Four months had gone by since the exams and Brad and I had both passed them by miles. I had just finished my second set of exams and finally had our fifteen week break before I started my second year at university.
"Hey," Brad grins, moving some hair behind my ear as he places a kiss confidently on my lips, which only makes my mouth grow into a smile. "Summer has officially started."
"I've never been more happy to have time off," I conclude as we walk over to his car. We'd already packed our stuff for the summer so we could leave as soon as we were ready. "James agreed for me to swap back into our dorm, by the way."
He looks over to me with a frown, "I'm not coming back after summer."
"What?"
"I'm not coming back after summer," he repeats. "I've finished my course now and I managed to get a job, too."
"Oh. I didn't know you'd finished," I purse my lips, turning to look out the window. Brad and I never really discussed our university stuff, so I didn't know he had finished uni at all.
"I'm gonna get an apartment near work," he assured me. "It starts when you go back to uni and it's in Birmingham so you'll be able to see me still."
"Cool."
I couldn't deny that I was disappointed that he was moving into an apartment and that we'd not see each other as often. I was just so used to seeing him everyday at university or going out partying or going to town.
He turns to look at me, tearing his eyes off of the road for a second before sighing and turning back to the road again.
"So I was thinking we could do some travelling over the summer?" He starts a new topic of conversation and I'm thankful because otherwise this car could get really awkward.
"Yeah? I think we should go to Cardiff or Glasgow or something," I agree. "I think the long drives will be nice."
"You say that, but you're not the one driving," he teases me and I laugh half heartedly. "What about Bournemouth? There's some really nice ice creams down south."
"If we're going south then we may as well go all out and go to Cornwall," I reply, watching Brad's hand move over to grab mine and he squeezes it. "You okay?"
"Yeah," he smiles contently as we continue to drive back to Sutton. My mum had called Brad—yes, she called Brad over me—while we stopped at a McDonalds for some food to ask where we were and within twenty minutes we were at my house.
"Hello, Bradley!" She coos, engulfing him into a tight hug. "How've you been?"
"I've been good, thanks," Brad chuckles, his arm moving so that it's over my shoulder. "You've been alright?"
"Yes, yes!" She nods, smiling and letting us walk through the front door. She wraps me in a quick hug before I go back to Brad's side. "Are your mum and dad over tonight? It's gonna be great to meet them again."
"I think so," Brad nods. "I think Nat's coming, too."
During the Easter break in March, Brad introduced me to his family at a restaurant with my parents and Daniel there. His parents liked me quite a lot which made up for the face my mum adored Brad over me.
"That's awesome!"
I grab my bags and make my way up the stairs into my room, Brad following suite and not long after we're on my bed, cuddled up as we watch some movies.
When I say we watched movies, I mean Brad watched it while my eyes follow his hand's constant movement as it reaches up and lands on my hair before he softly moved his fingers through it.
I shut my eyes and let a soft sigh escape my lips. I never wanted this to finish.
♡
"I'm gonna beat you!" I shout as I move my character to the left of his. Brad scowls and kicks my leg to try and put me off but I only return the action to his hands so that the controller moves too.
"Stop cheating!" He yells back as he waits for his car to be put back on the track.
"You started it," I snap back and he rolls his eyes, trying to catch up with me but I was so far ahead already, reaching the finish line on my final lap.
"She's gonna win," Daniel comments from the side as he sits between us both. He was leaning back so that he didn't get in between our violence.
"Don't say that! Have faith in me," Brad scowls at my brother as he attempts to catch up in hope that he'll beat me but his luck falls short as I cross the finish line.
"And that is why you never say you're better than the Queen of Mario Kart," I announce, a smirk on my face as I stand up and take a triumphant bow.
"Best of five?"
"You've already played best of three and she's won all of them," Daniel shakes his head at Brad's logic. "There's no point."
"I can't accept defeat, I can't."
"Just admit that your girlfriend is better than you," I suggest, a triumphant grin on my face as I hand Nat the controller. Nat was Brad's older sister.
"If it helps you sleep at night," Brad quips as he hands Daniel the controller before beckoning me over to him. I smile and take his hand that was outstretched for me and he tugs me on to his lap.
"Are they always like this?" Nat laughs as Daniel chooses a face for them both to do.
"Always," Daniel confirms.
"Like what?" I frown at them both as my head rests upon Brad's, my hand in his curls. He hadn't cut his hair in a while and it was getting quite long, however today he hadn't put it in his standard man bun.
"You'll both banter back and forth before you go all lovey with each other," Daniel observed as they choose their characters for the race. "It's not a bad thing."
"Definitely not," Nat agrees. "Brad always said that the reason our parents were in such a good relationship is because they had trust and humour, and you guys are just the same."
"Are you suggesting that Mango and I are gonna get married and be like our parents one day?"
"Maybe," Nat shrugs and I purse my lips, keeping quiet. Being married to Brad seemed like such a big thing to me, especially considering that we've only been dating for five months, however if I was going to get married to anyone, I know it would have to be with Brad.
An hour goes by and we're all sat at the table together. On one side of the table is Nat, Brad and Daniel while on the other side, I'm sandwiched between Brad's parents, Anne and Derek and my parents both sat on either end of the table while we feast on some food.
"What are your plans after university, Brad?" Carl asks as he cuts up some of his food, starting a conversation.
I look over to Brad, who was sat directly opposite me, and wait for an answer. The topic of Brad leaving university was something we hadn't discussed since I found out he wasn't going to be coming back.
"I got a job at a studio in Birmingham," Brad answers. "It's good pay and it's exactly what I want to do, plus close to home."
"You're buying an apartment I assume, then? Or are you gonna train in everyday?"
"I'm renting an apartment."
"That's nice," Carl states before we continue to eat our dinner. Topics varied from what our favourite kind of pudding was to how animals would wipe their arses after they've gone to the toilet.
"Margo and I are gonna disappear upstairs for a bit," Brad smiles after all of the pots have been loaded into the dishwasher. "I hope you guys don't mind?"
"It means you kids won't have the television and that's perfect because the football match is about to start," Carl chuckles as they all pile into the lounge to watch the football match.
As Daniel reaches the door, he smiles and turns to me, "Hey, Midget?"
"What, Daniel?"
"If you two are gonna get at it, keep it down, yeah?"
unedited.