Begin Again (Again #1)(86)

“There goes another one,” I sighed, holding my phone in the air.

“How many are still coming?” Scott asked, as we entered the lecture hall.

“Probably six.” I said. Who knew if any of them would be right for me? I remembered my own introduction to Woodshill and the strange encounters I’d had during my search for a room. This time I was in a much better starting position.

“One of them will work out, for sure. And if not, I’ll throw them out on their asses.”

As usual, we sat in one of the back rows where there was less danger of being called on by the professor.

Smiling, I took my bag from my shoulder and put it on the seat next to me. “And if you don’t do it, Dawn will.”

Scott looked at me. “You mean her fingers are back to normal?”

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s why she’s not here. Today is her last doctor’s appointment. She has my extra key, so she can go to my place straight from the appointment.”

“Great. I’m already looking forward to the casting call.” He rubbed his hands together.

I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or anxious. Of course it would be fun to have Scott and Dawn there, and it would be great to get their opinions. But what if none of the applicants came even close to a good fit?

As usual, during class my thoughts turned to Kaden. What could he be planning for me today?

Nothing had happened yet. He hadn’t even shown up, not even written or called. But I’d be patient, no matter how hard it was for me.

“You’re so in love, everyone can see it,” Scott whispered in my ear so Professor Falcony wouldn’t hear.

Grinning, I looked down at my notebook.

“You can’t deny it.”

I shrugged. “Why should I? I can’t help it.”

“He’s going all out for you, I’ll give him that.”

“Yesterday he showed me his new tattoo,” I whispered.

“And? I assume it’s not your face on his ass,” Scott lifted his brows, egging me on.

“He tattooed a sentence that … ” I searched for the right words. “That means a lot to both of us. Something I’d said once, during a special moment.”

Scott whistled softly through his teeth. “This guy knows what he’s doing.”

“I’m telling you,” I whispered back, unable to suppress another smile.

“If the gentleman and the lady in the back would give us the honor of paying attention, I could continue with the next image,” Professor Falcony warned. Half the room turned to look at us. Oops.

After class we drove to my place. Though you couldn’t exactly call it driving. It was more like crawling. By now the snow had piled up six fresh inches on top of everything. And it was still snowing. The usual fifteen-minute drive turned into an hour-long affair. But eventually Scott and I got there safely. We were discussing the essay that Professor Falcony had just printed out, when Scott grabbed my arm and stopped.

Following his eyes, I saw a box in front of my apartment door. It was huge, much bigger than the others. I rushed over and examined it from all sides. There was a note attached to the top:

“Don’t open until I get here!” I read aloud.

What was that supposed to mean? Kaden hadn’t said anything about coming over today. How long would I have to wait to find out what was inside?

“Why would he put a gift here and not let you open it?” Scott sounded disappointed.

“No idea,” I murmured. It must have something to do with Kaden’s planned surprise. I tried to lift the box but failed miserably. It was heavy—really heavy.

“You take that side,” Scott said, grabbing his end through the opening in the box.

Together we managed to get the box into my place and pushed it against the wall. Dawn’s jacket was already hanging on the coatrack but before I could greet her, she sprang out of the living room.

“Look, you two!” Reaching out her bare hand toward us, she wiggled her fingers. “I’m free!”

“Let’s see!” I peered at her joints up close. No more swelling, and her fingers all seemed flexible.

“Back to normal.” Her whole face was glowing. Her eyes darted toward the box. She frowned. “What’s that?”

“Kaden’s latest surprise for Allie,” Scott answered.

“It wasn’t there when I got here,” Dawn said, and her eyes lit up. “Hopefully there’s something for us in there!” And then she saw the note. “Oh, man. What a spoilsport. Must be a bunch of sex toys.”

“No one needs that many toys,” Scott countered. “Anyway, it’s super heavy. Just try to lift it.”

Dawn got no further than we had. “Holy shit, what’s in here?”

Scott and I dragged the box into my bedroom so it wouldn’t be in the way when potential renters showed up.

Afterward, Scott was about to collapse onto the couch when he spied the picture frames on the wall above it. He whistled approvingly and stepped closer.

“Wow, those pics are beautiful. Especially that one.” He pointed to the largest one, where I was alone at the overlook.

“Are they from Kaden?”

I nodded. “He left them at my door yesterday.”

“Okay, I think I’m a bit in love now, too.”