Page 44 of Love On Time

A shiver runs down my spine, raising goosebumps on my skin—my body's usual response to his touch. Propping my upper body onto my elbows, I look down, watching his fingers dance over my bare skin before I lift my head to meet his dark, glassy eyes. I sit up straight on the edge of the mattress, directly at eye level with him. We don't say a single word. We just stare at each other, as if acknowledging our shared past and all the painful time we’ve spent apart.

His gaze falls down to my lips, prompting me to look at his. He leans in slowly this time, stopping halfway to let me decide whether to breach the final distance. There is no rejection today, no embarrassment. He is giving me the power to choose exactly what happens next.

I lean in slowly, and I can see his throat bob with a heavy swallow of anticipation. My heart is hammering rapidly against my ribs. I'm certain he can hear it.

Right before our lips can touch, Drew whispers. “We should talk first.”

With our lips only a fraction of an inch away, I whisper back, “After.”

A breathtaking smile breaks across his face. He doesn't hesitate, he cups his large hand around the back of my neck, pulling me forward and closing the remaining distance.

The kiss is slow, tender, and incredibly familiar. The sheer relief of being back in his arms brings unexpected tears to my eyes. Still holding onto my neck, he guides me off my bed and onto his, the two of us shifting until we fall back onto his mattress together. My back is flat against the bedspread as he lies on his side, hovering over me, his thumb softly stroking the edge of my jaw. Our kiss deepens, tenderness melting into a passionate hunger that we’ve been suppressing for six long years. A ragged whimper leaves his throat, and my entire body reacts, a full flood of goosebumps rippling across my skin.

We stay tangled up in each other's arms, quietly looking at each other and exchanging kisses. His thumb brushes tender strokes across my cheeks, wiping away a tear that slipped from my eye.

“You shouldn't have decided what you thought was best for me,” I whisper, my voice cracking slightly as another slow tear drips down my cheek.

“I know… I’ve regretted it every day for the past six years.” He says, his eyes darkening with a profound sadness.

“If you regretted it, why didn't you ever come back?”

He swallows hard. “Because every day that passed made it harder. I thought coming back would only hurt you more, and I convinced myself you deserved a life without me. And the truth is… I didn't think I deserved a second chance.”

I stop fighting it and let the tears fall. Seeing my composure break, Drew slides his forearm securely under my neck, pulling me tighter against his chest as if he could hold my fractured pieces together.

“I didn't love Drew the football player. I just loved Drew.” I say, my voice cracking as I try to catch my breath, fighting against the heavy sob rising in my throat. “I just needed you to let me decide whether I wanted to fight for us, and you took that choice away from me.”

I feel his muscles flinch. I look up into his eyes, and tears of his own fall down his cheeks. “You broke my heart twice. The first time you left... and then every single day you chose not to come back.”

“Camille.” A painful cry rips through his voice, raw and broken. The tears he’s been holding back for six years finally surface, carrying every ounce of pain he’s tried to bury.

CHAPTER 15

Drew

6 YEARS AGO

I’m standing in the center of my bedroom, taping up the final cardboard boxes I need for the big move this weekend. It’s hard to comprehend that the summer has come and gone, and now it's time to pack up my life, move into my dorm, and start my first year at UCLA.

The last two months have been a blur of intense training camps, heavy lifting sessions, and exhausting clinics for the upcoming season. It’s been good getting to know my new teammates, and there's no denying that every single one of those guys are incredibly talented. But as I look around my half-empty room, I realize how much I'm going to miss my high school team. It’s a strange feeling to go from being the captain to starting over at a new school.

After Cooper initially found out about Cami and me, things were rough. He distanced himself from me for a while, spending most of his free time with Ivy. But over the spring, he finally came around, and our friendship has mostly gotten back on track. He’s still not exactly thrilled about our relationship, but he’s come to accept it.

Shortly after the whole New Year's blowout, Mr. and Mrs. Benson had me over to their house for a long, serious talk to set some ground rules. But at the end of the day, they've been supportive. I respect them as though they were my own parents, so knowing I have their blessing means everything as I head off to college.

Cami has been working at the library again this summer, running events for the kids and teaching music classes. She absolutely loves it. Because both of our summers have been booked, we’ve had to savor every spare moment, trying to carve out time in the late evenings just to see each other.

She’s about to head into her junior year and has joined the marching band for the third year in a row. I’m going to miss sharing the football field with her more than I can put into words. Looking at our upcoming calendars, reality is starting to sink in. My game schedule and her halftime performance schedule fall on the same days. We won't be able to make it to a single one of each other’s events. She’s starting to get in her own head about the distance. I can see the worry in her eyes every time we talk about it, but I’m doing everything I can to reassure her. I’ll be back home the second holiday break hits, and once the football season wraps up in the winter, I’ll be driving back to see her every single weekend. UCLA is only about an hour's drive from where we live. We can handle an hour.

I’m lying in my dark, half-empty bedroom, staring at the ceiling, when my phone buzzes on the bedside table. I reach over, the bright light blinding me for a second as I unlock the screen.

Cami

Can I come over?

My heart starts thrumming against my ribs. She’s never been in my bedroom before. Our entire relationship has consisted of me crawling through her bedroom window. Her parents had made it crystal clear during our talk that our time together was strictly limited to their house. Though, obviously, they had no idea about our late-night sneak-ins.

Drew