(A/N: Hey, friends! I am home from school, so I have some time to write this story before my summer internship begins. Yes, I have a summer internship this year that is out of state and it's going to be a great experience for me. This probably means I won't be writing much this summer. I apologize in advance! Also, this chapter has much more detail and make out scenes, so if you don't like that, cover your eyes and skip it. I'm updating the rating of this story, as well. Enjoy this chapter! Happy reading!)

URGENT MESSAGE: I HAVE UPDATED THIS CHAPTER TO ELIMINATE MANY INAPPROPRIATE MOMENTS I MYSELF DID NOT LIKE TO WRITE. THANK YOU.

BRYCE'S POV

If you think about life and its unexpected opportunities, it's almost like a snapshot of the past, the present and the future possibilities. We get little peaks at the future, but then these unexpected opportunities appear and twist the story. You think about the past, you think about the present and how the future will affect your life.

But for me, I anticipate this future. I anticipate the days when I am sipping sweet tea out on the porch of my home with my wife, looking at my children as they play in the front yard, and smiling as I realize that everything I ever wanted came true.

It's a dream, but I am determined to make it a reality. That's why as I pack up my bags today and sign out of my dorm room, I have a tight grin on my face. I finished my freshman year of college, and I honestly can't believe it right now. The year just flew by at the speed of light. Cliché, I know, but that's the only way I can express my excitement for finishing up my first year. Some people don't survive the first year of college. I defeated the odds. I proved my stepdad wrong, who said I would end up hating psychology and change my major. I couldn't imagine studying another field, and I have made some of my closest friends in the psychology department.

I rush down the hallway with my belongings. Mom and Chet greet me as I approach their car outside.

"Bryce! Oh, baby, how I've missed you!" Mom shouts as she embraces me. I blush and give her a quick kiss on her cheek.

"How've you been, Mom?" I ask her.

"Great, great. Landon has missed you so much. He's ready for his big brother to return home."

"I can't wait to see how much he's grown since Christmas!"

I turn to Chet and see his weak smile. Chet suffered from a stroke this spring while I was away. He survived, but from what Loretta told me over the phone, he hasn't been the same. He talks less, has a rough time using his right hand and seems frustrated with himself.

"Well, I did it, Grandpa," I tell him.

"You—you—cert—certainly did, son," he says with a smile. He pats my shoulder and I see a spark of light in his eyes. He's still the same Chet I know and love. He's still my loving Grandpa who wants the best for me.

"Is Juli done with her final exams yet? Does she need a ride home?" Mom asks me.

"She actually doesn't come home until Friday. Those pre-med kids work too hard," I joke.

I climb into the car and make sure all of my boxes and suitcases are gathered appropriately. And then we're off. I gaze outside the car window at the place I have grown to love over the year. Northwestern University, how I'm going to miss you this summer. But I'll see you again in August.

Year One, done. Check. Complete.

JULI'S POV

I sit in the library, hovering over my textbooks and notebooks. One more day until I'm free from my freshman year of college. One more day until I can return home and relax for three months. This year has been really hard. Most people don't even survive their first year of college, but I did. I'm a premed major, and I survived all of the studying, the exams and the hard journey.

"Juli, you're still here!"

I glance up and see Reed rushing toward my study table. I smile and sit up in my chair. I straighten my notes that were scattered across the table.

"Hey, Reed. What's going on?" I ask him.

"Studying for our chem final like everyone else in our class. One more final to go until we're free."

"I was just thinking the same thing," I respond as I read my notes.

"There's actually a group study session in the chemistry lounge if you want to go join."

"Oh, I don't know...I'm not really a fan of group study sessions. I prefer to study by myself or just with a small group," I answer. I hope he understands.

"Of course, that's understandable. I can stay here and study with you, if you would like."

"Um, sure. We can bounce ideas off of each other," I response.

He smiles and slams his heavy backpack down on the table. I move my papers out of the way as I laugh.

"Ssh..."

I turn around and the person studying behind me is glaring at me. I turn back to Reed and shrug my shoulders.

"Oops..." I whisper.

He grins and sits down across from me. He opens his backpack and takes out his chemistry notes.

"Do you think we'll pass?" I ask him.

"Without a doubt. I mean, Callahan has been a real jerk this whole semester but we've still done well on the exams and homework assignments, haven't we?"

