My Sexy Devil Book 2

Book Two: Embrace Our Fate

KARA

The air was starting to warm up as spring was now settling in. Jason and I had spent the day swimming and were now relaxing in his home. It was a way to celebrate the end of the school year.

Our graduation was only a few weeks away.

To think, we’d already been dating for almost nine months.

I’d thought my feelings had been strong for him when we’d first started talking, but they were nothing compared to the bond we’d created since then.

Both physically and emotionally. It felt like we’d become one.

Of course, we weren’t attached at the hip, surprisingly. We each still had our own lives, hobbies, and friends, which was why our relationship had been so stable.

I’d been worried at first when we’d first started dating after the Sarah situation. Jason had still had girls crushing on him. It had made me feel insecure.

That all had changed after Jason had dramatically shouted he was in love with me. I’d been completely mortified.

Jason had a thing for being dramatic.

Like when he’d asked me to the prom two months ago.

Jason was taking Intro to Photography. One of his assignments had involved taking pictures of city life. Naturally, he’d invited me to go adventuring.

We’d wandered through parks, tried new foods at different restaurants, and taken pictures of anything that caught our eye until the sun began to set.

That was when we’d visited a building with a room called the Green Room. You had to reserve a thirty-minute slot to enter the room.

It had been full of a variety of plants that overlooked the city skyline. To say I’d been breathless would be an understatement. The moment we’d walked into the room, I was in awe.

The air itself had been so crisp and clean that my lungs had felt rejuvenated.

I walked over to the window and watched the sun begin to descend behind the city skyline. The orange, pink, and purple hues were a masterpiece.

Jason spoke from behind me. “Hey, Kara?”

It was extremely difficult to tear my eyes away from the beautiful scene in front of me. “Yeah?” I barely breathed, not able to turn away just yet. It was like I was in a trance.

Jason chuckled as he, too, realized just how enchanted I was. After a moment, I felt his arms wrap around my waist. I was engulfed by his warmth.

My heart swelled at how perfect this moment felt. Nothing could be more perfect than right now.

“As corny as it sounds,”—Jason kissed the top of my head—“I don’t know what’s more beautiful.”

My cheeks lifted in a grin, and I wasn’t able to suppress an eye roll as butterflies fluttered within me.

Jason inquired, “The plants or the sun? Hmm.” My jaw dropped as I scoffed. His deep laughter rumbled against my back, but he tightened his grip.

“I’m just kidding.” I felt another kiss against the top of my head. “There’s no competition against you.”

My heart melted at the sound of his words. He always said the right things. I turned in his arms and wrapped my own around his neck.

Jason stared down at me, blue eyes swirling with emotion. His golden locks had gotten longer and hung over his forehead, partially obscuring his eyes.

I leaned up and planted a kiss on his soft lips. Jason pulled away. “Close your eyes.” My head tilted, curious. “I have a surprise,” he added.

Jason always had the best surprises.

I obeyed, screwing my eyes shut tightly. There was some shuffling before I heard Jason return to his spot in front of me.

Jason let out a deep breath. “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

I did immediately. My lips parted as my eyes scanned the poster Jason was holding.

I couldn’t help but get a bit teary-eyed as I scanned over the photos of us over the course of the last seven months.

In the center was a font way too neat to be Jason’s that read, “Can you picture us at the prom together?” ~I swallowed the large lump in my throat, nodding vigorously as I met his gorgeous eyes.~

Jason rested the poster against the base of a large plant before closing the distance between us, picking me up.

I giggled with glee as I wrapped my legs around his waist. Clinging to him tightly, I wiped away one joyful tear. “You’re amazing; you know that?”

Jason grinned up at me, planting kisses all over my face. I gripped the back of his hair before giving him a firmer, passionate kiss.

Jason moaned lowly against my mouth. I let out a small giggle, knowing how I affected him.

“Do you think we’d get caught if we banged in here?” Jason joked against my lips.

How romantic, I mentally scoffed. Although I knew he wouldn’t be against it.

