well hello again you PERVERTS. yet another sexual chapter in dominic's perspective. i'm going to update the last 2 chapters of this book together and when I do that, i'm going to post 2 new books. whichever one of those books is most popular amongst yall then i'll make it my primary focus and the other book will take the backburner (will still be updated but it might be biweekly updates). i'm also still writing the perfect balance so ya stay tuned.

"I already can't feel my legs," West announces as we enter the gym locker room. I open the compartment where my bag is and take it out, preparing to shower. I peel off my shirt and drop it onto the bench.

"Not to be weird, but what the hell are those?" West asks me. I stare at him in confusion while he examines my torso. My eyes fall downward to my stomach and land on the handful of reddish blotches on my lower abdomen. My fingers lightly trace them as I think about where they came from. Nova's mouth. "I'll answer seeing as you're incapable of forming a sentence: they look like hickies."

"They do," Jack retorts as he eyes me curiously. "You sleeping with someone?"

I turn around and rummage through my bag in search of nothing in particular. "No," I answer honestly.

"Okay, are you doing things with someone but not sleeping with them?" he clarifies.

"Kind of," I decide to answer.

"Finally move on from Nova?" West taunts, which earns a sharp glare from me. Very funny.

"Who is it?" Jack inquires casually.

"Uh..." I trail, trying to think of a name. "No one important. Anyway, I'm going to shower."

I avoid their eyes as I hurry to the curtain covered room. By the time I finishing washing up and dressing, I've yet to think of a good enough lie to feed the guys. They're waiting for me in the hallway, talking quietly to themselves. I try to join the conversation as if our previous one hadn't happened.

"What are we talking about?" I ask.

"We're talking about who your hickey girl could be," West replies as he motions to my stomach. I shift my bag in front of my clothed abdomen and purse my lips.

"Well, let me hear what you've come up with," I reply.

"Depending on your level of desperation, I'd say Raven," Jack jokes and I roll my eyes.

"I don't like her and neither does Nova," I dismiss.

"So?" Jack retorts. "What does Nova not liking her have to do with anything?"

"I'm not going to sleep with a girl that my best friend doesn't like," I respond. "Not to mention, she kind of treats Nova like shit."

"You like Eli?" West retorts.

"Not particularly," I answer.

"She still sleeps with him," Jack concurs, which earns an eye roll from me.

"Not that it's any of your business but she's not sleeping with him," I reply.

"Either way, you're allowed to sleep with whoever," Jack concludes.

"Okay, just to be clear, I didn't sleep with...hickey girl," I use West's coined name.

"You can say her name, you know?" Jack retorts.

"No, I can't," I inform him. In an attempt to dismiss the topic of conversation, I swing my bag lightly. "Let's just get our stuff back to the dorm so we can go eat."

They don't push the topic and do as suggested. I can feel their wondrous gazes, though, as we make our way to the dining hall. We get in line for chicken tenders and West turns his attention back to me. "Nova's coming, right?" he inquires as he tugs at the straps of his backpack. He is going to the library after this to get even more studying done than he did this morning.

"Yeah," I inform him as I look at my phone. She just texted me that she's on her way.

"Does she know who hickey girl is?" Jack inquires and I repress the urge to sigh.

"No," I answer in a slightly nervous tone. I can tell that they notice the hesitation in my voice by the way they glance at each other. I zone out of the conversation when I spot Nova peering around the cafeteria in a slightly lost state. I allow my eyes to fall over her figure and I feel my stomach flutter a bit. She spots us and starts walking over. Her strut is more of a bounce, like she's excited, which makes me excited. As she gets closer, I notice a glossy layer outlining her lips and I squint a bit. I want to kiss her again. I wonder what she'd do if I did.

"Hey," she greets us as she comes to a slow halt a few feet away from me. The guys look at her and nod and I watch as she grows more relaxed at the casual response.

