"Love is a flower that grows in any soil, works its sweet miracles undaunted by autumn frost or winter snow, blooming fair and fragrant all the year, and blessing those who give and those who receive."

K I M B E R L Y

T H E N

"Holy shit!" My roommate, Brenda shrieks when she looks at my wallpaper, a selfie of Lee and I. "Omg, are you guys really a thing?! Tell me all about it,"

I met Brenda on my move-in day here. We may not be besties but we tolerate each other enough to share our problems and all with each other. Yes, she didn't like me at first because of the awful way my mom addressed her. But days later, she had to accept that I am nothing like Claire Summers.

"I don't really know, Brenda," I shrug, a shy smile spreading across my lips. "I mean, he hasn't even kissed me yet,"

"Do you want him to......kiss you?"

"His lips, I always stare at them," I mutter but she hears me anyway.

"You're in love," she whispers and I widen my eyes at her.

"I'm not in love, Brenda, it's just a crush,"

"Is it? because he just texted," she winks, handing my phone to me.

Lee - Our spot?

"Lee?" She raises a brow.

"Yeah, that's his middle name, just don't tell anyone, he swore me to secrecy," I giggle.

Kim - yeah, I'll be there <3

"Ouuuuu, she's blushing," Brenda teases. "Alright, alright, I'll head to class now,"

"I hate you," I tease.

"You're in loveeeeee," she sing-songs as she closes our door behind her.

I can't deny that I've been smitten since that night at the frat house. When I'm not with him, I long for him, and when I'm with him, I get nervous, most times I end up cuddling with him, and he'd kiss my hair. He loves my hair. Sometimes I catch him playing with strands of my hair and I blush, hoping he doesn't see me. I also noticed how much he loves seeing me in the stands cheering for him, sitting right next to his mom. And oh my gosh, she's such a sweet soul, and sometimes I wish she was my mother. Her cooking is extraordinary, she's a very carefree person and also very welcoming. She's everything I need in a mother, a listener, a charmer, a beautiful person on the inside, everything Claire Summers is not. Everything I wish Claire Summers was.

Liz: have a great day, miss you <333

A text from my kid sister takes away sad thoughts of our mother. I put on a bright smile as I decide to tour around campus, since I've got no classes today.

A few people recognize me from TV shows and Interviews. The attention is amazing, but also overwhelming. I'm halfway into the day when my anxiety takes over and I head back into the dorms in a rush.

The first thing I do is text Lee and tell him that I can't make it to our spot. He responds with a couple of sad emojis and I toss my phone to the nightstand, my thoughts filled with all the stuff said about my family across the halls. "Claire Summers is a control freak," they said; they don't know how painfully right they are.
"She's such an attention seeker," a girl whispered to her friend and I pretended not to hear. I just wanted to check out the campus, but now I'm terrified of even completing my years of study. Everyone makes me feel too visible, it's upsetting.

I take out my drawing book and a pencil from my junk bag. Yes, Jason- my elder brother- put it there. I fell in love with Art when I was six, but no one supported it. It sucked. It was the one thing I could do withouts stress, and no one at home cared about it. Well, except Liz, who literally swoons over everything I draw. I remember Dad saying I had more serious things to do with my life than draw "random shit" that'll just waste my time.

I get lost in it. The strokes, shades and tiny errors. It calms me. Sometimes I don't know what I draw, sometimes I draw the last thing I thought of, and this time.........

"Woah," Lee's voice startles me and I toss my drawing book underneath the bed on autopilot. "What the fuck, Kimmie, I wanna see," he teases, reaching for the bed.

"No, it's just garbage, it's nothing you should see," I feign a small laugh.

"Kimmie," he inches forward. "Come on, I just wanna see, I won't tell anyone,"

"Promise?" I whisper.

"Pinky swear baby," he grins.

"It's under the bed," I giggle as he bends down to get it.

"Kimmie," he breathes as he gazes at my drawing, and intense look in his eyes. "This is us, at our spot," his eyes meet mine and I shrug.

"Kimmie, this is incredible!" He literally screams and I shush him.

"It's nothing," I sigh.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He laughs, as he crawls on the bed and wraps an arm around me. "It's amazing,"

"I paint too," the word slips out.

