Linden: Rocking Pleasure: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 3) (33 page)

“
Right on,” he says and briefly presses his lips against my temple. Then he slips out of the kitchen.

I stare into the distance for a moment, then shake my head at the thoughts that are trying to invade.
No way.

Wiping down the counter, I take a last look around the clean kitchen and then return to my room to check my suitcase.
Did I think of everything?
Makeup and clothes, my laptop and e-reader, and a few small knicknacks. Luckily the trunk of the Mercedes is really spacious, so I can also take my guitar. The old piano that used to be my grandfather’s is waiting for me in my room at my parents’ house, so I don’t have to take my keyboard. My fingers itch to play the piano, because I miss its full, rounded sound, and my parents love it when I play classical pieces for them.

I’m also glad Nate is accompanying us tomorrow, because that way, I know I’ll have at least two people there who are perfectly aware of the way I’m feeling right now. Of course, I have a circle of old friends in Austin, but we haven’t been in touch much since I moved to Miami. That’s just how things go. And I know I would love to stay in Miami after I’ve finished college, to build a life here. That’s another reason I’m happy to have found such a wonderful bunch of crazy people that I call my friends here.

The lock on my suitcase snaps shut with a soft click, and then I put it next to my door. I put the guitar in its case and place it on top of the suitcase. I wonder if Delsin planned a little beach party for our last evening here.

Just then, my phone rings again. It’s Thierry—Ave’s brother—which surprises me. He’d normally only call me in the case of an emergency.

“
Hey, Thie,” I greet him. When I shorten his name, I make it sound like “Ty.” It’s one of our private jokes.

“
Hey, gorgeous. I heard you’re all spending the summer in Austin. Why are you leaving me here on my own?”

I giggle. “Well, I didn’t know you would want to go, too.”

“
Aw, you know I need to be by your side. I’ve already talked to my brother and Delsin, but they’ve got no more beds free in their rooms. And that means you and I will have to share a room. Would that be okay with you, or do I have to stay behind and be all lonely in Florida?”

I sigh. “I don’t have a problem sharing a room with you. So you can come along and … Wait a minute! I’m staying at my parents’. Why would we need to share a room?”

“
Fuck,” he says hollowly.

“
Thie?”

“
I spoiled the surprise,” he sighs. “I can’t tell you, Thally, or the others will behead me.”

“
Come on, just tell me, and I won’t let on that I know.”

“
They sweet-talked your dad, and he agreed to give you a three-week vacation from work,” he says. “And from what I’ve heard, you deserve a holiday.”

I can’t believe my luck! I express my delight in a high-pitched squeal.

“
Crap,” Thierry mutters. “My ears are ringing.”

I laugh softly. “I’m sorry. I could explode with happiness right now.”

“
Yeah, your happiness is assaulting my eardrum,” he teases.

“
All right, so I don’t have a problem sharing a room with you, if the plan is for us all to sleep at Delsin’s,” I explain with a smirk, “but I might just drive home to my parents’ every night. I like having a room of my own.”

“
Awesome. So I guess I’ll see you in Austin then.”

“
See you soon, Thie.”

“
Bye, gorgeous.”

I hang up.
Why is everyone calling me beautiful, gorgeous, or pretty these days?
I shake my head and dismiss the question before lying down on the bed.

I dial Cami’s number.

“
Are you already missing me?” she asks.

“
Like hell. No, I just wanted to check if anything is going on tonight. Any plans?”

“
Nope. Delsin wants to spend a relaxed evening with me, since we won’t see each other for a few weeks.”

“
Wow,” I giggle. “I’m not used to having a party-free Friday.”

“
I think Delsin’s fraternity is having a party,” Cami says. “Ave and the others are planning on going there. You could join them, I guess. I just hope you’ll still be able to get up early if you go out tonight.”

