Page 63 of Awakened in September (Sleepless November Saga 4)

The three of them look surprised, but only Jesse has the guts to say anything about it. “Since when do you go visit a girl at work?”

“Since when do you flirt with a chick in public?” Jason adds.

Snickering at their disbelief, I walk towards the stairs. “As much as I’d love to chat about the recent changes to my love life, I have coffee to wash out of my hair.”

I can hear their whispers as I make my way up and into the bathroom, but I don’t care to listen. If I can’t make sense of the mysterious hold she has over me, I doubt they’ll be able to either.

BY THE TIME KAYLEIGH gets home, all I want to do is spend every second with her. Unfortunately, I get called downstairs for a frat meeting. Some idiot decided to leave one of our parties and got a DUI. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, we need to meet with the Dean to prove it wasn’t our fault.

“Alright then, just so we’re clear. None of you noticed he left. We collected the keys of everyone who was drinking that night but he lied and said he didn’t drive here.” Jesse repeats the story back to us.

Everyone nods and the meeting ends. I figure now is the best time to tell him about Kayleigh. After today, there is definitely no chance of her going back to the dorms any time soon.

“Hey Jess. I need to talk to you about something real quick.”

He nods and we walk into the kitchen, each opening a beer. “What’s up, H?”

I nervously run my fingers through my hair. “You may be seeing a lot of Kayleigh lately.”

“Well, I kinda figured that. You two getting serious?”

Shaking my head, I take another sip of my drink. “She’s going to be living here until Bree sorts out a roommate swap.”

His eyes widen. “A little soon to be moving in together, isn’t it?”

I chuckle. “Cut the shit, Jesse. We’re not getting married, and this isn’t permanent.” That last detail makes my chest hurt a little.

He laughs and pats me on the shoulder. “I know, man. I’m just fucking with you. It’s cool, just if someone asks – lie. We could get shut down if admin finds out.”

“Will do.” Turning to leave the room, I see Caleb leaning in the doorway, looking stunned. “What?”

He purses his lips and shakes his head. “Nothing. Just didn’t expect it, that’s all.”

I decide to ignore him, still pissed by his recent actions, and go u

pstairs to Kayleigh. As soon as I get in my room, I see her lying on my bed – sound asleep. She’s still in her uniform which tells me it wasn’t intentional. The exhaustion from work must have tired her out.

Carefully, I pull off her shoes and pants, then tuck her into bed. I could get lost in watching her sleep. The way she looks so innocent and peaceful – it has my heart doing backflips. This girl is a force to be reckoned with.

Chapter Nineteen

Kayleigh comes into the room, slamming the door shut and grumbling to herself. “Fucking bitch. I can’t fucking believe this. Stupid fucking student housing. Ugh. Fuck!” The last part comes out more as a shout than anything.

“Uh, is everything okay?”

She startles, almost as if she didn’t realize I was in here. When her eyes land on mine, they soften.

“Yes… No. Maybe? I don’t fucking know.” Throwing her purse down on the floor, she runs her fingers through her hair frustratedly. “Bree went to the housing office and they basically told us to suck it up. But of course, she won’t. She’s determined to make my life a living hell.”

Excitement pools in my stomach when I think about her not leaving any time soon. Still, I need to play it cool. I walk towards her and wrap my arms around her waist. “Hey, relax. You’ll just stay here, yeah?”

The hesitation on her face tells me she may not want that. “Are you sure that’s okay?”

“It is as long as you’re okay with it.”

She smiles shyly, making me melt at her innocence. “I am. I just don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“Impossible.”

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