MEGHAN I rolled to my side and groaned as the entire side of my face hurt. I tried to open my eyes, but it was too painful to open my right eye, so I closed them again. Why does it hurt so much? I touched my aching face and the memories from last night came flooding back. Then, thinking about the party, I laughed bitterly to myself. Oh right. How could I forget the beatdown from Luke's number one fan already? Damn Rita and her temper. Maybe I better stay away from him for a while. I had enough problems of my own already. I needed to figure out how to fix things with Adrian. He was still too angry at me, and I wanted him to stop hating me. "Maggie! Are you up?" I jolted up into a sitting position as I heard my mother's voice. Shit...I wasn't ready for her to see my battered face. I knew she would be disappointed once she saw how her daughter was getting into trouble already. I didn't want her to regret inviting me here to live with her again. "Y...yes, mom," I replied. "It's a
ADRIANI didn't mean to eavesdrop on Maggie's phone call, but I heard everything through the walls. I mean, the walls were pretty thin. I remember she used to yell at me to turn my T.V. down when she was trying to study.My blood boiled when I realized she was talking to another guy. At first, Luke's name came to mind. Had they exchanged numbers already? I didn't think they would move that fast. But then, I heard the name Chase. So she had a boyfriend this whole time, huh?I wanted to confront her, so I waited until Natasha left. I was right when I assumed I would be blamed for everything. Fucking Maggie couldn't stop making me miserable."Chase, huh? So much for Luke's chances---or are you into group activities? You think Luke and Chase would be willing to go for you together?" I sneered at her when I finally got to see her. She had finally hung up on her 'boyfriend' and was lying in bed when I barged in on her."Please, Adrian. Not now. I am not in the mood for your verbal abuse. I'v
ADRIAN"What the hell, Maggie? I told you I was going to sneak in," I cried. Is this girl dumb or what? I specifically told her my plan, but here she was, getting me in even more trouble."S...sorry. It was a reflex. I didn't mean---" Meghan started, but the door burst open, interrupting her mid-sentence.Natasha and my dad both burst into the room -Dad was holding a golf club- while I was holding my hands out to show I wasn't a threat to Maggie."Woah, woah, woah! It's just me!" I cried out."Adrian!" Dad yelled at me, "Why didn't you use the doorbell? I have told you: I will not tolerate you sneaking around the house. While you live under my roof, you'll come in and out through the doors like a civilized person.""The doors were locked," I pointed out, rolling my eyes at his overreaction. Getting yelled at by dad like I was still in high school wasn't exactly on the agenda today.Why did it matter if I used the window instead of the door? I was going to the same place. I lived here,
MEGHANI couldn't make him stay. He wouldn't listen.Was Adrian always this stubborn? He was so full of anger, hatred dripped down his eyes when he looked at me. I was sick of dealing with it as I didn't know how to fix things between us.And I still had Chase to think about.After I watched Adrian storming out of the house, I called Chase back in panic. I wanted to make sure he wasn't serious about coming down here. What will it solve anyway? To my knowledge, all it would do is piss Adrian off even more.The phone went straight to voicemail when I called Chase. He was ignoring me on purpose, most likely because he knew I would tell him not to come.Good thing I didn't tell him my address, but I didn't know if that mattered since he figured out my phone number anyway. What if he somehow found out my address too. Which was kind of stalkerish to be honest. I didn't think Chase was the type.In the morning, my mom dropped me off at campus. I still didn't have a car and Adrian was M.I.A.
