🌹Rosalie🌹

Seven Months Later

Heat surrounds me, the sun shining bright through the window, hitting my back and flooding my skin. That's not the reason I'm wrapped in warmth, though. That would be the pair of arms draped around me, pulling me tight into his chest. Nolan lays beside me, my head on his chest, his hands sliding slowly up and down my side.

"How much time do we have?" I whisper, squeezing him tighter against me. These moments, the ones where we're completely alone in my room, are hard to come by. But with his dad leaving early for work and my mom busy at the salon on a day like today, it opened a small window for him to come over and for us to be alone.

"Your mom will be back in a couple hours. But we have to leave sooner than that," he answers, placing a kiss on my head.

"Can we just stay here a bit longer?"

I can feel his smile, his arms pulling me tighter against him. "And miss our graduation?"

Running my hand along his abs, watching every muscle flex beneath my touch, I say, "I'm willing to make the trade."

He turns, quickly shifting his weight and bringing himself on top of me. "As much as I'd love nothing more than to stay in this bed with you for the rest of the day, something tells me our parents wouldn't exactly be on board with us skipping graduation."

"And something tells me they wouldn't exactly be thrilled with you lying naked in my bed right now."

He smiles, leaning down to press his lips to mine. Nolan officially owns another first of mine, a few firsts to be exact. But giving him this piece of me, felt like a final wall that dropped, something that freed a piece of my heart. Because sex is so much more than just sex to me. It's a layer of vulnerability, of opening my heart and body so completely to him in ways I once never thought possible. Part of it was his unwavering patience, his love and that way he looks at me, like I'm the air he needs to breathe.

And the other part was me. It was seeking therapy every week. Working every damn day to break down my own walls, to look in the mirror with a smile, with hope. I don't hate the person looking back at me anymore. There are flaws, sure. I don't think I'll ever see the perfection Nolan claims when he looks at me. But there's no hate in that reflection. There's work, small steps, glimmers of things I find beautiful. Every day is a small step, every day is a work in progress. But it's my journey.

"Do you think they'll ever get married?" I ask, letting my thoughts drift to our parents. To the two people who gave up their fairytale to let us live ours.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't they?"

I look up at him, thinking about how the year has played out. Mom and I moved out that week she placed the key in my hand. We made a home in this very place, a small two bedroom house that has felt like a true home. Her and Darren have spent most days together. Sometimes he comes here for dinner, other times we go there. They've even taken a couple weekend trips together, just the two of them.

"They haven't talked about it. Not since we moved out."

He nods, the worry clear across my face as his eyes fall. "That doesn't mean they won't still walk down the aisle."

"I know." I nod. "But sometimes I worry that we might have screwed up their chance at a happily ever after. You know, with the whole town now knowing about us?"

"Hey," he says, his hand on my cheek. "Falling in love with you is the best thing that has ever happened to me. And if their love is anything like that, they won't let this get in the way."

He's right. I know that he is. But I also know my mom, and I think I know Darren now, too. They'd give anything to make us happy. It's why they put their marriage on hold, no date in sight. It's also why my mom got her own place, put distance between them all for Nolan and I to form something deeper. They sacrificed their love story so we could build our own.

"I hope you're right, Nolan."

"I am. Besides, the town loves us together."

I laugh. When we first stepped out, hand in hand for all to see, we didn't get as much flack as we thought we would. Granted, we waited a month after I moved out to go public, but rumors were already spinning. Side eyes and whispers followed everywhere we went. But once the shock wore off and people could see what we had, things settled. Mostly.

"I wouldn't go that far," I say.

"We were voted most likely to stay together. I think that says something."

His mention of our picture in the "Most Likely To..." section of our yearbook has me laughing. "Yeah, because our parents are engaged. We don't have a choice but to be linked forever," I joke, eye roll and all.

He presses a kiss to my lips, his hand along my cheek. "It says they believe in us, Red. In what we have."

I nod, taking in the blue lost within his eyes. "As weird as this whole family tree could get," I say, settling back into what I fear most. "I don't want to be the reason our parents miss out on a great love."

He smiles. "We won't be. I won't let that happen, okay?"