"How's studying going?" Jack questions and she huffs noisily, blowing her lips out slightly. I watch in amusement as she peers up at Jack, engaging him in conversation.

"Not that great. I can't focus. You?" she explains, which gets a small smirk from me. I also could not focus this morning. I wonder if it's the same thing blocking our brains. I was trying to study alongside Jack in our dorm but I just kept replaying our kiss. Her face turns bright red when she acknowledges the look of satisfaction on my face. She eyes our friends quickly before shooting me a short glare.

"Yeah, same-," Jack starts but I quickly stop him in the middle of his lie. Another reason I couldn't study was because I had to listen to him rage for two hours while playing video games.

"Don't lie to her. You've been playing PS4 all day," I scoff. Jack shrugs in defeat as he looks from me to Nova.

"I mean, you're not wrong," Jack confesses. "I just haven't had enough focus to stop playing the game and to pick up my books."

"Understandable," Nova nods at him.

"I, for one, have gotten copious amounts of studying done. I spent the day in the library," West reminds us with a smug grin lining his lips.

"No one cares," Jack speaks for all of us.

"Good job," Nova perks up, dismissing Jack with an eye roll. I chuckle quietly at the Nova-esque interaction.

"Thank you, Nova," West replies before raising his middle finger up to Jack.

We find a table and settle in. West gabs on for a minute with Jack occasionally cutting in. I mostly watch Nova from the corner of my eye. I make the mistake of losing track of the conversation, which I'm brought back to when I hear Jack gasp. I notice his eyes fall on Nova and then me. I immediately glare at him but he ignores me and turns his attention to the girl to the left of me.

"So, Nova, do you have any idea who gave Dominic the hickeys on his stomach?" he questions just as she takes a large bite of her chicken finger. I hear her start to gasp before she lets out a loud cough. I pat her back as she pants for air and eventually clears her passageway. I give her water and she quickly swallows it, taking a few seconds to regain herself before turning to Jack.

"Are you okay?" I ask her. She offers me a slightly shaken up nod as she takes in the rest of her drink.

"So I'm going to take that as a no," Jack mumbles, which earns a head shake from Nova. I lightly run my fingers over the base of her neck as I give her back one last rub. She shivers slightly from my touch, which gets a small kick out of me.

"Yeah, no, not a clue. I haven't even seen them," she confesses.

"I thought he'd tell you," Jack concludes.

"I don't know why he's being so secretive," West complains. "He told us everything else he's ever done."

"Why does it matter so much?" I ask in slight frustration. I bring my spoon up to my mouth and stuff my face to avoid saying something rude.

"Because you've been going through a dry spell for a couple months now and you suddenly show up with markings from a sexual encounter. Of course we're going to wonder," Jack clarifies. I want to scoff.

"I don't have to tell you guys everything," I inform him.

"Was it with a guy? Is that why you won't tell us?" West wonders aloud. "You know we won't judge you, right? We just want to know."

"Oh man, was it with a guy?" Jack restates and I look between the two of them in absolute puzzlement.

"What? No. It was a girl," I clear up. Nova chuckles from beside me and I give her a confused look, which she shrugs in response to. West scoffs loudly from across the table, dragging us back into the incessant nagging.

"Well we don't know what else to think," he explains his reasoning. "Was it a bad experience?"

"No, it was actually really good," I admit more for Nova's sake than my own. I risk a glance in her direction to see her bowing her head and allowing her curls to shade her face. I nudge her leg beneath the table and she lightly swats me back, which makes me smirk a little.

"Who was it?" West asks in a pure tone of desperation.

"I'm not going to tell you guys so just drop it," I retort.

"Nova, why aren't you upset about this?" Jack blurts and she slowly glances up at him.

"I am. My throat just hurts from almost dying a few minutes ago," she comments. "I'll interrogate him about it later."

"I bet you're going to tell her, right?" Jack scoffs,

"Maybe," I admit and Nova lets out a light breath.

