“Sorry, I fell asleep.”
“Don’t be. Nate and I listened to sports radio.”
“That’s probably what put me to sleep.” I scowl. “Well, that and the half-dozen shots I got this morning.”
“Let’s get you to the couch. You can go back to sleep.” He unclips my seatbelt and lifts me.
“I can walk,” I try to argue but then rest my head on his shoulder, inhaling his scent.
“Are you sniffing me?”
“Sort of. I love the way you smell. Spicy, woodsy, citrusy…all you. I’ve loved this cologne since you were in high school.”
He stops and turns his head toward me. The look on his face is unreadable until his eyes grow soft. “It’s exactly the same with you. The perfume you wear is permanently etched into my brain. Every single time a woman is in the vicinity with that same scent, I automatically look for you.”
My heart swells, and I touch my lips to his. He holds me tighter as his tongue slips into my mouth. At the taste of him, my heart rate speeds up. I clutch his shoulders and twist my legs around his waist. It doesn’t occur to me that we’re still outside in the parking lot as I devour his mouth. Our tongues swirl together while the familiar burning builds in the pit of my stomach. We stay this way until a car drives by honking. Bryce breaks away, nipping my lower lip gently.
“You’ve got t
o be fucking kidding me,” Nate grumbles behind us.
“Sorry,” I squeak, completely unapologetic.
He rolls his eyes and passes us to grab the bags from the truck. I jump down and help unload.
Once we get inside, a sense of sadness washes over me. These next few days will be the last we spend in this apartment. There are a lot of fond memories that whirl through my mind. Bryce and I may not have spoken for a long time, but before I cut him out of my life, Quinn and I loved visiting the guys when we were seniors in high school.
Even with the Holli fiasco, the week I spent here on Spring Break was one of the best weeks ever. It was the first time, as a true couple, Bryce and I had a week together. I fight back the tears that threaten. Both men watch me carefully, reading the sadness in my face. Neither says anything as they wait for it to pass.
The apartment is not the only thing that has made me feel this way. Since the night we celebrated my trip to Rio, I’ve been blindsided with emotions regarding the upcoming changes in our lives.
In twelve days, I’ll be saying goodbye for six weeks. Bryce and Nate leave for Rhode Island shortly after. We’ll know more about methods of communication once they get there. But both have already prepared me that we won’t be having hours of Facetime like we did before.
OCS expectations are insanely high, and the training is intense. Bryce has promised to try everything in his power for us to talk daily, but we both know it won’t happen, especially when I land in South America.
So I glance around the room, committing it to memory, and plaster on a fake smile. “We’re getting the U-Haul on Saturday, right?” I ask Nate.
“Yeah, a few guys will be here to help load it up. We should be on the road back to Nashville by two or three.”
“Why don’t y’all start on your rooms, and I’ll do the kitchen?”
“Fine by me.” Nate grabs a few boxes from the corner and disappears down the hall.
“I’ll help you. My room can wait.” Bryce follows me to the kitchen with our own boxes.
“I’ll start with the cabinets. You clean out the fridge.”
He agrees and grabs the trashcan, while I get the dishes down and start wrapping. We’re silent for a few minutes, but I feel the heat of his stare.
“I know you’re looking at me.”
“I’m not trying to hide that.”
“Why are you looking at me?”
“Because you’re breathtaking. My eyes won’t come unglued.”
Tears blur my vision with his sweet words. My heart physically hurts knowing we’re about to be apart for so long.