Again." He asks. Begs me as if he doesn't believe I just spoke the words out loud.

"I love you," I whisper and his face lights up. I knew he wanted to hear that I loved him but I had no idea how much. He needed this and I was so glad I was able to finally tell him how I felt.

"Say it again." He murmurs, bringing his face down to my mine and laying gentle kisses.

"I love you, Warner," I repeat, my breathing becoming shallow.

"Is this really happening? I want so badly for this to be real." His voice shakes and my heart squeezes at the sound of it.

"This is real," I say. "I was wrong about everything. I am so incredibly glad you came back into my life because it let me get to know the real you. All this time you were right here and I had no idea how amazing you were. I couldn't have done this year without you Warner, I don't know if I would even be here I-"

I'm cut off by Warner's lips pressing against mine. He lifts up the big t-shirt I'm wearing. His palms run up my legs, his thumbs pressing into my inner thighs with a harshness that makes my stomach tighten in an unexpected way.

"They say that your first love won't be your only love but for me, you are both Juliet. I loved you when I was 8 years old, I loved you at 13, I loved you at 16. And this year I got to fall in love with you all over again..." he pauses getting himself together "And now you love me." He says the last part like he still can't believe it, like me loving him was impossible.

"I fell in love with you the first time I saw you. You are just the most amazing, strong beautiful girl I have ever met and somehow you are choosing me. You love me" he smiles to himself but his hands move higher up my thigh.

"Spread your legs." His command is rough. With an unsteady inhale, I comply. He rips off my t-shirt and yanks me closer by the back of the neck until my bare breasts press against his chest. My breathing is erratic as he growls in my ear, "Now put me out of my misery, and let me taste you."

His thumb presses down on my clit through the fabric of my thong. His grip tightens in my hair, forcing my head back, and then he sucks a nipple into his mouth. His thumb brushes over my clit, up and down, while holding a fistful of my hair so I can't even look down. He groans from deep in his chest and switches breasts, licking and then sucking with a slight scrape of teeth. An embarrassing sound escapes me, but I am so hot everywhere that I don't care.

"You did so well today," he murmurs. "Such a good girl."

His words wrap around me like a soft blanket and spark another ember of heat in my stomach. I guess this is what happens when girls who crave academic validation grow up... they develop a praise kink.

He tugs aside the strip of material shielding my core, which thankfully I had gotten waxed with Abby yesterday. "Fuck. Now I'm the only one who gets to do this." He runs his thumb down the seam of my clit. "Understood?"

Geez, Warner was not holding back today. I nod, as if in a trance. What was the use of saying no? Nobody would ever compare to Warner.

His lips ghost up my inner thigh, fingers hooking into the sides of my underwear. "Lift up," he rumbles, nipping at my sensitive skin with his teeth. "I want them off." I inch my hips up enough for Warner to peel the thong down my legs and drop it on the floor with the rest of my clothes.

I spread my legs once more, past the point of rational thought. His gaze falls between my thighs. He gives his head a shake, running a hand down his shirt. "Fuck" That's all he says before his arm wraps around the backs of my thighs, he jerks me to the edge of the bed, and then his head lowers between them. I shudder under the first touch of his tongue. A deep rush of pleasure floods me as Warner's tongue snakes down slowly through me.

Blossoming pleasure thrums through my veins, and he can sense it. Yet he is holding back. He pulls away and demands "Say it again"

"I love you" I moan

"Warner." I lift my legs and hook them over his shoulders, earning a groan, and another rough jerk of my hips to the edge of the bed. "Please. Please don't stop."

"I want to savour you. I want you to come on my fucking mouth, Juliet." he rasps

Jesus Christ

I should go to therapy more often if this was my reward

His arms hold me so securely that I can't move my hips an inch, he is taking his time licking me, like he is doing it for himself and not me. Then he slips a finger inside me, and I make a throaty, porny noise I never knew I was capable of.

"Oh God," I moan, digging my hands into his thick hair.

