It All Started with a Lie

Chapter 25

She takes a moment to soak up my reassurance, holding my wrist as I cup her face. Her voice is quiet, "I don't want to lose you both."

"You won't lose me." I tell her entirely under the assumption that my sister will forgive us, but I do not know what I will do if she forbids me from ever seeing Alexandria again. I can't betray my sister twice, I could barely do it the first time. But I don't think I have it in me to walk away from Alexandria. "And you won't lose her." That I am certain of.

She takes a deep breath, nodding. "I might need this pep talk again when we go to meet her."

"I can do that."

She smiles and takes a long breath. I run my fingers through her hair. "I'll pick you up after class?"

Her face morphes into an exaggerated frown as she gives me a sheepish look. I should be worried about what she is going to say but all I can think about is how much I love how animated she always is. I finally understand what Bea was talking about all those times. "About that..."

She purses her lips and scratches her head. "Yeah?" I answer as she takes a seat on the island counter to find a comfier spot and be eye level with me.

"We can't be seen together on campus."

My brow quirks as I step into her personal bubble. She pins me between her knees, snacking on the bowl of almonds on the counter. "We can't?"

She shakes her head and with her mouth full says, "I can't be a Beta girl if I'm dating a Kappa boy."

She is so relaxed, like she knows I will not be mad at her, that I will understand her, and I do, but I have to tease her. "Are you trying to break up with me again?"

She rolls her eyes and pushes me lightly. "No, I just—" her voice trails off. "I need us to keep our relationship a secret a little longer, just while we're on campus?"

"Okay."

"Okay?" The draw of her brows lets me know she is suspicious of my actions.

I can't help but laugh. "Okay, I don't care how we see each other, just that we do. If the only way you'll have me is sneaking around then so be it. I will take you anyway you will have me."

She grows this big grin like no one has ever said anything like that to her and it is baffling to me. How could anyone know her and not love her? I had tried my hardest not to and I still couldn't. Loving her is as easy as breathing, I will die if I ever stop.

She pulls me in closer with her legs kissing my jaw. "It's only on campus, and it's only four years."

I'm glad she cannot see the smile that spreads across my lips at the knowledge that she plans to spend the next four years with me. "One year."

She frowns and I know it is because she thinks I only picture being with her for one year. It is an embarrassing amount of time that I can see myself spending with her. I can never admit it; she will never let me live it down. And we still have to tell my sister. "I'm dropping out of Kappa next year."

"What? Why?"

I don't want to talk about how much I hate the frat, and how I dread seeing my 'brothers' because I am too happy right now to speak of something so depressing, so I tell her it just isn't for me and she understands. "One year then."

She takes her sweet time kissing me, filling my mouth with the taste of burnt sugar and rum and I think she would have let me stay there forever, kissing her until we are sick of it, but she has class, and I have skipped far too many workouts to skip another.

So I drop her off a twenty minute walk from her class so that no one will see us and we agree where to meet before seeing Beatrice. She makes it five minutes before calling to tell me her feet are cold. We only part when she is at her class and I have made it to the gym.