There’s a four-poster king-sized bed in the middle of the room with a navy comforter and enough pillows to make me want to drown in it. It’s a far cry from the spiky mattress in my dorm.
“I’ve tried to keep it as minimal as possible.” Zach walks over to the curtains and opens them up. Moonlight spills into the room as the floor-to-ceiling windows are revealed.
My mouth gapes open in surprise as I head over to check out the view. It’s dark, but I can still make out the large backyard and patio below.
“I didn’t want to go too crazy on colors until I got your input.” I hear it in his voice. The slight waver. My stomach tightens.
This is all forus.
“It’s beautiful, Zach,” I say quietly, offering him a small smile because I don’t know what else to say.
He doesn’t press. He just gives me a little nod, then moves to one of the doors off the bedroom.
“And this,” he says, pulling it open, “is the closet.”
I walk into the room, glancing at the one side that’s already filled, Zach’s side, and then to the other side, which is completely empty.
“I left half for you,” he says casually. “Plenty of room for all those sweatshirts of mine you keep stealing.”
I laugh because it’s easier than saying what I’m actually feeling, which is overwhelmed. The twist in my stomach is too painful to ignore now.
Am I being an idiot?
Why am I not just moving in with him right now? I’d get a good night’s sleep in the arms of the man I love, in a bed that’s comfortable, and I wouldn’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks.
He wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses me on the temple. “Can I show you the best part?” he whispers into my ear. As if this isn’t enough already.
I nod, and he guides me to the other door. The moment it opens, I’m staring at a soaking tub big enough for two and a rainfall shower beside it. Warmth rises through the heated floors as I step inside, and for a second, I’m completely speechless.
This is the kind of bathroom that belongs in a five-star hotel, not a twenty-year-old college quarterback’s house.
“This is why you wanted to show me the place, isn’t it?” I ask with a hint of humor as I run my hand along the edge of the tub.
He knew that once I saw this, I’d realize what a sick joke the grimy communal bathrooms in my dorm are.
“One of many reasons,” he says with a grin.
“And is that a linen closet?” I ask, nodding toward a closed door across the bathroom, needing a distraction from the emotions I’m feeling.
“That,” he says, “could be all yours.”
I push open the door to reveal an empty room with windows just as high as the bedroom.
“It gets the best natural light in the house,” he says, joining me. “I thought it would be a good study space for you.”
“For me?”
“Yeah, if you don’t need that, then it could be a library, or whatever.” His hand finds the small of my back, and that’s when I feel how carefully he’s watching me. “I just thought it would be nice to have your own place, away from everything.”
“It’s beautiful, Zach.”
And it is… but it’s also scary because he’s thought of everything.Everything.Just like with Ella and Tiff, he’s found a space that’s just for me, inside a life that’s entirely his.
His generosity makes me want to take the leap with him. Why not? He’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and I love him, but that nagging voice in the back of my head keeps reminding me that’s what I thought Jamie was.
I don’t just need to be independent. Icraveit. I need to know what it’s like to stand on my own, even if that means passing up a place where I could be happy.
“I know you still have reservations.” Zach’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “But I’m honestly tired of watching people treat you like shit just because I’m in love with you.”