"But the exam is cumulative. I can't possibly remember everything from like the first couple of weeks," I tell him.

He reaches across the table and grabs my hand, "Juli, it'll be okay. Just breathe and relax. It's just a test."

I smile and slowly pull my hand away from his, but my eyes don't leave his. I nod my head and look down at my notes.

"You're right."

I brush back my wavy brown hair behind my ears and glance back up at Reed. His eyes stare back into mine. He finally clears his throat and looks away from me.

"I was thinking about what we talked about the other day, about the chemistry notes. There's something slightly missing from the notes that I found in a book back in the library. Come on, I'll show you."

He stands up from his chair and waits for me. I nod my head and stand up. "You found it? Good for you."

"Well, it wasn't that hard to find. I had the librarian help."

"Oh, oh, yeah, of course."

We walk to the back of the library and he turns down to a bookshelf of chemistry textbooks. His hands graze over the books as his eyes search for the correct book. He finally pulls out a large textbook.

"Ah, here it is."

He holds it up to me and I take it from his hands. Our hands brush against each other and I blush slightly.

"Um, it's in the fifth chapter, I think," he says, his voice soft and still.

I nod my head and look down at the book. "Well, we can take it back to the table and look at it together."

I begin to walk away, but then I am stopped by his hand on my shoulder.

"Juli, wait." I turn around and look at him. "I...I just wanted you to know that I've really liked getting to know you this year and being lab partners together. And study partners. I couldn't imagine going through this hard program with anyone else but you."

I gaze into his eyes and smile. I feel the same way. We're the perfect partners because we both understand the same concepts and have difficulty understanding the same techniques.

"I agree, Reed."

He quickly leans down and places his lips on mine. His lips are soft and delicate. I lean into the kiss for a few seconds and then pull away, realizing that this is Reed.

"Reed, what are you doing?" I ask him.

"I...I'm sorry. I just, I got lost in the moment. I'm such an idiot," he says as he turns away from me.

I reach up and grab his shoulders. "Reed, no, you're not. You're human and you have human emotions. It's okay."

"I wish you weren't with Bryce..." he whispers.

I turn him toward me and place my hand on his right cheek. "Reed, please...let's be friends."

"I can't. I...Juli, I love you."

"No, you don't. I'm just the first girl you met here."

"You're the only girl I've ever loved and wanted to...be with..." he says, his eyes staring intensely into mine. I look at him and narrow my eyes. Does he mean what I think he means?

He slowly leans down and wraps his hands around my waist. He kisses me, pushing my head back so he can have better access to my lips. I step away from him and push him away. He looks down at me and frowns. I know I hurt him, but I had to stop this.

I turn back to the bookshelf. "Are we good now?" I ask him.

"I suppose so. Thanks...I...I'm sorry, Juli."

I look up into his eyes and I see genuine discomfort. His eyes are sorry. I look back at the book in my hands and shrug my shoulders.

"Let's just go back to studying, alright?" I suggest.

I turn back around and rush to the table. I sit down and look down at my chemistry notes and quickly close my eyes.

Holy crap, I made a huge mistake. I was wrong about Reed. We aren't friends. I let our interaction become too close and personal. He loves me. He wants to be with me, but I'm already taken.

What have I done?

BRYCE'S POV

I patiently wait in the living room. Today is the day Juli returns home. I can't wait to see her. The past two days have been slightly okay with her across the street. I've played with Landon. Loretta came home to visit us. She brought by her fiance, Evan Myers. They told us they're planning a wedding for early August. It's hard to believe that my older sister is getting married. She's been with Evan for over a year now and he seems like a good guy. I wouldn't let my sister marry the guy if he wasn't anything but perfect for her.

I'm that kind of brother.

"So Bryce, when are you and Juli getting hitched yourselves?" Loretta teased me at dinner last night.

I rolled my eyes and asked her to mind her own business about her own wedding. She kicked me under the table and I kicked her back. I guess things never change, but that's what I like about my family. We're comfortably the same.

"Bryce, when...when is Ju—Juli coming?" Chet asks as he walks into the living room.

"Any minute, I think," I answer.

I stand up and help him walk over to his usual chair. He waves my hands away.

"I-I don't need..yy..your help."

"But I'm happy to help you, Grandpa."

