Hayley Parker's life was hypothetically going just smoothly. She had an amazing boyfriend, and housemates who always had her back. Well, not until Dale Randall saunters into her comfortable and normal life, changing her every perspectives about love...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
• 34 | END OF THE SEMESTER •
Three weeks later
I STIFLE A GIGGLE, watching Jennifer stagger precariously in her suede boots across the snow decked sidewalk towards O'Doul's where I'm sitting under a shade.
She is waving her final examination papers in the air as she straggles towards the burger truck. "Girl, go bye. This forsaken exam's over and I'm fucking excited!" She chirps, slumping uncharismatically into the bench on the opposite side of our patio table.
A wide, conceding smile tugs at my lips as I tuck my hair behind my ears and puff warm breathe into my freezing fingers. "I get to go home, that's a start."
Jennifer throws me a disapproving look. "Of course not." She snaps, her foggy exhale quickly entangling with the cold afternoon's air. "I've got tickets for the band concert, remember. We're going to Chicago!"
"Wait, seriously?" My eyes are bulging ecstatically. "When? How? Why didn't you say anything? I starting packing already, you thwart!"
Jennifer is chuckling in amusement, black eyes crinkling at the corners, and white set of teeth blaring at me. "You're the worst, Jennifer Tompkins!" I say severely, frowning fondly at her. "Come off it, I know you love me, girl."
Cradling my cup of steaming coffee in both hands, I lean towards her enthusiastically. "Tell me, how'd you got your Pa agreeing to this expedition?"
Jennifer pipes up and fling her straight, cherry blond wig over her shoulder. "Trust me, girl, I'm irresistible when I want to be."
"Don't tell me you whined your way through this?" I ask, half-sarcastically and half-serious. Jennifer shoots me a lethargic look. "Whine? Seriously?"
I wink at her.
"Where's Milley? She should've been here already." Jennifer groans, tossing searching eyes over my shoulder. "Truth be told, I'm beginning to grow rather impatient with her shortcomings."
I huff. "Patient's a virtue, remember."
Jennifer rolls her eyes heavenwards. "Please don't get me started." She drawls and I laugh at the monotonous expression on her face.
My phone trills, again, and Jennifer eyes me warily. "Ain't you going to pick his calls ever?" She gropes. I stare down at the phone on the lumbering surface of the table and sigh. "Maybe, I don't know. I can't face him for now, really."
Jennifer gnaws on her full bottom lip. "You still like him, don't you?" She asks tentatively, watching me with curious eyes to gauge my reaction.
My heart flutters and a weird feeling makes my throat to tighten. Exhaling shakily, I one-shoulder shrug. "I guess so." I say lamely, ignoring her watchful eyes. "I've always liked him, remember?"
Jennifer smiles at this. "If you still like him, at least talk to him." She says sagely, "I think it's going to help with your closure. And, I strongly doubt thathe'll stop calling and texting you."
"Should I just block him?"
"Don't be a dolt!"
I chuckle.
"But, seriously. Find a way and go talk to him."
I sigh, again and look away. "I can't right now. Maybe whenever I'm ready to face him then I'll."
Jennifer doesn't say anything about it and I'm immediately filled with relief. Watching snow flakes rapidly fall down from the sky, my thoughts flurries back to Dale Randall. The guy I like and I know I will always like no matter what he did. For a second, my feelings for him overclouds all his fault, and then my heart aches painfully with longing. The feel of his body, the sound of his voice, his touch, his charming smile, his teasing, and most especially, his ravishing lips. Oh, how I dream of those luscious lips.
"Hay, Hayley." Jennifer's plumb voice, near, loud and impatient, calls me out from my wandered reverie. I'm snapped out of my fantasies, forced to stare at a very distraught Jennifer in the line of my vision. "Where'd you go off to?" She queries somewhat tentatively.
I blink, twice and then a wide smile forms on my lips as the feeling of deja vu hits me. "Like, I'm supposed to be going somewhere?"
• To everyone who has been there with me until this finally moment, thank you so much. I'm so thankful, and I'm happy to announce that we've finally come to the end of LOSING IT ALL. I know this book isn't really edited, so, I'll be doing the editing, and I'm hoping for more reads. Thank you so much xxx.