My thighs started to tremor uncontrollably, and I can see nothing but sparks dancing in front of my eyes. The fingers I had ploughed into his hair draw him closer, legs wrapping around his head, my hips lifting, lower body twisting. I know nothing but the intense pleasure bearing down on me. But then he slides a finger inside of me, searching and finding my G-spot adding pressure and I can't be silent anymore. I yell out.

"Juliet, god. I love you, I fucking love you. I always have." He grits out as he pumps a finger in and out of me.

I climax and when my back protests I realized it has arched off the bed involuntarily. I stare at my elevated hips in a daze, the endless relief coursing through me, tightening my muscles and letting them go. Oh wow.

As I come back to my senses, I realize how loud I was being and go beat red "Was I too loud?" I ask him.

"I have no idea. I was too busy trying not to come from the way you taste." He smirks at me and after letting myself catch my breath I sit up on my elbows and look at Warner who looks like he wants to go for round two.

A loud bang on the door makes me shoot back on the bed away from Warner.

"Juliet, you said we were going to study tonight. You and Warner can bone later come on we need to study! I even bought coffee!" Abby yells from the other side of the door and I scramble to put my underwear back on.

"Okay fine, I made Winston buy the coffee but still" she yells and knocks again. I slide my underwear back on just in time.

I swing open the door and Abby looks between Warner and me with a knowing look. Warner is sitting on my bed, and he isn't doing a good job looking casual. He is holding my one-direction pillow on his crotch to hide whatever was going on down there.

Abby and I both burst out laughing.

"Poor Harry has a face full of Warner's boner" Abby cackles and I let out a snort.

______

"Can I look at your notes for tort law? Mine suck." Warner complains after sifting through his paper notes. The writing on them is barely legible.

"Mine are all on my laptop. You shouldn't write notes if you can't read them." I don't look up from my textbook.

"Sheesh Juliet, I knew you were a competitive nerd, but I thought you might share notes with a boyfriend." Abby throws me a look.

"My notes are a work of art; I can't just go sharing them to the competition!" I shoot Warner a look and he feigns hurt.

"I am not competition, I am your boyfriend" Warner emphasizes the word as if the word meant he got all of my notes free of charge.

"I'm going to need better than that to share my beautiful notes with you."

"Fine. Oh, mighty Juliet, you are the smartest person in our entire program and I would be lost without your beautiful notes. Please let me look at them on your laptop and I promise I will make it up to you with my tongue and my-"

"Okay!" I cut him off, but Abby is already dying laughing.

I toss him my MacBook and he grins at me.

A few minutes later my phone pings with an iMessage from Abby

My phone pings again

I stifle a laugh by making an odd coughing sound. Abby knows that prior to Warner the only action I was getting was from Stefan my pink vibrator.

I don't look up from my phone because I know if I look at Abby I am going to burst into laughter. However, I do notice that Warner has taken his hand off my thigh where it had been drawing comforting circles for a while now. I look up at him and he is looking at my laptop screen like he wants to punch a hole through the screen.

I guess he isn't a fan of my notes

My face must be burnt red at this point and before I can type back to Abby Warner slams my MacBook shut with a force that makes me drop my phone instantly.

"Hey, careful with that!" I try to snatch my laptop, but Warner looks pissed. He's shaking his head. He grips the back of his skull hard, looking furious and I am struggling to understand why.

"Who the fuck is Stefan?" he grits out and Abby and I take one look at each other and burst out laughing.

Oh my god. I did not think about the fact that him having my MacBook meant he could see the iMessage's coming in when he was looking at my notes. He looks even angrier now that we are laughing at him but we can't stop.

I try to get the words out but Abby starts at the same time and we both just interrupt each other trying to explain through our laughter.

He shoots a glare at Abby "You can use Stefan when Warner is at away games?" Warner recites Abby's words back to her not finding any of this funny.

I finally compose myself and I'm glad I do because it looks like Warner is going to walk out on us. "Stefan is my vibrator, not a guy. I'm sorry we had to laugh because you were " I let out a giggle "so angry over a vibrator."

Warner still looks like he wants to murder someone but slowly his body relaxes and he sits back down on the bed.

