Page 109 of Stolen Summer
We stopped for coffee and a bathroom break because Frankie had a small bladder and couldn’t hold it worth shit, but we finally rolled onto the Whitley campus and headed straight for the front desk of the Zenith residence hall.
Frankie hung the silver ring from her finger, the key dangling as we hiked up the stairs to the third floor. Apartment thirty-six. We left the crammed car stuffed with our personal belongings, too eager to see where we’d be living for the next two semesters.
With a squeal, Frankie stuck the key into the lock and turned it. She smiled at me as she let the door swing open and tugged me inside. Together we stood just over the threshold and took it all in. Not that there was much to see, but I didn’t need much. What mattered was it was ours…for the year at least, which I’d paid for in advance with Crew’s money. For the first time in my life, I wouldn’t have to worry about the rent or mortgage being paid.
Although small, the apartment had everything Frankie and I needed. It was essentially two square rooms next to each other—the living space and the bedroom. A couch pressed against one wall, the TV directly across, which sat parallel to the galley kitchen. A well-used dinette oak table with only two chairs was nestled into the corner. The place had this wonderful lived-in mismatched vibe I could work with.
Frankie wrapped an arm around my waist, giving me a side hug. “We always said we’d move out together and we did.”
“It’s perfect,” I whispered over the emotion swelling at the base of my throat.
“It’s a work in progress, but I can’t wait to put our stamp on the place. Make it home.” By which Frankie meant leaving her shit all over the place.
She pulled me into the bedroom where two twin beds were wedged up against either side of the room, allowing just enough space to walk between. “You take the one by the window,” Frankie offered, plopping down on the other one. “Not the worst I’d ever slept on,” she said with an impish grin, her face so bright I swore the freckles dusting her nose were glowing.
I strolled into the attached bathroom and flipped on the light. A tub, a sink, a toilet, and a mirror. Basic but essential.
“So, what do we do next? Unpack?” Her nose wrinkled at her suggestion. “Explore? Order takeout? Find the frat houses?” Her brows lifted in excitement. “Take a nap?” Turning on her side, she snuggled her cheek into the pillow. Frankie was literally down for anything.
I went to what would be my bed and sat on the mattress. It groaned slightly. “How can you possibly think of parties at a time like this?” We had so much to do, especially with the beginning of classes only days away.
With twinkling eyes, she sat up, folding her legs into a pretzel on the center of her bed. “Do you want to start the semester off responsible and boring or daring and fun?”
I gave her a dull glance. “What do you think?”
“Arie,” she groaned.
“How about we comprise. We order takeout, unpack until the food gets here, and then we go searching for the frat houses.” I knew the last would make her happy. “But we’re only looking. No touching.”
She held out her pinkie finger between our beds, her expression very serious. “Pinkie swear.”
Leaning a bit forward, I hooked mine with hers. “Pinkie swear.”
With our fingers still entwined, Frankie hauled me off my bed and onto hers. We fell onto our backs, giddy laughter filling my chest.
I wanted this to be the start of something new—happier times, and I did my best to ignore the twinge of pang in my chest. My heart still ached just a little less severe every day. It was easy to say I’d leave all my baggage in Fallen Oaks and quite another to make it happen. But that was the thing with heartache, it couldn’t be forced away.
The first week at Whitley University went by in a whirlwind of unpacking, scoping out our classes, wandering the campus, looking for the best boba spot, attending parties, and soaking up college life. But most of all, I tried to stop myself from thinking of him. It worked some of the time, but during silent moments alone, my intrusive thoughts won.
Classes started Monday, and I didn’t feel ready. Or maybe it was more nerves. A part of me had a hard time accepting this was real.
I smacked my freshly glossed lips together and stuck the tube into my bag before seeking out Frankie. “First order of business…picking up our books and scouring the ads for a job,” I recited two items off my checklist.
“Aye-aye, Captain.” Frankie saluted me before returning to stare at the pile of clothes scattered over her bed. Only a few minutes ago, they’d been hanging in our shared closet.
“Get the fuck out of here,” I mumbled, my lips twitching.
Frankie smiled. Fully recovered, she looked good and had bounced back from a violent attack with an ease I lacked. The scars on her abdomen were still fresh but would fade over time. I hoped that would be true for any damage you couldn’t see on the flesh. Frankie excelled at covering her true feelings with snark and humor. “Where’s the bookstore?” she asked, tugging on what had to be the sixth top. This one was a cropped sweater.
“Across campus next to the library.”
Gathering her hair from under the knitted sweater, she let the auburn waves tumble down her back. “What are we waiting for, roomie? There’s an entire campus of new boys to discover.”
I shook my head unable to hide my grin. “I’ll let you study the male anatomy while I hit the books.”
“I can live with that.” She joked but Frankie was smart. She’d never been one of those students who had to try hard like me. It seemed almost unfair she had beauty and brains.
The sun had been playing peek-a-boo with the clouds all day, fluctuating between bright and gloomy. It was kind of a metaphor for my mood, but Frankie’s general love for life rubbed off on me when we were together.