real staying power. Only time would tell which it was.
And as we went in and told everyone of my decision, I was thankful I’d get the time to find out.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
S O P H I A
Even though I wasn’t going to be president, I was still on a high from everything that had transpired, and I couldn’t wait to go home and tell Drew all about it. Maybe it was a weird thing to want, but I was proud of myself, and I thought he’d be proud of me too.
I hoped my parents had either left or made themselves scarce. I needed to have an unguarded moment with Drew to tell him not only what I’d done at the sorority house but also how he’d impacted me making that decision—how he’d helped me become a better person.
I charged into the apartment and gave a quick look around, thankfully not seeing my parents anywhere.
“Drew?” I called.
“In here” came his voice from the direction of the bedroom.
It was all I could do to avoid sprinting down the short hall, though I was moving at a rate that could likely qualify me for a race-walking competition.
“Hey,” I said, my voice loud and exuberant. Until I took a look around the room. “What’s going on?”
Drew’s back was to me as he put clothes into a large duffel bag. “Just packing up.”
I should’ve anticipated this. It was logical that my parents weren’t going to allow a stranger to stay in an apartment they were paying for. I walked over to him and slid my hand up his spine.
“We can find a hotel until we can sort out a more permanent solution.”
Drew stood and stepped away, causing my hand to fall. I watched him go over to the dresser and grab some more of his things. As I looked around the room, I noticed almost all traces of him were already gone. A few bags were lined up by the door, and he was clearly gathering the last of his things.
“Drew?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you already have a place you can go?”
“Yeah. My parents said I could stay with them until I can sort out the situation with the guy who sublet my apartment.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, I can help you take your stuff over there.”
“That’s okay. I got it.” His tone was cold and brusque, and all the happy feelings that had been fluttering around inside of me evaporated.
I tried to remind myself that this was a difficult situation. It had only been a few hours since we’d been lying in bed discussing the future of our relationship, and then my parents had barged in and ruined everything.
I sat down on the bed. “At least the semester is almost over. There’s no way my parents will blow the whistle on Brody and ruin the grades you’ve earned him. So, you’ll be able to attend the last few classes and take the finals. Though maybe taking finals isn’t exactly a positive,” I joked, hoping it would break the weird tension between us.
“Your dad said he’d handle getting Brody excused for the rest of the semester. I’ll text Brody later and see what he wants me to do. We had a deal, after all.”
The way he said the last sentence sounded odd—bitter almost. But I didn’t want to focus on the negative.
“And then we’ll be free of school for a few weeks,” I said. “We can hang out without that added stress weighing us down.”
Drew finished tucking the last few items into his bag and zipped it up before carrying it over to where his other bags sat. He stood there for a second, facing away from me, before whirling around and rubbing a hand over his jaw.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
My stomach dropped, but I held the rising panic at bay. “You don’t think what’s a good idea?”
“Us. I think we just… I think we need some space.” His eyes were everywhere but on me, which pissed me off.
“Really? You certainly didn’t seem to want much space this morning. Or over the last couple of days. What’s changed?” It was a stupid question. I knew a lot had changed. But even though some waves had popped up, that didn’t mean we had to capsize the whole fucking boat.
“The last few days, hell the last few months, haven’t been reality,” he said. “But reality sure as hell came knocking today. And I can’t ignore that.”
I felt like my entire body could radiate through the wall. I wasn’t sure if