Page 45

“Girls with a little bit of mystery about them. The more competitive, the better. Normally blondes. In a nutshell—you. I was never actually checking out your roommate. It was a lie I told Juniper, so she didn’t realize I was actually checking out you. You caught my eye at the state track meet last year and haven’t stopped catching it since.”

There were so many questions Sierra needed to ask Ellie. So much more she needed to know. Right now, she wasn’t looking for an explanation, though. Right now, she needed something else. “You should probably kiss me before I change my mind.”

Chapter 21

Ellie

You should probably kiss me before I change my mind.Ellie tried to process those words as she moved closer to Sierra. Sierra wanted to kiss her. Sierra wasaskingto kiss her. There was so much that needed to be figured out between them, but that didn’t matter right now. If Ellie didn’t feel Sierra’s lips on hers soon, she might explode.

When their lips touched, it was as if an electrical current had been sent through Ellie’s body, and she was alive for the first time. If Sierra hadn’t just told her she only kissed one other person, Ellie would have assumed she had much more experience. Her kisses were soft, yet firm. There was a confidence in Sierra as she opened her mouth to Ellie’s that Ellie had never seen from her before.

As their tongues battled for dominance in the most sensual way possible, two strong hands came to rest on Ellie’s arms. Soon, Sierra gently pushed her back and crawled on top of her. Who the hell was this girl? It definitely wasn’t the shy, closed-off freshman she had come to know.

Ellie wrapped her arms around Sierra, and they moaned into each other’s mouths as their bodies came even closer together.So fucking sexy.

Ellie slowed down to catch her breath and get some semblance of control over her hormones, but that turned out to be a terrible idea. Sierra pulled back and stared down at Ellie like a deer caught in the headlights (or a girl caught making out with someone she shouldn’t). She rolled off of Ellie and they lay side by side for who knows how long, the only sound in the room the sound of their heavy breathing.

“I think we need to talk,” Sierra said finally. “I… There’s something I need to tell you.”

Ellie rolled over onto her side and propped her body up on her elbow. She had a feeling whatever Sierra needed to say was important, so she wanted to make sure she knew she had Ellie’s full attention. “You can tell me anything.”

“The reason I got so upset about Teresa wasn’t because I’m homophobic. We were together for about a year before college. We kept it a secret because that’s what Teresa wanted, but the plan was to be out once we got to school. Instead, she dumped me. Apparently, she decided men were the easier option, and it wasn’t worth coming out as bisexual. That’s why I was such a bitch the first few times you tried to talk to me. It seemed better to blow you off than to let you see me cry.”

A searing pain went right through Ellie’s heart when tears started to fall from Sierra’s eyes. She couldn’t believe how wrong she had been about her and didn’t want to imagine how much harder her actions had made things for Sierra. “I didn’t know,” Ellie whispered as she brought her thumb to Sierra’s cheek to wipe away her tears. “God, if I had known, I wouldn’t have done and said those things about her. I’m so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. Not like this.”

Sierra put her hand on top of Ellie’s hand that was still wiping her tears. “You weren’t the one who hurt me. Teresa broke my heart. You…”

“I did what?”

Sierra shook her head. “I can’t say it. It’s too scary.”

“Please?” The emotions in the room were so high, Ellie was worried she might start to cry too.

“You’re kind of the one putting it back together.”

Ellie’s heart exploded. This was much more than just a crush. It was… Well, she wasn’t sure what it was, but she liked it.

More tears came to Sierra’s eyes. “I’m not really sure what’s happening though. It’s too soon to have feelings for someone else. I’m not even sure if I’m fully over Teresa yet. A few weeks ago, I would’ve said I definitely wasn’t, but lying here with you makes me forget about everything.”

“Nothing needs to be decided right now. Why don’t we just let ourselves enjoy being lost in this moment?”Especially if being lost in the moment means less tears and more kissing.

Sierra’s lips pulled up into a gentle smile. “I think I’d like that.”

After a few more minutes of kissing, Ellie forced herself to pull away. She knew this was a lot for Sierra after everything she had been through, so she didn’t want to push things. “Could you stay in here tonight? We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. We don’t even have to kiss anymore. I just really want to hold you as I fall asleep and still be holding you when I wake up.”

“That sounds great. I actually am getting tired though.”

“Then let’s go to sleep.” Ellie gave Sierra a kiss on the forehead then snuck a peek at her phone so she could check what time it was.12:01 A.M.“Merry Christmas Eve, Sierra No-Middle-Name.”

“Merry Christmas Eve, Eleanor Patricia.” Sierra snickered as she said Ellie’s name. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad I get to spend this day with you.”

Ellie was so happy about that too, and as she drifted to sleep, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about what it would be like to spend the holidays with the girl she was already falling for.

***

Ellie was spooked away by the sound of knocking, not on her door but on the door across the hall.

“Sienna! Sierra! Wake up. We need to leave before it’s too late.”