"Seriously, Dom?" Jack snaps with a small glare. I offer him a slow blink as my frustration continues to grow.

"Look I'll tell you guys when I figure things out myself, okay? You'll just ask a bunch of questions that I don't have answers to," I answer. Perhaps I'd clue them in a bit more if they didn't act so needy for information.

"Wait...do you like this girl?" West questions and I shoot him a harsh glare, which Jack seems to catch onto. We lock eyes and he glances from me to Nova before clearing his throat.

"Drop it, West. You heard him; he'll tell us eventually," he mutters.

thankfully, we change the topic and continue eating. I calm down and lightly knock my knee against Nova's beneath the table, which seems to entertain her. She smiles down at her food as my leg bounces lightly. Once the dinner ends, I propose that I walk Nova back to her dorm. I see the nervousness on her features but she nods in agreement so I do.

"They're so annoying sometimes, I swear," I groan about the guys once we're far enough for them not to hear. She gives me a flat look before doing the look of understanding that she's known for.

"I think they just want to be in the loop," she attempts to defend.

"Yeah but they act like they're entitled to the information," I retort.

"How'd they notice anyway?" she ponders as I match her pace. Her short legs can only walk so fast. Her eyes are trained on my shoes and I can tell by the way she avoids my gaze that our kiss is still fresh in her mind. She's not alone there.

"The gym," I answer. "We were all changing in the locker room and West pointed them out."

"Sorry. I didn't even realize I left them," she mutters apologetically as she nibbles lightly on her lower lip. I feel a fire rush through my stomach at her words. I ignore my emotions and quickly shake my head to comfort her.

"It's fine. I don't mind," I inform her.

"Why didn't you just lie and say they were bruises?" she questions, which makes me laugh. I halt in my spot and tug up my hoodie, allowing her eyes to explore her artwork. She looks a little surprised, as if completely unaware that her mouth was capable of such things. I watch as her lips part and her breathing gets a little heavy. I wonder what she's thinking about. Deciding not to engage that though too much, I continue the conversation.

"They don't look like bruises," I conclude before dropping my sweater.

"Yeah, they don't," she agrees as she bows her head. I take note of her reddened cheeks. "Sorry about that."

I decide to tease her a little bit so I put my hands in my pockets and smirk at her. "I'm not. It felt good," I respond. Her eyes widen when she glances at me in a concerned state. She's checking to see if I intended for my words to sound as dirty as they did. She concludes that I did by the look on my face, which gets another low breath from her.

It takes her a second to compose a thought, which makes me happier than it should. "You know, I'm a bit surprised you didn't tell them," she blurts. I furrow my brows a little, expecting a topic a little less serious.

"You expected me to?" I ask.

"Not expected but I would've understood had you told them," she replies.

"I didn't tell them for a couple reasons. The main one being that I didn't think you'd want them to know your business," I tell her with a weak raise and drop of my shoulders.

"I wouldn't have been mad. I just would've been annoyed with their commentary," she grumbles. I give her a curious look and she purses her lips in preparation to speak. "You know how they tease me about how they don't think I can sustain our friendship without messing around with you?"

"Oh..." I mumble. "Well I would've made sure they didn't say anything."

We slow to a stop in front of her dorm and she peers up at the large brick building. "I'd invite you in but..." she speaks quietly. I watch as she swallows nervously, rubbing her hands together in an anxious shuffle.

"But what?" I decide to tease her. She catches on quickly and I assess her features longingly. Would it be too forward to kiss her? Probably, not to mention an extreme invasion of space.

"But I have to study," she answers with slightly narrowed eyes. I smile at her and slowly nod, admiring how adorable she is.

"Sure," I trail, not quite done putting her on the spot. "How are your thoughts?"

"Huh?" she asks as her face changes color. It's amazing how she does that. Or should I say, how I do that?

I grin at her and tilt my head playfully. "Your thoughts- are you feeling stressed for finals week?" She pouts grumpily as she tries to work her way around my suggestive comments.