I believe him. With everything I have I know he'll fight for their love just as desperately as he'll fight for ours. "Okay. Maybe when we're in New York, they'll get to go back to how it was. Maybe us leaving is exactly what they need."

He nods. "Exactly. And you and I will have every morning to wake up just like this," he whispers against my lips.

I smile up at him, basking in the glisten of his eyes. "I don't think the dorm rooms are exactly going to allow that."

"Come on, Red," he says. "Fantasize with me."

I take a breath, feeling his chest against mine. "Okay."

"New York," he says, pressing a kiss to my lips. "Miles away from all of this. Just you and me, holding hands in the street, not a soul knowing our story." He places a kiss against my neck. "The privacy of our own rooms. You dancing at your dream school, on your way to becoming a principal dancer." Another kiss below my ear.

"And you," I breathe out, arching my back. "Earning a starting position, catching the eye of the NFL."

He nods, opening his mouth along the sensitive skin of my neck. "Dinners in the city."

"Going to the Ballet," I add as he continues his way down my neck.

"Getting our own place," he says against my collarbone.

I pause, running my hand through his hair. As he lifts his eyes back to mine, I look at him. "Is that something you want?"

"To wake up to you everyday? Yeah, Red, that's something I want."

I smile, letting the warmth cover my cheeks. "We still have a lot of things to figure out. We'll be in the same state, less than an hour away from each other, but still living two different dreams."

He brings his hand to my cheek, holding my gaze with his. "I don't see them as different." I run my hand along his back, letting his words settle along my chest. "I want you, Red. For always. And that might sound crazy, but I know that no matter what happens in the next four years, you're my future. You're what I want."

"You're what I want, too, Nolan."

He smiles before he brings his lips back to mine.

***

"We're going to be late," I say, pulling my dress over my head. The black fabric flows from my waist, the red roses etched perfectly around the hem, working a detailed pattern up the panels of the skirt.

I brush my hands down my sides, glancing in the mirror to adjust my hair. The vibrant shade of red falls in curls around my shoulders, cascading down my back. I twirl a few within my fingers, pleased with the way they bounce. Next, I check my make up, making sure everything is in place. My eyelashes curve, accentuating my round eyes. I once despised the way my eyes popped from my face, but I've found acceptance in their unique beauty.

Nolan comes up behind me, his hands wrapped around my waist as he looks at our reflection in the mirror. "You're beautiful," he whispers, dropping his chin to my shoulder as he hugs me to his chest. "And this dress...you realize this is all I'm going to be thinking about while we're sitting on the field today."

I smile, taking one more look at the way it clenches at my waist, showcasing the curve of my body. "It is the perfect dress," I admit, allowing myself to take in my reflection.

"I'm pretty sure you make it perfect, Red," he says, placing a kiss along my shoulder.

I spin, bringing my arms around his neck as I look up at him. "You know, when I first came here, there's no way I would have ever been able to stand in front of a mirror and see anything but the flaws." His hand slides up my back, holding me against him as he lets me continue. "Thank you for helping me see the beauty that's in there too. For seeing it before I did."

He brings a hand up to my cheek, his thumb sliding along my skin as he looks at me. "You stole my breath the moment I first laid eyes on you, Red. All I've ever wanted is for you to see that. To know just how beautiful you are." Heat fills my cheeks, his smile bright as his eyes dip to the red painting my chest. "I love that I can still make you blush," he adds, bringing his lips to my cheek.

"I love you," I say, his eyes back on mine.

"I love you, too."

He kisses me, our lips perfectly together as I breathe him in. It still feels like the first time, pressed up against his car, a heat coursing my chest, a tingle down to my toes. I think that's what kissing him is, what it always will be. A rush of everything good.

"Are you ready to graduate?" he whispers against my lips.

I smile, nodding my head as I reach behind me, sliding my hand across the bedside table. Lifting up the keys to his Camaro, I dangle them between us. "Only if I can drive."

He smiles, his hand sliding into mine. "Lead the way, Red."

I don't know what next year will bring, or the next four years. What I do know is that I'm in love with the boy beside me. And more than that, I've learned to love myself. So, I might not know what tomorrow brings, but I know what I want.

I want him.

For always.