Would you look at that. It's been more than a day.

An hour later, at five, Linda heard a knock at her door. She stood and walked to it absentmindedly, and when she opened it Becka and Thomas were standing there, snow cloaking their shoulders.

"Becka!" she greeted with a smile and stepped to the side to allow her visitors in. Once they put their luggage down she threw her arms around her sister and kissed Thomas on the cheek.

"Your dorm is as clean as ever," Becka added sarcastically with a smile. "I have to run to the bathroom real quick." Becka left, leaving Linda and Thomas alone.

"When did it start snowing?" she asked, wanting to get a conversation going. To be perfectly honest, she didn't know how she felt about Thomas. He and Becka had met while Becka was in law school. He seemed prestigious, but he treated Becka like an angel. She liked him in that regard at least, though she did notice times when he seemed to be rather controlling over her. But her sister wasn't a fool, she would wave off whatever command he gave her and continue on her own thing. Linda figured that the couple would work, but Thomas was definitely on the watch list.

"After about thirty minutes from when we left the airport and got our rented car, it started coming down soft. By the time we got here, I could barely see enough to park the car," Thomas said as he began to take off his coat and gloves. "Also, Linda, I wanted to discuss something with you when you have the time."

Linda glanced at him with that, but she would have to wait as Becka came back into the room. She too started to take off her coat and other things she kept to keep warm. "So, Linda, how has college been treating you?" Becka asked with a smile.

"Well, it's better than last year at least. I still have a single dorm, which is awfully lucky for me," she said simply and shrugged. College was simply college for her. She didn't struggle all that much with money, as Becka sent her checks every once in a while. Linda still worked like crazy though, she had two summer jobs and would be getting a job for the break also. During the school year she usually worked in a dry cleaners. The checks helped, but they weren't exactly paying for her textbooks.

"Have you met any guys?" Becka asked and winked at her sister. A thin blush went to her cheeks as she watched Becka sit down in the only couch in her dorm.

"No," she said quickly and looked away. She knew that her sister was about to call her a liar, so she decided to change the subject. "How has work been?"

"Hell," Thomas muttered in reply, "If you'll excuse me, I'm dying for a coffee at the moment."

"Work is fine. And Thomas, it's late, you shouldn't drink caffeine now. Speaking of which," Becka turned her attention back to Linda, "Are there any restaurants within walking distance around? We haven't eaten since we got on the plane."

Linda nodded, "There are a few. A pizza place and a sandwich shop. I had pizza the other night though, so are sandwiches okay?"

Becka nodded and Thomas shrugged. The couple started to put their warm clothes back on, and Linda decided she'd change out of her sweats and into something more appropriate. Grabbing some jeans and her winter coat, she left the room for the bathroom. She quickly changed and walked back into the hallway only to hear a small argument from inside of her room.

"Sandwiches? Really? You barely even eat sandwiches, Becka!" she heard Thomas say mildly.

"Why are you getting so mad over something as petty as sandwiches? You must not know how ridiculous you sound right now. Also, I do like sandwiches, just not the ones you make for me," Becka replied coolly, though her words were coated with anger. Linda put her back against the wall and listened in on the conversation. She hadn't heard them arguing before.

"And what of your little remark earlier? You do not tell me what I can drink and not drink, and you do not tell me when I can drink it," Thomas snapped back.

"I'm not going to sit here and argue with you because you're mad that dinner isn't going to be the way you want it," Becka spat. Linda heard footsteps approaching the door and quickly ran back into the bathroom. She walked back out when she heard her dorm door open. Becka's face light up when she saw her sister, and Linda was surprised at how calm she looked. Law school wasn't for nothing.

"Lets go then," Becka said happily as Thomas came to stand next to her. To Linda's surprise, the couple hooked arms and walked down the stairs together with Linda little ways behind them. She could hear their whispers, but not enough so to make them out into actual words. Judging by their neutral expressions, the conversation must not have been a good one. Once they were down the stairs, Linda stepped out in front of the couple and left the dorm building, leading the duo behind her to the sandwich shop. She was surprised to see the ground already covered in a sheet of snow, and it was still snowing. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and walked down the path she used tons of times. She was out of earshot of Becka and Thomas.