"Yes, which is why I'm going to go study and you should, too," she dismisses me with her arms tied tightly across her chest. I decide to send her off with a very bold statement.

"Oh, I can't focus for the life of me," I explain with a shrug. I allow my tongue to trace my lips and watch as her eyes fall to my mouth. "I keep thinking about the way your mouth tastes."

Her eyes widen substantially and I can see the reaction my words have on her body. She stumbles back slightly as she struggles to speak to me. She huffs in frustration before shaking her head. "Bye, Dominic," she blurts before turning and hurrying towards her building. I wait for her to safely enter while laughing in her wake.

+++

Finals week comes and goes and I've definitely felt better about tests. I'm not alone in my disappointment. In fact, Nova is sitting here with me complaining about how sucky our first semester grades are probably going to be. "You know, maybe I'm just stupid," she mutters as she rests her legs in my lap. I massage her calves and listen to her vent to me.

"No you're not. They make the exams hard for a reason," I comfort her. "Just be glad it's over and by this time tomorrow, we'll be back home with no classes to worry about for a month."

"Are you all packed?" she questions and my rubbing hands falter, which earns curious glance from her.

"Yes," I lie. Her eyes narrow into a pointed look, which I respond to with a sheepish grin. "For the most part; I just have a couple more things to pack. Are you?"

"Yeah," she confirms "My roommate left this morning. It was very awkward."

"How so?" I inquire.

"She barely said bye," she mumbles. "She had her parents help her lug her bags out of the room and then nodded at me before leaving. I know we're not close but you'd think she'd tell me to have a nice break. Especially because I told her to."

"Oh well, screw Campbells," I shrug, which earns a breathy laugh from her.

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?" she asks.

"I was thinking noon," I suggest. "But I don't really care."

"Okay, noon's fine with me," she agrees.

"Are you excited to go home?" I ask and she immediately scoffs.

"And deal with my irritating parents and Maritza?" she asks. "Nope." Her annoyance with her sister is entertaining. I like to think it's jealousy but it could just be the irritation at your sister having a crush on your best friend.

I gasp when I'm hit with an idea. She jumps a little as she removes her hands from her face. "Are you going to tell her?" I ask in a slightly excited tone. I may not be able to tell the guys but I don't care if she tells her sister. Maybe she'll even tell me the details of her sister's reaction.

She gazes at me in confusion before the realization hits her. She closes her eyes and presses her head back against the couch. "Of course not," she concludes.

"She can live vicariously through you," I tease.

"She'll probably get jealous and tell my parents," she explains.

"What do you think they'd do?" I ponder curiously. My parents would be elated if I told them I kissed her. Of course I'm not going to because I'm not that close to them but I know they would be happy for me. Her dad, however, would probably put a hit out for me.

"There isn't anything they can do. I pay for school myself so they can't take me out. They don't want me to go far away so sending me to another school wouldn't be an option. They'll probably just make me promise never to do it again," she responds with a shrug. "Plus, you'll never be allowed over and vice versa."

"Jeez," I mumble. I wonder how things would be different if her parents weren't so strict.

"But then again, my mom begs me to marry you so maybe she wouldn't be too mad," she laughs. It takes me a minute to process her words.

"Really?!" I ask a little too excitedly. I can definitely do that, mother-in-law. I knew her mom liked me but not that much.

"Yes," she confesses with a sigh. "She thinks you're such a good boy. Little does she know, right?"

"I am a good boy!" I counter. She peeks at me with one opened eye and smirks.

"Sure you are," she scoffs before shutting her eye.

"What makes me a bad boy?" I ask.

"You're a pervert, for one," she starts to list but I suck my teeth.

"I flirt, so what?" I dismiss. "I get good grades. I'm respectful. I have manners."

"Dominic, I was joking. I know you're a good boy," she concludes as she opens both of her eyes.

"My parents like you, too," I tell her. "They think you're a good influence on me."

