Jillian Dodd: Adore Me

Oh gosh. This is it. This is where I finally have to do it.

I’ve been dreading this moment since we stepped off the plane.

“Yes, you do have to leave for the airport soon.”

“What do you mean, you ? And why do you look sad again?”

“Because I’m not going with you. I’m not going back to Eastbrooke.”

“Why not?”

“Family stuff, kinda.”

“Then why did you let me come with you? Give me hope? Why didn’t you kick me off the plane?”

“Because I didn’t handle it well when we were at school. Things felt unsettled, and I wanted to give you closure. Give us closure. I didn’t do it to hurt you, Aiden. I just wanted to be able to say goodbye.”

Aiden stands up quickly and paces in the sand in front of me. “Where are you going?”

“Probably France,” I say, pushing back tears.

Aiden pulls me off the sand and into his arms. The wind blows my hair across my face in front of me. Aiden pushes it behind my ear, gets close to me, and says softly, “Then I’m moving to France too.”

“You’re what?”

“Wherever you go, I go.”

“What? No. What about your sister?”

He looks over my shoulder, so I glance behind me to see Peyton happily laughing and swinging her feet off the edge of the pool, Damian sitting next to her.

“I think it's time I start living my life for me,” he says.

“But, Aiden, it’s not that easy. You have school.”

“School is overrated. Let’s stay here.”

“But—”

He kisses me, effectively stopping me from speaking.

When the kiss ends, he gently pulls away and looks at me seriously. His eyes tell me everything I already know. “Keatyn, I mean it. Wherever you go, I go. I don't have a choice.”

“Sure you do—”

He pulls my hand up and places it on his chest.

“You have my heart and I kinda need it to survive.”

“But—”

He kisses me again. A good, long, powerful tongue kiss. Either I’m becoming weaker or he’s definitely becoming more powerful.

“Do you trust me?” he says, still holding my hand against his chest.

“Yes.”

“Good. Because when I said we’re going to be together forever, I meant it.”

Tears run down my face because this is exactly what I dreamed a boy would say to me.

But my life isn’t a dream.

He sweeps my hair behind my neck and kisses it.

He must think he needs to infuse me with more love potion.

But I never really needed it.

He's had a piece of my heart since the moment I laid eyes on him.

“Forever is a really, really long time, Aiden,” I say softly.

“And I was thinking just the opposite, Boots. Forever isn’t going to be nearly long enough for us.”

The End