“Do you know that he hasn’t been with anyone since you?”
“He said that he hadn’t and wouldn’t, but I didn’t know if I believed him or not.”
“Well, believe me, he hasn’t.”
I stop in my tracks as I feel my heart sink to my feet.
Shelby stops in front of me. “Are you okay?” she asks, her face laced with worry.
I shake my head as a tear rolls down my cheek.
“Bugger, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
I shake my head as she pulls me in for another hug. “You didn’t,” I say into her shoulder as I finally admit to myself just how much I miss him. “I think all these emotions have been bubbling away for weeks, and now they just can’t help but slip free.”
She pulls out of the hug and studies my face.
“Do you know where he is?” I ask her.
She nods, worry still across her pretty face. “He just had his last class for today. He went home.”
I thank her and we say our goodbyes. I turn on my heels, forgoing class, knowing I will absorb nothing anyway, and head to my car.
36
Rachel
I happen to catch Walsh just as he was heading out. He told me Randy was in his room and leaves me to it. I make my way up the stairs and knock on Randy’s bedroom door.
“What?” he shouts from inside.
“Just checking if you’re decent?” I ask to the closed white door.
The door swings open so fast it makes me flinch. My hand is still in the air mid knock as I slowly drop it back beside me.
He greets me with a shocked look. “Well, mentally, no, but if you mean do I have my pants on,” he looks down to his crotch, “then yes.”
And there he is, standing in all his Randy glory, shirtless but yes, with pants on. I take a deep breath, looking into his gorgeous face because God, it is beautiful.
“Can I come in?” I ask him.
He gestures with his hand, inviting me to enter.
“So, I may have heard some things around campus lately.”
“Like what? I promise I haven’t said or done anything,” he asks, closing the door.
I stand in the middle of his clean room. “Like…you haven’t been with anyone in a while.”
He takes a few steps toward me but still keeps his distance. “No one since you, like I told you.”
“Why are you doing this?” I beg him to tell me the truth.
“You know why.”
“Look,” I sigh. “I’m a mom; I play enough games with Sam that I don’t need to play them with other people as well.”
He takes another step toward me, reaching out and grasping my hand. He gently pulls me to the bed so we both take a seat on the edge. He turns to me, bringing one leg onto the bed to face me properly. “I’m not playing games with you. I want you, just you. I haven’t had sex since you, and I don’t want to have sex with anyone other than you. I’m not going to lie…it’s been a rough two months. Especially because everyone thinks I’m available, even though I know I’m not. But until you realize what we have is real, I will continue to wait until you take what I mean seriously. There is no one else I want to be with. There is no one else I want to have sex with, wake up with, kiss…just you, only you.”
