“Come over. Come here,” Magnus says when he hears my desperation on the other end of the line.
And when I make it to his place, he drags me into his arms and squeezes me tightly. It doesn’t feel right—he’s not Caleb—but I let him hold me all the same.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
I can barely utter the words. “He knows.”
“Who? Caleb?”
“No,” I say, my voice breaking. “My dad. He knows about Caleb. He’s threatening to move me out, to take it all away. I went through hell for it, Magnus. How the fuck am I supposed to let it all go? But I can’t lose Caleb either. Fuck.”
He strokes my back as I slump forward, my face in my hands.
“You need to tell Caleb. You need to tell him the truth. Let him help you.”
I let out a choked sob, knowing how badly that will go over. “I can’t hurt him.”
“If you love him, you will tell him the truth. Then you sort this out. You can’t live like this, Whit. It’s killing you.”
“Can’t I?”
“Maybe you could have. One time, long ago, but now you’ve met the man you love. He deserves all of you…”
“I don’t—” But my words are cut off.
I do love him.
But I can’t have him. Not with parents like mine.
“Tell him the truth. Let him have a choice and then fight like hell to keep him.”
“Would you do this for someone you love? Or would you walk away?”
I stare at him and see the flicker in his eyes.
“I’d fight like hell,” he says.
I stay far longer than I should, sitting in silence while Magnus tries to comfort me, but the only one who can soothe this ache is back home.
I need him.
One last time.
He’s a lighthouse in the darkness of my life, guiding me home.
When I finally arrive home, I stumble up the steps, pushing open the apartment door roughly. It flings against the wall as my eyes drift frantically around the room.
I see him waiting on the couch, his body drawn tight, his eyes wet.
I stare at him, and his eyes meet mine.
“Whit? What is it? Where were you? Are you okay? I was worried.”
I blink rapidly, taking him in, memorizing this moment for decades to come, and then I reach down and drag him into the bedroom. He doesn’t stop me. Just goes along willingly. He must know I need this.
Must know I need him.
I take my time undressing him, my lips dragging across his warm skin.
