CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
SONYA
“One more to go, Sunny!” Bekah calls from the kitchen when I step down from the stairs, a wild grin taking up her face. “Then we are free and can do whatever our heart desires.”
A snicker falls from my lips when I reach the bar stool, dropping my bag on it to grab my travel mug from the dishwasher. “This coming from the girl who decided to take a spring class.”
“Dylan asked me to take it with him,” she says, resting her hands on her hips. “What was I supposed to say? No?”
“It was an option,” Reid chimes in from the living room couch, where he’s typing something on his laptop as I head for the coffee pot. Bekah takes the mug from me to fill it up with her and Reid’s. “It’s what I did.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a literature class. That’s child’s play for me, and he said he’d feed me.”
I shake my head. There doesn’t take much convincing when it comes to Bekah—or Dylan for that fact—just the mention of food will have them on board without any other details. “You are so easily persuaded, you know that?”
She shrugs and slides my travel mug over, setting the pot back onto the warmer. “What about you? Are you excited to be done for the semester?”
“So excited.” I take my mug with me to the island, reaching for the fridge door. “Milk?” I ask. Both nodding in response while Bekah holds her hand out to take it. “I didn’t think this semester would be as draining as it was. As much as it sucks to not have the summer internship, it’ll be nice to have a break from everything. Especially since Walker’s going to be around for most of it.”
“I’m glad you’re looking on the bright side. I know you were really bummed out about not getting it, and for what it’s worth, I think the work you did was great. I know Dylan and the guys appreciated you doing something that was meant to make their lives a little easier.”
She pours a little milk into her mug, and then Reid’s before passing it over. “Yeah, I wouldn’t change anything I did,” I tell her, pouring a bit into my mug before screwing the cap back on and sliding it into the fridge door.
Even if it meant I would have gotten the internship, it wouldn’t have been what I wanted to do. I saw a blank space, something to improve upon to help make the lives of the people I care about easier, and I took my shot. I missed this time, but I won’t always miss.
I know I did something that made me proud, as well as the people I care about and at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters to me. Something else will come up next year, and I’ll make the most of that opportunity.
“What about you, Beks? Other than the spring class, are you excited?”
She nods her head and screws on the lid to her pale purple travel mug, bringing it up to her lips to take a sip. “Between a spring class and the pile of smutty books calling my name? I’m all set for an excellent summer break. Right, Reid?”
“You’re going to make him read those with you again?”
“Of course, he loves them.” And to Reid’s credit, I do really think he enjoys it. Especially the part where he gets to talk them into oblivion with Bekah. Books bleed through his veins.
“You got the first one picked out for us, Beks?” Reid asks, closing his laptop. He slides it into his bag, bringing the strap to his shoulder on his way over to us.
She nods her head. “Dirty talking cowboys.”
My hand moves to the cowboy hat pendant hanging around my neck, and both seem to notice as Bekah smirks. “You want to join us, Sunny?”
Before I can say anything, my phone buzzing pulls my attention away. “Boyfriend?” Reid asks when I pull my phone out, the smile on my face is all the answer he needs.
Giddy excitement fills my chest at the prospect of hearing his voice as I slide my thumb across the bottom of the screen, bringing it up to my ear. “Hi, Cowboy,” I say, turning around when Bekah and Reid pucker their lips at me.
“Hi, Sunny,” he greets. “You sleep okay?”
“Considering I was up until three getting some last-minute studying in? I slept great.” I tell him when Bekah’s hand moves to my shoulder, and I turn back around, watching her hitch her thumb toward the door. “Sorry, hang on a second,” I say, pressing the butt of my phone to my shoulder before they can run off completely. “Good luck on your exams!”
“Thanks! You too, Sunny,” she says, blowing a kiss in my direction as I bring my phone back to my ear. “And you, Walker!”
“Bekah says good luck on your exam,” I clarify as Reid moves to give me a side hug, a silent sentiment passing between us when he pulls away and heads to follow Bekah to the door.
“Tell her thanks and her too,” Walker says.
“He says thank you and good luck!” I relay before she slips into the front foyer. “How are you feeling about your psych exam?”
“Good, I think. Or at least, pretending like I am.” His laugh fills my phone, and my stomach flips, a grin taking up my face. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this feeling. This complete and utter adoration I feel for him.
“You’ll be fine,” I assure him. “We’re still on to meet up after?”
“Yes, I just got to my building, so I’ll come your way once I’m done, and we can head back to my place. If that works for you.”
“Sounds perfect,” I tell him while shouldering my bag, digging through the front pocket for my house keys. “You don’t need it, but good luck on your test. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Sunny. Go crush your exam, okay?”
“I will try my best,” I tell him, grabbing my coffee off the island while saying goodbye.
My walk to campus is short, and by the time I get to class, my head is clear. The skills exam is quick and to the point, and by now, something I can do in my sleep. A younger me might have mistaken the ease as overconfidence and then stressed myself out over what could be a lousy grade, but this version of me knows better.
Stressing myself out for no reason, for something I no longer control, is not a weight I care to carry around on my shoulders. Not anymore. Not when I can focus that energy on the good things in my life—like my friends, my boyfriend, and my passions.
That alone has me walking out with a grin on my face and directly into the path of Professor Andrews. The papers in her hands flutter to the ground when we collide.
“God, Professor Andrews! I’m so sorry,” I say, leaning down to grab the stacks.
“Sonya! You are exactly the person I was hoping to run into,” she says, reaching for the papers when I hold them out to her. “I was going to email you and ask you to stop by my office, but if you’re free now, perhaps we could have a quick chat?”