ADRIAN"I miss you too, Maggie," I admitted against every instinct in me screaming to keep my big, fat mouth shut. Turning my hand over, I threaded my fingers together with hers; I couldn't help remembering the night we had spent together before she'd left for Boston. My heart beat too fast in my chest and my dick twitched in my pants and I guess I lost my mind."Maggie," I breathed, leaning down---and she didn't stop me.Our lips met softly with a breath being shared between us as I breathed out and Maggie gasped, breathing in. Even if it was only the air I breathed, I loved the idea of any part of me being inside her. Maggie didn't push me away after a full minute of gentle kissing so I lightly traced the seam of her lips with my tongue. She opened her mouth at my request -a door being opened after someone knocked- and her tongue came out to play with mine. We both strained in a way. I wanted to kiss her deeper, harder, more. I thrust my tongue in and out of her mouth as if I we
MEGHANI ran away to the library without even thinking. I just needed to be somewhere away from Adrian. I couldn't believe what happened back there in that empty classroom.I couldn't believe what I'd let happen.I promised myself I'd never think of Adrian like that after I moved back from Boston, but here I was, kissing him back. And the worst thing of it all is that he had been treating me like shit, and yet I still let him kiss me. All the memories came flooding back when our lips touched. I felt tingles from my head to toe and my body reacted to him against my better judgment. Sane thing happened to me when he touched me a year ago. It was as if I felt helpless in his arms. My body craved him.What the hell was wrong with me?Get it together, Maggie. It's's not too late to fix all this, I told myself.If he kissed me, it meant he didn't completely hate me, right? That meant I could still reason with him. Maybe we can come to an understanding together. We could try not to be cruel
ADRIANBetrayal cut through me as sharp as a knife; I actually wished Maggie had used a knife. Physical injuries could heal up before your eyes. They might leave behind scars, but they wouldn't linger open without healing forever. Inside my head, I felt as if I was already cut open, left to bleed out by the one girl I'd ever really loved. Now she was hanging with my best friend behind my back? Turning him against me too? Wasn't it enough our parents were on her side already? Why did she have to cut me off from everyone?"Back up," Luke snapped, fire in his eyes as he held a hand up to me, "Like Maggie said, man, you've got the wrong idea. We weren't anywhere near ready to start taking off clothes. A guy can be alone with a girl without trying to screw her." "A guy can, sure, but can you?" I bit back, knowing Luke would hate me taking a cheap shot at his player reputation, "Last time I asked you about casual sex, you said 'Why not? Everybody does it.' Do you think little Maggie ther
MEGHANI couldn't say a word as Adrian went off on me, then spilled every detail of what we had done. I stayed silent, avoiding Luke's eyes.Luke acted like he didn't want to judge me, but who knew what he was really thinking. Why did Adrian have to say those things to Luke? It was between him and me!It took me a few minutes to gather myself after Luke left. The fog in my head started to lift when I felt Adrian's hands on my shoulders as he shook me lightly."Maggie, are you listening? I'm asking if we could talk," he said.I looked him in the eyes. He didn't look as angry anymore. I grabbed his hand and then dragged him to my room. Part of me wanted to be angrier with him, but the other part was glad that he was finally ready to talk about everything. This was long overdue."Is it true? Were you really in love with me?" I asked after I closed the door.He stepped back, startled. "It doesn't matter anymore. How I felt about you back then is ancient history now.""So you aren't in lov
ADRIAN I jumped to my left to dodge the flying piece of strawberry shortcake with cream cheese frosting. Fortunately, it missed my ear by an inch, landing on an empty chair. Phew... That was close. Whose idea was it to put a one year old in charge of a whole cake? Meghan Parker, that's who. "Am I allowed to take it away from her yet? I shot her an intense glare for the fourth time. Maggie giggled. "No, just a few more pictures." "Pictures of what?" "Our daughter!" "That's not our daughter. That's a cake slugging demon child. Look at her. She doesn't even have a face anymore. It just looks like a giant blob of frosting," I point at Olivia, who had smashed her whole face on the cake a few times while giggling like a maniac. I guess that's why they call it a 'smash cake.' I'm glad she is enjoying her party, though. "ADRIAN!" Maggie scolded me. "I'm kidding! Gosh. I love Olivia. She is my favorite daughter," I winced. "Your only daughter," Natasha remarked, then walked over to
MEGHAN It's Christmas day today, and Adrian was home again to spend it with us. After we found out I was pregnant two months ago, Adrian went back to training. I asked him not to tell our parents anything, and he agreed, begrudgingly so. I promised him I'd take care of myself and the baby in his absence. I had to keep wearing baggy clothes because I was starting to show way more. It was getting harder to hide my pregnancy from my mom and Steve. "Stop being so nervous," Adrian scolded me when I acted restless. Our parents threw a Christmas party with our friends and family, and he already threatened to reveal everything to them. "I can't help it. You said you are going to announce it to everyone. How are you going to do it? Because I don't want to do it," I said. "You will see. It's a surprise I created." Adrian grinned mischievously. I don't trust him. "Leave everything to me," he said again. "Why do you have to do this now and ruin Christmas?" I winced. "It's a great time to
ADRIANI waited outside the bathroom patiently as Maggie took her test. This was nerve-wracking, but I tried to remain calm.Everything is going to be fine.I was about to get a good job and will buy a nice house in Alaska. So, if Maggie is pregnant, we could raise our kid there.Our parents weren’t home yet, so it was just Maggie and me, thankfully.“How much longer?” I yelled.“Two more minutes.”Shit, only one minute has passed? Why did it feel like an eternity?I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard Maggie scream.“NO!”“Maggie? What’s wrong?” I asked. Maybe the test came out negative, and Maggie is disappointed?The door burst open, and Maggie came out with a frantic expression on her face. “This…this can’t be right.” She shoved the stick toward me, waving it. “This is all your fault!”I took it off her hand and smiled. Two lines…that could mean one thing.“Maggie! You are pregnant. Congratulations to us!”“What? Don’t congratulate us! This is a disaster,” she said, tears dr
MEGHAN "Adrian! Oh my god, I missed you so much!" Tiffany screamed and tried to jump into Adrian's arms, but he grabbed her shoulders, slightly pushing her away from him. "Hey, Tiff. I missed you guys too," he said casually, then winked at me as if to tell me not to get jealous. She was just a friend like Luke as far as he was concerned. "Oh, hey, Meghan. Nice dress. Seems a little tight on you, isn't it?" she said slightly. Is she trying to make a fat joke? I was annoyed already, and I'd only been here for five minutes. "Hey, guys! You made it!" Luke yelled from across the room and then made his way to us. He wrapped one arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. "Looking hot, Maggie." "Hey, keep your hands to yourself, Lucas," Adrian barked. Tiffany giggled. "Why should he? She is his girlfriend." "Not anymore," Adrian said. Whoa, are we announcing our break up already? "What do you mean, not anymore? Did Luke break up with Maggie already?" Tiffany looked at me curiously.