"Well then I'm having this framed," he reaches for his duffle bag and then he shoves the paper in. "And now, back to you," he sighs, taking my hands in his. "Your text, why'd you send that?"

"I walked around campus earlier, people were whispering stuff about me," I mumble, "and my awfully controversial family," I sigh and his face softens. "I got anxious, so I don't want to go out until tomorrow,"

"How about we go to our spot at night, no one would see you, it'll be just us, at our spot, I'll even get you a teddy bear to cuddle with," he chuckles.

"You're trying to win me over with a teddy bear, huh?" I tease, poking his chest with my fingers. "It's working you know," I mumble and he smiles softly. "Okay deal," he kisses my forehead as he hops off the bed.

"I have bio in eight minutes, I'll be right back, okay?"

"Yeah yeah," I chuckle.

"If you're bored, feel free to stalk my Instagram, if anyone should eye-fuck me, it's you," he winks.

"You think you're so hot, don't you?"

"No baby, you think I'm so hot," he teases as he shuts the door behind him.

I find myself laughing so hard an hour later. It's funny how he makes me laugh with the smallest jokes and honestly I don't want to think about a world with someone like Hudson Lee James. Is Brenda right? Is this Love? I don't read romance novels so I don't know how to describe what I'm feeling right now. I just know that it feels like Heaven when I'm with him, and I don't want to that feeling to end.

It's my free time, so I dial my sister, in hopes that she's not in class or something. She answers on the first ring.

"Hey Kim," she sighs and worry squeezes my chest.

"Hey, Liz, what's wrong?"

"Nothing much, just a pervy teacher," she attempts a laugh, but it's a painful sound. "I'll be fine,"

"Have you told Mom about this?"

"It's not like she's going to do anything about it," she sighs.

"Come on Liz don't say that,"

"In case you don't know, Mom and Dad put on a show when you're home, whenever you're not, they treat me like some stranger,"

"Liz,"

"I'll be fine, Kim," she sighs. "I've hard worse,"

"Worse? Oh my goodness, Liz what are you not telling me?"

"Let's not talk about me right now, how are you doing? How's college life?"

I sigh, this is her way of telling me that she's done discussing her, so I play along. "It's not what I expected, but it's also not so bad," I smile when I remember Lee.

"Any boys?" She asks, and I can practically hear the excitement in her voice.

"There is one," I say and she screams lightly.

"You have to tell me everything!"

So I do. I don't tell her his name though. I tell her the crazy way we met and how he's never gotten his eyes off me ever since then, how he kisses my forehead and breathes in my hair, how he gets mad whenever we're passing and some people say mean stuff about me and my family. I tell her about our spot, where we go to just forget about the world and every bad shit in it. I also tell that he's a hockey player and king of this campus. Liz is swooning when I'm done, probably more excited than I am.

Later, Lee comes over so that we can go to our spot. Thankfully no one recognizes me, just the way he said.

We finally get to our spot where Lee has a couple of blankets and scent candles set. I turn to face him and he scratches his hair.

"It's not much, but I was hoping we could spend the night here," He walks closer, taking my hands in his. "Together," he sighs. "I don't like you looking so stressed out all the time,"

"Mom called earlier today, to talk about my auditions, and I don't want to go,"

"You don't like acting again?"

"I just want to focus on school for the meantime and a little bit of art," I sigh and he takes my face in his hands.

"Then do that, always remember, it's your life, it should be your choice, you should do what makes you happy,"

"You know what will make me happy right now?" I ask and he nods.

"Cuddling with you, under the midnight cold,"

"As you wish, your majesty," he says.

"This is going to sound cheesy, but I'm saying it anyway. I feel like you're my forever and ever," he squeezes me in his tight hug and I reach to kiss his cheek.

His lips connect with mine and for that moment, the world stops spinning. There are no auditions or gossips or annoying parents, just us. He kisses me like a work of art, like his life depends on it, like the way he plays hockey, determined, with all his heart and mind. His hands reach for my waist and my arms wrap underneath his hoodie, around his bare torso. He sucks in a breath as we kiss, leaving marks of pleasure around my neck as he reaches for my lips and kisses me again.

My first real kiss;

And I don't want this moment to be over.

A/N

hey guys!!
Thank you so so much for reading and for putting up with me haha.

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See you next update!

Xoxo, M.