If You Love Me || COMPLETED!

32 | We Got This

No one loves me like he does. No one watches out for me like he does. Michael would jump in front of a bullet for me even if I told him a thousand times not to. He loves me without asking for anything in return. If I texted him right now asking for anything he would do it with a snap of a finger and not think twice about it because his only goal in life is to make sure I'm straight. Make sure I'm set. And because of that I will love him to the day I die together or not. No one or nothing can take away what we have. It's a love that will stand true throughout the years. So don't look at it because I'm eighteen years old and in your eyes you think I'm too young. Look at it as two people in love who want to spend the rest of their life with each other because that is what this is. That is what Michael and I are."

Lina's face had eased with every word I said and then she smiled. "Bitch, you about to have me over here crying!"

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "I love him Lina, so yes, if he asked me today, tomorrow, or next week my answer would be yes. Hell yes!"

"Well as long as I'm a witness slash bridesmaid with you at that courthouse then I ain't gon complain. I need an invite, y'hear?"

I grabbed some fries anyway, knowing I didn't need them. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Lina had her thinking face on and I rolled my eyes wondering what this girl was about to do. Then she stuck out her hand, "let me see your phone."

"Why?"

"Because you said if you texted Mike anything he was gon do it. Ima see if your words are forreal."

I shook my head and reached into the little bag next to me and pulled out my phone. I slid it across the table and Lina caught it before it dropped on the open seat next to her. My password had been the same for months, which was Michael's birthday, and since she'd seen me type it in a thousand and one times she already knew what it was.

"Should I be prepared when openin this thread? Ain't no freaky pictures or texts from last night gon pop up, right?"

I laughed and shook my head. "No, Lina."

"What should I ask for? Money, a car, you killed someone and need help covering it up, what?" Lina tapped my phone against her chin as she thought.

"Ask for five hundred dollars. That's the amount of my housing deposit and he knows I need it, because I haven't told him my mom paid for it yet."

"Aunt J paid for it? So your parents are cool with you going to Duke?"

I sipped on my water again. "My mom has accepted it and reached out to me yesterday. We met up for lunch and had a very long conversation. Long conversation. Ranging from her telling me what she didn't like, how she disapproved of me just moving out, how it hurt her, but in the end she said if I was happy then she was and that the fact I'm eighteen she can't force me to keep living under their roof. I admit I went about it the wrong way and I made my choices seemingly out-of-the-blue and blindfolded, but this is what I want."

I guess Lina had texted Michael because she locked my phone and placed it in the middle of the table.

"You really wanna go to Duke?"

I nodded. "It's better than California. California is way too far. Too far from family and too far from Michael. North Carolina is far but at least it's somewhat driving distance."

"What did Mike say when you told him?"

"Supportive as always," I said nibbling on the few fries I'd taken out of the basket. "He said if that was what I wanted then we'd figure everything else out when it got to those points. He's already printed out the academic calendar for the year and stuck it on the fridge so he can buy plan tickets for me to come home for break and for him to come to me."