There was over five hundred dollars worth of gift cards in the presents from Dad along with a few items of clothing and shoes I was positive his assistant, Marley, picked out. Thankfully she had good taste.

I felt like the biggest hypocrite alive as I drove my new car, wearing my new outfit to Nolan's . Bee was completely enthralled with everything though, going on about the new car smell and the boots I got and insisting I keep it all.

"Now is not the time to be stubborn, Jade," she said from the passenger seat. "He owes you for pain and suffering. He owes me too for having to watch my best friend suffer."

I gave her a sideways glance. "You just want to keep the boots."

She pulled a leg up on the dashboard, stroking the black suede knee high boots. "They look so good on me."

I shook my head and laughed. They did look really cute on her though.

When we got to Nolan's his house was pitch black.

"Maybe I should've called first."

"Mhm," Bee replied, distracted by her phone. The deep crease in her forehead concerned me.

I nudged her with my elbow, grabbing her attention. "What's up?"

"I think Gia's on a date."

"What?"

She held up her phone, showing me a picture from Gia's Instagram. It was a picture of sushi with the caption: When your bestie buys you sushi. As far as I could tell there was no indication that it was a date.

"Why do you think it's a date?"

"It's a gut feeling," She explained. "Can I borrow your car?"

"For what, Bee?" I already knew why. I could tell by the fire in her eyes. "You can't crash her date. If that's even what is."

"I'm in love with her, Jade. Am I supposed to just let her move on?"

My brow raised at her. "Are you aware of how insane you sound?"

"Yes. But I have to do this. Please?" Her green eyes pled. She wasn't letting it go. "I'll come back to pick you up."

I pointed to the dark house. "I don't even know if Nolan's home."

"Well, check," she insisted, attempting to shove me out of the closed door. "Hurry. I want to try to catch Gia before she gets to SweetFrog. She always wants frozen yogurt after dinner."

The desperation on her face forced me out of the car. I rang the doorbell, I knocked, I sent texts. Nothing. He couldn't be gone, not tonight.

Through the windshield Bee tapped her wrist, a silent hurry the hell up!

Feeling a little desperate myself, I walked around the house to find Nolan's window. It was opened so he had to be home. His room was dark and I couldn't see a thing. I called his name through the screen a few times. The bed creaked, letting me know he was inside. I pulled the screen off and climbed inside, managing not to knock anything over in the process.

When I hit the light switch I expected him to pop awake. Apparently, he was a much heavier sleeper than I thought.

"Nolan." I poked his cheek and he swatted my hand away.

"Go away," he mumbled.

I giggled. "Wake up before pour water on you."

That made him open his eyes. His golden orbs  looked particularity sexy in their tired state. "Jade?"

"Hi."

His sexy, sleepy eyes plus the adorably confused frown on his face made it hard not to pounce on him right then and there. He sat up and rubbed a hand over his face, blinking a few times before speaking. "You're back?"

"No, you're dreaming."

He smiled but the confusion remained. "You climbed through my window?"

"I didn't try knocking first," I pointed out. "And texting."

"I turned my phone off," he said with a yawn as he rubbed his face again. "Everyone kept texting me about some party tonight."

"And now you have me breaking into your house to drag you to that party."

He looked up at me from the tangles of his covers like he was seeing me clearly for the first time. His eyes traveled up from my black high-waisted jeans, to my cropped sweater, stopping when we locked gazes. I wanted to shy away and revel in it all at the same time.

"Your hair is different."

I reached up, touching my bangs. I was never happy with them. "Yeah, I haven't worn it down in a while."

"I like it."

"Thanks." Heat flooded my cheeks as an uncontrollable smile took over my face. God, how could three little words make me feel like I was experiencing all of my favorite things at once? "I like yours too. Must've taken hours."

He chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Bed head usually does."

A comfortable silence settled. He was staring at me again. Even though we were a foot apart I could feel him, the ghost of his hands retracing the their steps from the night we kissed.

