The Sophomore (College Years #2) - Monica Murphy Page 0,117

face lights up. “Oh and get this. Fucking Cupid’s Bow is opening for me through the summer.”

“No way,” I breathe, laughing. “I love it!”

“Remember how jealous I was over them?” Jackson shakes his head as he laughs too.

Of course I do. He was so down, and it was all for nothing. Look how well they’re both doing. Together. And with the same record company, too. Now they’re going on tour together. I love it.

Life has a way of working out perfectly sometimes, I swear.

“You’re really going on tour with him all summer, Ellie?” Eli asks me, pulling me from my thoughts.

Jackson finally sets me down on my feet, releasing me and I smile at Eli. “I am. I already warned my boss I was probably quitting. She promised me if I ever came back, she’d rehire me.”

“If?” Eli’s eyebrows rise.

I shrug, excited about the unknown. “Yeah. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I kind of like the idea of being the boho girlfriend of a famous rock musician. Going on tour with him. Traveling the country,” I say.

“Maybe the world,” Jackson adds.

“Yeah. It’ll be fun. We’re only young once, right?” I glance over at Jackson, smiling tenderly at him. He sends me the same look, and I remember the conversation we had last night, when the scheduled call with Rick still loomed over his head and Jackson wasn’t one hundred percent sure if we were touring or not.

“Promise you’ll come with me, El. I don’t want to do this life alone. I know school is important to you, but you don’t even know what you want to do yet. We have the rest of our lives to figure that shit out. Just—come with me. Be my support, my muse. Travel the country with me, baby. Let me see it all through your eyes too,” he said, his gaze never straying from mine.

How could I resist that?

I agreed. I’ll take a semester off. So will he. He won’t be playing football for the Bulldogs any longer, but it doesn’t matter anymore. He went after what he really wanted, and now he’s got both. His music career.

And me.

“We need to start packing,” Jackson says much later, when we’re in bed and snuggled up together. We went out to dinner to celebrate, bringing everyone along with us. They were all happy over Jackson’s news, though I saw the faint judgment in Caleb’s eyes. The guy is still miffed he’s now the only single man standing. He can’t fathom how Jackson is going on tour, performing music for screaming women for months, and that he’s taking his girlfriend along with him.

Ah, poor Caleb. He has no clue what it’s like, to really love someone. He’ll figure it out someday.

“I have to get all of my stuff out of the apartment before we leave,” I tell him. The lease is up in July, but we’re leaving the beginning of June. I plan on paying the remainder of my rent before I leave the apartment for good. I never did really make friends with my roommates. They were nice enough; we just all had such different schedules and we never really saw each other. Plus, I didn’t spend much time there.

“What about your place here?” I ask him, my fingers skimming his bare chest, my head propped on his shoulder. “What’s Eli going to do without you?”

He chuckles, his chest vibrating with the sound. “Get this. Tony and Hayden are moving in together when school’s over. He told me that at dinner.”

“No way.” I haven’t talked to Hayden in a few days. Guess she’s been holding out on me. “What about Gracie?”

“She’s moving in with—are you ready—Eli and,” he pauses, “Caleb.”

“Noooo…” I close my eyes, pressing my face against his chest. “That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.”

“I already warned Eli that living with those two is going to be trouble. He’s game for it, though. He says they can squabble all they want, but he’s not worried about it.” Jackson slips his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in for a kiss on the lips. “Can you see the three of them living together?”

“No. It sounds like a nightmare.” I give a little shudder.

His expression turns serious. “You okay with going on tour with me?”

I smile. “Yes. Of course I am.”

“You sure? It’s going to be a grind, El. Lots of traveling. Sleepless nights. I’ll be on stage a lot of those nights, while you’re watching from the wings. You might get bored