Filed to story: Young Girls Forbidden Love Series: My Best Friend’s Daddy >>
I collapsed into him, both of us trying to catch our breath. He enveloped me in his warmth, and I couldn’t help it any longer.
“I love you, Michael,” I said in a whisper, still breathing hard. He pulled my face up to look into his eyes, a huge smile crossing his face.
“I love you too, Shelby.” I lit up, my mouth stretching from ear to ear. He gently cupped his hand to my cheek and pulled me into a soft k**s.
Finally, we were free to be together. I loved him and he loved me.
I couldn’t be happier.
*Shelby*
*4 Months Later*
“That’s a cute bikini. I’ve said it once, and I will say it again. Michael is one lucky man,” Lin said as I folded a light blue bikini top in my suitcase.
“Do you think he will like it?” I asked as my cheeks warmed at the thought of an entire week alone with Michael.
We had been surviving the long-distance relationship with late-night phone calls and short weekend trips to see each other. Michael had begged me to take a vacation with him during my Thanksgiving break, but the guilt of leaving my grandfather home alone over the holiday put an end to that daydream.
“Shelby, Michael would like you in just about anything. I don’t know why you’re worried about what you’re wearing anyway. If I had an unbelievably rich silver fox that was taking me on a week-long vacation to Maui, I’m pretty sure I’d be naked the whole trip,” Lin responded with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
I wadded up a pair of shorts I was just about to pack and chucked them at her. She laughed and ducked out of my room.
My phone buzzed in my back pocket as I squished the contents of my suitcase down so I could attempt to close the zipper. I sl*pped the phone out of my pocket and couldn’t help the b**terflies that took flight in my stomach as I read Michael’s text message.
***
Michael: I can’t wait to see you in Maui! After all of your hard work this semester, you deserve to be pampered. The car will be there to pick you up in an hour.
Shelby: I can’t wait to see you when I get to Hawaii! I wish we could be on the same flight, but I guess I will have to be patient.
Michael: I am so sorry that this business meeting is running late and I have to change my flight. It will all be worth it when we are lying on the beach together in the Hawaii sun.
Shelby: I can’t wait! I am so ready to get out of this snowy weather. I have two pairs of socks on, and I am still cold.
Michaell: I am glad I planned a beach vacation rather than a ski trip.
Shelby: I have always known I picked you for a reason. I will text you before the plane takes off. I have a few more things to pack before the car gets here. I can’t wait to see you when I land!
Michael: I can’t wait to see you.
***
I sighed and sl*pped my phone back into my pocket. Too much of my and Michael’s relationship had been happening over text these past few months, and I could not wait to be with him in person for an entire week.
My sock-clad feet softly padded against the hardwood floors of the apartment Lin and I shared since we both moved to Cambridge to start law school at Harvard.
Our two-bedroom apartment was nearly twice the size of the one we shared with Aubrey back in New York. I still hadn’t gotten used to having my own room since we moved in.
I stepped into the kitchen where Lin was sitting at the barstool working on her laptop. She ran her fi**gers through her hair in frustration as she cl**ked the refresh b**ton.
“Are you still waiting for the grades to be posted?” I asked as my own heart stuttered slightly at the thought of seeing them for myself. I had debated on waiting until I got back to check, but I knew it would ruin my vacation to have the weight hanging over me.
“Yes, they said they would be up today. So why are they not up? How am I supposed to know if I need to start packing up my stuff because I failed everything if they never post the grades?”
“Lin, you didn’t fail everything. We stayed up late every night studying our brains to soup to make sure that didn’t happen.”
“I would just feel better if I knew for sure,” Lin said quietly.
I nodded as compassionately as I could as I made my way to the fridge to grab a water bottle. The thought of failing any of my classes made my throat suddenly dry. I took a big mouthful as soon as Lin squealed.
“They are up! They are up!” Lin squeaked, her face inches from the screen.
I struggled to swallow the water so I could ask her if she had passed, but she beat me to it.
“I passed everything,” Lin said a little breathlessly, her eyes round with shock.
“That is amazing, Lin! Congrats!”
“You have to check yours, Shelb,” Lin said, spinning her laptop in my direction.
I hesitated, not sure if I wanted Lin to witness my reaction if I got bad news.
“You can’t go on your trip without knowing,” she said softly.
I nodded and pulled her laptop to me, entering my information. I took a deep breath as the screen loaded.
“I passed,” I said, and I am sure my eyes looked as shocked as Lin’s as I tried to mentally process the grades glaring off of the screen.