Page 73 of Overachiever
I’ve done the unimaginable and left him speechless, even if it’s only for a moment. The joy in his eyes, the way his cheeks flush, it’s the sweetest thing. I can’t imagine ever being without him again.
It’s been a summer to remember. One full of lessons hard learned, but valuable enough to change my life. Everything is unpredictable even with the best of planning, and walling yourself off so nothing bad happens isn’t the answer. It’s about surrounding yourself with people who’ll ride out the hard times with you. Nothing seems as bad when you have someone who hurts when you hurt, and laughs when you laugh. Someone to help celebrate the wins, and mourn the losses. I want to be that person for Owen the way he is for me.
Life isn’t about minimizing risk to attain some future happiness. It’s about living and loving now, despite the obstacles and fear.
I can do that.
Epilogue
Owen
Nine Weeks Later
Remee’s message about wanting to talk to me didn’t sound worrisome, but sometimes I don’t know what’s going through her head. She has the night off work, and I waste no time getting to her place after my last class.
“Hey,” she says, dropping a kiss on my mouth when she opens the door. “That was fast.”
“Is something wrong?”
A nervous smile tilts her lips. “No.” Taking my hand, she leads me to the couch and sits down beside me. “I want to ask you something, and I know it’s really early so if you don’t think it’s a good idea, I completely understand. It won’t hurt my feelings if you say no, okay? Seriously.”
“Rem, you can ask me anything.”
Her tongue darts out to wet her lips. “You know Kelly is moving in with Layton?”
I had heard that. It’s only been a few weeks since Graham moved to Japan, but we haven’t had much luck finding a suitable roommate to replace him. Now, the girls are going to be looking to replace Kelly. “Serena told me.”
“Well, I was thinking. Instead of us trying to find a fourth person, and you guys trying to find a third, maybe you and Marty could move in here instead. You and I could, you know, live together, share my room. Like I said, if you think it’s too early or not a good idea, I understand.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I swear everything is coming up Owen. She giggles when I pull her onto my lap. “Let me get this straight. You’re so obsessed with me that you want me to move in so you never have to suffer through one second of Owen withdrawal.” She rolls her eyes as I continue. “So head over heels, devastatingly in love that even the thought that I’ll have to go home sometime is unbearable. You’re sitting here, asking me to put you out of your misery and give you twenty-four hour access to all this. Is that right?”
She smacks my chest. “Would you be serious?”
“I am serious. Does this offer include daily blow jobs?”
“No.”
“Topless breakfast in bed every morning?”
“Not a chance.”
“Unlimited ass and titty groping privileges?”
“You do that anyway.”
I wrap my arms around her and flip her underneath me on the couch. “But now I get to do it without interruption.”
Giggles spill out of her as I catch her nipple between my lips through her thin shirt. “Is that a yes?”
“It’s a hell yes.”
She slides a hand behind my neck and beams up at me. “Serena and Zara are on board, but we haven’t asked Marty yet.”
I hold up one finger. “Hold, please.” I’ve never typed out a text so fast in my life.
Me: Screw finding a new roommate. The girls want us to move in with them. Say yes or I’ll stand in your room wearing a thong and singing WAP every time you bring a chick home.
Marty: When are we moving?
