“I am. I’m going to miss him. He’s been a big part of my life.”
“Yeah?”
There’s a little defensiveness in that word. I lean back and stroke Matt’s cheek, which is tenser than usual. “Yeah, but my heart’s not going with him. It’s here with you.”
He loosens up. “I knew that.”
“‘Course you did.”
Matty wraps his arm around my shoulder. “He’ll come back to you in a better place.”
“I hope so.”
“What’s this?” Matty leans over the table and fingers the LSAT application.
“I’m applying for law school.”
“You can still do that?” he asks excitedly.
My eyes shine with glee. “I can.”
“That’s fucking awesome, Lucy.”
“I know.”
He wraps both arms around me. “Where are you going to go?”
“I dunno. Part of it depends on where my boyfriend gets drafted. I’d like to attend near him.”
If it’s possible, Matty’s smile grows even bigger. “You have the best plans for the future, Goldie.”
“I have a good one for the present, too.”
“Please tell me it involves nudity and possibly a bit of whipped cream.”
“I was thinking more chocolate sauce and rope, but I can add in the whipped cream. The nudity’s a given.”
Matty’s already peeling off his T-shirt by the time I get my last words out. He looks over his bare shoulder, the action making his muscles bunch in the back. Had I at one time really said I wasn’t into muscles? I must have been doped up on some too-serious-sauce. “You coming?”
“I hope so. I really, really hope so.”
Then I race forward and jump on his back, and we tumble into my room, ripping off each other’s clothes and kissing each other like we haven’t touched each other in weeks.
Matty might have been my biggest risk, but he is sure as hell the best reward a girl could ever have.