"Because I am," she says with a satisfied grin. I gaze at her for a second and repress the urge to lean over and kiss her.

"I know you are," I whisper as I take in her features. She's so pretty and she doesn't even realize it.

She holds my gaze for a few seconds before closing her eyes again. I set my focus on rubbing her legs and allow my thoughts to travel from the normal appropriate course. I wonder how far we would've gone the other night if I wouldn't have stopped her. I wonder if I'll ever find out. I hope I do. She shifts her legs in my lap and I'm surprised to find that my hands have traveled further up past her knees. I continue to work, watching her breathing grow slightly ragged as I work my way up. I expect her to glare at me like she usually does when I get a little too into it but instead, she offers me a frustrated sigh. "Dominic, we're literally in the middle of a very public lounge," she informs me.

"My room is right down the hall," I mumble as I switch to her other leg. She stares at me with her tongue lightly touching her top lip before she shakes away her thoughts.

"Yes and Jack is in there," she counters.

"He can go to West's room," I propose.

"How suspicious will that sound? You ask him to leave so you and I can hang out in there," she plays out and I sigh noisily.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I confirm in defeat.

"Besides, don't you have to pack?" she reminds me.

"I hate you for always being right," I grumble. Her airy laughter fills the air as she pulls herself into a sitting position.

"I should get back to my dorm. I still have to shower," she tells me.

"Do you want me to walk you?" I question. What I really want to ask is if she'd mind if I join her.

"No, what you need to do is go upstairs and pack," she presses as she pulls me up.

"Aye, aye, captain," I agree before heading in the direction of the door. I want to at least hug her before she goes. "Am I allowed to hug you?"

She rolls her eyes before extending her arms up and around my neck, pulling me into a hug. Thoughtlessly, I tie my arms around her waist in a tight hug. I feel her shiver against me before she pulls away and zips up her coat. "I'll see you tomorrow," she tells me as she averts her gaze. I stare at her, wondering what's going through her mind. I offer her a nod and watch as she leaves my building.

+++

I love memes. They're probably the greatest thing social media has come to create. Just as I'm about to send one to Nova, I get a text message from her. I click it without even reading the preview and stare at it in slight confusion.

Nova: You up?

Does she mean what I think she means? The only people that send 'you up?' texts are people that want sex and friends who are lonely and in need of late night conversation. The latter can often turn into the former, though, so it brings me back to my previous point: what does she mean? I decide to play into it and see where it gets me.

Dominic: Did you really just send me a 'you up?' text? I've created a monster.

She immediately starts typing and I flip onto my back and stare at my phone screen, waiting impatiently for her response.

Nova: So are you up or not?

Okay, I think she means what I think she means. Okay. Shit, shit, shit.

Dominic: Jeez, I'm up.

Is she booty calling me? So it seems. Am I okay with that? Pathetically, I am.

Nova: Do you want to come over?

Wow, this is happening again. I feel my heart start to race as I think about kissing her again. I quickly tell her I'll be there soon and get off my bed. I scramble to get ready in the dark, falling over my half-packed bags. I rush to turn on the light, grateful that Jack left a few hours ago or else I'd be stuck getting dressed in the pitch black. I waste no time in rushing out of my dorm and into the night. I text her that I'm outside and I watch as she walks down the hallway to let me in.

"Hey," I greet her with a nervous smile. I keep my hands in my hoodie pockets and stare at her. As much as I want this, it seems surreal.

"Hi," she responds in her quiet tone.

We walk in silence and approach the elevator. I nibble my lips as I stare at her, wondering if I should ask for clarification. The last thing I want is to get all excited just to lay in bed and talk. Don't get me wrong, I love doing that. Anything with her is fun. But from the tone of her message, she made it seem like we'd be doing stuff. "Just so we're on the same page, what exactly am I here for?" I ask. Her face falls flat and red and I know that I was correct in my original assumption. I let a smirk fall onto my face as I lean back against the wall of the elevator. "I thought so; I was just making sure."