I giggled as I squirmed back onto my feet. “Let’s find out.”

That all felt so long ago.

I’d felt like a complete princess the entire time. Jason hadn’t changed how he treated me one bit throughout those months. I absolutely adored him for that.

We were now leaving high school behind forever and starting an entirely different journey together in college. I had applied to our local community college to save money.

Jason, an amazing football player, had been offered a few different scholarships and was deciding on which one to pick. The deadline was coming soon.

I snuggled up against Jason’s chest, enjoying his warmth. Small, gentle strokes caressed the side of my rib cage as Jason embraced me.

“Where do you see yourself a year from now?” Jason asked, catching me off guard.

I shuffled around to face him. Now lying on my right side, I could see his face. His blond hair was damp from his shower.

A year from now? I blinked a few times before weakly responding, “Finishing my first year of college. Why?”

Jason pulled his arms away, sitting up on his bed. I watched him for a moment, stretching out on the bed to ease my limbs.

My eyes wandered to his tense back muscles. It was clear his mind was in turmoil. Was he stressing over which college to pick?

My lips parted to respond.

“Kara.” Jason spoke first. “This is the talk I’ve been dreading all spring.” He finally turned to face me with emotional blue eyes. My stomach dropped. Veins filled with dread—I shifted to sit up.

I knew where this was going.

Jason and I stared at each other, waiting to say something, but our eyes were doing all the talking.

Terrified of breaking down, I whispered, “You don’t want to try long distance?” My heart sat in agony as I watched him release a deep sigh.

“I’m going to California, Kara.” My body slumped backward on the bed, processing this new information. “My dad’s relocating for his job, and he said he’d be willing to help pay for UCLA.”

“Wow,” I breathed, feeling a mixture of emotions. “I’m happy for you.” I forced myself to smile, but it wasn’t hard. I was genuinely happy for him.

“I love you, Kara.” Jason reached out to me, but I flinched back. His eyes held sadness. The air in my lungs suddenly felt constricting.

“We shouldn’t go into our first year of college holding onto someone thousands of miles away.”

The words were like knives to my heart. I blinked a few times to keep my tears back.

I should’ve known this was coming with graduation a few weeks away, but I hadn’t thought it would happen so soon. We still had all summer.

My chest began to feel tight. The knot in my stomach was growing. I’d never expected this to happen this way. The soft, caring Jason wasn’t sitting next to me. He was gone.

It was like I was seeing a whole new Jason. The pity in his eyes was enough to make me nauseous.

He’s been thinking about this all spring? How long has he been searching for the moment to break up with me? A million thoughts raced through my mind.

Instead, I asked, “When do you leave?” Our nine-month anniversary would be in June. We wouldn’t be able to celebrate that any longer.

Jason had made sure to make every month together special. Now that was gone too. I began to break my own heart as I thought about all the moments we’d no longer share together.

“Right after graduation.” Jason watched for my reaction, but I suddenly felt numb to my core. The pain I was feeling was so intense that I began to dissociate.

Like a light switch.

“Okay” was the only word I could muster. I suddenly felt void of all emotions. Of everything. I didn’t know what to say or do. I just knew I didn’t want to be here.

I inhaled deeply through my nostrils, but the constraining feeling was making me nauseous. I needed to get out of here.

I needed to get away from him so I could release this pent-up hurricane of rage and agony.

Jason shook his head. “We can still—”

I got up from his bed and walked over to the door before whispering my last words to him. “Goodbye, Jason.”

It hurt even more that he didn’t try to stop me as I walked out of his room. A shaky breath left my lips as I walked out into the twilight sky.

The night’s cool spring breeze washed my heated skin. I walked to my car and sat in my seat silently.

As I replayed my last words to him in my mind, the reality of our situation hit me like a whirlwind. A month from now, Jason was going to be thousands of miles away from me. I’d be here alone, without him.

I could no longer picture him in my future. We’d have no more firsts together. We now only had a past.

That thought alone was enough to push me over the edge. With my forehead pressed against my steering wheel, I sobbed my eyes out for the first time in months.