It flew by so quickly, there was no time to see Dak again. Though we talked every day. I was back at school before I knew it. Facing the few weeks before finals and the holiday season without drink didn't seem so bad with Dakota by my side. I flew back into his arms the minute I got back into town. From that minute forward, we were together every second we could find. We fell into the steady rhythm of a committed relationship. But I steadfastly refused to sleep with him. It was like I was testing him—how badly did he want me? How hard would he try to prove he was serious? That I was no hookup? If you had told me at the start of the semester that I would fall in love with Dakota Bradley and be his girl, I would have laughed in your face. Now I laughed with joy every time I thought about it. "When we sleep together again," I told him, "I want it to be special." "When will that be?" His voice was husky with want. "When the time's right." I was trying to be enigmatic. Though the longer it went, the more I wanted him.
