pull me back | a drag me down spin off

【thirty five】

august 20th, 2014
-three months later-

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, and take a long look at the woman in front of me. She has a gorgeous bronze tan from lying in the sun for two months. She has a wide smile on her face, one that can light up any dark room. Her blue eyes are filled with happiness and peace. You can tell that falling in love and being worshiped by the right man has made her a better person.

I smile brightly at the woman in the mirror, knowing that she's about to embark on a brand new journey in her life. She has an apartment waiting for her in Cambridge, Massachusetts and she's ready to take Harvard on by storm.

It's amazing to think that happy woman is me. I am a completely different person than I was back in May.

Now that there are no more family secrets, no more masked phantoms, and no more Riker Sinclair, I can sleep better at night.

I no longer have to glance over my shoulder when I walk into a bar. I don't need to have heart palpitations when I deposit money into my bank account. I can simply live my life in a carefree way, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

I slightly jump at the sight of Cameron standing in the doorway. His reflection is shown through my mirror.

"You scared me." I sigh. He knows how much I hate that.

"I'm sorry, Gray. I didn't mean to sneak up on you." He smiles and walks up behind me. His arms wrap around my waist as he leans his chin on top of my hair. "Are you admiring how beautiful you are?"

"I don't need to do that, you make sure I know how beautiful I am everyday." I blush and look at him through the mirror.

"That's very true." His grip around my waist tightens. Cameron always makes me feel safe and secure.

"Isn't it weird to see my room practically empty?" I nod behind me.

He turns his head, and looks at my plain room. There's no bed, no dresser, my closet is deserted. I packed up my life and prepared my items to be sipped to the east coast.

"So weird. I remember when you painted the walls hot pink during junior year." He looks around the area.

"Yeah, and then I made my dad paint it again a year later. I couldn't be a senior in high school with hot pink walls." I smirk and look up at him.

"I remember, he was so mad at you." Cameron laughs while shaking his head.

"But it all worked out in the end." I lowly whisper.

"Everything did. We survived the best summer ever." He glances down at me and smiles.

"I'm going to miss being so close to the beach." I let out a deep sigh.

Going to Massachusetts is a huge step, but I feel more than ready for it. As much as I love my family and my boyfriend, I need to do the right thing for me. Harvard is the best way for me to grow as an individual.

"I'm glad we spent the entire summer lounging on the sand." He nods in agreement.

"Attempting to teach you to surf was my favorite part." I wrap my arms around his neck and giggle.

"Yeah, you just liked to see me wipe out." He playfully rolls his eyes at me.

"But you were such a trooper with it." I lean up and attach my lips to his. He passionately kisses me back and presses his body against mine.

My relationship with Cameron has only progressed since we first got together. I grow more in love with him everyday, I almost didn't think it was possible. Now I know how my parents felt when they first fell in love. It's a magical feeling.