Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
I look at the boxes stacked by his front door. “One more task from this pain in the ass, and you’re in the clear.”
“Ha! Loading them might break my old back,” he says, and I laugh at him finally being able to make a joke at his own expense.
He locks up and grabs my hand as we move to the truck. Quickly, he opens my door, and I hop inside. I yawn at how early it is. The sun hasn’t even come out, so fog hovers above the road.
“So how would one go about ordering some of that cider?”
“On the website,” he explains. “You really liked it, huh?”
“Hell yeah. Might have to make it a tradition after I finish up a project,” I offer.
“Sounds like a good tradition,” he tells me. We’re making small talk about nothing because I don’t know what to say after the time we’ve spent together. I didn’t expect it to hurt like this.
When he turns onto the main road, I clear my throat. “Have you decided what you’ll tell everyone when they ask about us?”
He nods. “I’m just going to tell them that we broke up. Make up some excuse that neither of us wanted to do the long-distance thing and that you couldn’t uproot your life to move here.”
“Sounds reasonable,” I tell him and glance out the window. “I’m sure they'll all forget about me once you start dating someone else.”
He laughs. “Oh, sure. Because handfuls of women are just waiting on the sidelines to swoop in once you leave.”
I shrug. “Hey, you never know.”
Finn reaches over and grabs my hand. “Oakley, no one is going to forget you. Especially not me. I had a lot of fun.”
“Yeah, I did too.” I’m sure he can hear the sadness in my voice. But we do what we do best and avoid discussing it.
Soon, the airport appears in the distance, and I swallow hard. I try to hold in my emotions, not wanting to deal with how I feel right now. Finn owes me absolutely nothing and has already given me every part of him while I was here. Especially a glimpse into a life that I don’t currently have.
Finn slowly stops and looks at me once he’s parked.
“I’m going to miss you,” I tell him.
“I’m going to miss you too, Sunshine. Probably won’t sleep for weeks after you leave. I’m so used to your ass rubbing on me.”
I chuckle to prevent myself from tearing up. “Why did we do this to ourselves?”
“We couldn’t stay away from each other even through the arguing.”
I meet his heated gaze and nod.
“Do you regret it?” he asks.
“Never,” I admit without pause. “I’d do this a million times over, even knowing I had to leave at the end, if it meant meeting and spending time with you. I wish things could be different, Finn.”
His mouth tilts up into a sad smile as he leans toward me and cups my face. “I feel the same. You changed me, and I’m forever grateful to have met you. I know you’ll continue to do amazing things with your art, Oakley. It touches so many lives, and you should be proud of that.”
As soon as I feel the tears spill, I go to wipe my cheeks, but he catches them before I can. There are a million things I wish I could say, but nothing would change our situation. This is what we agreed to.
My heart feels lodged in my throat as blood rushes through me. It’s cold outside, but my entire body feels as if it’s on fire and nothing in the world could extinguish it. The electrical current that’s always buzzed between us nearly electrocutes me as my feet touch the pavement.
He gets out as well and grabs my two suitcases and duffel bag from the back.
“Let me walk you in,” he offers, his biceps flexing from the weight. I can’t help but admire how good he always looks.
With his free hand, he grabs mine, and I know this is the final time we’ll do this. I walk closer to him and squeeze his fingers as I carry my other bag.
After I’ve checked my two large bags, I follow him into the secluded area that’s before the security line. When we stop, Finn meets my eyes.
“Text me when you get home so I know you made it safely.”
“I will,” I tell him, my heart hammering with sadness.
He tangles his fingers in my hair, gripping my head and pulling me closer. “Can I kiss you goodbye?”
“You better.”
He brushes his mouth over mine, soft and gentle at first, before sliding his tongue between my parted lips. The kiss turns deeper as I fist his shirt, tugging him impossibly closer. People walk around us as we fuck each other’s mouths, but I don’t care. I selfishly want every last millisecond with him.