Page 91 of Perfectly Us
“You’re okay, I guess.”
I playfully shove against his chest. He lifts his head and gifts me with an adorable smile.
I’ve only known Shiloh for three months, but I’m head over heels in love with him. I thought the feeling might fade once the newness of the relationship passed, but it’s only grown stronger.
“Know what I like?” I run the tip of my finger along his sharp jaw. “Your apartment is so close to the college. I’ll get to see you all the time.”
Shiloh’s apartment complex is two blocks away from the dorm I’ll be moving into this coming Friday. He picked it on purpose to be closer to me. It’s a farther drive for him to work every morning by like fifteen minutes, but he told me it’s worth it. That I’m worth it.
Landon orders Chinese to be delivered as we’re unloading the last of the boxes. The four of us then sit at Shiloh’s new table to eat. The one-bedroom apartment is small but nice. The living room has two decent-sized windows and a balcony that overlooks the trees in the courtyard. I stare at a tree outside the window, the leaves a vibrant green.
“Are you boys planning on going to the carnival this weekend?” Jesse asks before taking a bite of chicken fried rice.
A summer carnival is held every August. I love going. I always eat way too much funnel cake and then try my best not to puke it all back up when my dumb ass goes on the Zipper, the metal cage flipping backward and forward as the ride goes round and round.
“I’m not sure.” Shiloh glances at me. “Do you want to go?”
“Only if you want to.” It’s hard to hide the excitement in my voice.
“Looks like we’re going,” Shiloh says before scooping up some noodles with chopsticks.
I gently kick his foot under the table, and we exchange a smile.
Later that night, we come together in his bed, hands exploring and teeth clanking as we get lost in a kiss. We pull at each other’s clothes and throw them to the floor. I kiss up his bare chest, tweaking his nipples.
Shiloh tilts his head back, his Adam’s apple protruding with the action, and I nibble it.
I straddle his naked hips and sink down on him. His big hands grip my waist as he stares up at me, his eyes heavy, lips parted.
“Fuck, you’re so hot,” I pant, starting a slow rhythm, taking him deep inside me, then gliding back up.
Shiloh softly moans. Nothing is sexier than seeing him taken by pleasure. A few minutes in, he sits up, slips his arms around me, and flips me to my back. He rests the backs of my calves along his chest, my legs sticking up in the air, as he pounds into me.
My damn eyes roll back.
Afterward, we lie on our sides facing each other, my arm across his stomach while he caresses my bicep. These moments after sex are some of my favorites. The intimacy of it gives me butterflies no matter how many times we do it.
“Mom talked to me today,” I say, my voice croaky. Probably from the intensity of my groaning while he was pounding my ass so good I saw stars.
“Yeah?”
“She asked if I had everything I needed for school. It wasn’t anything too serious, but I felt like she was trying, ya know? She wanted to know about my classes, and I showed her my textbooks. She even laughed a little when I told her I had to put up our house as collateral in order to pay for them.”
One book by itself cost me over two hundred bucks. In total, I paid almost a thousand dollars for all five textbooks. Thank god for scholarships. I still had to take out a student loan though.
“She asked about you too.”
A dip forms in the middle of his forehead. “She did?”
“Yep. I told her I was helping you move into your apartment today. I showed her a picture of us, the one we took the other day at the lake where I’m kissing your cheek. She thinks you’re cute.”
Shiloh hasn’t come over to my house at all since we started dating. And other than that one time when my dad went to the coffeehouse, he hasn’t met my parents either. I don’t really want him to. As much as my dad says he’s trying to do better, I doubt he’s ready to fully accept me as I am.
Some things take time. There’s a chance things could never work out too. It’s not fair. But that’s life. It won’t stop me from being happy though.
The whole world could be against me loving Shiloh, and I’d still grab his hand.
When Friday rolls around, I move into the dorm early that afternoon. It doesn’t take long to unpack everything. All I have to bring are my clothes and personal items. The dorms have two small bedrooms each and are fully furnished with beds, desks, and closets, and they gave us a couch and kitchen table. Though the couch is questionable. I’m sure countless people have banged on it.
