Chapter 15
Riley
One movie turns into two, then three. About halfway through the third movie, I give in to the temptation to close my eyes.
I figure nobody will even realize I’m asleep.
Just for a few minutes, I tell myself. When I wake up later, I blink and try to remember what day it is and if I’m late for classes.
It takes me a moment to remember it’s a holiday, and I fell asleep watching a movie.
I realize I’m in Reid’s bed, and I frown at that.
I don’t remember walking back here. I reach out without thought. Are you here?
Hey, I’m out in the living room. Did you have a good nap?
I did. I slept so hard; I don’t even remember walking back here.
That's because you didn’t walk. I carried you; you were out cold.
My insides heat at the thought of Reid carrying me, quickly followed by disappointment that I missed it. I push away those thoughts quickly before he catches on through our connection. Sorry.
Don’t be. I’m glad you got some sleep; you needed it after your shift last night. Speaking of your shift, how are you feeling?
I take stock of my body. Everything feels achy but okay. He doesn’t respond for a moment. Reid?
Sorry, Quint was being an idiot.
What did he do now?
He was calling me out for talking to you instead of watching the movie.
I laugh to myself. He's just jealous.
Exactly. He wishes he had a gorgeous mate to converse with at all times.
Warmth spreads through me. Tell him to leave you alone, or he’ll have to deal with me.
Okay.
I’m just trying to wake up, and then I’ll be out.
Don’t. You’ll hate the movie.
I stare up at the ceiling. What movie is it?
I don’t remember what it’s called but it’s about a dog. You'll hate it.
It’s sad? I ask.
Yeah.
I hate sad movies.
I know. And he would. He was the only one growing up that didn’t make fun of me when I’d cry during a sad movie.
And then eventually, when I refused to watch any animal movies, he never made fun of me for it.
I hate watching sad movies of any kind. My motto is life is hard enough; I don’t need to watch an animal die or somebody get cancer or any other sad story plots.
I’ll tell you when it’s done.
Thanks, Reid.
I spy my phone on the end table next to the bed and snag it and start making a to-do list for this week. It's not very long before there’s a quiet knock at the door. I know it’s Reid by his scent. You can come in.
He opens the door and comes in, closing the door behind him. The room feels much smaller with him in it now. I move over, so he can sit on the bed. “Feel a little better?”
“I do. I slept so hard, I couldn’t remember what day it was.”
“Good. You needed it.”
I swing my legs over the side of the bed. “Did you ask your parents about doing dinner?”
“I did, and they are looking forward to it.”
I study his face. “You don’t sound very happy about that.”
“About your mom and my mom getting together right after they find out we’re mates? What could possibly go wrong?” he asks dryly. “They’ll have us mated and you pregnant before the end of the month.”
I swallow wrong and end up choking. “Pregnant? Good grief, Reid!”
“Well, not yet, obviously.”
“We haven’t even bonded yet,” I remind him.
“You know that, and I know that but our mothers...”
I groan and lay back on the bed. “Maybe we should cancel.”
His warm chuckle makes me smile. “Too late for that.”
I stare up at the ceiling and think about his words. “It’s weird to think about, right?”
“What is?”
I shrug, even though he’s not looking at me. “I don’t know. All this talk about mating, having a baby...it just doesn’t feel real. Right?”
“Riley.” He says my name in a way that makes me turn my head to look at him.
“This, everything between us, is very real. Have I thought about having kids with you? Yeah. But I’ve had years to think about it.
Give yourself time. Don’t worry.” He gives me a beautiful smile.
“I don’t plan on impregnating you any time soon. ”
I laugh. “Good to know,” I finally manage to get out.
“Come on.” He stands up and puts a hand out.
“What are we doing?”
“Want to go shoot around?”
That gets me up fast. “Yes.”
He pulls me to my feet, and we both look down at my outfit at the same time. “New plan. Maybe head to campus, so I can grab my clothes?”
He nods. “Let’s do it.”
We make the trip to campus pretty quickly, and he follows me up to my room. “I can’t believe we’re doing this. I literally just moved in.”
“Riley, wait.” He puts a hand on my shoulder, stopping me. “Just pack a bag for now. If you decide to move in full time, we’ll borrow Zane’s truck and get all your stuff.”
“Okay. That’s probably a much smarter idea. Everything is just going so fast.”
“Then we slow it down.”
I nod. “Let me see if she’s in there.” I open the door and step inside, leaving Reid in the hall.
Stephanie looks up at me from her spot on the floor. “Hey, Riley.”
“Hey.” I look over to see Ashley at the desk.
“You’re alive,” Ashley says.
I grimace. “Sorry. Yeah. I should have texted.”
Ashley waves off my concern. “It’s fine. I was just hoping you were okay.”
“My suitemates are driving me crazy,” Stephanie admits. “So, I escaped in here.”
“Are they being loud again?” I ask. I’ve heard about the twins from Tessa. They’re obnoxious and always have a party going on in their room. I’m not exactly sure how they ever study.