"Stefan is a vibrator?" he asks

"Yes" I look at him and try not to laugh

"I wanted to murder a vibrator?" he looks like he is going to start laughing now.

"Yes," I repeat.

"This will teach you not to read other people's personal messages! It's rude!" Abby chimes in and then all three of us burst into laughter.

It feels nice to laugh again.

But I know it won't last

_____

I wake up early to go for a run. I tell myself that it is because I love running and I want to clear my head but I know the real reason is because of the study snacks I ate last night with Abby and Warner.

Kendra did say it would take time to get better. So, I can justify running around the campus track until I burned the calories I ate last night. I am still going to therapy. I am doing better than before.

It isn't until I start walking back to the dorms that I know something is off. I noticed a man at the track watching me when I was running but I thought he was just waiting for someone. However now that same man is walking behind me.

I look behind me and he is getting a bit too close for comfort, so I turn my walk into a jog and then a run. I can barely breathe by the time I reach the dorm building. When I turn around the man is gone but I know I didn't make him up. He was following me.

I get to our floor, and I plan on telling Warner right away in case it has to do with his dad. But I stop right in my tracks at the sight of my mom in our common room. She's sat prim and proper, her back straight and legs crossed, her chin raised like she is above everyone here.

Abby, Warner and Adam are all sitting around looking at her like she is the scum of the earth. And after our Christmas together I might agree. It was nice to see that my friends were on my side.

"Juliet! I am glad to see you are out running. God knows you need it after what you had at Christmas."

Her first words to me and that's what she chooses to say.

Abby's mouth falls open. I told her my mom wasn't the nicest but experiencing it firsthand must really sell how bad she is.

"There you saw she is alive now get the fuck out of our dorm" Warner's words slice through the air like lethal blades of ice. He looks furious, the same as he did when he thought I had a sidepiece named Stefan.

"Are you going to let your boyfriend talk to me like this? The rest of you please leave this is a personal conversation between mother and daughter" my mom ignores my friends' glares and looks at me instead. Nobody in the room moves.

"I don't want you here. And you certainly have not earned the title of mother lately." I stand strong and ensure no tears fall from my eyes.

She ignores everything I say like usual and continues on "The family doctor informed me that you have started seeing a therapist. I'm not using my insurance to pay for something you self-diagnosed yourself with."

Warner's expression turns downright lethal and I know he won't stay silent anymore. Even Adam looks like he might tackle the woman.

"Your daughter has been slowly killing herself to please you. You knew and you didn't care. You knew something was wrong and you did nothing. She counted on you, and you did nothing. She now has someone helping her since you won't. If you are concerned about cost, I will cover all future therapist appointments."

I cut him a look. That is not happening.

"The only problem that Juliet has is she doesn't know when to stop eating." My mom spits the words at me and I know she is just trying to hurt me like she is hurting. I no longer need her and she hates it.

Unfortunately for her, she said it in the presence of two athletes that are twice her size. As well as Abby who is gripping the sofa so hard, I think it might tear from her nails.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Warner thunders. He rises to his feet, so severe and stone-faced that I'm rather intimidated. "Apologize to Juliet right now."

My mom actually looks scared now, especially when Adam stands next to Warner and gives her the exact same look. "Apologize" Adam grits out.

"I am not apologizing because two teenage thugs demand I do so. I am leaving, and Juliet don't think you can come back home after this. I doubt these two young men will stay in your life when you go back to looking like a-"

Warner interrupts before she can continue "I don't care if you are her mother if you utter another cruel word to Juliet, I will rip your tongue from your throat and feed it to you." Warner spits at her.

My mom finally shuts up and scurries out of the room slamming the door behind her

"And I thought my mom was bad" Abby tries to joke but she comes over and wraps me in a bear hug. When I feel her heart racing just as fast as mine I know she was scared for me and does not find this funny but I appreciate her attempt to lift the mood.

"Thank you for getting her out." I can barely look at my friends without tearing up.

I had no father, no siblings and now I had no mother. But I had my friends, I had Warner. I wasn't alone.