PARKER
"You're late," Camille said as she opened her front door to Jordan and Ian.
"Yes!" I yelled from the living room. "Finally! I'm not the one who's late."
"I did it for you." Ian smirked as he relinquished his coat. He helped Jordan out of his as Jordan held onto their gifts for this year's White Elephant. They were both in pajamas or their version of sleepwear. Jordan wore something silky and grey underneath a robe while Ian wore Star Trek bottoms and a black T-shirt that said my other black shirt is dirty.
Christmas sort of came out of nowhere, so Camille's party was a little last minute. Everyone brought a gift that had to be no more than ten dollars. Bonus points for getting something cool for under five. Lizzie and I went to Goodwill. She wouldn't let me see what she picked out, but nothing would be cooler than the coffee mug I found in the shape of a butt. I drew a little heart on the plumper cheek with a red sharpie to make it really worthwhile.
"Sorry," Jordan said sheepishly. "We lost track of time."
"What were you two doing?" I asked, wriggling my brows at Ian. I hung off the couch, wearing a pair of plaid pajamas.
Void of emotion, Ian said, "Sacrificing baby goats to please the dark lord."
Meanwhile, Jordan happily replied, "We were helping Ian's grandmother decorate her gingerbread cookies..." He blinked at Ian and shrugged. "Uh, and also that."
Ian rolled his eyes, disappearing into the kitchen where he was met with thunderous greetings from Norah, Olivia and a few other girls from drama. I could hear Norah forcing a platter of food into Ian's hands.
Beside me, I heard sniffling.
Lizzie was wrapped up in a blanket, snuggled against my side. She held the collar of her hoodie over her lips as fat tears sprung from her eyes.
"Babe, are you okay?" I half laughed, brushing my hand through her hair. She had a fresh cut and I loved dragging my hand through her short little hairs in the back. Her mom let her get a full on 1920s bob. My girlfriend was the coolest. I kissed her adorable head and draped my arm around her shoulders. I pulled her close.
On the TV, we were watching the old animated Frosty the Snowman movie.
"I just can't believe he died," Lizzie insisted. "I don't remember it like this." She sniffled and threw her hand at the screen, practically screaming at it. "This is basically murder! I mean, what the heck?! This is a kid's movie!"
"Camille! Your movie choice is making my girlfriend cry!"
"Your girlfriend would cry over a happy movie so shut up!" Camille shouted back.
"You shut up!"
"Don't make me come in there!"
I laughed and kissed Lizzie's head again.
"Hey," I said.
"Hmm?" She perked up.
"Pay attention to me."
Lizzie smiled, nice and wide and a wonderful fluttering sensation tickled my skin. She leaned up, pressing her lips to mine. No matter how many times I kissed her soft lips, it still felt so new and so special. She leaned back and kissed my cheek, before snuggling back into my side. She fit there perfectly.
I glanced around the room at everyone gathering back to the floor and the couch. Norah and Camille stood by the Christmas tree, basked in its golden glow as they discussed which gifts looked better than the others. Olivia and Andrea sat on the floor, taking small bites out of every treat and ranking them from best to worst. Jordan and Ian were pretending not to flirt on the other side of the couch, acting like no one could see the way Ian's fingers slowly crept Jordan's side to just lightly brush his fingers.
I chuckled.
"What?" Lizzie asked me.
"I don't know... I'm just really happy."
"Me too." She smiled.
Most things don't last forever.
Some things don't even make it thirty days, but I'm told after thirty days something can become a habit. Whether that's brushing your teeth every night for thirty days or feeding your cat around the same time for thirty days. It could even be thirty days of making a beautiful girl laugh and then, you'll do it every single day after that. It could be thirty days of sending a girl a good morning and a good night text until it becomes clockwork.
Sometimes all it takes to fall in love is thirty days.
It certainly worked out for me.
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COMING SUMMER 2024 "30 DAY TRIAL PERIOD" IS BEING PUBLISHED BY WATTPAD BOOKS
AUTHOR'S NOTE
And there we have it. That's the end. Thank you for coming with me on this journey. It was the hardest book I've EVER written. I don't know why. Maybe it hits closest to home. Maybe I've never gotten over how much people love this. I'm surprised by it every day.
But with 92,001 words, 30 Day Trial Period is done. I started this book in December 2018 and I finally wrote the last word this February. Never thought we'd make it, but we did. Man, even right now I'm so emotional. I've loved sharing this book with everyone. You guys are the absolute best. Thank you.
SO! Final thoughts and feelings! Do you feel satisfied with the ending? Who was your favorite character?! What was your favorite scene?! I wanna know!! I'm also open to answering any and ALL questions about the book, whether it's about a character's future or their relationships. Anything!
Twitter: @AuburnMorrow
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