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  Aaron gulped. “I won’t, Mr. Dey.”

  My dad nodded. “I’d better get back on the road before it gets dark.”

  My dad gave me a hug and kissed my check. “Call me if you need anything.”

  “I will, Dad.”

  ***

  Aaron grabbed my bag, and my hand, and we headed toward my dorm. He stopped at the front entrance and placed my bag on the ground. He took me into his arms and hugged me. Then he kissed me. His kiss was soft at first but became more urgent and needy.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” he said breathlessly.

  “Me, too,” I replied.

  “Is your roommate back yet?”

  I shook my head. “She’s not coming back until tomorrow.”

  He got a playful glimmer in his eyes. “Does that mean I get to spend all night with you?”

  I grinned. “I was hoping you would ask.”

  We practically raced into my room and seemed to have our clothes off within seconds. Aaron’s hands were everywhere and I felt like he was trying to reacquaint himself with every inch of my body. His mouth was even needier. It was as if he couldn’t press hard enough or thrust his tongue far enough into my mouth. We were both hungry, starving, for each other.

  He thrust his fingers between my legs and I gasped. “You’re so wet,” he whispered into my ear.

  “I visited my doctor over break,” I whispered into his ear. “I’m on the pill now.”

  He grinned. “I’ve never been with anyone without a condom.”

  “Never?”

  He shook his head. He had a twinkle in his eye. He grabbed me and with a quick movement, laid me on the bed and moved between my legs.

  I gasped when he thrust himself into me and he let out a moan. “Oh, Sunshine. You feel so good.”

  Him being inside me without the barrier between us felt so much more intimate and natural. He continued to thrust hard and quick, as if his life depended on it. It didn’t take long for both of us to burst with intense pleasure in each other arms.

  After our climax, neither one of us wanted to move. We didn’t want to break the connection we shared.

  Aaron kissed me. “I missed you so much, Sunshine.”

  “I missed you, too.”

  He brushed the hair from my forehead. “Can we stay like this forever?”

  I kissed his nose. “I don’t think my roommate would appreciate that.”

  “Then let’s just stay like this until tomorrow.”

  ***

  Olivia got back late the following evening. I gave her a big hug. Even though we had both spent more time with our significant others as the fall term ended, I still felt close to my roomie.

  Olivia’s eyes immediately fell to the pendent around my neck. “Wow, that’s some necklace. The sex must have been amazing.”

  I frowned.

  “Just kidding. I know how much Aaron loves you.” She made a point of overemphasizing the word loves.

  “And I know how much you just love to tease me.”

  She smiled. “What are roommates for?”

  I smiled back.

  “But seriously,” she continued. “Was the sex really good? Was it worth the wait?”

  “Absolutely amazing and totally worth the wait.”

  “You go, Girl!”

  “I missed you,” I said.

  Olivia got an odd look on her face. “About that. You may be missing me even more. Marney’s roommate failed her classes and dropped out. She’s got her room to herself this term.”

  I had to laugh. “I guess that means things are going well with the two of you.”

  “Absolutely amazing and totally worth the wait.” We both laughed.

  “And how did things go with your parents? You did tell them, didn’t you?”

  “Lucas made me tell them, which I both love him and hate him for, as only a sister can. My dad didn’t seem to care one way or another and my mom took it better than I expected. They’re still helping me pay for college, so that’s a plus.”

  “I’m glad. And where’s Lucas?”

  “You probably won’t be seeing as much of him, either. He’s got a hot shot internship with a big engineering firm. He’ll be working his ass off to impress them.”

  I sensed things were going to be different this term. My friends were going to be off doing their own things and I hoped to be spending more time with Aaron. It was bittersweet.

  ***

  I was disappointed that Aaron and I didn’t have any classes together Spring semester. It felt like something was missing. As much as I initially dreaded our weekly art project group, I grew to love the time we shared.

  Aaron made an effort to meet me for lunch every day, which was sweet. One day on the way from my late morning class to the cafeteria, an absolutely stunning girl walked by us. She could have been the most beautiful person I had ever seen. She had the face of an angel and a perfect body. What was really weird, though, was that as she walked by us, she stared at me the entire time with a strange expression on her face. I had never been anywhere with Aaron and had a girl actually look at me, or even glace at me, or even acknowledge my existence. Most girls were much too busy gawking at Aaron or flirting with him. This girl was different. It was like I was the only thing she saw.

  When I looked over at Aaron, he looked as white as a ghost. “Do you know that girl,” I asked.

  Aaron didn’t answer my question. Instead, he pulled me in the other direction and said, “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

  Over the next few days, I saw the beautiful mysterious girl around campus a few times and every time I saw her, she stared at me with the same strange expression. It was really starting to freak me out.

  I had another Thursday afternoon three-hour block class. This one was Art for Educators. Even though I didn’t want to be a K-12 teacher, my dad thought it would be a good class to have “just in case.” I didn’t mind. It was credits toward my major.

  The classroom was larger than the Introduction to Art class and when I stepped into the room, it was already beginning to fill up. I took a seat near the front, which was still fairly empty.

