Most Ardently by Susan Mesler-Evans

Author:Susan Mesler-Evans
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Lesbian Romance; Contemporary Romance Fiction; Women's New Adult & College Fiction; Romantic Comedy; General Humorous Fiction; Family Life Fiction; Coming of Age Fiction; Gay Romance; Pride and Prejudice Retelling; Embrace; NA Romance; Entangled Publishing; Susan Mesler-Evans; Own Voices Romance; Opposites Attract Romance; Sweet Romance; Girl Next Door Romance; Enemies to Lovers Romance; LGBTQ+ Romance; Snarky Romance; Ohio; Mexican American; College Student; African America;
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2019-09-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

In Which… What?!

The fall semester was over. Right after the Thanksgiving break, Elisa’s life had been nothing but cramming for finals, taking her finals, and waiting for her grades to be posted after finals.

I never want to hear the word “finals” again.

The last couple weeks of the term flew by in a flurry of papers and multiple-choice tests. She didn’t quite remember all of it, but she didn’t care—she’d passed all three classes she was taking and had even managed a ninety-four on her Introduction to Literature final.

She hoped, realizing it was petty even as she hoped it, that she did better than Darcy.

Christmas had been as chaotic as she’d come to expect from her family. Her mother had invited her father over to open presents and have dinner—which wound up being from the nearest Thai place after they realized Mom had forgotten to thaw the chicken. Eating fried rice out of a delivery container, Elisa had laughed as she listened to her father recount the story of his and Alejandra’s first Christmas together. She knew it by heart, from them getting snowed in at the house he’d been renting, to the lights in the living room sparking and starting a small fire, thanks to his bad job repairing the wiring. Her mother had to beat the flames out with the coat he’d just given her.

“And that is why Alex officially forbade me from handling anything electrical ever again,” was how he always finished it.

Her mother would then add, “That is also why Miguel didn’t get his security deposit back.”

When Elisa took to social media to wish her extended family well, a picture of the Fitzgeralds popping up in her feed made her pause. Darcy, it appeared, had gone back to Columbus for the holiday. The photo showed her, Gianna, and Willow sitting on the floor in front of an elaborately and gorgeously decorated tree, each wearing matching Santa hats. Willow and Gianna were each giving the camera a warm, sunny smile, but Darcy simply stared with an exaggerated look of comical disdain.

In spite of herself, Elisa smiled as soon as she saw it.

…

Two days after Christmas was Charlene’s birthday, and it was a big one: her twenty-first. Elisa knew her parents and sister would want to see her for most of the day, especially since she didn’t have a party planned, so she’d have to squeeze any BFF time in early. Elisa was awake, dressed, and heading over to her apartment before the sun was even up. Despite the obscenely early hour, she didn’t doubt that Charlene was awake. She was the only person she knew who woke up before sunrise of her own accord.

Elisa had a spare key to Charlene’s apartment, as well as a standing invitation, and she frequently let herself in without knocking. The kitchen light was on. Good, that meant Char was awake. Or at least, she had been not too long ago.

As she walked through the still-dark living room toward the bedroom door, she called out, “Happy birthday, Char!”

“Elisa?” came the sleepy response.

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