CHAPTER 21 #2
Had he really said that? Okay, it wasn't like any of the girls were prudes, but for God's sake, he'd just met them!
— And, come on, that was the first time we didn't have to sneak around the rooms to get him out of my bed in the middle of the night.
It was the year of her nineteenth birthday, when her parents decided to stay in Boston for the first time in years and she and Kieran had the house for two weeks.
It was also when Kieran was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens and would start playing for the team when he finished college. It was a big step towards his professional career and they took advantage of the fact that they were alone to celebrate.
And that happened with sex. Lots of hot sex and in every possible room.
— Besides, it's not like you didn't enjoy it too. I remember very well seeing you disappear to the second floor with two girls the night of my birthday party.
They invited a bunch of the boys’ friends to a party on her birthday and things got a little out of hand when the house started to fill up. At some point during the night, she didn't even know a third of the people there.
— Oh, yes, I have good memories of that night — he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively — It was our last year in the house, wasn't it?
She nodded, memories of the following year hitting her like an arrow.
She had survived finals week. She had just finished her final exam of the first semester of her third year of pre-med. Now, she only had three more of that left before she could start medical school.
Rila dropped her bag on the floor and threw herself onto the king-size bed that awaited her in the center of her suite. She had spent the last three nights sleeping when the sun was rising so she could finish her revisions and now she could finally sleep without a care in the world.
She pushed her shoes off with her feet, then dragged herself across the mattress. With her phone in hand, she logged onto Instagram for the first time that week and prepared to clear her inbox.
When she logged in, she noticed something odd and slightly worrying. There was a notification from Kieran Ward. And in all these years, they had never exchanged messages. Never.
Anxiously, she opened the conversation, frowning at the message left two days ago.
@kieranward: are you coming this year?
@therilahill: of course, why wouldn't I?
She wasn't expecting him to respond so soon. After all, she had left him hanging — even if it wasn't intentional — and guys loved to play games like that. Honestly, she didn't have much patience for that kind of thing, and that was exactly why she was still single.
Well, that and the guy three thousand miles away.
But, she should have already known that Kieran wasn't like the others, so she wouldn't have been surprised when a new message popped up. One that made her eyes almost pop out of her head.
@kieranward: because your parents sold the house.
— What the fuck?! — she squeaked, surprised and feeling something akin to despair begin to build in her body.
@therilahill: how did you find you?
@kieranward: my mom.
Right, Sophie Ward worked with them the days they were there. Of course she would know something like that because her services would be dispensed.
That couldn't be true, could it? Maybe they sold it to buy another house in town. Oh, who was she trying to kid? If her parents wanted another house, they would have bought it even while this one hadn't sold. They could have owned ten houses in Vancouver at once if that was what they wanted.
Distraught by the news, Rila ran out of the room and began frantically searching for her mother. God, why did this house have so many rooms?
— Mom — she practically screamed when she found Naomi at the table near the pool — Has the Vancouver house been sold?
Her mother didn't even look up from the magazine in her hands to answer her.
— Yes. That's why we're going to stay and have a Christmas party on the twenty-third. It's a new tradition.
She hadn't thought about it when her mother announced the event earlier this month. Rila just thought they'd be returning from Vancouver early this time, when in reality they weren't going at all.
— Why? — she didn't know if she was asking why the sale happened or why they didn't tell her.
— Your father broke off the partnership and the property was no longer needed — Naomi shrugged, the white shawl on her shoulders slipping a little — Did you get the dress options for the party? I need you to go try on a few things and pick your outfit by the end of the month.
Which dress she would wear in a month's time was the last thing on her mind at that moment. Without answering her mother, she just turned and ran back to her room.
So, Rila did the only thing that could be done in that situation: she bought the first ticket to Vancouver and started packing her bags.
It wasn't until she was in the air that she realized she hadn't answered Kieran. And that he didn't know what she was doing. And that she had no idea where to go, since that house was no longer an option.
She didn't know where he lived, in fact, she didn't even know if Kieran was in town, he could very well be traveling for some championship.
— Shit — she muttered to herself and sank further into the spacious first class seat.
Rila would have to wait until she landed to text him, and she would still risk looking like crazy. What kind of person would travel eight hours to another country on a whim without telling the other?
For God's sake, they weren't even together. It wasn't like she was a girlfriend giving him a romantic surprise or anything. Her impulsiveness was biting her in the ass that moment.
She managed to sleep on the flight thanks to her sleepless nights during the week, and when the pilot announced that they were going to land, Rila already knew what she would do.
As soon as she could, she turned on her phone and opened the chat with Kieran. It was a little after eleven at night there, so there was a good chance he wouldn't see it until the next day. But they could meet tomorrow if he was free.
@therilahill: I did something crazy. Call me when you see this message.
She sent the message along with her number and then moved on to the second thing she needed to do: book a room.
Rila was in a taxi on the way to the hotel when her cell phone started vibrating. It was an unknown number and it had Canada's code, so that could only mean one thing. He had seen the message.
— Hey — she picked up, keeping her eyes focused on the building passing by the car window.
— Hi — it really was him, she would recognize that voice and accent anywhere — Are you okay? What did you do?
— I'm fine, don't worry. I panicked when my mom confirmed the house was sold and ended up doing this without thinking.
— Doing what?
— I'm in Vancouver.
The line went silent for three seconds before he spoke again.
— Where? — Rila passed on the information and heard something moving on the other end of the call — I’m coming, wait for me.
Well, it wasn't like she had anything else to do, right?
The call ended and the taxi dropped her off at her hotel a few minutes later. She had just entered her suite, decorated in shades of cream and pale blue, when the doorbell rang. Rila dropped her suitcase in the middle of the room and took a deep breath before opening the door.
Blue.
Crystal blue was the first thing she saw.
He stared at her intensely as his body took up almost all the space between the door frame. His brown hair was messy and he looked incredibly delicious in a pair of gray sweatpants and a plain white shirt covered by a black jacket.
— You're crazy — he stepped inside, closing the door without taking his eyes off her, the blue shining with desire.
— A little — Rila ran her tongue over her lips, feeling them strangely dry out of sudden — I wasn't thinking straight when I did this.
— I like you not thinking straight — Kieran closed the space between them, her breasts brushing against his broad chest with each inhale.
— So, are you gonna kiss me now?
— I'm gonna do a lot more than kissing.
They were naked in a matter of seconds, one of Kieran's hands wrapped around her black locks right in the center of her head while the other held her by the waist. Their kiss was overwhelming, like every time their mouths met.
It was always frantic and fast, as if they were insatiably hungry for each other.
And it made perfect sense for this to happen. After all, they spent an entire year without each other, so of course they would be full of desire and hunger. Kieran devoured her first and then savored her without any rush, and Rila couldn't say which way she liked it better.
They were hot and tired when Kieran pulled her on top of him, making her lie on him, her head nestled on his chest and her legs wrapped around his. Unlike hers, his heart beat it in a calm and steady rhythm, just like Kieran was all the time.
It was bizarre how someone so calm could make her so agitated.
— It's not December yet — he said as he slowly caressed her bare back.
He was right, it wasn't December and they weren't in the house. It was like they were outside the bubble. And that realization was what made Rila utter the following words.
— I'm in love with you.
She didn't hesitate, she wasn't afraid to say it. There was no fear of the possibility of being rejected because she was sure that it was impossible for only her to be feeling that way.
And it was crazy to think how it had happened. While they had known each other for almost nine years, they had also only known each other for sixteen weeks. That was how long they had spent together, sixteen weeks. One hundred and twelve days and she was completely in love with him.