  A few seconds later, I noticed the beautiful mysterious girl enter. She scanned the room and her eyes immediately fell on mine. I felt as if she was staring right through me and the feeling left me cold.

  The girl sat a few seats away from me. She continued to stare at me throughout the class, which was unnerving and made it difficult to concentrate on the material the professor was presenting. Luckily, I was already familiar with everything the instructor discussed, so it didn’t bother me as much as it would have if I had missed completely new material.

  After class, I tried to hurry out the door but the girl cornered me and asked me to wait for a minute. When everyone cleared out, including the instructor, she began to speak.

  Although I was initially defensive because she was so insistent on speaking with me, she immediately disarmed me with her calm, almost serene demeanor.

  She had the most lovely ocean blues eyes, that sparkled with joy and I immediately felt at ease, even though I still wondered why she was so insistent about us speaking. My first thought, of course, was that she was a girl Aaron had been with at one time. Even though she was blonde, she was nothing like most of the bimbos, who usually vied for his attention.

  After her sparkling eyes, the next thing I noticed was the gleaming engagement ring on her left finger. It was a huge solitaire diamond that was hard to miss.

  The girl must have noticed me staring at her ring because she said, “My fiancé is doing a medical residency at the city hospital. That’s why I’m here taking this class. I already graduated a semester early, with a degree in art of all things. I’m trying to pick up a few classes so I can be a high school art teacher.”

  I smiled. “I’m an art history major.”

  She nodded. “I love to paint but there’s not much money in it.”

  We both stood there for a moment. I knew that w
asn’t what she had grabbed me to tell me so I waited for her to continue.

  She put out her hand. “My name is Chloe Wendell.”

  I gulped. Was it possible she was the Chloe? The girl, whose heart Aaron shattered in high school. He did look like he had seen a ghost the first time we both saw her. But why hadn’t he told me that was Chloe?

  “Has Aaron said anything about me?” she asked. Her expression was soft and kind. Everything Aaron had said about Chloe was completely accurate. But it begged the question, if he could so easily break her heart could he do the same to mine?

  I nodded. “I know you were his girlfriend in high school and that he cheated on you.”

  “That’s why I wanted to talk to you,” she said kindly. “I saw the way you were looking at him. You had so much love in your eyes. I can understand why he’s obviously so taken with you. You remind me so much of myself when I was in high school. I was head-over-heels for him. I thought he loved me but I found out he’s not capable of truly loving another person. When a person truly loves they can’t do what he did to me. It’s not possible.”

  I didn’t feel there was much comparison between the two of us. Chloe was breath-takingly beautiful with incredible elegance and obvious depth. Although I did feel I had depth, no one would mistake me for beautiful (even if Aaron said I was) and I definitely didn’t have Chloe’s elegance.

  Chloe continued. “I just wanted to warn you to be careful and guard your heart. I don’t want anyone to have to endure the kind of heartbreak I endured with Aaron.”

  I wanted to defend Aaron but I wondered what I could say that would make a difference to her. “I think Aaron’s changed a lot since you knew him in high school.”

  “I don’t think a person’s character can ever truly be changed,” she said and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I had often thought the same thing about other people. “The only reason I’m even mentioning this is because you seem like a very sweet girl. You have kind eyes and such a warm and sunny disposition. I know what Aaron is capable of and I don’t want what happened to me to happen to you.”

  It was interesting that, just like Aaron, Chloe used the terms warm and sunny to describe me. And thinking about that seemed to be the only thing that was keeping me from crying.

  Chloe patted my arm. “Please think about it.” Then she turned and left.

  I was so confused. I had so many mixed emotions and turmoil spinning around inside of me, I felt like I had just been overtaken by a tornado.

  I took a few seconds to compose myself before I left the classroom. As I exited the building, I noticed Aaron was waiting for me outside. I had completely forgotten we had made plans for an early dinner. He was going to take me for dumplings.

  Aaron ran up to me and asked me what was wrong.

  “Chloe Wendell is in my class.”

  I could see all of the blood drain from his face.

  “When we saw her pass by us the other day, I asked you if you knew her. Why didn’t you tell me she was your girlfriend from high school?”

  “I guess I panicked. I’m trying to start a life with you and I didn’t want to be reminded of who I was in high school.”

  “Chloe thinks you’ll break my heart just like you broke hers.”

  I thought Aaron might say something but he just exhaled. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. Then he looked at me with the most pained expression I may have ever seen and said, “What if she’s right?”

  I gulped. Was he admitting it was a possibility? That he really could break my heart? I shook my head. “No, I know you wouldn’t hurt me.”

  “How do you know that? I couldn’t bear to break your heart. It would kill me. Maybe you’re better off without me.”

  “How can I be better off without you? I love you.”

  His eyes locked with mine. “I know you love me but do you trust me? Do you completely and totally trust me?”

  I hesitated. He was right. I still had a few nagging doubts about him. “I don’t know,” I finally admitted.

  “And that’s my fault. I’ve given you reason not to trust me.” He sighed. “You deserve so much better than me, Rainy.”

