Without You

I smiled. “I love you, Alexandra Eryn Mathews, more than you will ever know.”

I leaned back against my truck and watched as Lex talked to Grams and Gramps. She was telling them good-bye, and her tears were causing me more pain than I’d ever thought imaginable.

“Are you okay, Will?”

I turned to see Ellie standing there. My eyes burned from attempting to hold back my tears all morning.

“Honestly? No.”

She smiled sweetly and leaned on the truck next to me. “It’s all going to be okay, Will.”

I shook my head. “My brain is trying to tell me that, but my heart is putting up one hell of a fight.”

I glanced over and saw a tear rolling down Ellie’s face. As she wiped it away, she pushed off the truck and turned to face me.

“If it’s meant to be, it will be.” She barely smiled, and then she reached up and kissed me on the cheek.

I nodded my head and watched as she turned and walked away.

My mother and father had said the very same thing to me this morning before I’d left to come over here.

I watched as Grace and Lex said their good-byes to everyone. Luke was hugging Grace for so long that Ari finally had to pull him away. I smiled as I watched Lex say good-bye to Colt. He tried to seem unaffected, but I knew he was going to miss her so much.

When Lex turned and looked at me, she smiled that beautiful smile.

Lex and I had spent much of the morning with Banjo. We had gone for a ride early this morning, and then we’d sat in his stall and just talked. We’d agreed that the best thing to do would be for me to see her off with everyone else.

She walked up to me, and I held out my arms as she walked into them and began sobbing.

“Promise me, Will.”

I held on to her tightly as I let my own tears fall. “I promise you, Lex. I promise.”

She pulled back and gently wiped my tears from my face. “I love you.”

I tried my best to smile as I wiped her tears away. “I love you more than that.”

She giggled and shook her head. “I’ll miss you.”

I looked away and then back at her. “God, Lex, I’m gonna miss you, too, baby.”

She reached up and kissed me. I placed my hands on her face and deepened the kiss. I didn’t care that Gunner was standing right there. I wanted to make sure that she could feel how much I loved her. When we pulled our lips from each other, she began crying again.

“I’ll see you…soon,” Lex said in between sobs.

I nodded my head. I could hardly talk. “Yes. I’ll see you soon.”

She turned, walked away from me, and quickly got into her father’s truck. When Gunner looked at me, he smiled weakly. I nodded my head and got into my truck. Then, I quickly took off.

I drove around the countryside for a little bit before finally pulling into my driveway. I just sat there. My heart grew heavier as each passing minute meant that Lex was just that much farther away from me.

I dropped my head back against the seat. “I swear to God, Lex…I promise you, you and me always.”

I read the text message from Will, and I couldn’t help but smile as the heat moved across my cheeks.

Will: I can’t wait to see you this weekend. I’m going to bury my face between your legs first. Then, I’ll bury myself so deep inside you that you’ll feel me for days.

The moment my body slammed into someone else, I felt like an idiot. Upon impact, I dropped the books I had been carrying, and I quickly bent down to pick them up while I shoved my phone in my back pocket.

“Shit! I’m so sorry!” I reached for my books at the same time another hand reached out as well. I quickly looked up. “It’s you.”

“Hey, Alex. How are you?”

I swallowed hard. “You know my name?”

Dark-haired hot guy laughed as he quickly scooped up my books and stood up.

I stood up and rolled my eyes. Good God, Alex. Really?

“Of course I do. How could I forget the most beautiful freshman on campus?”

I bit down on my lip and shook my head as I let out a small laugh. “I don’t remember us ever exchanging names. I’m sorry. I don’t know your name.”

His eyes were a beautiful green. The light from the sun was almost making them sparkle.

“We didn’t exchange names. I asked Rod, the other tour guide, what your name was, and he gave it to me.”

My stomach dropped. “Oh.”

“Are you coming to eat or just to study?” He lifted up my books and smiled.

I couldn’t talk. All I heard was my father’s voice over and over in my head.