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“Right. Should I go with you?” He lifted his backpack. “I had planned to start reading ahead in some of my new textbooks while we were out, but you’re too distracting.”
She frowned and returned to the couch to help him to his feet. “You should probably stay and hit the books. But if I get the job, I’ll take you out to dinner. I mean, you’ll have to drive, but—”
“Absolutely.” He picked her up and spun her around a few times. Then he kissed her once on the lips and on each cheek. “Good luck, beautiful. I know you’ll get the job.”
She patted his cheeks softly and rubbed her nose against his. “I’ll see you tonight, right?”
“You bet.”
Holly left, skipping off to her apartment. Things were not as bad as she imagined. She was about to get a new job, save for her car, and she had the world’s best boyfriend.
Life was good.
15
Eric
Life was not good. No matter how he diced it, Eric never had enough time with Holly. They never had that dinner date like she’d proposed, but she had texted him that she had gotten the job. Immediately, she’d been put into training so she’d be prepared for the first day of school. They were already three weeks into the semester, and other than a few visits on campus where they snuck in a kiss or two and a long hug that lifted his spirits, he hadn’t seen Holly—not once in her apartment.
He stopped by anyway, checking on her roommates and making sure that when Holly’s schedule did calm down, he had a routine of being there when she needed him. His studies had picked up too, but nothing was more important than developing his relationship with Holly. It would be a mere few months until his internship started, and he wanted something solid between them before things changed drastically.
After class, he heaved his backpack to his other shoulder and headed up the stairs to their study spot. The last half-dozen times he’d gone, she’d not been there. Instead, he’d found that others had taken up the couches, and he had the strong desire to return to their Christmas break when it had been only the two of them.
He stopped short when he saw Holly napping across one of the couches. His angel! Not wanting to disturb her, he pulled out his books and studied in front of the couch while she snoozed on. After about an hour of studying numbers and writing a report on the successful outcomes of different changes a company had made in their factory, two soft arms wrapped around his neck.
“You’re here,” she said sleepily.
Smiling, he held her arms and kissed the top of one of them. “I’m here. Did you have a good nap?”
“Mmm, yes. I haven’t been sleeping much and had a block of time in between my class and TA-ing Mr. Angelo’s class.”
“I thought you were Mr. Smith’s TA.”
“Yeah, turns out, the two other TA’s ran off together and left their professors hanging. Obviously, they’re not graduating on time, but hopefully they’re happy.”
“So does that mean you’re doing three classes?”
“Mostly. I share one of the classes with someone else, but yes. I’m slammed. I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”
He gently pulled her arms away and spun around to face her. Bags under her eyes, tangled hair around her shoulders, not a spot of makeup. She looked ready to crash another few hours.
“I hope you’re taking it easy. Are you keeping up with your homework?”
She blew out a heavy breath. “I’m trying. So far, I’ve been able to work in between classes or in the office when there’s nothing to do. But those moments are far and few between.”
Her face seemed even skinnier than before. “Have you been eating?”
She nodded. “Sometimes. There’s a snack box in the office that’s been a lifesaver.”
That wasn’t enough. “How about I take you out for dinner. We can go on a date.”
She ran a cold hand down his cheek. “That sounds amazing, but I have a test to take tonight. My professors were not joking. Our workload has tripled.”
“How about I bring you dinner then?”
She nodded. “All right. How about right before my test so I am well fed?”
“Anything you want?”
