Always With You - A Best Friends To Lovers Novel

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

River

Days passed, and it seemed as if Bowie and I were back to where we left off before she arrived at Blue Oak. After that morning of touching and kissing her, we never spoke about it again. And we both seemed to be over it, knowing our friendship was more important than our needs.

We still spent a lot of time together, especially on the weekends. I even took her to some of my fights, and she admitted that she enjoyed watching me fight. It wasn't her favorite activity to do, that's for sure...but she was there to support me each time.

Today was Whitley's birthday, and after buying a present for her, I picked up Aiden to get to the girl's apartment. Whitley said she'd only have a little get-together with a few friends, but I knew that was far from what would really be going on.

As we arrived in front of their apartment building, I had trouble finding a parking spot. It was around eight, and the lights in their apartment were flickering with colorful beams of light. I could only imagine what Bowie was thinking. She had trouble studying for one of her classes, and I knew she had an exam on Monday.

So, instead of partying, I intended on helping Bowie study. I wanted her to succeed in all her classes, and since I didn't have much trouble with any of mine, I set my mind to help her in any way I could.

I didn't knock on their front door since no one would hear because of the music coming from the speakers. Not sure how they were allowed to party in here, I just hoped they wouldn't get kicked out.

"There she is," I told Aiden, nodding in Whitley's direction. We walked toward her, and she hugged me the second she saw me.

"Happy birthday, Whit," I said, holding my present out for her to take. She grinned but didn't open it. "I'll open all presents tomorrow when I can think clearly again. But, thank you!"

I chuckled, then pointed to Bowie's room. "I'll be in there if you need anything. Don't party too hard," I warned, but I knew she wouldn't listen. The living room was filled with people. I knew some of them, but others I had never seen before. Not that I cared.

As I made my way to Bowie's room, I saw that the door was open a crack. Didn't the music bother her?

I pushed the door open, only to find Bowie sit on her bed, looking at Ford who was sitting on the edge of it, pointing at a piece of paper lying on the covers. I raised an eyebrow and closed the door behind me to get their attention.

"Riv, hi," Bowie greeted with a smile, but I didn't feel like returning it.

"What's he doing here?" I growled.

Ford got up from the bed, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his pants while keeping his face low.

"Ford's here for the party," Bowie explained, then taking the paper they were looking at off the bed. "One of his friends studies marine biology too, and he offered me his old exams and notes to look at. They're very helpful."

I looked at the paper, then at Bowie, and finally at Ford. "Right. Are you done here?" I asked, wanting him to leave my girl's room.

He nodded, taking another look at Bowie. "See you around," he told her, then walked past me to leave.

"Since when do you talk to Ford again?" I asked.

Bowie shrugged, looking down at her notes. "He apologized for what he said a few weeks ago. He's not as bad as you think, River."

I let out a harsh laugh. "You're kidding me, right?"

"No, River. I'm not kidding. I'm not his friend. If anything, I'm using him and his connections to get myself notes that will help me pass the exam on Monday." She grinned and pointed at the exam some other kid wrote when he was in freshman year like Bowie's now.

"Professor Winters uses the same exam papers each year. He just changes up a few numbers or names, but the way you solve questions is the same. I don't think he realizes that his students know about this," she told me.

That's fairly stupid, I thought. "What class?" I asked, stepping closer to the bed.

"Physics. The only class I'm struggling with. So, I thought I'd get some help from someone who's passed this class before."

I wasn't saying it was okay to cheat, but what Bowie was doing was not considered cheating. "Smart," I pointed out, then sat down on the bed next to her. "But I don't wanna see Ford in your bedroom again. Didn't feel right," I told her.

She laughed softly. "He was polite enough to knock on my door before entering. He even asked if I wanted him to take off his shoes."

I shook my head. "He's crawling so far up your butt because he feels bad for what he said that night. I wish he would fight, so I could show him just how much I wished he wouldn't have touched you."

"All right, Rocky Balboa. Calm down."

"Rocky was a boxing champ. Not an MMA fighter."

"What's the difference?" she asked mockingly, shoving a notebook into my chest.

I laughed and shook my head. "Careful, baby. Don't tease me."

She scrunched up her nose, reaching for the pencil next to her and tapping it on the notebook I was holding. "We gotta study," she urged. Even with the music playing outside the room, Bowie was concentrated enough to get three full chapters memorized.