WILD (✓)

~ thirty ~

"Why do girls always have so much stuff?" CJ smirks, wiping sweat from his forehead as he helps me carry my bin of shoes to the ground floor where Mom will pick me up.

"We need shoes for every occasion, haven't you heard?" I joke, planting a grateful peck on his sweaty cheek. I push away any thoughts of how difficult this summer will be, only getting to talk to him over the phone. Especially now that we've shared the intimate moment of my first time together. I watch the muscles pull beneath his thin white t-shirt, something stirring deep in my core.

I let out a sigh, wishing Mom hadn't insisted on picking me up the second I turned in my last paper. We make our way back up the stairs to grab my final bags in silence. We both know a goodbye is coming and I don't think either one of us knows how to face it.

When we are at the ground level again, CJ reluctantly places my duffel bag to the pavement. "Well, that's the last one." He smiles sadly, dimple popping through. "Guess you don't need me anymore now that the heavy lifting is done?"

I try to return his grin but tears prick my eyes. Feeling my face get hot, I stare at my toes.

"Hey," CJ's voice is soft as he places a hand under my chin to tilt my face to his. Before he can speak, my phone is vibrating in my back pocket and I roll my eyes and clear my throat.

"Hello?"

"Kat, I'll be at school in ten minutes." Mom's voice is short and my stomach fills with dread at the thought of spending an hour alone with her in the car.

"Great, I'm waiting outside." I confirm.

"Are you all packed?"

"Yes, everything is with me downstairs." I meet CJ's eyes staring down at me with worry and feel a lump growing in my throat again.

"Good. See you soon," She hangs up before I can reply.

Leaning into CJ's chest, I wrap my arms tightly around his waist and inhale his scent, not wanting to forget it over the few months we're apart. "I miss you," I whisper.

"I'm here, baby. Right here," he soothes my hair as I shake my head in protest.

"I mean I miss you already. How are we going to go the whole summer?" I tilt my head back and squint through the sun to see his face.

Kissing my nose lightly, he replies easily, "I'll figure something out, I always do."

His wink sends my heart beating faster. His confidence reassures me but doesn't make this any less painful.

"You should go," I mumble, wishing it wasn't true. "If she sees you, she'll try to find a way for me to graduate without ever coming back to campus." Why can't she treat him the way she treated Lucas? Why can't she let me make my own decisions?

"Okay," CJ nods, shaggy hair falling into his eyes. He doesn't move his arms from around my waist and I don't move mine either.

Standing on my tiptoes, I press my mouth to his and close my eyes tightly. Tears spill over my cheeks and I taste the salt in our kiss. I commit each second to memory - embedding in my mind the way his lips feel against mine, the sweet taste of his kiss, the way he smells, and how it feels to have his hands on my skin. The way that no matter how much I'm dreading not seeing him all summer, the way I feel right now makes it all worth it.

"Kat?"

The voice makes my stomach drop and the world spin all at the same time. Turning around, I'm faced with a terrifying sight. My mother, red in the face and scowling, steam practically billowing from her ears.