The Care You Show Me – Kelly Violet #2
She’d been my endgame before I really understood what the hell that meant.
The relative quiet of the library allowed my mind to wander as I took the stairs up to the fourth floor.
My favorite spot for studying remained empty, so I reclaimed my seat and settled in for a longer session.
Since Rae would be working until she closed the reference desk at ten, that meant I planned to stay put as well.
During my mission to grab dinner for my girl, I also swung by the apartment to retrieve a few more items. Might as well be productive while I spent the next few hours here waiting for Rae to finish up.
Senior year was just as brutal academically as the previous years, but now I saw an end in sight.
At least until my graduate program started up in the fall.
In the meantime, I dedicated myself to staying ahead in my coursework and treating Rae like the queen of my heart, which was exactly what she had always been for me.
I had a shit ton to atone for, even if Rae had let me off the hook with only some minor groveling.
She hadn’t wanted that from me anyway. Words of apology wouldn’t cut it at the end of the day either.
We’d missed out on experiencing so much together, and I’d do whatever it took to bring her endless joy and happiness from here on out.
Our time as undergrads was ending. We were both starting graduate programs. Me in engineering and her in library science.
Rae would continue writing and working even though I tried to talk her out of the latter.
She was determined to pay her own way no matter how many times I offered to support us both.
Her stubborn streak remained intact, a mile wide, and an impenetrable force unlike the wall she’d built around her heart.
Honestly, it made me love her more. And instead of trying to change her mind with words, I planned to show her with actions. She’d have my support every step of the way. When it came to school, working, and her writing. There was no chance in hell I’d let her down again. Not in this lifetime.
Feeling re-energized, I hit the books with gusto and made good headway on a few assignments and a final project write-up for one of my courses. When I came up for air, the clock crept past nine-thirty, so I packed up my stuff, made a pit stop at the bathroom, and then headed to the first floor.
Clearing the last flight of stairs that put me in the main foyer across from the circulation desk, my gaze landed on Rae in a matter of seconds.
With her attention focused on her current task, she hadn’t noticed me, so I took the opportunity to study my girlfriend. Whether at the bookstore or here at the library, Rae was in her element. Ready to pitch in and offer help with all the books and knowledge surrounding her.
My girl was going to kick butt in library school since she was already so fucking incredible. No doubt about it .
Right as she shut down the computer and glanced up from the monitor, I closed the distance between me and the reference desk.
“Hey, you!” An exhausted but happy smile brightened her round face, and I wanted to wrap her in my arms and kiss her silly. My need for Rae had only grown over the past year, sometimes frightening me with its intensity. But nothing would stop me from riding this endless wave.
“You ready to go, sweets?”
“So ready.” She lifted her bag from somewhere beneath the desk, and before she could hoist it onto her shoulder, I plucked it out of her hand. “Xan, what are you doing?” Her shocked whisper made my chest tighten.
“Carrying your stuff.”
Rae reached out a hand toward me, and I grabbed it, lacing our fingers together. She gave me the most stubborn look that I promptly ignored as we left the building.
The temperature had dropped considerably since Rae started her shift. Thankfully, she wore a long-sleeved shirt today, since I didn’t have a jacket to offer her. Next time, I’d make sure to be better prepared.
“You wanna stop for anything on the way home?”
She turned her face up to look at me, shaking her head. “Nope, I’m good.”
“Alright.”
The campus had ample lighting as we made the trek across the quad.
Still, I didn’t plan on letting Rae make this walk home by herself anymore.
Not while I can help it . We had a couple more months of school until graduation, and there wasn’t a damn thing I’d allow to ruin our happiness this time around.
If I had my way, I’d put a ring on Rae’s finger as soon as we had diplomas in our hands. But I had to tell myself to slow the fuck down. Rushing wouldn’t do me any favors. And we’d have plenty of time together. Decades , I promised myself. A lifetime.
In less than twenty minutes, we neared the apartment building where I’d lived off-campus since sophomore year. Once Rae accepted my apology and we started dating, it wasn’t long before I asked her to move in with me.