I blinked the memory away, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. "So, do you want to go to the party?"

He also snapped out of whatever thoughts he was wrapped in. Raking his long fingers through his hair once more as he stood, heading to his dresser to pull out a few items. "Yeah. Just give me ten minutes." He left the room.

When I heard the bathroom door close I took seat at the foot of his bed. My gaze bounced around from the skateboard in the corner to the layers of stickers on the drawers of his dresser to the plate of pizza crust on his nightstand to the lamp I watched swaying back and forth right before he kissed me. My lips tingled at the memory.

Something else caught my eye in the reflection of the mirror across from the bed. I looked up at the ceiling to see a map. I laid back on the bed to get a better look. It was a map a Europe, a thick red line going across it with little flag markers on various countries.

In light of everything I had almost forgotten how all of this started. My need of money for college and his need to get out of Bellcreek. That last part made my stomach twist. The feeling disappeared when Nolan laid down beside me smelling of men's body wash, his hair slightly damp.

"You already mapped out your trip?" I asked, glancing over at him.

"My mom, actually. Those are all the places she went with my dad back when they were in college."

"Why is Ireland crossed out?"

He laughed, slipping one arm behind his head. "They said they had nothing but bad luck there. The car broke down, some of their luggage was stolen, Dad lost a tooth."

"Oh god."

"Yeah, they want me to skip it, but I want the full experience, you know?"

"Hopefully you get to keep all your teeth," I teased. "What about the heart on the UK?"

"That's where my mom proposed to my dad."

"Wait, she proposed?"

"Yeah," he said with a grin. "Apparently, one night my dad planned a dinner for them. I mean, it was real fancy. Candlelit, a string quartet to play their favorite song. Mom thought for sure he was going to pop the question. When he didn't she pulled a random ring off her hand and purposed to him herself."

"Okay, your mom's kind of badass."

"She is."

I rolled over on my side, propping my head up on my hand. "But why'd your dad plan a dinner like that if he wasn't going to ask her to marry him?"

"Actually, he was going to, but the ring was stolen with the luggage in Ireland."

"Your parent's lives sound like a romcom," I said with a laugh. "What'd your dad do with his engagement ring?"

"He wore it around his neck," he said before reaching into his shirt, holding the ring he kept around his own neck. "Until he gave it to me."

We went quiet again as he watched me. His eyes soft and intense at the same time. My heart felt like it was being tugged towards him. Like at any moment it could break free from behind my rib cage just to closer to his.

Then my phone chimed.

Reluctantly, I pulled my gaze from Nolan and read the text.

"You gotta leave?" He asked, the unmistakable hint of disappointment in his tone.

"No, I just forgot I left Bee outside," I said, holding back laughter. "She stole my car to either do something incredibly stupid or hopelessly romantic."

He made a non-committal noise as he nodded. "So you're stranded?"

"I guess so."

"And you don't have to rush home?"

"Nope."

"So, I can kiss you right now and we won't be interrupted?" He was whispering now. And I noticed we were closer as if we'd been inching together like magnets. Our lips were practically touching already.

"Correct." I'd barely whispered the word before Nolan's lips were on mine.

His hands roamed the curve of my waist. Mine traced the angles of jaw. There was no space left between us, but somehow he still wasn't close enough.

I couldn't remember the last time I wanted someone so badly. If I ever even felt that strongly about a person. The spark I felt when Nolan first held my hand, way back when we first made the arrangement, was full on flame now. Growing more intense with every kiss, every touch.

What I felt with Nolan was new and intoxicating. I was aware every time our bodies were in contact and fixed it when they weren't.

In past relationships I paced myself. Not with Nolan. With him it was like releasing pressure that had been building up since day one. There was no slowing down. I couldn't if I tried.

I guess that's why I didn't think twice about slipping my hands down his jeans. Why I didn't stop him when he pulled off my sweater. Why, when he broke our kiss for air and to whisper a question, I replied without hesitation.

I'd never been more sure about anything in my life.