Page 79 of Setting Limits

She has a point. “But how do you let it go?” Shay’s been at this longer than I have. Surely, she has some tips.

“I don’t know. I just do.” Not so helpful. She releases a heavy sigh, and I know she’s trying to puzzle out a way to help me. “It’s easier said than done, but sometimes you have to try to trick your mind into thinking he’s here. Pull up your favorite memory or a time you can clearly remember falling asleep next to him. Trick your mind into remembering his smell. It’s why I wear Lochlyn’s shirts to bed. It helps.”

Never could I have pictured that I would be this girl who’s practically beside herself and can’t sleep without her boyfriend. But Weston has taken over so much more than just my heart. It’s like he’s taken over my soul, my entity, my being. Shay once said that her love for Lochlyn was all-consuming. At the time, I had no idea what that meant, but I think I get it now. At least a little.

I don’t have any of Wes’s shirts, but the part of the bed where he sleeps still smells a little like him. With a quick shimmy, I’m right over that spot, nuzzling my face into the sheet. Shay’s right. His spiced scent immediately warms me to my core, and my muscles start to loosen.

She’s clearly onto something here. I’ll have to steal a few shirts from Wes the next time I’m at his apartment.

The sleep that had been evading me for hours on end finally starts to overtake me, and I hear Shay give a content sigh before falling into unconsciousness.

The next morning, I’m even more tired than I expected, and Shay’s not much better. A knock at the door has us both looking at it and groaning.

Shay hops out of bed and shuffles over while I flop back to the bed.

“Good morning, baby girl.” I tip my head back just in time to catch Lochlyn leaning down to give Shay a quick peck and hand her a cup of coffee.

She walks in holding the paper cup between both hands, lifting it to her mouth to take a sip.

“None for me, big bro?”

“Why would he bring it when I can?” Wes comes through the door just in the nick of time, and Lochlyn gives me a face with raised eyebrows, a half grin, and his head tilted to the side. It’s his “ha ha, see?” face. I’ve known it almost my whole life.

“How did you guys know we’d need this?” I sit up, taking the cup from Wes as he leans forward and brushes his lips against mine.

He lifts one shoulder and hops up on the bed next to me. “I saw you online a lot last night. And Shay’s mentioned something to Loch in the past about her own inability to sleep without him, so I figured if you were up, it was probably the same.”

“Not to mention, we both ran into each other in the kitchen at three o'clock this morning ’cause we were having trouble sleeping, too.” Lochlyn’s not afraid to lay it out there and leans into Shay to kiss her shoulder and nuzzle her neck.

“Aw, did you miss me?” I bump my shoulder against Wes’. Caramelly deliciousness hits my tongue the second I take a sip, and a low “mmm” leaves my lips.

“Of course, I did, sweetness. My little spoon was missing.” He throws his arm over my shoulders and tugs me to his side, kissing the top of my head.

The second my cheek hits his chest, my eyes flutter shut, heavy and begging to stay closed. Just his mere nearness, and I’m ready for sleep.

He jiggles me gently. “No, no, sweetness. You have class. I’m walking you there myself to be sure you make it instead of choosing to stay here. And then I’ll sit with you while you take a nap later.”

“Mmm, that sounds so nice.” I haven’t napped in ages, but taking one with Wes sounds amazing.

“Alright, ladies, we’ll step out while you get ready, and then we’re walking you to your respective classes. Baby girl, I’ll wait for you in the library, like always.”

The boys leave to wait, presumably in the hallway, maybe downstairs. We’ll find out soon enough as we head for the showers. They’re nowhere to be found, so they must be waiting in the entryway.

“Bringing us coffee was really sweet of them. I don’t think either of them have class until almost noon today. They could have kept sleeping.” I can tell how excited Shay is to see Lochlyn earlier than planned.

And I have to admit, I feel the same way about Wes. Who’d have thought I’d find a guy who can have such an intense hold on me?

Chapter 41

“Chelsea.Weneedtotalk.” Uh oh. That’s never a good sign. Wes and I have never had one of those “we need to talk” type of chats. The most serious we ever had was the birth control discussion. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and this will end the same way.

“Okay. What is this about?” I set my things down and sit next to him on the couch, my fingers immediately twisting together.

“Well, as you know, graduation is a few weeks away. And I had put my information in to stay at Cornell. But then I got a call from a company in California. I thought it was just a chat. They have a satellite location in Syracuse, so it seemed great.” He pauses, and it doesn’t feel like it’s for dramatic effect. “They offered me a job.”

“That’s great, Wes.” Yet it doesn’t feel great. Syracuse is only an hour away, not a terrible commute, so we could move midway. But it feels like there’s more to it than that.

“It is. Except they want me out in California. They’re willing to pay for me to get my graduate degree…but only if I do it at Stanford.” His lip is between his teeth, and I can see the tension in his body, the hard set of his jaw.

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