“Yeah, I don’t know why they need their music so loud every single day,” Stephanie says.
“Have you told your floor leader?” I ask.
Ashley laughs. “Yeah, well, she’s one of their friends. So, she’s not going to be shutting them down any time soon.”
“That stinks.” I look between the two of them. “Stephanie, you should move in here. It would solve your suitemate problems.”
“Uh, I love you and everything; but I don’t think we should share a bed.”
I laugh. “Yeah, no. You are definitely not the person I want to share a bed with.” The room goes absolutely silent, and I look at the two of them in confusion. They’re both staring at me with big eyes. “What?”
“Was there someone else you want to share a bed with?” Stephanie asks.
“What? No.”
Ashley laughs and points at my face. “You totally do.”
“Oh my word. No, I don’t. All right. Moving on. Stephanie, you should see about moving in here because I’m going to move to the house off campus where my brother lived.”
They both stare at me with matching expressions of shock. “Really?” Ashley asks. “It’s only been a few weeks.”
“I know. I’m really sorry. I wanted to stay here, but I just think it will be better this way.”
There’s a knock at the door. “Come in,” I call out, knowing it’s Reid.
He steps inside, and his eyes find mine. “You good?” he asks in a quiet voice.
“Yeah.” I turn to Ashley and Stephanie. They’re staring at Reid with matching looks of surprise. “Uh, this is Reid. Reid this is Ashley and Stephanie.”
Stephanie turns to me. “Can we have a word in private?”
“Um, what—” I don’t get any further than that before she loops her arm through mine and pulls me into the bathroom. Ashley joins us a second later, closing the door behind her.
“That’s who you were thinking about,” Stephanie says in a whispered shout.
“What?” I am officially confused. “What are you talking about?”
“When you said she wasn’t the one you wanted to share a bed with,” Ashley fills in, oh so helpfully.
“You were talking about him!” Stephanie adds. I am very aware of the fact that Reid can hear everything being said in this bathroom because of his shifter hearing.
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Well, what guy were you thinking about sleeping with?” Ashley asks.
“I wasn’t thinking about another guy!”
“So, you were thinking about Reid,” Stephanie pushes.
I close my eyes. “Okay. Let’s try this again.” I open my eyes. When I catch the smile on Stephanie’s face before she quickly erases it, I realize I’ve been had. “You two are awful.”
Stephanie laughs. “But it was so easy to get you riled up.”
“All right. I need to actually pack up now.”
Stephanie puts her hand on my arm. “Seriously, though. You would tell us if something was wrong, right?”
I feel my heart tug and feel so much gratitude for these two. “I really am okay. I just think with my schedule and everything, it’s going to be better for me to be off campus.” I don’t really want to move, but I know it’s the best decision. “But can I come back and visit?”
“Of course!” Ashey says, and then they both move in for a hug.
“Don’t forget about us,” Stephanie says, giving me a wink.
“That’s impossible. I won’t. Now, can we please get out of this bathroom? Reid’s going to think we disappeared.” I open the door and find Reid leaning against the desk with his long legs out in front of him. “Okay, they’re done interrogating me; we can get to the packing now,” I tell him.
“Hey, we were not interrogating you,” Ashley pipes up.
“Well, whatever you call that; it’s done.”
Keeping with Reid’s suggestion, I don't pack everything. I explain to the girls that I’ll be back to get more once I get things cleared up with admin, and then I’ll bring Zane’s truck to get all my stuff.
I change into shorts and a shirt and my sneakers and get to work.
The girls help, and it goes pretty quickly.
After hugging each of them and promising to stay in touch, I follow Reid out into the hallway.
He’s got my bag slung over one shoulder and my bedding and pillow in his other hand.
I follow, carrying my backpack with all my school stuff and my laptop and another bag with odds and ends.
We load everything into the backseat of his car.
I pull my sunglasses off the top of my head and put them on.
“All right. Now, we can play a game of basketball.” I expect him to start backing out of the parking space but he doesn’t.
Instead, he drapes one arm over the wheel and turns to look at me. “What?” I ask.
“Are you sure you want to do this? I know you just moved in. If you want to stay here and enjoy dorm life, you can do that. We’ll make it work.”
“Right. You’ll just stay outside my dorm every night.”
His eyes are serious. “I would.”
I smile. “I know; and that’s what makes you such an amazing guy.
I’m good. Really. Honestly, I don’t know how any of you did it.
I haven’t even had to stay in there yet since I shifted, but I think I would go crazy.
I’m going to need to be able to go outside and shift and run.
Thanks, though. I really appreciate it. Can I take your old room in the basement? ”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I’m going to ask Quint if he’d be willing to move down there.”
I frown at that. “Why make Quint when I’d be happy to.”
“If you take my old room, and I move into Quint’s, it will put you in between my room and Slate’s. It’s the safest option.”
“Oh. That makes sense; I just hate putting everybody out.”
“You’re not.”