Page 55 of SnowBound

“That girl,” she said, once we reached her dorm building, “she really made an impression on you, didn’t she?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it. It’s in the past anyway. Nothing worth discussing right now.” How I wished my words rang true to my own ears.

She snuggled against my chest, and I looped my arms around her. Angling her head back, she studied me. “Wanna spend the night?” Her lips kissed the corner of my mouth and the contour of my jaw and trailed down my neck.

Warmth washed through me as her palm cupped my junk and woke up sensations I had forgotten about in the last few months.

“Huh, not sure it’s a good idea. We said we’d wait.” We broke apart when I took a step back.

The booze messed with my brain cells. Why was I pushing her away? What was wrong with me? Bethany was nice, smart, and funny.

“Listen, you can sleep on the sofa. Or you can go back to your place and have Joe entertain you all night with the girl he brought home. What do you say?” Her eyes were pleading with me to say yes. From the pink hue on her cheeks and glossy eyes, I could tell Bethany was tipsy but not drunk. She rarely drank alcohol, so a glass or two had this effect on her. It loosened her up.

I shut my eyes for an instant, trying to make up my mind. The beer and shots I’d been drinking all night slowed my thought process. Why was it so hard right now to decide? If I agreed to this and ended up in her bed and erased Abby from my thoughts, I had to be willing to accept the risk that it could affect my creative process. And my body. For months, I had wanted no one but her. But if I never found her, would I be willing to live a celibate life in case it affected my music? Would I be okay being on my own forever? Nah.

On the other end, the last thing I wanted was to be privy to Joe’s sexfest.

“Andy,” Bethany whispered. “Stop overprocessing everything in that head of yours. I’m here. I’m not a ghost from your past. And it’s just a couch, not a marriage proposal.”

I blinked at her, still unsure about what to do because the stupid part of me felt like a cheater if I agreed to go upstairs. How screwed-up was that?

I was being ridiculous. How was it cheating if I had known someone only for a night? Joe was right. I needed to break the cycle. Get my life back on track. Chase my dreams. Work toward my future. And it started tonight. I was done being a sad puppy.

“Yeah, I’m staying.” My voice sounded rougher than usual. Anderson Ford had gotten lost in the last semester. And I had to bring him back.

I had one life to live and was free to make the most of it the way I intended to. Once I was out of college, I’d have responsibilities and be forced to be an adult. For now, I could be a little selfish and think about myself for the time it lasted.

I didn’t wanna forget Abby. But what other choice did I have?