My lips part to agree when I spot Walker heading in my direction, his grey eyes finding mine instantly. “I was actually going to meet up with my boyfriend,” I say, directing her attention to him with the extension of my finger. “He’s just over there if you don’t mind me running over and asking him to wait.”
“Of course.” She nods, a smile curling up on her lips. “I am just on my way to my next class. It’s our usual room. Why don’t you meet me there?”
“Sounds great! I’ll only be a few minutes,” I tell her, heading in Walker’s direction when she heads down the corridor to our usual lecture hall. “Hi, Cowboy,” I say, sliding my hand over his waist and leaning on my toes to press my lips to his.
“How’d your exam go?”
“Good! Really good,” I tell him, falling back on my heels. “How did yours go?”
“It was alright. Definitely didn’t fail it.” He lifts his hand and points in the direction Professor Andrews went. “Who was that you were talking to?”
“Professor Andrews. She wants to talk to me about something. Do you mind waiting a few extra minutes for me? I can always tell her we need to schedule a meeting.”
He leans down, pressing his lips to my cheek. “You go ahead.” He squeezes my side gently before drawing down to my hip and around to my ass. He gives it a light tap and nods in the direction of my old lecture hall. “I will be right here when you’re done.”
“Thank you. I won’t be long.”
“Take all the time you need, Sunny. I’m not going anywhere,” he says, settling into one of the tables set up in the long corridor. My heart squeezes with appreciation, and head down the hall, running my hand over the strap of my bag.
Professor Andrews is standing at the podium at the front of the room when I reach the front. Her gaze lifts from the paper stacks I knocked out her hands when she hears my feet on the stairs.
“Sonya, perfect,” she says, setting the papers down and stepping out from behind the podium. “I won’t take too much of your time. I just wanted to chat with you about your app design from class.”
“Okay,” I say, letting my bag slip off my shoulder and into one of the front seats. “I know I took a big swing with the redirection, and I gave up my chance with the internship, but—”
She shakes her head, gesturing for me to sit, and then slides into the seat next to me. “That is one of the many things I appreciate about you, Sonya. You’re not afraid to be bold, and that is an important quality to have. While it was a big risk you took, ignoring my advice, it paid off this time.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, confusion pulling my brows together.
“After your presentation, there was a lot of discussion about which direction we should go. Your pitch gave the panel a lot to think about, and while the university still wants the directory for games and university events to be the focus, which is ultimately the direction they went with,” she says, confirming what I already knew. I pushed the boundary on the brief by completely throwing it out and showing them something else. Expecting them to change everything to go with my design instead was a pipe dream. “There was some pullback on the other side of the panel, specifically from Coach Shay.
“He thinks that your app could be a game changer, not only for the athletes on campus but the coaching and support staff as well. Being able to streamline everything into one place, while it might not seem like much, it could really help them stay organized and alleviate some unnecessary stresses that the athletes here are experiencing.”
“That’s great! I’m glad he liked it,” I say, pride filling my chest. “I hope that means they can do something to make things smoother in the future.”
She nods her head. “I agree, or we could do it now. It took a little push and pull, but we both thought it was a good idea and something worth filtering some money into. I got the university’s go-ahead this morning, and I would really love for you to be a part of it.”
My heart stills in my chest. For a second, I think I heard her wrong because there is no way she’s saying what I think she’s saying, but then she grins. “Seriously? You’re going to develop my app?”
“With your help, hopefully. It won’t be on as big of a scale as the directory, but I will personally be taking part in this, and I could use your expertise.”
“My expertise? Are you kidding me?” I ask with a laugh. “Yes, absolutely, yes. I am in!”
“Are you sure? It’s a big undertaking. You can have some time to think about it.”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t need to think about it. I have spent all semester working on this project, I don’t want to stop now, and my summer is completely free. When can we start?”
She laughs and gets up to her feet. “I’m glad to see you're excited. I’ve got some things to go over with the university and getting a few more hands on this, but we should be able to start at the beginning of next month. I’ll send you an email with more details once I’ve got them.”
“Okay!” I say, gathering my bag when I hear the doors open and a few of her students trinkle in. “Thank you, Professor Andrews. I won’t let you down, I promise.”
“This was all you, Sonya. Just keep working hard, and I know we’ll make a great team.”
A grin takes up my face, nodding my head eagerly before heading up the stairs. The second I’m in the hall, I run in the direction I left Walker and squeal when I sink into the chair across from him. My hands excitedly drum against the wooden surface.
“Good news?” Walker asks, pulling an earbud out.
“The university is developing my app!” I squeal. “Coach Shay liked my app pitch so much that he pushed for it, and so did Professor Andrews, and the university approved the go-ahead this morning. My app is being built! It’s going to be real, and I get to be part of it.”
“Sunny! That’s fantastic,” he says, untangling himself from his laptop to slide out of his chair and all but lifts me out of my seat. “I’m so proud of you!”
“I’m proud of me, too,” I say when he sets me back on my feet. I move my hands to his cheeks, grinning. “Cowboy, I get to be a part of app development! My app. I can’t believe this.”
“I can. You are so insanely talented. They’d be insane not to want to work with you, and one day, when you're crushing the tech world, I get to say I knew Sonya Cartelli when.”
My lips curl up. “You loved her when,” I say, pressing my lips to his, “and you’ll love me then, too. There’s no end date for us, Walker Bodie. You’re it.”
“Yeah?”
I nod my head. My heart is so unbelievably full of love for the man in front of me and for the life I get to live with him at my side. The life we’re going to build together. There is no more one day at a time for us because forever starts now.