Unspoken(98)
Chapter Thirty
BO
AM AND I WORKED OUR ASSES OFF to finish our labs after our midterms. The plant hybrid report generated by our theoretical study was completed by AM; she typed up our notes and I added a few sketches. AM declared my pencil drawings to be brilliant and was convinced they would give us an A. I tried not to look too skeptical, but I hoped our professor wasn’t going to be simply won over by a few encyclopedia drawings.
“What’s this?” AM asked, flipping through some carpentry books I’d picked up over the weekend. I hesitated to tell her, wondering if she would think I was a complete fool for taking my life in such a different direction. I knew that AM would run her own business someday. It might be small, but I doubted it. Her energy burned too strongly for that. Would she still be okay with being with someone who worked with his hands and not in an office?
I gave myself a metaphorical kick in the ass. It was a good thing I’d never fallen in love before. I wouldn’t have been able to wipe my ass after all this second-guessing.
I pulled the books from AM’s fingers and rubbed my fingers over the covers. “I’m thinking about working with Finn, flipping houses.”
AM’s face lit up with interest. “Oh, Bo, that sounds fantastic.”
“Yeah? You aren’t going to be bothered if I wear boots to work instead of a suit and tie?”
My question was met with a punch to the arm. Our propensity for physical violence seemed to have grown inversely, with AM increasing her nonverbal responses and me decreasing my fight instinct and talking more. Of course, AM’s punches were like insect bites, tiny and barely noticeable, but I yelped like a dog so she knew she had my attention.
“Does this mean you can build me whatever I want? Like a new desk or a bookshelf or something? Wait, you won’t sell your car to get a pickup instead, will you? I haven’t even gotten to drive it yet.” AM hopped over to pick up my key fob off the desk, the dog tags jingling like a little bell underneath the t-shirt she was wearing. Mine, of course. I’d taken all her pre-Bo nightwear and hidden it. Even though no guy had ever worn those T-shirts, I didn’t like the idea of seeing her in a man’s shirt that hadn’t already been worn by me.
“Maybe after I have a few years in, I’ll build us a house.” I pulled her down on my lap, nestling her ass against my growing wood. She always looked so awesome wearing my shirts. I’d like to keep AM locked up in my room wearing only my old PT Marine t-shirt and nothing else, but I kept those thoughts to myself. After classes were out, AM and I were going to go on a little road trip together, first to visit her mom, then mine, and then back down to San Diego.
I’d promised she could drive the car, but I hadn’t promised anything about how long she’d spend in the driver’s seat. I might have mellowed, but some things would always be instinctive, like wanting to drive and carrying her things. And having sex standing up. She’d just have to learn to deal with that.
“Let’s go to the party house this Friday night,” AM said. The words flew past me as I rocked my hips against her, pressing her harder against my erection. I wasn’t interested in any parties except the ones we would have right here in her bedroom. I pulled down on the collar of the t-shirt and kissed the base of her neck and shoulders that were exposed.
“Wait, what?” I asked as AM’s statement registered. Instinctively I hugged her tighter to me. No one should go through that mess again. I’d resigned myself to AM not transferring and was prepared to buffer and shield her as much as I could, but going back to the party house seemed like trying to walk through a minefield without any testing equipment or field gear. At some point, you’d step wrong and the world would blow up. Last time, AM’s wounds healed. Next time they might not. My whole promise to stop fighting would go down the drain, too. The memory of the lacrosse shithead with the big mouth lying in a pool of his own nose blood made me smile, which was definitely not the response I was supposed to be having.
“I’m tired of hiding out, Bo. I don’t want to be afraid any more, and I don’t want what’s happened to me to happen to other girls.”
AM sounded determined. I pulled her legs up so she was curled like a kitten in my lap. “I’ve got your back, then.”
Later, while AM was showering, I called in reinforcements. The entire house needed to show up.
“Are we coming to help you lay waste to the crowd or to prevent you from losing your mind?” asked Noah. “I don’t care either way, but Gray wants to know whether he should wear a new t-shirt or an old one.”