Book III of UNC Series
While it's known that there are five stages of grief, did you know that there are also five stages of love?
Bailey Nicholson dreamed of finishing her Master's degree and settling in Boston while working alongside her boyfriend...
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A flurry of rain patters against my window, blurring the image of the street below me. The pavement has darkened, a few people run, covering their heads with bags or their hands like that'll do anything, cars drive by, splashing the sidewalks, and the sky is painted with dark gray storm clouds. I watch on as I fasten the watch around my wrist and slip a couple of silver rings onto my fingers.
There's something calming about rain; the fresh, dewy smell, the misty splash of water, the rhythmic white noise sounds that raindrops make. Though I don't remember much of my childhood, one memory that occasionally finds me is when I sat by the window watching the rainfall as I eagerly awaited someone to arrive. It was mostly my mother, coming from work, but often I would see a man, who could roughly be my dad's age, and wonder if it was him.
While I let go of the fantasy, it still warmed my veins every time it rained and filled my chest with feelings of hope and anticipation.
An unusual amount of chatter resonates from the living room, and I hear someone walk through the front door. Sliding my phone into my pocket, I head out of my room, grabbing my wallet and keys. The door creaks as I step out into the open space and spot the back of Ryan's head as she settles into the single armchair. Her hair is tied back in a bun, with a few strands curling at the nape and the tops of her shoulder wet from the rain.
Carter shuffles out of his room, a shirt sliding down his torso as he sits before her, dropping his feet onto the coffee table. I don't think I've ever seen him this at ease before.
"What do we owe the pleasure of your visit on a Thursday evening rather than a Saturday?" My lips curve into a smirk as I lean my weight onto the couch behind Carter.
"What? I can't visit whenever I want. Does it have to be on a Saturday?" She shrugs, crossing her leg over the other and tugs at a loose thread on her sleeve—a nervous habit she's developed, which everyone is aware of except for Ryan.
Carter picks up a pillow and chucks it at her, "Don't be coy."
"Fine, I wondered if you wanted to go shopping with me?" She asks Carter as she hugs the pillow to her chest. She sounds overly cheery and sickly sweet. I choke on a chuckle, hiding my face in the crook of my elbow.
I don't know anyone who hates shopping more than Ryan, well, perhaps Carter, but that's only because he hates to do anything that involves interacting with other people.
"What happened to your friends?" I ask, while Carter merely lifts a brow so deliberately that it seems naturally inclined to be permanently arched. Dropping his feet back to the floor, he crosses an ankle over his other knee and steeples his long fingers against his sternum. He's so stoic and massive that he appears intimidating, even to me.
She groans, shifting her attention to me, "It's for Bailey's birthday party tomorrow, so I can't ask her. And Mia's still stuck at work. I need to be back before Bailey leaves the library. We have an hour before her online classes finish."