"I know," he says with a smile. He sits down and his hands shake as he grabs the daily newspaper. I stare at him and shake my head. I feel really bad for him. He used to be a really active guy, who used to help Juli in the gardens and used to take long walks with me in the streets. Now he just sits around all day, reads the newspapers and gets angry when we tell him not to worry about helping around the house.

It's back to the way it was when he first arrived to live with us back in the seventh grade.

Suddenly, I see the Backers' car pull into their driveway. I quickly get up from my seat and rush to the front door.

"Let her breathe," Chet says with a laugh.

"Okay, I'll wait." I stand behind the door and allow ten seconds to go by. Then I throw open the door. "Alright, that's good!"

I rush outside and run over to the car. Juli opens her car door and steps out.

"Juli! Juli! Juli!" I shout as I grab her in my arms.

She smiles and pushes me away. "Hey, Bryce. It feels good to be home!"

"Definitely. It's summer!"

"We deserve the best summer of our lives," she says.

She stares into my eyes and closes the car door. She looks intensely into my eyes and grabs my hand.

"Come on! Follow me!"

She yanks me around the house to the backyard. We go to our spot—the garden behind the shed. This is the spot where we have always spent some alone time together. She pushes me against the wall of the shed and immediately begins kissing me. I'm surprised by her dominance, but I'm not complaining. I've missed her lips.

My tongue fights with hers as I wrap my arms around his waist. I push her body close against mine. Oh gosh, her lips are just the way they've always been, the way I've spent years memorizing and exploring. I lose myself in the moment, in her heat and passion for me.

And only me!

Oh, how Juli makes me feel. How she makes me melt and squirm at the same time. I trail my lips down her neck and snake my hands around under the skirt of her beautiful green dress. I gaze down at her as her eyes remain firmly closed. She always closes her eyes when we're together like this.

Juli and I have never had sex, but we have had many make-out sessions similar to this, where we both feel each other move and go as far as we can so we can still be virgins. Considering we've been together for six years, our friends assume we have already gone all the way together, but we're pretty passionate on waiting until marriage to make love to each other. I have my morals, and so does Juli.

But oh my gosh, with the way her hand is unzipping my jeans and grabbing my erection right now, I can't help but want to do more with her. I tug down her underwear and rub my fingers against her secret place.

"Bryce, oh, wow," she moans into my ear.

"Do you want to go to the loft in the shed?" I mutter against her lips.

We've only been to the loft once before, once last summer when we wanted to lay together and we almost lost ourselves and our virginities.

She stops moving her hips against mine and leans against the wall. Her legs remain locked around me.

"Bryce, I'm just...trying to feel something passionate with you. To see what it's like."

"But we have done this before, have we not?" I ask her.

She nods her head and leans up to kiss me. I kiss her briefly but then pull away from her.

"Is everything okay?" I ask.

"Of course, I just missed you."

"We don't have to have sex to rekindle our flame," I tell her.

She steps down from me and nods her head. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's perfectly alright. You just missed me and wanted to choose the easy way to reunite. We can make-out all we want, but it doesn't have to lead to more until we're both ready."

She looks into my eyes and smiles. "You really are going to be a great therapist some day."

"And you're going to quite the doctor. You already know my body pretty well," I say with a wink.

She smacks my shoulder and pulls her underwear up. "Bryce Loski, behave yourself."

"Says the girl who was thrusting herself at me."

"Bryce!"

"I love you!"

She turns around and kisses my cheek. "I love you, too."

God, how I love her.

JULI'S POV

I lay in bed that night and smile as I think about what Bryce told me. He's right. I just wanted to rekindle the flame between us. I wanted the heat I've been missing for months. Maybe that's why I also kissed Reed. I missed Bryce. I wanted to show Reed what Bryce and I have—true chemistry.

Maybe I played with Reed's emotions, but it'll be okay. I won't see him for three months. I can spend every day this summer with Bryce, my true love. And how I do love him.

I've loved him since the first day he moved across the street from me.

A/N: Well, things picked up in this chapter. I wasn't sure how this was working as I was writing, and I'm still not sure it works right now. Juli and Bryce are not going to do anything out of character and they're going to wait until marriage. Those are my beliefs, too. Let me know what you think!

As always,

Fiddlegirl