Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
"I’ve never hit you before," I say, putting the beer to my mouth and taking a pull. "I would hate to do it now." I look around, spotting her right away as she stands with my three sisters, each of them with a wineglass in their hand. The light pink dress she is wearing molds her figure, and I can’t wait to tear it off her. My cock gets hard just thinking about it. She must feel me looking at her because her eyes find mine, and she smiles at me.
He just laughs at me. "Relax there." He holds up his hand. "I’m not after your woman."
"Good to know," I say, turning back to him. "You look like shit," I say, and he laughs.
"Fucking finals," he says, shaking his head, and I close my eyes.
"Don’t remind me." I take another pull of the beer.
"When are you done?" he asks, and I look over at him.
"Four weeks," I say. "I have my board certification exam, and then it’s done." I look up at the ceiling. "It’s been a crazy four years."
"Did you decide what you are doing after?" he asks the loaded question, and I look over at Harlow.
"No clue," I say. "I’ve never really brought it up." My stomach burns when I think about actually having this conversation.
"I mean, you can always do long distance," he offers, and I shake my head.
"Fuck no." I shake my head. "Long distance never works for anyone, and it just makes everyone resentful of the other. I’ll never do long distance."
"I think that you really need to discuss this with her," he tells me, and I know he’s right, the beer starting to burn in my stomach. I nod at him, turning and not seeing her.
"I’ll see you later," I say, and he gives me a chin up before I walk away and look for her.
I stop when I see a couple of people I didn’t say hello to, and then I see her talking to one of my mother’s friends. Zigzagging through people to get to her, I hear the conversation as soon as I start to get close.
"So, what will you do after graduation?" Maureen asks her.
"Well," she says, looking down nervously. "Probably going to head back to the farm." Her whole face lights up when she says it. "My dream was always to open a practice there." My stomach sinks when I hear her say the words. "But I have to pass the exam first and then go from there."
"That sounds lovely," Ruby says. "I bet your parents are going to be happy you are home."
"Yes," she says softly. "They are." She brings the glass of wine to her lips and looks up and sees me. "Hi," she greets, and I smile at her, the whole time my stomach burns more and more.
"Hi," I say softly and then look around the room, not sure what to say or where to look. "Having fun?" I ask her awkwardly, and she just looks at me strangely.
"Are you okay?" She chuckles as Ruby and Maureen slowly walk toward the bar.
"Yeah, just tired,” I lie to her. "Dreading going back home. It’s going to be hell the next four weeks."
"You’ll be fine. You are acing all your classes, and I’m not going to say this again. You might even beat me." She tilts her head back, and when she does this, I know she wants me to kiss her lips. I lean down and kiss her lips quickly, and that just makes me feel more like an ass.
"Time will tell," I say, bringing the beer to my lips, ignoring the pressure filling my chest. "Time will tell."
eleven
Harlow
I look down at the textbook, the words not even registering in my head. The last two days have been so weird I can’t even explain it if I wanted to. Everything was fine until the night of the wedding, and then he started acting very differently. I look over and see that it’s almost five, and I know he’s leaving the clinic. I pick up the phone and call him, expecting him to answer right away. Instead, it goes to voice mail. I hang up the phone and text him.
Me: Hey, want to study together?
I press send and look down, waiting for the three dots to come up, and when they do, my heart speeds up faster than before.
Travis: Already had plans to study with the boys. I’ll call you later.
"What the fuck?" I say, looking down at the phone. I let my anger get the best of me and text him.
Me: Let me know when you have time. We need to talk.
I wait for his reply, and when he doesn’t answer, I throw on my jacket and go over to his place. The whole time my heart is pounding against my chest so fast it’s almost as if I’ve run to his house instead of walked at a brisk pace. I keep going over everything in my head, trying to pinpoint if I did or said anything wrong. I walk up the stairs or better yet pounce up the steps.