“
I’ve always managed to when needed,” I point out. “But I think I’ll stay home and read a book or something. Go to bed early. I don’t want you to be scared when I’m driving tomorrow. Oh … by the way, Nathaniel wants to come with us tomorrow. Could you maybe ask your mom if he could stay at your place, at least until I’ve spoken to my dad in person? You know how he is with new people.”

“
I can call her, but why didn’t you tell me earlier?” she asks.

“
He only decided half an hour ago.”

“
Oh. Okay, let me call her,” Cami repeats. “I’ll call you back and let you know.”

“
Great. Bye.”

“
Bye.” Cami hangs up.

***

I hardly slept last night, because my head was flooded with memories of Linden again. They always bombard me when I calm down and try to get some rest. It still hurts to be swamped with the knowledge that my relationship with Linden was nipped in the bud and is lost forever. It took a cold shower to wake me up, but it took a mug of cold water poured over Nathaniel’s head to wake him up. All my other attempts at waking him failed.

He didn’t feel so well, so he took his own sweet time getting ready. We were a little late, but that’s what happens when you drink a lot of alcohol at a party designed to celebrate the end of the semester. Now he’s lying in the backseat with his eyes closed. I stop in front of Delsin’s house. Delsin and Cami are waiting by the front door.

“
Good morning, sunshine.” I smile as I get out and take off my sunglasses.

“
You’re late,” Cami complains.

“
Tell that to the sleepyhead in the backseat. I’m sorry, but I tried to call you and you didn’t pick up.”

“
Tell that to this man beside me. Well, anyway. You’re here now.” She kisses Delsin goodbye with a lot of passion, then pulls away and picks up her bag. “I’ll see you in two weeks, babe,” she breathes, and I take the bag from her to put it in the trunk.

“
Maybe even in one—who knows how long I can put up with my mom.” He grins.

“
Oh no, buster, you’re not leaving your mom early because of me,” she warns. “I don’t want to be responsible for that.”

“
Oooh, now I’m scared,” he says with mock wide-eyed fear. He kisses her on the forehead. “I’m going to miss you, Caramel.”

“
I’ll miss you, too.”

I close the trunk with a loud bang to tell them to finish their bantering. I want to get on the road.

“
Take care of yourself and call me when you get to your mom’s farm, okay?” Delsin tells Cami, before turning to face me. “Take care of my sweet Caramel … and yourself, of course.”

“
Will do.” I smile.

They hug once again, while I get into the car and start the engine. Cami sits in the passenger seat, and Delsin leans in for a last kiss.

“
Could you be done now, guys? I really want to get going. I’ll close the top if that’s necessary,” I laugh. Yeah, so much for being a strong woman. That just means I laugh and smile so people don’t see that I was crying just a few hours before. I still cry over Linden, but by now it feels liberating to do so. It no longer feels like I’m about to shatter under the pain.

“
Sorry. One last kiss, Thally,” Delsin says with that charming smile that once got him into my pants—ages ago.

“
Just this once.”

He kisses her again, but only fleetingly, and murmurs something into her ear. She leans back with a giggle. “Call me, okay?” Cami reminds him.

“
In two to three hours, at the latest,” he promises.

“
See you, Delsin,” I interrupt, letting the car roll forward slowly. He steps aside, and then I see in the rearview mirror that he walks into the road to watch us leave.

Cami sniffles. “I’m going to miss him terribly.”

“
Jesus, it’s only a few days, Cami. If Buck has some work for you to do, you’ll see how the time flies by.”

“
I hope so, but you’re going to be working, too, and we won’t see each other.”

“
We will. I can drop by when I’m done every afternoon. And then there’s also Nate. He can distract you.” I giggle.

“
What?” his scratchy voice comes from the backseat. “I heard my name.”

“
You can distract Cami when she’s pining for Delsin,” I answer.

He clicks his tongue. “Sure. I also can’t wait to see your mother’s farm, Camille.”

She turns around in her seat so she can look at him and grins. “If you’re staying with us, you’re going to have to work.”

