We stop to kiss passionately. I wrap my arms around his neck and lose myself in the moment. I never want to let him go. I want to truly belong to him, but how can I when distance could drive a wedge between us? Maybe he’ll lose interest in me. Maybe the dream will die.
So I kiss him desperately, praying it’s not the last time. I can’t bear to think that it could be. I don’t think I could survive that kind of pain. I close my eyes and lose myself in him.
Both of us are breathless when we pull apart. We’re standing just inside the entrance to the airport, wrapped in each other like there’s no one else around. But I can’t pretend that I don’t feel eyes on us. I know people were watching. The young girl and her handsome, older lover. I’m sure that many people are looking at us, unable to understand what we have…
“August?”
My heart sinks and I turn around. My dad is standing behind me, his mouth agape. I can’t believe he caught us.
What is he doing here? He’s not supposed to be here. He’s not supposed to find out about us.
But by the look on his face, it looks like we really have landed ourselves in it now.
“Ethan?” my dad exclaims, caught off guard by what he just saw. His best friend and his only daughter wrapped in a passionate embrace. He quickly shakes himself and his face turns from shock to anger. His eyes dark with horror. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snaps.
“Callum, we didn’t want you to find out about us like this,” Ethan says, protectively pulling me to his side. “I’m sorry you had to see that. But now you know. Now you know what she means to me,”
“I can’t believe you’d do this to me,” my dad says, his gaze flickering between the pair of us. “Both of you. How could you? August, I don’t know how you could be so naive, being with a man twice your age, that’s not how I raised you. And Ethan, you’re supposed to be my best friend. And you’re preying on my daughter?”
“Watch your tone,” Ethan growls, his defense mechanism coming into play right away. There’s no way he’s going to let my dad speak to him that way. “I’m not preying on her. I care about your daughter very deeply, Callum. You have to listen to us, to understand what’s going on here.”
“I don’t have to do anything,” Dad snarls. “Except maybe kick your ass. I can’t believe you would do this. I’ll kill you, Ethan. You’ve ruined my daughter!”
He tries to launch himself at Ethan but Ethan’s hands curl into fists, ready to retaliate. People are watching us now, eager to see the show, but I don’t want anyone to get hurt.
I dive between the pair of them.
“August, move out of the way,” Ethan growls. “Let your father and I settle this like men.”
“I don’t want to see either of you get hurt,” I cry out. My dad’s face is unrecognizable, dark with fury.
“Then you should’ve thought about that before you started an affair with my closest friend,” Dad snaps. “August…how could you betray my trust like this? You must have known I would never approve of this?”
“I know, I know,” I cry desperately. “But Dad, you don’t understand. I was so torn…but I want to be with Ethan. I love him. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”
“You don’t know what you feel, you’re still practically a child. You have no idea what it means to love someone.”
“Yes I do,” I say firmly. “I’ve loved Ethan since I was sixteen. It was instantaneous. I’ve spent every day of my life since then searching for him, hoping our paths would cross somehow, hoping he’d feel the same for me. And now that I know he does, I can’t be apart from him.”
“This is nonsense,” my dad cries out, his cheeks burning red. “You’re talking madness, you know that, don’t you? You can’t be with him. I won’t allow it.”
“This is why we couldn’t tell you. You won’t even try to understand!” I cry. “We were going to keep it from you because we were both so worried about how you’d react. We’re not doing this to hurt you. We’re doing this because we can’t be away from one another. Our connection is so strong…”
My dad snarls at Ethan.
“You’ve poisoned my daughter against me. I thought you were supposed to be my friend. After everything I’ve ever done for you…you just couldn’t resist, could you? The urge to self-sabotage. To blow up everything you’ve built over the years.”
“I’d give up everything for her,” Ethan growls. “She’s the only thing in this world that matters to me. You’ll never understand because you’re determined not to. But she’s the woman of my dreams. If you think I’m trying to hurt you, then I can’t change your mind. But this has nothing to do with you.”