Tatum's POV This is one of the last classes of the semester, I remind myself as I try to keep my heavy-lidded eyes from shutting as the lecturer's voice drones on and on. All I can think about is how much I'm going to look forward to not having to sit in on any more accounting lectures or complete an assignment that makes no sense. Only two more weeks and I'll be done with this degree. I will finally have the time and freedom to focus on what is actually important to me. I have been writing this book for months now and I'm just desperate to finish it so I can really start the process of trying to get it picked up by a publisher. But, until then, I have to get through these final classes first, which feel like they've been dragging on forever. I glance down at my phone to see a text message from Sammie. Sammie: Did you mention the run-in you had with Mia to Phoenix yet? I sigh, tapping my fingernails on the small flip-up desk, and chewing on my bottom lip. It's bee
Tatum's POV I don't know how long I sit in my car crying when I get home, but I know it is long enough for my eyes to start to sting, my chest to feel tight and sore, and for my head to pound with a deep headache. But now, it feels like I don't have any more tears left to cry. After I left Nico's office, I managed to drive home through blurry tears and park down the street. My dad was still at practice when I arrived, but I didn't want him to see me crying in the car, so I parked a few houses down to avoid detection. He returned home about thirty minutes ago and has called me at least ten times. Either he wants to know where I am because I'm normally home at this time or he found out about the video. God, I hope it's the f*cking first option. I feel so defeated and exhausted that I don't think I have the mental or physical strength to argue with him about the sh*t show that is my life right now. After everything that has happened today, I don't need to be reminded of it, esp
Tatum's POV *Two Months Later* Mario's is packed with partygoers. Al decided he wanted to incorporate karaoke into his Saturday nights at the bar and at first, I was curious to see how it would work out, but everyone who comes by the bar loves it. It's typically the middle-aged people who have had a few drinks that like to get up and sing their hearts out to old classics while everyone dances and sings along. I've attended the last few karaoke nights and I must admit that they are rather fun and entertaining. I can see the appeal now. I lean my elbow on top of the bar as I take a sip from my third drink of the night while a woman belts out the lyrics to a song I remember listening to when I was a child. I can't help but smile as memories infiltrate my mind. My mom used to sing this song to me when I couldn't sleep at night. Her voice was always so soothing and calm, instantly putting me right to sleep. No matter how many times I told her she should pursue a career in si
Tatum's POV "This movie kind of gives me the ick." I turn to look at Sammie from my spot on the couch to see that she is watching the TV with a grimace on her face. I can't help but laugh at the sight. "What do you mean it gives you the ick? You're the one who wanted to put this on." "I know," she whines, bringing her knees to her chest, unable to tear her eyes away from the horror movie she begged me to put on. "But I didn't think it would be this… icky, you know?" I roll my eyes, biting back a laugh as I turn my attention to the TV just in time to see the masked man jump out to scare the main characters. "All horror movies are icky, Sam. We can change it though if you want. I don't mind putting something a little more PG friendly on if it'll make you feel better." Sammie nods eagerly, pulling a pillow to rest on top of her knees so she can hide her face behind it as a particularly gruesome scene plays out. I laugh, reaching for the remote to change the channel
Tatum's POV The closer we get to the stadium, and I see Cats and Raiders fans lining the streets, the more I start to wonder whether coming here is a good idea. I let Sammie convince me last night that seeing Nico is just what I need to get over him, but now the thought of seeing him has my stomach twisting nervously and my leg won't stop bouncing. I swallow hard, turning to look at Sammie who has her eyes fixed on the road, cautious to not hit any fans lining the street. "Are you sure me coming here is a good idea? I don't know, the thought of seeing him is just so…" "Nerve-wrecking," Sammie finishes for me without looking over. "I get, Tate. I do. But this will be good for your heart and soul. You both need to lay everything out on the table and say a proper goodbye. I know how much Phoenix meant to you, so you need to close this chapter the right way." I sigh, leaning back in the seat as I gaze out at the stadium as we drive into the staff and athletes' parking lot, co
Tatum's POV Sitting around waiting for the clock to strike 11 p.m. is killing me. For the first time, I'm the first one to the picnic table in the small park, listening to the rustle of leaves as the wind swoops by, chilling my skin slightly. I figured that with the Cats celebrating the win of the championship, it might take Nico a little while to get away from the team and the interviewers. Instead, I decided to be the first one here, but now I'm realizing that it's only making me more nervous for when he eventually arrives. Slipping my phone out of my pocket, it's 10:55 p.m. It's almost time. Being the best friend that she is, Sammie covered for me with my dad. I didn't want him to know that I had left the stadium to go meet up with Nico, so we decided to tell him that we were planning to have a sleepover at Sammie's house. He seemed distracted and excited about the events of the evening, so all he did was kiss me goodbye and tell us to drive safely. On her way home, Sa
Tatum's POV"I'm sick of this, Dad! I don't want to be an accountant for the rest of my life, drowning in numbers and other sh*t that just goes over my head. I want to be creative and do things that make me happy." "Where is this coming from, Tate?" Dad asks, his brows raised to his hairline. His arms are folded firmly over his chest as he stares down at me. "You seemed all for doing this degree when you started a couple of years ago. What has changed?" "I changed!" I shout, feeling the frustration and annoyance rising in my chest. "You chose this degree, and I got no say in it because you said, 'It's the best thing for your future.' Last time I checked, I'm the only person who gets to decide my future, not you or anyone else." Why doesn't he understand what I'm saying? I couldn't have made myself clearer as we continue to go around in circles over the topic. I'm a twenty-two-year-old woman who has never felt more lost in my life than I do at this very moment. I feel
Tatum's POVIt's not the beam of bright sunlight shining in through the large window beside the bed that wakes me, but the heavy weight of something across my stomach. Forcing my eyes open despite how heavy they feel, peeling them apart as if they've been stuck together with glue, I look at the large, tattooed arm lying across my bare stomach. My eyes trace the large, detailed dragon running from the top of the shoulder – its eyes staring up at me – and over its body to the tip of its tail that wraps around the elbow. And all at once, the memories come pouring in like a tidal wave. Images of me bent over the countertop in the co-ed bathroom at Mario's with Nico's eyes burning into mine through the mirror as he drove into me from behind makes my core tighten. And, of course, I can't forget riding him like I was a f*cking cowgirl trying to ride the prize-winning bull until I collapsed on his chest, well spent. When Nico asked after our steamy rendezvous in the bathroo