Yes, this situation is complicated. Yes, there will be consequences. But one thing is crystal clear: this boy belongs to me in a way no one ever has. And I belong to him.
After opening up to him about my dad, a story I’ve kept buried for years, I feel lighter. As if, for the first time, I’ve set down a weight I didn’t know I was still carrying.
I’ve spent so long building a life that felt safe, controlled, logical.
But now I see it clearly: it’s the unpredictability that gives life its shape. It’s meaning.
You can’t separate joy from risk.
True happiness is rare. Fleeting. Precious. And worth everything.
That’s what I intend to fight for, if Sebastian lets me.
Until now, I’d been living by the book. Degree. Job. Relationship.
A checklist for the kind of life I thought I was supposed to want.
But with him… I’m no longer just existing.
I’m alive.
He shakes me. Challenges me.
Like something in me I didn’t know was waiting to burn.
He’s the missing piece I wasn’t even aware I’d been searching for.
I don’t care that he’s a man. I don’t care how complicated this is. He’s mine. And I’m his.
As sleep starts to pull me under, I realize he never actually told me why he’s heading to Stratford. But I know his parents live there. And I can guess.
Still, the thought of him leaving presses down on my chest like a weight.
I tighten my arms around him, fierce, possessive.
I don’t want to let go. Not even for a second.
Mine.
Mine.
Mine.
It’s the last thought in my head as I drift off, the word still warm on my lips.
CHAPTER 17
SEBASTIAN
The first light of dawn teases at my eyelids, gently coaxing me awake. I’m wrapped in Remi’s warmth, our limbs tangled together in a delicious mess of arms, legs, and bare feet.
I’ve always been used to sleeping alone, preferred it, even. I never liked sharing a bed. But last night, with him, it didn’t just feel right, it felt necessary. Like something I’ve been missing without realising it.
With my nose tucked against his neck, his scent filling my lungs, and the slow, steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath my cheek, I slept more deeply than I have in years.
And now, for the first time in a long time, I feel rested. Renewed.
I’ll need every ounce of that strength today.
