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“What do you mean, Sage?”

“The cruise reservation is for six people. My parents wanted to invite you to come with us.Iwant you to come with us.”

Naomi gasps. “Sage, I can’t accept that. That’s too much.”

“Come on! It’s already paid for, all you have to do is make sure your passport is up to date and that your suitcase is packed.”

“Sage, that’s way too generous.”

“Naomi, please join us. Think of this as your graduation present to me.”

“My graduation present to you is a vacation for me?”

“No. Your graduation present to me is to join me in celebrating my graduation.”

“Semantics,” she says, waving me off.

“Please, Naomi? Don’t make me beg,” I say, pouting.

“You know I love it when you beg,” she says breathily, her eyes hooded with lust.

“Naomi! Stop being horny right now and focus!”

She laughs. “Hello, pot meet kettle.”

“Naomi!”

“Alright, alright,” she says, putting her hand up in surrender. “I will go with y’all on vacation under one condition. Well, two conditions.”

“Name it.”

“One, Iwillpay for my own excursions and anything I do on board.”

“Okay, and what’s the other condition?”

Naomi blushes, a bit embarrassed. “You go with me to get my passport.”

I smile wide, happy that she’s agreed to come with us. “Deal. We can do it when you return to New York.”

We continue to video chat for a bit, catching each other up on our Winter Breaks so far and talking about Naomi’s plan to come out to her parents right after the new year.

“Naomi, we gotta head over to your momma and daddy’s for dinner! You know how he’ll get if we start prayer too late.”

She sighs, giving me a sad smile. “I have to go. I’ll talk to you soon?”

“Absolutely Church Girl. Merry Christmas, Naomi,” I say softly, blowing her a kiss through the screen.

“Merry Christmas, Sagey,” she replies, returning the gesture.

23

Naomi

Today was the day. Likethe day. To say I was scared shitless would be an understatement. I hate cursing, but spending so much time around Sage, her sailor mouth has rubbed off on me, and honestly, I can’t think of a more fitting word at the moment. I’ve been so nauseous since I went to bed last night in anticipation of the conversation I knew I would have today. I kept tossing and turning all night, the nerves and racing thoughts rendering me unable to sleep.

Going into today, I knew this conversation would go poorly. My momma and daddy nearly disowned me for getting kicked out of High Valley University and then decidingnotto return.I can’t imagine telling them, “Hey, I’m staying in New York because I’ve fallen in love with my heavily-tattooed and pierced ‘roommate’ Sage,” is going to go over very well.

But I can’t continue to live a lie. I have to be true to myself, and the docile, submissive, pious woman they expect simply isn’t me. I think part of why I struggled so much at High Valley is that I was trying too hard to be someone else and fit into that world. Since coming to Pinebrook University, I’ve discovered so much about myself that I love. Traits and attributes that I was taught from a young age to keep hidden and suppress. Because a woman is supposed to be seen, not heard, because a woman should follow and let her husband lead.