I was not silent or hesitant because I knew the truth. “I love you, too.” My heart flowed with happiness.
A sloppy smile filled his face, and he kissed me once, gently on the mouth, before holding me again. “Now what?” he asked.
I pulled away, propping myself up on my elbow so I could look at him. “We’ve got two weeks,” I said carefully, a plan forming in my head.
“Two weeks?” he asked, confused.
I nodded. “Two weeks to be together, to be in love, and to do everything we want. But when our parents get back, we have to go back to normal.”
Blake nodded slowly, considering it. “Okay,” he said. “Like get it all out of our system.”
“Exactly!” I exclaimed.
“There’s only one problem with that.” He cupped my face gently.
“What’s that?” I asked, turning my head into the palm of his hand and kissing it.
Blake looked at me with intense eyes and whispered, “I’m not going to want to let you go.”
***
Two weeks whizzed by in a flash. Two crazy, hectic, lazy, glorious weeks. Blake and I spent every moment together. We ate together, slept together, and even showered together, which most of the time just led to something else. Now it was the last day, and reality was spinning toward us like a fiery comet charging at the earth.
We lay in his bed, naked and holding each other tightly. Blake kissed me softly and pleaded for the hundredth time, “I don’t want this to end.”
I nodded, my heart heavy with aching for someone already in my arms. “I know. But Blake, we don’t have a choice.”
He stood up quickly, throwing on his boxers and pacing madly around the room. “But we do, Alyssa. You’re just making the wrong one.”
My head ached, and I rubbed my temples vigorously. “I don’t want to spend our last day fighting,” I begged him.
“That’s the thing, Alyssa. It doesn’t have to be our last day,” he cried, hurt clear on his face.
I frowned and said, “It does, Blake. You know that.”
He sat on the edge of the bed, his heads in his hands. “I know,” he said finally with a sigh, defeat heavy in his voice.
I crawled over to him and wrapped my arms around him from behind. I kneeled on the bed, kissing his back once before laying my head against his warm, familiar skin. Every part of me ached, knowing this would be my last chance to touch him, to hold him. Blake was all I wanted. He was my very own forbidden apple, and I had to face the knowledge of what it was like to have him and then lose him.
I heard our parents’ car pull in the driveway, and I said nothing as Blake slipped out of my arms. I heard him get dressed, but I couldn’t move, the emptiness weighing me down. I watched Blake leave, but before he left, he said one last thing, not even bothering to turn and look at me.
“Maybe it’s best we not say goodbye,” he whispered.
Blake
My alarm buzzed loudly, waking me with its sharp, annoying cries. I turned it off with a sigh and climbed out of bed. It was the first day of spring semester, and I was not ready to face the day. I forced myself to get up, however, looking groggily around my dorm room. My body was tired from unpacking late into the night.
Alyssa and our parents all thought it would be easier for both of us to concentrate on school if we lived on campus. I knew my mother was worried after I barely passed my finals. At least I did well enough to stay on the team, I thought positively.
I let out a sigh and began to dress. I headed to class, feeling unlike myself. I was depressed after everything that had happened between Alyssa and me. I had a hard time sleeping at night and barely ate. I floated through my classes that day, a mix of exhaustion and sadness weighing me down.
I sat down for my last class, ready for the day to be over. I looked up as a familiar voice greeted me. “Hey.”
Alyssa’s shining baby-blue eyes stared at me as she sat at the table next to me. “What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice unnecessarily angry and cold.
She frowned and said, “This is my class. I guess we have it together.”
“Whatever,” I muttered, not bothering to look at her because it would be too painful.
“What is your problem?” she asked, her voice hot and angry.
I gave her a hard look and said, “Look, we ended things, so just leave me alone.”
She sat up stiffly. “Well, I didn’t realize we couldn’t be friends.”
I didn’t answer and turned away from her. I watched the rest of the class file in. Matt, one of my teammates, walked in. He waved and I waved back, and he walked over, sitting in front of Alyssa and me. “Hey.” He greeted Alyssa with a smile, and I immediately felt my anger boil.