“
Not a problem. I’m used to hard work.”

“
Yeah, I can see that,” she concedes after looking at his broad shoulders and arms.

They talk about the kind of work that might come up on Mrs. Brooks’s farm.
Hm, did her mom change her last name when she married Buck?
I don’t know. Camille doesn’t talk a lot about them. I wonder why that is.

I finally take the on-ramp to the freeway and then step on the gas. I switch on the GPS so I don’t take a wrong exit, and I also tune in to a cool radio station. I’ve listened to all the CDs in here far too often and haven’t bought any new ones.

A familiar rhythm starts up on the radio, and I throw Cami a glance. We take our cue from the song and say, “Let’s go, girls,” along with Shania Twain. We continue to sing along to “Man, I feel like a woman.”

“
The best thing about being a woman
,” I belt out, nodding with the beat. I don’t even notice that Cami has fallen silent again. We normally take turns with the verses and then belt out the chorus together. “Come on, Cami, your cue!” I encourage her cheerfully.

She starts singing again, and even Nate joins in now.

***

The drive went without any glitches. Cami and I took turns driving so we could get there without stopping for the night. We didn’t want to spend money on a motel, and now we’re approaching her mother’s farm.

“
Are you stopping to say hi to my mom?” Cami asks.

“
I don’t think your mom will be awake. It’s four in the morning. So I’ll head on home. I’m tired and I’m looking forward to my old bed,” I answer with a smile, interrupted by my own yawning.

“
Okay,” she agrees as I pull up in their driveway.

“
I’ll call you once I feel rested. And you call Delsin and tell him that I’ve delivered you home in one piece.” I grin.

“
Will do,” she says and hugs me goodbye.

“
Out with you now. I want my bed,” I urge in a mock whine.

Nate presses a kiss to my cheek before getting out and fetching the bags from the trunk, which he closes with a bang that startles me out of my sleepy haze. “See you soon,” he says. I haven’t forgotten that I promised to pick you up from work.”

“
Yeah, see you,” I call from the open window. I closed the top before nightfall. All right, I think I can manage the last forty minutes, despite the leaden tiredness in my bones. It would certainly be safer to stop, but I want to sleep in my own room, and not in the car on the side of the road. I think my dad will be up by the time I arrive, because he’s expecting me this early after we talked on the phone two days ago, so I probably won’t have to ring the doorbell off the wall.

The minutes pass, and as my car finally approaches the city limits, my phone rings, startling me yet again. I press the button without looking at the display. “Hello?” I say.

“
Thalia?”

“
Who is this?”

“
Huh? It’s me—Cami.”

I sigh heavily. “Jesus, I’m so tired I didn’t even recognize your voice. That’s weird.”

“
See, that’s why I’m calling you. I want you to stay awake, otherwise you’ll drive off the road and kill yourself.”

I yawn. “That’s very kind of you.”

“
How much longer till you’re home?”

I look at a street sign displaying the distances to various places. “Less than half an hour.”

“
Then let’s talk until you’ve made it.”

“
Okay, great. You talk and I’ll emit a sign of life from time to time. How’s that?”

She starts talking about her classes and her last lecture before randomly switching to last night. It really helps me stay awake for the last leg of the long journey, and finally, I can see the large house I grew up in. It’s located at the end of a cul-de-sac, with its pretty façade facing the street. The porch is framed by white columns, which made me imagine I lived in a palace as a child.

“
Honey, I can see the house,” I say. “I made it. I’ll call you again once I’ve gotten some rest.”

“
You do that. Love you, Thally.”

“
I love you, too,” I reply, before hanging up. I park in the driveway, next to my dad’s car, and get out. After stretching my weary body, I get my stuff from the trunk, lock the car, and walk to the front door. “Should I ring the bell and wake everyone up?” I think aloud. “Nah, better not. Mom would probably strangle me.”