She lets me into her room and I hurriedly remove my hoodie. I am a little over eager in throwing myself at her but she doesn't seem to mind. I try my best to keep things PG-13 as to not break any boundaries or make her uncomfortable. I get her up against the door and put my mouth against hers in a hungry kiss. Her arms loop around my neck and I let my hands trail down her thighs, which results in her body quivering against mine. She gasps into my mouth as I lift her up and carry her to the bed.

She stares at me longingly as I climb up there with her but it's nothing compared to the way I'm staring at her. We kiss again and shocks of desire are sent billowing through my system. She wraps herself around me and I grip hard at her waist, allowing her to flip herself so that she's sitting on my lap. I stare up at her, waiting for her to say the words on the tip of her tongue. Her hands are pressed against my chest and I try my best to regulate my breathing. I expect her to tell me that what happened was enough but she brings her hands to the bottom of her shirt. In one swift motion, she tugs it off and I assess her body as a feeling of pure contentment rushes through me.

I allow my eyes to close for a second as I wallow in the pride of being chosen to experience this. I want to ask how I got to be so lucky. Instead, I grin up at her and she waits for me to speak. "You're so beautiful, November."

"I wore it because it's your favorite color," she whispers as she glances down at the red bra covering her chest. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," I say as I reach up and let my fingers trace the straps on her chest. What I want to say is that I love her but that would ruin things. She leans over me and I let my hand lightly touch her hip as she reaches under the pillow. She holds a very familiar square package a foot from my face and I feel my heart beating faster as I realize what she's hinting at. She wants to have sex. With me. Nova wants to sleep with me. She wants me to take her virginity. Now. In this moment.

I can't help the grin that grows on my face as I stare up at her. "Tonight?" I question.

"Yeah," she agrees with a confident nod. "If you want to."

"I do," I assure her before trying to think about whether she'd regret it. "You're sure about this?"

"I thought about it and I can't think of anyone else I'd rather to give my virginity to," she confesses. "I trust you."

"Thank you," I mumbles as I gaze up at her. I wish I could make things more special for her. If she'd have given me some type of warning, I'd have gotten her flowers or something romantic. She smirks at me as he fingers fall to the waistband of my boxers. I watch, slightly nervous, as she places the condom underneath it. The areas where her fingers lightly brush feel as though they're lit on fire and I feel like I'm going to combust. I reach up and lightly hold her face in my hands, bringing her back to kiss me. She breaks away again and backs up a few inches. Her half lidded eyes assess me while she bites her lip. I feel myself growing more and more excited about what's to come.

"Not to mention, I like the way your hands feel on me," she whispers as her eyes search between both of mine. My eyebrows shoot up as I stare at her, wondering how she's so good at making me go crazy like this. I'm at a loss for words as I try to think of something to say.

"You know, I always knew I'd be the one to do this," I confess as I lightly run my fingers up and down her back. She sighs quietly at my touch and I wait for her to respond.

"Oh, did you?" she asks so I nod. It's getting hard for me to focus. She chuckles at me and shakes her head. "You wished."

"And prayed," I admit as I bring my hand to her face. I let my finger rest beneath her chin and she kisses me again. My other hand holds her hip tightly as I try my best to continue the conversation. I have other pressing issues I want to take care of but I need to clarify some things before all of that. "You're not going to regret it and hate me forever, right? Because as much as I want to do this, it won't be worth it if that's the case."

"Dominic, I will be okay," she informs me.

"But are you sure-?" I start to ask but she cuts me off by placing her hand over my mouth. I gaze up at her and try my hardest to listen.

"In this moment, the only thing I want is you," she confesses and that's all I need to hear. "Can you deliver that?" I offer her a slow nod. Of course I can deliver. Call me a FedEx or UPS worker. I'm a delivery man. She grins in satisfaction and I tug her flat against me and enjoy the feeling of her skin against mine.