It took some serious convincing, but she finally agreed. Getting to wake up and go to sleep next to her each and every day was what dreams were made of. Thankfully, her library school program was online because I refused to imagine sleeping away from her more than a night or two ever again.
Finally, we were inside the apartment by ten-thirty. I slipped Rae’s bag off my shoulder and passed it to her. She thanked me with the sweetest smile before resting it on a chair at the small dining room set.
“You tired, Rae?”
“A little. But I’m looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.
” She had a seminar that started in the afternoon while I only had to go on campus to submit an assignment.
I’d found myself with a lot more free time now that wrestling was over.
At least I’d ended my college career on a high note with another championship win.
“Want to watch a show before bed?”
“Sounds good. Let me hop in the shower real quick, and I’ll meet you back here.”
“Okay.” She turned to leave, but I grabbed her and swooped down to kiss her tempting lips.
Pulling back, I watched in complete awe as she trailed after my mouth with her eyes closed.
Once her long lashes fluttered open again, I raised a brow at her, wondering if she needed me as much as I craved her on a constant basis.
If only , I thought. All the time I made us lose remained on my mind, and it was moments like these that filled me with the most regret. Because we could’ve easily had this status at the end of high school.
“Um…” Her shy stuttering sliced through the dark cloud over my head. Rae was my sunshine even if she had no idea.
Leaning down, I brought our faces closer again.
“Should we conserve water and shower together then?” I teased.
Her eyes widened, a blush flooding her dark-brown complexion.
I loved seeing her like this. Wordless and flustered.
It gave me all kinds of ideas when her eyes reflected the same level of heat I knew, for a fact, she could see in mine. “Whaddaya say, sweets?”
Rae shook her head, her shoulders following suit in the cutest, little shimmy. “Knock it off, Xan.” I’d bet money she thought I was joking, but that was the furthest thing from the truth. Still, I wouldn’t dare push my luck with her.
When she spun around, I caught the slightest smirk on her lips, and my dick twitched.
It never took much to rev my engine. Not when it came to Rae.
Whether she was near or far. It just was.
My body reacted to her with little to no stimuli, like my brain had a Pavlovian response with the mere thought of her.
Even though I’d gotten used to it in high school, nothing compared to the present version of Rae now that we were officially a couple.
The sound of the shower starting in the bedroom snapped me outta my head.
Instead of standing around like some sort of creep waiting on her to finish, I went to the kitchen to grab snacks.
If Rae needed something, then I wanted it on hand.
Nothing would get in the way of our cuddle time once our asses were next to each other on the couch.
And if we got up to more than cuddling then that would be alright with me.
Fuck, it would be better than all right . It would be pretty damn phenomenal.
RAE
Stripping off my clothes, I hopped in the shower like my ass was on fire. Xander had me ready to burst with one kiss and some words strung together that filled my stomach with butterflies.
My heart couldn’t take it. Since I remembered to cover my hair with a shower cap, I got directly under the lukewarm spray of water, hoping it would somehow cool me down.
Too late, I realized the wasted effort. Xan and his teasing had corrupted my mind.
Truth be told, it didn’t take much nowadays.
My sex drive was on the rise, and it had everything to do with Xan.
My body flushed from head to toe once my mind yeeted its way into the gutter.
I washed up, paying extra special attention to certain areas just in case watching TV turned into a round of Netflix and chill.
Either way, I wanted to be prepared. Xan had put ideas in my head, and now I could think of nothing else.
Cutting the shower off a few minutes later, I dried my body, applied lotion, and finally washed my face at the sink.
In the bedroom we now shared, I glanced at the king-size mattress before beelining for the dresser on the opposite wall.
I pulled out a T-shirt and sleep pants to wear.
My limited choices weren’t sexy by any stretch of the imagination.
Foregoing putting on a bra, I headed back to the living room where I found Xan waiting for me.
He changed into a muscle shirt, one where you could tell he cut out the arms himself, and a pair of basketball shorts.
It wasn’t anything different from what he usually wore to lounge around in, but somehow my heart sped up double time at the sight of him.