  “What are you saying?” I tried to hold back my tears.

  “Maybe Chloe is right. Maybe I will break your heart. Maybe I should let you find someone with a good heart and soul. Not someone so broken and damaged.”

  I shook my head. “But I want you.” I could feel the tears now welling up in the corners of my eyes.

  “I want you, too, more than anything but I want you to be happy even more. I’m not sure I’ll be able to make you happy in the long run.”

  I didn’t realize the extent of the unresolved feelings he had concerning Chloe and what he had done to her. I also didn’t realize the inner demons he was battling. I thought about what Dr. Griffin had said about him and his vulnerability. It wasn’t until this moment that I realized the full meaning of her words.

  “I’m sorry, Rainy, but I need to go.”

  Before I could stop him, Aaron turned and left.

  I stood in the middle of the campus and cried. I felt empty and alone. Everything had felt so good and right between us when we were in Florida. It was one of the best times in my life. Now that we were back on campus, everything was a complete and total mess—again.

  As I stood there bawling, I felt a hand on my shoulder. When I looked up, it was Josh.

  “Is everything okay, Rainy?”

  “No,” I managed to get out between sobs.

  “Is there anything I can do?” There was obvious concern in his voice.

  I started wailing again. Josh put his arm around my shoulder and led me back to my dorm. We both stood outside the front entrance.

  “Is your roommate there?” Josh asked. “I’m not sure I should leave you alone.”

  “I’ll…be…fine,” I got out between snivels.

  Josh shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  Two girls were entering the dorm, so Josh grabbed my hand and pulled me into the dorm behind them.

  “What room are you in?” Josh asked.

  “212.”

  He led me to the elevator and we rode it to the second floor then he led me to my room.

  “Where’s your key?”

  I removed my key from my back pack and opened my door. The room was empty. Olivia had been spending all of her time with Marney.

  Josh sat me down on my bed then sat down next to me. He grabbed a tissues box from my desk and handed it to me. I grabbed one and blew my nose.

  “I must look extremely attractive right now.”

  Josh gave me a half smile. “You always look attractive, Rainy. Even when you’ve been crying.”

  “Thank you for helping me back to my room.”

  He nodded. “Does this have something to do with that guy from The Clubhouse?” he asked between clenched teeth.

  I nodded.

  “He’s not good enough for you, Rainy.”

  I knew Josh was trying to make me feel better but it wasn’t helping.

  “Do you want me to stay with you for a while?” he offered.

  I nodded. I knew if Josh left now, I would probably spend the rest of the night crying. I felt a little bit of comfort having Josh with me. It lessened the intense pain, even if it was just a little.

  Josh slid to the top of my bed so his back was against the wall and he patted the space next to him, so I slid up next to him. “You can rest your head on my shoulder,” he said.

  I hesitated. I was still raw with emotion and I wasn’t sure I was making good decisions as far as Josh was concerned. But I knew he was a nice guy and would never do anything inappropriate.

  I was starting to feel very tired, so I rested my head on his shoulder.

  I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up Josh had his head resting on mine and he was snoring quietly. I moved slightly and he stirred. I think he was just as surprised as I was that we had fallen asleep.

  He rubbed his
eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was even tired.”

  “It’s okay. I guess we both needed some rest.”

  I stretched a bit and so did Josh. Then our eyes met and Josh looked at me with so much tenderness, it tugged on my heartstrings a bit. The energy between us seemed to shift slightly and I thought Josh might try to kiss me.

  “I’m still in love with Aaron,” I blurted.

  A look of embarrassment seemed to sweep over Josh’s face. “I know. Of course, you’re not ready for a relationship with anyone else.”

  I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I didn’t think I’d ever want a relationship with anyone but Aaron. “I could really use a friend right now.” I ventured.

  Josh smiled. “Friends it is then.”

  Josh looked puzzled about something, so I asked him what was bothering him.

  “This may sound like a stupid question but why are you wearing a sunshine pendent? It seems a bit strange because your name is Rainy. Shouldn’t you be wearing a cloud with raindrops or something?”

  The pendent Aaron had given me on our trip had become such a part of me, I had forgotten I had it on. To anyone but Aaron, it would have seemed a strange memento to wear. Since I didn’t know exactly where my relationship with Aaron stood, or if we even still had a relationship, I removed the pendent and carefully placed it in my dresser drawer.

  ***

  I received an email from Dr. Griffin detailing requirements of the research internship. She wanted me to make a commitment to work on the book with her until I graduated, if it took that long, and I was happy to do it. I felt honored that she thought so highly of me. She even said that if the quality of my work was outstanding and my contribution was significant enough, she would consider making me a cowriter. That was all it took for me to immerse myself in the project. It seemed like all I had was free time anyway. Despite the fact that I had texted Aaron several times, he never texted me back. I debated phoning him but then felt like I should give him time if that’s what he wanted and needed.

  I also didn’t see much of Olivia and Lucas. Olivia spent all of her free time with Marney and Lucas had immersed himself in his internship. I felt sad that I didn’t get to see my friends very much but I was also happy for them because they both seemed so content.