ADRIANI stared at Maggie, who looked utterly dumbfounded by my announcement. She looked almost terrified. Was the idea of moving with me that terrible? I knew she would hesitate since her mom lives here, but I thought we would get away from them. They didn't want us to be together anyway."Maggie, are you okay?" I asked after she didn't say anything for a while."I…I don't understand what you mean," she said meekly."You don't understand? What part confuses you?" I raised my eyebrow."What do you mean move in with you? Move in where?" she asked.I guess it was taking her a while to fathom what was going on."After all the training and seeing my performance, they offered me a permanent position in the fire department. So, I was thinking I should take the job and move to Alaska permanently," I explained.Maggie still looked confused. Was she not understanding what I was trying to tell her? "Move to Alaska? Permanently? Then what will happen to me?"I chuckled. This girl was really maki
MEGHAN On Saturday, I woke up feeling hungrier than ever. It was the weekend Adrian was supposed to come home, but he hadn't even called me. Loneliness wrapped around me.Our parents were working this weekend, but Adrian was only coming home for my sake, so he didn't care. But the question was why he hadn't shown up yet.I stretched under the covers, blinking when my nose caught the smell of bacon. Music blasted from the kitchen, and I slowly sat up with a smile spreading over my lips. He was home. Hurriedly, I found my pajamas and stalked out of the bedroom. The music was getting louder, and Adrian was whistling along. It made my heart pound faster and faster until he came into view.There, recently showered and only wearing a pair of boxer briefs, Adrian shook his round ass while making breakfast. "OH YEAH, YEAH!" Adrian was listening to an old Bruno Mars song. He broke a few eggs, danced, and moved along with the music, but all I could focus on was his broad back roped with m
ADRIANI punched the bag again and groaned in frustration."Take it easy, Adrian. You will hurt your knuckles," my trainer Kevin hissed at me. "What the hell is wrong with you anyway? You've been distracted and grumpy lately.""I have not been grumpy. I don't know what the hell you are talking about," I grumbled."Yeah, whatever. Just keep your head in the game, okay? You have three more months here, and then you get to go home, so no need to act out," Kevin said."I am not acting out. What the hell? Haven't I been showing how good I am at this? Haven't I been proving myself?""Yes, Adrian. You've been doing well. I'm not complaining about your effort out here. I'm just saying these past few days, you've been moody and distracted and I need you to keep your focus back on your job. So you don't mess it up.""I just don't know how to tell my girlfriend about my plans here," I decided to confide in Kevin. Since I moved here, we've become good friends, so I figured I could trust him."You
MEGHANThree months later, it looked like Adrian would finally have some free time to come and visit me. It was about time.He had been hard to reach the entire day, though, so I was grumpy while we talked on the phone. "So you will be coming home?" I asked but tried not to sound too excited about the news. Adrian hadn't earned that for ignoring my messages all day."Yes, I'm coming home to you this weekend!" I could hear the beam he wore in his voice. "Aren't you excited?"I hummed, still pretending to be hard to catch. "I don't know...""You don't know? Maggie! It feels like three long years since I last saw your face! Facetiming doesn't count! I want to touch and see you in person. Take you out on a date. Surely you must miss me?"My chest constricted. I felt terrible lying to Adrian, but I couldn't help the mood swings I had been having lately. I went from sad to happy so fast these days that I was starting to believe I needed medication. It wasn't the only change I had gone t
MEGHANOne month later,I promised myself I wouldn't cry and try to understand where he was coming from, but it still hurt to see him go."I will visit every chance I get, Maggie," he had said, kissing my forehead."But you said you'd be in intense training and won't be able to visit," I sobbed.He said nothing because what I said was true. So why was he making empty promises? It would only make things harder on me.And then he was gone, and I was all alone again.This past month felt like it went in slow motion. Adrian called me every night, and we tried to do video chats, but it wasn't the same.I missed his touch, I craved it.Mom told Adrian and me not to say anything to Steve because it might make things worse, so we kept our relationship a secret from him. Finally, Adrian promised her that we'd break up before he left for Alaska, and mom didn't question him any more. Maybe when he comes back, we'll find a different way to be together."Maggie! Luke is here!" my mom called from t