”
“Can’t you put it in your craft room or something?”
“No, because I want to remember this for the rest of my life. So, unless you want an unhappy girlfriend in this sparkly new house, then it goes here.”
“Fine,” Rhys said, rolling his eyes and adjusting the frame.
Of course she’d cut a still from James’s video of his infamous karaoke night, framed it, andof courseshe was hanging it above the mantel in the front room. And of course Rhys had pouted as soon as he’d walked in, but she didn’t care.
“Can you taste this?” she asked, holding out the wooden spoon.
Rhys headed into to the kitchen area and put the white wine he’d bought in the fridge. He slurped the tomato-y sauce off the spoon. “Mmm, perfect,” he said, kissing her hard on the lips.
“Rhys Aubrey,” she murmured against his lips. “If you don’t stop kissing me, no one will have any food tonight.”
“I don’t care,” he said, taking the spoon from her and placing it on the side. “I really don’t.”
Lila smiled against his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck.
After a few moments of his tongue massaging hers gently, Rhys pulled back.
