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looks
concerned. “Take me inside, Brett.” I state.
    “ Are you sure?” he says with wariness in his
voice.
    “ Yes.”
    He lifts me from the railing and I wrap my legs
around him as he takes me inside. He pulls open the sliding glass
door and I capture his lips once more. Once we are in the room, he
slowly lowers me onto his bed and takes a step back as he removes
his shirt. As his hand glides up my outer thigh, goose bumps form
and a shiver escapes my body. As he looks into my eyes for
assurance, I guide his lips to mine. He reaches for a condom and I
forget about everything except what is happening in this
moment.
    As I awake naked in someone else’s room, I quietly
freak out in my mind, but then quickly realize where I am and
relax. Rolling over, I realize Brett isn’t in the bed with me.
Looking around, I try to find my clothes and look at the time. It’s
six. Gunner won’t be up for another hour or so. As I begin to get
out of the bed, I freeze when the door slowly opens and cover
myself.
    “ I didn’t want to wake you. You looked so
peaceful. Here’s a cup of coffee.” Brett says as he takes a seat
beside me. “I wasn’t sure how you took it so I brought the cream
and sugar with me.”
    “ Thank you,” I say as I kiss him briefly and
pray my morning breath isn’t too bad.
    “ What time does he wake up?”
    “ Around seven thirty,” I say as I take another
sip of coffee.
    “ Why don’t you get dressed and let’s enjoy the
sunrise before I take you home.”
    “ That sounds wonderful,” I say. Brett walks to
the balcony while I change. Stepping outside to join him, I see him
perched on the railing and my heart warms for the first time since
GC. The rising sun takes my breath away as we enjoy a cup of coffee
and our time together.

Chapter 16
    MARLEIGH
    Each day I’m away from Gunner, I miss him more and
it makes my heart hurt, but it’s almost as if I’m gaining pieces of
myself at the same time. I never realized how much of myself I lost
after I had him. I am still Marleigh, but I had to focus on my new
responsibilities. I couldn’t be that carefree girl anymore. Being
away at college has actually made me feel like my old self. Maybe
now I can figure out a way to combine the old me and new me.
    Classes start today and I’m super excited. Knowing
we each finish around the same time, we ride together. I can’t wait
for my Ecology of Coral Reef class this afternoon. They have
fascinated me for as long as I can remember. Carleigh and I have a
little while to spare so after we drop Tinleigh off, we decide to
grab a cup of coffee at Coastal Java right off campus. We order our
favorite blend and a scone and then take a seat.
    I notice Carleigh rolling her eyes as a gorgeous
blonde enters. “I hope they don’t get stuck like that. What’s
wrong?”
    “ Nothing, just a blonde bimbo who thinks she’s
better than everyone,” she says as if it’s not a big deal, but for
her to react, it is a big deal. Quickly she changes the subject.
“So what’s up with you and Brett? Like for real? Don’t give me any
bullshit either,” she says mid bite.
    “ I swear you are more and more like Tin each
day. I mean, I like him and we have a great time together. I didn’t
tell y’all this before but Gunner called while we were on our first
date.”
    “ How did you forget to leave that out? What
happened? Does Brett know who called?”
    “ I had to take the call. I excused myself and
when I hung up, Brett was standing there. He heard all of it, so I
couldn’t lie about it.”
    Carleigh sits her coffee and scone down to give me
her full attention. “What did he say?”
    “ Basically, when I started to talk he asked
how old he was. He asked about his daddy, and that’s about it. He
didn’t push for information, but was understanding. I really like
him, Car. I know you probably think I’m crazy, but there’s just
something about him.”
    “ You do realize falling for him is going to be
hard to