CHAPTER 20

I wanted to kiss Nick. I mean I really, really wanted to kiss him. I hadn’t realized exactly how much I missed him until we were hugging. It just felt so good, so familiar, so the way it should be.

But a crowd of people were still walking to the dorm, and Parker was still standing there looking at us. I felt self-conscious and embarrassed. And relieved and happy and tired. Wound up.

I stepped out of Nick’s embrace. “I can’t believe you’re here. I mean, I’ll be home in a little over two weeks.”

He shrugged. “I couldn’t wait, Megan, but I can only stay a couple of days. Then I have to get back to Hart’s.”

“Where are you staying?” I asked.

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I need my money for gas to get me back home, so I guess I’ll sleep in my car.”

“You’d do that for me?” I asked, feeling guilty for not missing him more, for not being willing to drive home to see him. Of course, not having a car could have factored into that decision as well.

“You can stay at my place,” Parker offered.

Alarms rang in my head. No way did I want them comparing notes. Not that there was really anything to compare. Neither did I want them sizing each other up, which was sorta what they were doing now, looking at each other the way two dogs did before one decided he could take the bone away from the other.

“Who are you again, man?” Nick finally asked.

“Her roommate’s brother. Megan’s like my second kid sister. Just watching out for her, like I do Jordan. I’ve got a house up the way with a couch you can use. If you decide you want the couch, get directions from Megan. I’ll leave the door unlocked. See you around.”

Just like that, Parker was walking away.

“See you, Parker. Thanks!” I called after him.

He waved a hand in the air without looking back.

“What were you thanking him for?” Nick asked.

“Offering you a place to sleep, walking me home in the dark.” I shrugged. “Nothing in particular.” Everything in general. “I can’t believe you’re actually here.”

We’d been standing on the sidewalk long enough that there weren’t any people around anymore. He looked like he might be embarrassed or was feeling awkward. Like maybe he just realized he was here, too.

“I missed you, Megan,” he said.

“So you just got in your car—”

“Yep. And drove, after scheduling a few days off. Drove nonstop.”

Territory we’d already covered, but it made me feel special and loved. We weren’t long-distance anymore. We were right in front of each other. I was starting at zero Nick-less days!

I threw my arms around Nick and kissed him. He kissed me back. It felt right. It felt good. He’d driven all the way up from Texas just to see me for a few days. How cool was that?

“Don’t guess I can sleep with you,” Nick said.

We were lying together on one of the lounge chairs that the hotel set out on the sandy beach for the guests.

“I have a roommate and suitemates,” I explained. “I’d be okay with you sleeping in the room, but I’m not sure they would be. Plus there is the whole sneaking-you-in-without-the-floor-monitor-seeing.”

Not that I thought Zoe would chase him out or anything. Guys were parading in and out on our floor all the time. But as far as I knew, none stayed the night. Besides, it would be inconsiderate toward the girls I shared the suite with. They were used to walking around in their underwear.

“I can’t believe you drove all the way up here without a plan,” I said, surprised that I was actually a little irritated, which made no sense at all.

He was holding me close. “All I could think about was seeing you.” He squeezed me tightly. “God, I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, but gosh, Nick, I’ll be home in eighteen days.”

“I didn’t want to wait.”

I snuggled against him. “I’m glad you didn’t.”

“Do you work tomorrow?” he asked.

“Yeah. I can get you a pass into the park.”

“What fun would that be, going on all the rides alone?”

“I don’t go to work until the afternoon. We could hang out together until then.”

“That sucks.”

I rolled my eyes. “Nick, if I’d known you were coming I might have been able to switch days off with someone.”

“It wouldn’t have been a surprise if you’d known, and I wanted to surprise you.”

“You certainly did that. And I’m not complaining. I was just explaining that I can’t change my shift at the last minute.”

“I know. When I started driving I wasn’t thinking of anything except seeing you.”

He sounded utterly defeated.

“So where are you going to sleep tonight?”

“Guess I’ll sleep at your friend’s, since he made the offer.”

I still didn’t totally like that idea, but really there was no other alternative. The dorm had a lounge, but I didn’t think the management would appreciate him bunking down on one of the couches there. Besides, he needed more than a place to sleep. He needed a shower.

“What was his name again?” he asked.

“Parker.”

“Parker? And he works in a park? How lame is that?”

“Nick!” I didn’t know why but it felt like he’d insulted me. I felt a strong need to defend Parker. “I like his name.”

“You gotta admit it’s an unusual name. How many Parkers do you know?”

“It doesn’t matter. Besides, he was nice enough to offer to let you use his couch.”

“Whatever. I don’t like the guy, Megan.”

“You don’t even know him.”

“But apparently you do.”

I sat up. “Did you see us do anything suspicious?”

“You were laughing.”

“Oh, what? I can only laugh when I’m with you?”

He sat up and put his arm around me. It took all my willpower not to shrug out of his embrace.

“I’m sorry, Megan. I’m tired from the drive, and I guess a little disappointed that I have to sleep on some guy’s couch.”

I stood. “The dorm has a curfew, so I need to get inside. Guess you can sleep here if you don’t want to go to Parker’s.”

“No, I’ll go stay at his place.”

“Come on, then. I’ll get a piece of paper and draw you a map. It’s easy to find.”

“You’ve been to his place?”

“Sure. They have a party there every Wednesday night. We can go tomorrow.”

“Thought you had to work tomorrow.”

Why did he sound suspicious again?

“A lot of people work tomorrow. The party goes on late into the night so people can go over there when they get off their shift.”

He followed me into the lobby, looking around, nodding with approval, like maybe he’d expected to find me living in the slums. I went to the front desk and asked Mary (Baltimore, MD) for a piece of paper and a pencil. When I finished drawing the map, I walked back to Nick.

“So where’s your room?” he asked.

“Sixth floor. If we have time, I’ll show you tomorrow.”

We were standing there, suddenly awkward. I thought maybe he was expecting me to cave in and invite him to my room.

“I’ll walk you to the door,” I said.

At the door, I offered to go outside with him. “Call me as soon as you get here tomorrow,” I said.

He kissed me goodnight, and I watched him walk to the parking lot to get to his car. As I went back into the dorm, I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t more thrilled that he was here, why it felt like an intrusion on my space.

Maybe because I hadn’t planned for his arrival. My countdown was ruined. I would be home soon anyway, so why come up?

Because he missed me, and I missed him.

So why was I sorta wishing that he wasn’t here? And why did it make me so sad not to be more excited to see him?