"Third wheel to an arguing couple," she muttered to herself. She decided to think about something to keep her mind off of the fact that she was the third wheel there. The first thought was of Mr. Hastings. And once she thought of him, nothing else was going to come to mind. She wondered what it was that he suddenly needed to do, though she realized it was probably was just an excuse to get away from her. Maybe she had come on too strong. What are you talking about?! She shouted in her mind, I wasn't coming on to him anyways!

"Linda? Is everything alright?" Becka asked, suddenly behind her. Linda hadn't realized that she stopped walking.

"Oh, nothing. The shop is just across the street," she said and started her way into the empty roads. They were already partially iced over, and before she could turn to warn them, Becka had slipped. Sure enough, Thomas caught her swiftly and pulled her back to her feet.

"Thanks," she smiled at her boyfriend and pecked his cheek. Linda decided to continue forward as though she handy seen anything happen. The couple behind her must have gotten over their small argument, as they seemed awfully chummy now. Linda snuggled into the scarf around her neck until her mouth was no longer visible. The sandwich shop came into view, which she thanked God for, and she hurried inside of it. It was much warmer.

"Welcome!" a man called from behind the register. He smiled at Linda, a smile she easily deciphered as something that wasn't given to every customer. Linda nodded and smiled back, though she kept hers friendly. Becka and Thomas walked in moments after her.

"Smells wonderful," Becka commented and walked over to view the menu. Thomas was walking with her, an arm around her waist now. Linda simply ordered what she usually got, which the cashier was happy to get for her. When she paid and got the receipt, she noticed that the cashier had written his phone number on it. Linda acted like she didn't see it. Becka ordered her sandwich next, and then Thomas got a phone call.

"Excuse me for a moment," he said and walked into the bathroom. That left Linda and Becka alone, eating sandwiches.

"I saw the cashier give you his number," Becka smirked as she bit into her sandwich. Linda shook her head, but a small smile was on her face. "Come on, Linda. I don't think you've ever had a boyfriend! So many guys asked you out, and you actually went on dates with lots of them. Why didn't you ever go on second dates?"

"Just didn't feel right, I guess," Linda replied with a shrug. She sipped from her hot chocolate, hoping her sister would change the subject.

"What was the name of that one guy you went on three dates I think it was? Ron?" Becka asked absentmindedly.

"Ross," Linda corrected her automatically. Shaking her head, she changed the subject herself. "How are you and Thomas getting along?"

Becka looked down as color tinted her cheeks. "Great. We're going to hit the two year mark soon," she said and smiled, "Two years, and I'm still crazy about him."

Linda looked on at her sister with a mask of indifference. Inside though, she envied the feelings her sister had. She wanted someone who'd make her crazy. Someone she could wake up to in the morning, someone who would walk around with her in the mornings in their underwear.

But she had that chance. She had so many chances for such a thing. She couldn't even count the amount. They ended up wanting more than she was willing to give, and Ross had been the only one to question why. Ross Childers, the man who dreamed to be a cop.

Thomas walked back in and apologized before getting his own food. He took the seat next to Becka and they ate and chatted over nothing all that fancy. Thomas's phone had gone off again, but he simply declined the call. Becka asked if it was important, but he told her not to worry about it. They sat and talked after they finished their meals, and eventually Becka went to the bathroom herself. Once she was out of sight, Thomas turned towards Linda.

"Linda, this might seem sudden to you, but I'd like to marry Becka," he said simply. He pulled out a ring and opened the case for her to see, and she covered her mouth in surprise. It was a beautiful diamond, one that she knew her sister would absolutely fall in love with. "I didn't want to ask her without permission, and I understand that the situation with your parents is complicated. That's why I wanted to ask you before asking her," he explained. His eyes flickered to something behind her and stayed there for one long moment before returning to Linda.

