Eternal Heat (Firework Girls #3) by J. L. White Page A

well.
    Of course, there’s the matter of the person sitting next to me and the likelihood that he will be heading to Juilliard in the fall. As if Juilliard weren’t already the ultimate fantasy, Erik would only make it that much better. But I can’t think about that now.
    Erik sighs. “Look, you can apply to BSU too. But why not give Juilliard a shot? You can’t just apply to one school anyway.”
    “You can’t?”
    “No. You have to have a safety school, at least. So BSU can be your safety school. With your GPA and SAT scores, there’s no way you’re not getting in.”
    He’s probably right about that, but applying to colleges isn’t cheap. At least, not when you live in a family where $100 is sometimes hard to scrape up. It seems foolish to waste my parents’ money on a long shot.
    “What’s your safety school?” I ask him.
    “Probably Hartman College.”
    “Hartman! That’s some safety!”
    He shrugs. “My parents want me to apply to the top ten conservatories. They figure at least one of them has to say yes. But Juilliard’s the one we want.”
    “You’re applying to ten schools?”
    He cocks his head at me. “You know, you should apply to Hartman too, while you’re at it. If you don’t get into their conservatory, you can still go to the university side.”
    “I don’t think I’m any more likely to get into Hartman’s conservatory than Juilliard. And, look, I can’t afford to apply to three schools.”
    “Two then. Hartman is your safety and Juilliard is where you’re really going and then we can go together.” He slips his hand around my waist and rests his forehead on mine. “Come on, baby,” he says, “I was right about Music Fest. Give me some credit.”
    I smile. Yes, Music Fest was amazing. Fucking amazing.
    “What do you have to lose?” he asks.
    A reckless feeling takes flight in my chest. “Oh hell.”
    He breaks out into a grin and gives me a kiss so enthusiastic we end up falling back on the carpet. I start giggling. “I didn’t even say yes yet.”
    “Yes, you did,” he says, planting kisses all along my neck, “I heard you. We’re going, baby, I just know it.”
    He comes up and kisses me, then leans on his elbow and grins down at me.
    I’m smiling too. Maybe it’s stupid, but he’s right. I don’t really have anything to lose by applying to Juilliard. I’ll look into Hartman to see if I think that’s a good idea or not.
    “New York,” he says, his eyes lighting up and his fingers lightly trailing on my stomach. My body reacts instantly. “Can you see us in New York together?”
    “That would be incredible,” I say. I don’t ask what will happen if he gets into Juilliard and I don’t. I’m not ready to think about that, and hell, if I’m going to apply, I may as well give it all I’ve got. “You really think your teacher will write me a recommendation?”
    Erik nods and says quietly. “He’s bound to love you as much as I do.”
    My eyes widen but before I can respond he leans in and kisses me. And kisses me. And kisses me. Maybe he’s afraid of what I might say to his confession, or maybe he has a hard time stopping these kind of kisses just like I do. I don’t know, but when he finally comes up for air I put both hands on his face and lock eyes with him. “I love you, too.”
    It feels so strange to say that to someone I’m not related to, but I know it’s true. I’ve known it for a while.
    He gives me the most vulnerable smile. “You do?”
    I nod and kiss him. And kiss him. And kiss him. It feels different than it has before. We’ve only just started, but I already know I don’t want to stop this time. We’ve been so close to going all the way a few times now. After the last time, he even went out and bought a package of condoms so he’d be prepared when we’re ready.
    I don’t know if he’s ready. It’s the first for him, too. But I’m almost certain I won’t be the one putting the brakes on things today.
    He’s kissing me