Chapter 3

Ronan

"How much longer do you have until you have to get up, sweetie?" I pull Skylar as close as I can, wanting to relish this fleeting moment as long as possible.

"Maybe twenty more minutes?

This is the last day of studying.

Then only the test tomorrow morning, and I'm done." She gives me a huge smile which I can only reciprocate.

"You deserve this so much.

You've been working your butt off for the last three years to get this degree, all the while dealing with me and my situation too."

"Yeah, dealing with you is never easy.

It has certainly made getting my degree a lot harder." She smirks at me, and I'm on top of her in no time, pinning her down with my weight.

"What exactly do you mean, Skylar?" I let my nose slowly glide down the side of her face and further down her throat.

I know her eyes are closed by now, because she always reacts this way.

I don't think there has ever been anyone in my life I've cared enough about to get to this point of intimacy and familiarity.

Skylar never fails to keep my interest, and it isn't even anything she does, it's just who she is.

She's my girl, which is exactly the reason that I know she is keeping something from me.

"You know exactly what I mean, Ronan." She's laughing now, and I'm just staring at her, enjoying these simple moments that have become so rare.

"Get off me now, you're heavy." She keeps laughing though, so I know she doesn't really mind it.

"Only if you do me a favor."

"No way.

I'm not falling for that again.

The last time I agreed to that, you put me in a freaking race car next to you and almost killed us both." Skylar has stopped laughing now, but I can still see the humor sparkling in her eyes.

"I did no such thing.

I wasn't even driving that fast." I give her a shocked expression, knowing she can see right through me too.

She knows me just as well as I know her, often times I don't even have to say a word for her to know what's going on.

That's exactly the reason I've been so nervous about keeping secrets around her.

I know that the only reason I haven't gotten caught is because she's been so busy with studying and distracted by her finals.

"Sure you weren't, silly." She looks at me, studying my face.

"Everything ok, Ronan?" There she is, seeing right through me.

"What?

Yes, sure.

I was just thinking the same about you though." We're both looking at each other, and I can see in her face that she's definitely hiding something.

Her eyebrows are pulled together slightly, making her eyelids close just a little bit, while she's pressing her lips tightly together.

I can't believe she's really hiding something from me.

I guess until this moment I was still hoping that Skylar's sister Lia and I were wrong.

Lia called me last week, asking if everything was ok with Skylar because she had been acting weird.

I agreed with her, but at that point I thought it was all just because of the school stress and us not being able to spend as much time together.

Once Lia put that thought about something else being wrong in my mind though, I started seeing it too.

"About me?

What about me?" Skylar is trying to smooth out her expression now, trying to hide her emotions from me.

It makes me feel all sorts of things, none of them good though.

"Of course you.

Are you ok?

You know you can talk to me about anything, right?

Remember, us against the rest of the world?" I give her a pleading look, knowing full well I'm not playing fair, but I don't care at this point.

The inner fight she's having plays out right in front of my eyes.

It seems like defeat is finally settling on her face, but I don't feel an ounce of triumph.

What if I should have left it alone?

What if this is actually something really bad?

I don't think I've really thought this through.

"Ronan, there's something I need to --"

Knock, knock.

The loud banging on the door breaks our moment, and I can hear my manager mumbling on the other side of the door.

It's hard to hear, but something about an emergency.

Damn it.

I roll off Skylar in frustration, letting out a low growl.

"I'll better get ready now.

Go see what Joel wants, before he breaks down the door.

I'll see you later, ok?" She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and walks to the bathroom.

I jump out of bed, ready to rip off Joel's head.

Skylar

I did it.

I can't believe it, but I actually did it.

I just finished my last exam and uploaded my last final paper.

I let out a little squeal as I stare at the screen of my laptop, feeling tears slowly accumulate in the corners of my eyes.

"Hey, hey.

What's going on?

Are you ok, Skylar?" Ronan crosses the hotel room in a few long strides and kneels down in front of the chair that I'm sitting in. His eyes are scanning me from top to bottom, looking for any sign of distress.

He takes my hands in his, giving me a worried glance.

"Everything's ok.

Great, actually." The first tear rolls down my cheek, and I have to laugh.

"I'm done, Ronan.

It's all over.

I'm finally free."

He pulls me out of the chair and against his hard chest.

His arms wrap around me, while his scent fills my senses.

I feel instantly at home and relax into his embrace.

"I'm so proud of you.

I knew this would be a piece of cake for you.

This is so awesome.

Now we can finally spend more time together when the tour is done next week.

I can't wait.

I've missed having you around all the time."

He smiles so big that I have to laugh.

I'll miss not seeing that smile all the time.

That unwelcome thought makes me sad, so I try and push it far away.

I don't want this moment ruined, especially not when Ronan's hands are suddenly on my cheeks, caressing them lightly with his thumbs.

A second later he leans in slowly, and my eyes close on their own accord when his lips meet mine.

The kiss is so sweet and Ronan's lips so soft, that I can't hold back the long sigh that has built up in the back of my throat.

Ronan chuckles at that, and I can't help but push my body closer to his.

I forgot the position we're in though, still kneeling in front of the chair, and my move makes us both topple over onto the floor.

His back hits the carpet with a quiet thud, and I land on his chest.

We have to laugh at the situation, since it's so typical for me to do something like this.

"Man, your laughter is still my favorite sound in the world.

I can't wait until we're back in Cliffton next week, and I have you all to myself again.

My daily goal will be to make you laugh as much as possible.

I've been looking forward to that moment for so long now.

Just you and me for the whole summer."

Just like that my good mood is gone.

He's hit a nerve, and the worst thing is he doesn't even know it.

"There's a few places that I've been looking at online.

I need to show them to you later, or do you want to do it right now?"

His excitement is almost palpable, and it makes me feel even worse.

I can feel my tears come back, but this time not out of joy.

Ronan's smile falls instantly and he looks at me, his eyes filled with worry.

He knows right away that these aren't happy tears either.

"What's wrong, baby?

I know I should have waited until you're done and looked at houses with you together.

I was just so excited.

I'm sorry." His brows are pulled together tightly, and I hate that he thinks it's his fault.

I shake my head, trying to calm down enough to speak.

"It's not the house."

"It's not?

What is it then?

."

"There's something I need to tell you, Ronan." I get out of his embrace so I can sit up.

Ronan follows me into a sitting position.

He's trying to keep a neutral expression, but I can see the anxiety on his face.

"What is it, Skylar?

Please just tell me already."

Another sob escapes my lips, as I finally speak the words aloud that I've been practicing in my head for days now.

"I'm not coming back to Cliffton with you."