Linda couldn't say no. Becka had literally just said she was crazy about him! She found herself having to choke her response out. "Okay," she muttered softly. She saw Thomas's face brighten, something she hadn't seen before. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all. Becka rejoined them afterwards, and Thomas seemed uneasy. Linda wondered when he would ask her, and hopefully it would be after they left. It was horribly selfish of her, but Linda didn't want to see her sister blast off into marriage when she was still a virgin.

"Shall we get going, then?" Linda asked and rose from her seat. The cashier looked at her as though expecting something, but she didn't even glance at him. Becka rose with Thomas, and she slid her arm back into his.

"To sleep now, I hope," Becka added. The couple followed behind Linda at a slower pace, but the snow was coming down harder now. The streets were completely covered, as were the sidewalks. The crunching of the snow beneath her feet relaxed Linda. She could see her breath whenever she breathed and her hands were stuffed in her pockets. As she was walking across the street, she noticed someone walking in the opposite direction she would be going. She quickly recognized who it was as the distance closed between them.

"Linda!" Ross Childers called excitedly and jogged over to her, "I haven't seen you in a long time."

"Ross, it's nice to see you," she replied kindly, though she was eyeing him carefully. Their breakup wasn't exactly peaceful. "How's the academy?"

"Great. Harder than I thought," he said and smiled. He looked over her figure which was wrapped tightly in a jacket and scarf. She pretended not to notice. "Still hanging on to that virginity?"

Her eyes narrowed immediately at the question. Becka and Thomas had just caught up, though they didn't hear the question. Becka looked over at Ross and smiled.

"Hello, are you and Linda friends?" Becka asked kindly.

"Something like that," he replied and returned her smile. Linda turned and continued walking back to her dorm. Once she arrived she changed her clothes quickly before sitting on her bed with her laptop open. Ten minutes later, Becka walked in with Thomas.

"What was that all about?" Becka asked with a sigh as she took her coat off. Thomas also removed his winter gear.

"Nothing," Linda replied without looking up from her laptop. She had decided to type part of that paper, though it was more on her instead of British Literature. She typed out her whole relationship with Ross in detail.

"Nothing, right," Becka muttered and rolled her eyes. She took a seat next to Linda on her bed. "I thought you were on break. What subject is this for?" She asked. Linda quickly pulled up clicked any button she could find in order to lower the email. Becka narrowed her eyes as the email disappeared from the screen. "Okay, then who'd you send it to?" She asked as she stared at the Email sent notification. Linda's face paled. She couldn't have...

"How long are you planning to stay?" She asked quickly, shutting the lid of her laptop. If she was going to deal with this, it wouldn't happen with her sister visiting. Becka eyed her younger sister suspiciously.

"We arrived not even four hours ago, and you already want us out?" Becka asked and sat on the edge of the bed. Thomas simply leaned against the wall on the other side of the room. He didn't look pleased at Linda's comment, as they had rented a car just to visit her before they went on a tour for British history, which Becka seemed to love.

"I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just wondering when," Linda asked again and sighed.

"Well, the tour is tomorrow. I guess we'll just stay at a hotel from then on," Becka replied with a voice void of emotion. Thomas snapped his gaze to her.

"A hotel? We aren't swimming in money, Becka. If we can stay for free somewhere, we have best take the offer," Thomas said mildly. Becka frowned at him, as if telling him to stand down.

"Obviously Linda has other things on her plate. We'll manage one night, Thomas," Becka replied when she noticed he wasn't catching onto her gaze.

"I don't want to have to take the bus to work because little miss princess here is on her period!" Thomas shouted.

"Thomas!" Becka shouted back, but he wasn't done yet.

"I don't care what you're going through, but Becka is your sister. We will not be staying at a hotel, we'll be staying here as we originally planned. If you didn't want us here, you could have declined months ago," he argued. His voice was directed at Linda now.

