42

"I'll be yours and You're Mine."

Joshua

I stood outside Sawyer's closed bedroom door. The flashbacks of her terrified face at the party still lingered. My heart was heavy with regret and longing as I knocked again.

To my relief, the door creaked open, but concern replaced it as I saw her tear-stricken face framed in the dim hallway light. Wordlessly, she stepped aside, allowing me to enter. Her expression remained guarded.

"I am so sorry." I said, my words heavy with remorse. "This is all my fault. I never meant to hurt you, but I keep messing up."

She listened in silence as I poured my heart out. I continued my ramblings.

"I love you, Sawyer." I said. "That bet I made with Asher was a mistake, but I would have never had the courage to ask you out if I didn't accept."

I reached over to place my hand on hers. She didn't pull away. It gave me the courage to slide my fingers through hers.

"When Ava told me about the bet, I didn't want to believe it." She said. "I trusted you."

My heart ached at the pain in her voice. The realization of what I'd done hit me like a punch in the gut.

"I am so sorry."

She sighed and gazed across her room, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I'd always dreamed of finding a guy like you." She said. "The closest thing to the love I read about in books."

I squeezed her hand.

"I want to be that for you."

She didn't move her gaze from her wall.

"I just want to be somebody to someone."

I gripped her chin and forced her to look into my eyes, so she could see the sincerity behind my words.

"You're everything to me."

We were face to face. Our hearts were heavy with the weight of our recent hardships but buoyed by our silent declaration of love. As if our minds were one, we reached for each other.

Our lips met in a tender kiss, and the world seemed to fade away. The warmth of our embrace and the rhythm of our beating hearts encompassed us. It solidified that our love was stronger than any temporary strife.

The scholarship.

The thought jolted my brain like electricity. I pulled away.

"I got the scholarship." I said, my voice tinged with regret as I met her gaze. "Today was the last day, so I accepted."

Her eyes filled with sadness.

"I got the internship, thanks to you."

I shook my head.

"You got it because you are incredibly talented."

Her cheeks turned red.

"I guess that means we're both leaving."

The realization hung between us. A heavy silence punctuated by only the sound of our shared breaths. Despite our imminent departure, I felt a glimmer of hope. I was determined to make the most of our remaining time together.

"Will you be my date to prom?" I asked.

Her eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of hesitation crossed her features. She gazed at my face in search of insincerity before nodding. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"I'd love to."

??

As I stepped through the threshold of my home, a heavy sense of foreboding settled over me. The tension in the air was palpable as I took in the scene of my mother's tear-stricken face. Sorrow and anger filled her eyes. My father stood nearby, surrounded by suitcases.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"I kicked your father out." My mother's voice trembled as she spoke.

My heart sank, but it was inevitable. His gaze faltered under my scrutiny, a flicker of guilt crossed his features.

"Good." I said. "You should have never let him back in."

He didn't speak. I watched as he gathered his stuff before strutting out the front door. Asher's footsteps halted at the top step, which made my blood boil to a higher degree.

"You should leave too." I said, my voice rising with anger. "You could have spared everyone the heartache ages ago."

His expression crumbled under the weight of my words.

"Joshua, that's enough." My mother said. "None of this is anyone's fault but your father's."

I ignored her. My sense of betrayal was too great to ignore. With a heavy heart, I marched up the stairs until I was beside him.

"I'll never forgive you for this."

I shoved my shoulder into his and stormed into my bedroom, leaving behind the wreckage of my shattered family. As I disappeared into the dark confines of my room, the weight of my grief and anger consumed me. Nothing would be the same again.