My Love - Hosie

Summer

Hope woke up to arms wrapped around her bare waist. Josie was still asleep, the sound of her steady breathing was like music to Hope's ears.

Hope figured she could skip her daily run just this once, so she could just lie with her girlfriend.

About 15 minutes later, Hope could feel Josie stirring. Josie released her grip on Hope's waist and eventually opened her eyes, the sunlight shining on her making her usually dark brown eyes a bright amber.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Hope kissed her head.

"Good morning," Josie stretched with a smile.

"Last night was...incredible."

"Yeah, it was pretty perfect," Josie agreed. "You're pretty perfect."

Josie looked around the room for the first time since entering it last night.

The walls were barren of all artwork, the desk was empty, suitcases were lying out half-filled.

"Where are you going?" Josie's eyebrows scrunched.

"Home, to New Orleans," Hope responded. "Finals are over, the formal is over, the semester's done."

Josie forgot that it was around this time of year that most students pack up their things and go home for the summer. She and Lizzie stay at the Salvatore School full-time, save for the few weeks they spend with their mom and Stefan.

"Why can't you just stay here with me all summer?" Josie groaned, wrapping her arms around Hope again possessively.

A few other students stay year-round too, mostly because their family abandoned them or their family drives them crazy. Josie's sure no one would mind one extra person being around  campus this summer.

"As much as I'd love spending all my time here with you this summer, I miss my family," Hope replied honestly as she pulled on a t shirt.

"Oh, I get it," Josie pulled on her own shirt and tried not to sound too bummed out. "I'm just going to miss you so much."

"And I'd miss you so much too. Which is why I was thinking, you should come visit."

"Hope," Josie started to shake her head sadly. "I'd want to come see you at least every weekend, but flights are so expensive that I think I'd only get to fly out a few times. And at that point, I'll have only seen you like 3 times over the whole summer."

"No, you're not understanding," Hope had a huge smile on her face. "Come visit for the summer, the whole summer."

"The whole summer? my dad would never say yes to that."

"He already did. I spoke with him the other day."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so excited!" Josie squealed.

"But wait," the smile fell from her face. "What about Lizzie? I can't leave her here all summer."

"Don't worry, it's all taken care of. You have her blessing," Hope told her. "Raf is also staying on campus and she said, um, she's kinda glad to have the room to herself."

Josie knew she should have been more grossed out over her sister's statement but in that moment she didn't care. She gets to spend the whole summer with her girlfriend in New Orleans.

"Have all your worries been quelled?" Hope asked.

Josie answered with a simple 'yes.'

"Good. Then all is right with the world, my love."