"Things happened within the past week, I couldn't just cancel after you planned everything out," Linda muttered, though her voice wasn't very threatening.

"And what the hell do you think you're doing right now? We didn't bring enough money for a hotel, and I'm damn sure not paying for a room," he went on. Becka was on her feet now and walking towards her boyfriend.

"Thomas, come with me," Becka said in her lawyer voice and grabbed his arm. She lead him out of the dorm room, though Linda could still here them argue from wherever they went. She didn't care though, as she was more worried about the email she had sent. Jumping quickly onto her bed and throwing her laptop open, she checked to see who got the email exactly. She nearly threw up when she saw it was sent to Leander Hastings.

She stared at the screen in shock for ten minutes. Within that email, she had sent the implicit details of her outings with Ross Childers. From the few kisses they shared to him nearly forcing her to have sex with him. She described him out to be a man whore. But worst of all, she included the reason why she was still a virgin. Not only would Mr. Hastings realize that she's still a virgin, but he'd also be extremely confused as to why he was sent such an email. She crossed her fingers that maybe he wouldn't read it.

To her disappointment, she did receive an email. Though it was from a different address, one that looked more personal, she could tell it belonged to Mr. Hastings.

To: Linda Downey

Subject: Email?

Linda,

I don't think you meant to send me such an email, and I apologize for reading it through before realizing what it was. Hopefully your fiancé is better than this Ross.

Leander Hastings

The email was simple. And what did he mean fiancé? The only time a ring had been presented to her was Thomas showing her the ring he planned to propose with. Linda briefly remembered that Thomas had stared at something behind her for a good moment. Had he been the something Thomas was looking at? That meant he had the wrong idea entirely. She was tempted to write an email back and explain the situation, though she found herself being unable to. He already knew more about her than the rest of the world did, and she had learned his first name just the other day. He'd get hints that she was trying her best to prevent. She couldn't help herself when she leaned into his embrace. This would be the start of her stopping her crush.

Shutting her laptop and quickly putting on pajamas, Linda opened her door to reveal Becka making out with Thomas. They didn't seem to hear the door open, so Linda quietly closed it. She pulled out the air mattress she kept for the rare visitors she had and blew it up. Her dorm room had space for two beds, even though only one rested in it. She laid the air mattress on the other side of the room before laying down in her own bed and falling asleep.

Linda woke up the next morning to shuffling in her room. When she cracked her eyes open, she saw Becka and Thomas moving around in new clothes. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?" She asked and looked out the window. It was still dark out.

"About five. We're going to get a head start on the drive there and hopefully check in early," Becka responded with a smile. "Sorry to wake you, go back to sleep."

"Excuse us," Thomas said. He seemed much more relaxed as he packed all of their belongings back into suitcases. They were going to spend the rest of the days at a hotel, then.

"Sorry," Linda murmured before falling back asleep on her bed. Six hours later, Linda woke up. The only signs of other people in her dorm room was the blow up mattress. She deflated it but didn't feel like putting it away just yet. Instead, she went down to the lobby in her pajama pants and tank top. It was cold in the lobby, thanks to the snow outside. The floor was cold to the touch, so Linda made sure to quickly grab an apple and run back upstairs. Suddenly, she got a text from Gennie.

Gennie: let's go clubbing tonight

Linda looked at the text with a small frown. There were still a couple days left in their break, four to be exact. The dorms were slowly starting fill back up, but there was still less than five people on each floor.

Linda: You're already back?

Gennie: Yeah. Clubbing or what?

Linda: Can't. I have work.

And this isn't even all I've written just yet. I ended up not editing most of it, as I've read it through on my phone a couple times and for the most part didn't catch any large errors. Sorry for the late-ish update. The next one will take a while, as there isn't enough left for an entire chapter and I wasn't really feeling the new book. Sure, Linda and Hastings are living together in England, but I dunno. Just didn't really suggest anything beyond roommates. Nothing to excite my burning passion for their relationship (what a weird sentence to type).