The Last Summer Page 16

Epilogue

  Six months later…

  “Why is this so heavy?” Lila’s dad groaned as he grabbed a suitcase from the truck.

  Lila pulled a duffle bag over her shoulder before lifting a small box. “Because it’s full of books and movies.”

  “You put your books and movies in a suitcase?” an amused voice asked behind her. “Why not your clothes?”

  Turning to face Gavin, she shrugged. “If you put the heavier items in the suitcase, you can wheel it in.”

  Both men froze, mouths open. Her mom laughed as she grabbed the hamper full of clothes and then shut the trunk. “Wow, Lila. You made them both speechless. I’m going to need you to teach me that trick.”

  Lila laughed and headed up the sidewalk. Gavin took her box before she got more than a few steps, and she wasn’t going to argue. She had a hard enough time not tripping over her feet on dry solid land. The icy slush that covered the ground was pressing her luck.

  “Don’t worry, they normally clear the sidewalks better and salt them,” Gavin said as she slid and gripped his arm to stay balanced.

  They made it inside and up to the third floor after checking in at the front desk. Lila stopped outside the door. She had a key, but she didn’t want to just barge in on her new roommate. With a deep breath, she knocked.

  The door opened a second later to a smiling blond girl in a bright pink, tie-dyed t-shirt. “Hi, you must be Lila.”

  “Yep. Gia, right?”

  She nodded and stepped back to let them into the tiny room. It was split down the middle with a bed on each side, a desk, and a narrow, open closet. Between the beds sat a small table with a TV, and a mini fridge sat beside Gia’s desk. Her bed had been lofted with a futon beneath. Despite the small space, it was cozy. She’d put white Christmas lights around the room along the top of each wall, purple curtains draped either side of the large window, and a thick, fuzzy rug covered the center of the floor.

  “These are my parents and my boyfriend, Gavin.” Lila sat her bag on the empty bed, grateful it wasn’t lofted as high. It came up to her chest with small dressers underneath. She turned around to look at her new temporary home. It was surreal to actually be there. Her dorm.

  Her parents helped unpack some of her things while chatting with Gia. She seemed very outgoing and involved on campus. When Lila pulled out her Hamilton star throw pillow, Gia got excited. They then gushed about their favorite music, and Lila knew they were going to get along just fine. After hugs and teary goodbyes, her parents made to leave.

  “Gavin,” her dad said from the hall just outside the room. “Take care of her.”

  Smiling, Gavin nodded. “Always.”

  As soon as the door clicked shut, he wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head before pulling himself up to sit on her bed. Leaning back against the wall, he kicked off his shoes and crossed his hands behind his head.

  “Make yourself at home,” Lila teased, pushing his shoes to the corner. She didn’t want Gia to hate them already, so she turned and said, “Sorry.”

  “Oh, he’s fine.” She pulled a water out of the fridge and sat sideways in her desk chair to face them. “And whenever you want alone time, just say the word.”

  Lila’s face heated, and she smacked Gavin’s shin as he thanked Gia with a two-finger salute. Moving to stand by the window, she looked out at the white, snow-covered campus. After everything that happened, she didn’t think that she’d ever be there. She was sure her future had changed to something completely new.

  And it had. “So, which dorm is yours?”

  “It’s a residence hall, not dorm,” Gavin said, sliding off the bed to stand behind her. “They’re very adamant about that difference here.” With one hand on her hip, he leaned in close and pointed with the other to a tall building across the quad. “Adams Hall, right there.”

  “Adams Hall?” They both turned to face Gia, whose eyes had narrowed. “Seriously?”

  “What’s wrong with that?” Lila looked from one to another.

  “There’s a rivalry between our halls that began in the fall,” Gia said. “We have a massive prank war happening, which I’m sure your boyfriend here knows all about.”

  Lila turned toward Gavin with a raised brow.

  He shrugged with a mischievous grin before pulling her into his arms. “Welcome to Maslair University. Temporary truce, neighbor?”

  Also by Cait Marie

  The Lost Legends (The Nihryst Book 1)

  The Lost Warriors (The Nihryst short story in Fun Size anthology)

  Acknowledgments

  I have so many incredible people in my life that we would be here all day if I named everyone. And I would still end up forgetting some because it’s overwhelming how much love and support I’ve received throughout this journey.

  As always, first, thank you to my family. I do not know who or what I’d be without all of you. Mom, Dad, Becky, Macy, Megan, Eric, and John. Polly and Alegra. Grandma, Julie, and Lori. Aunt Barbie, Steve, and Shelby. Shelby and Adrian. Laurie, Linda, Jeff, Barbie, and Brenda. Aunt Susie and Sarah. And all the other aunts, uncles, and cousins who have sent encouraging messages!

  Jimmy Mack, thank you for all the M&Ms and fountain Cokes that kept me a functioning human being. You’re the true hero of this story.

  Stephanie Wyatt, Sydney Chasteen, Brandi Goss, Katie Robinson, and Jenny Gardner, thank you for the countless late-night chats and keeping me sane. For being my first readers and biggest cheerleaders. For helping me come up with titles, names, and blurbs.

  Matt Amaro, thank you for always being there for the last decade. You really are the best friend.

  Cindy Ray Hale, Michelle Lynn, Melissa Craven, thank you for all the guidance, editing, and encouragement. Thank you for allowing me to weasel my way into your writing group!

  Stephanie Augustine, thank you for being amazing and organizing my blog tour and ARC distribution. Your offer to take over this part of my self-publishing shenanigans has been beyond helpful.

  Allison Hinkle and Heather Dowell, thank you for constantly checking in and asking how you can help. Your kindness and assistance do not go unnoticed.

  Jess Knueppel, Alexandria Hoover, Sylvia Stein, Diana Trovato, and the rest of the Coffee House Writers team, thank you for the constant love and support. And for picking up my slack as I struggled to get this book out on time.

  Manuela Soares, AJ Arvia, Tonya Ramsey, and my Functionally Fictional team, thank you for always encouraging me and being a part of making my dreams a reality.

  And to the different book and writing communities across Facebook and Twitter that I’m in, to all the readers, bloggers, and reviewers, thank you for making this possible.

  About the Author

  Cait Marie has been obsessed with books her entire life, but the love of writing didn’t truly hit until 2017. Since then, she has held multiple positions within Coffee House Writers, including C.O.O., Advertising Supervisor, Editor, and Writer. In 2018, she used her passion for reading to create Functionally Fictional. In 2019, she joined the indie staff of YA Books Central as a reviewer and then Indie Assistant Blogger.

  Cait graduated with honors in 2019 from Southern New Hampshire University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, and she is currently enrolled in their Master of Fine Arts program. She lives in Indiana, where she freelance edits and provides a variety of other author services. When she’s not writing or reading, she can usually be found watching Disney movies or Brooklyn Nine-Nine, creating bullet journal spreads, or singing along to various soundtracks and showtunes.

  Find Cait Marie online:

  Join Cait’s Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caits.inner.circle/

  Sign up for Cait’s Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/v1d5i1

  Website: https://caitmarieh.com/

  Functionally Fictional: https://functionallyfictional.com/

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