Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 141251 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 706(@200wpm)___ 565(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141251 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 706(@200wpm)___ 565(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
She opens it in a rush, and I glance in. Lola is lying on her bed and Willow already looks dishevelled. Jesus, were they making out?
“Can I speak to you for a minute, Will?”
Willow frowns. “Sure.”
I take her down the hall until there’s nowhere else to go. I quickly pull her into Julian’s room. “Take a seat.”
“What’s wrong?” She asks.
I take both her hands in mine as we sit on the bed. “You know I love you, right?” I whisper.
Will frowns.
“I don’t think that it’s appropriate that Lola stays over just yet.”
“Why not?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “Well, you only just met.”
She watches me, and I can tell she’s trying to figure out if I know. “So? We want to get to know each other better.”
My eyes search hers. “Will…” I whisper.
She frowns. “How do you know?”
I smile softly. “I could tell as soon as I saw the way you looked at each other.”
Tears fill her eyes. “Are you going to tell Dad?” she whispers in a panic.
I shake my head. “No, baby. You have to do that when you’re ready.” I brush my hand over her hair. “But you’re only sixteen, I can’t, with a clear conscience, let Lola stay over.”
She drops her head and tears fill her eyes. “Do you hate me now?”
“What? No.” I take her in my arms. “Why would I hate you? There is nothing wrong with this. You are perfect exactly as you are.” I kiss the top of her head.
“Please don’t tell Dad. I’m just trying to figure this out,” she begs.
“I know.” I hug her tight. “And you will, I know you will.”
“I love you, Brell,” she whispers against my shoulder. “You’re the first person who has ever been on my side.”
“I love you too, baby.” I kiss the top of her head and she holds me tight.
“What are you two doing up here blubbering?” Julian asks as he casually walks into his room.
We pull back from each other and wipe our eyes. “We’ve just had a shitty week, haven’t we, pumpkin?” I smile.
“Yes.” Willow stands, still wiping away her tears. “Dad, Lola can’t stay now. She has to work in the morning.”
“Okay.” He shrugs. “Whatever.”
Will walks out and disappears down the hall.
“What was that about?” Julian frowns.
My heart drops. I have to lie to him, even though I know it’s wrong.
It’s not my secret to tell.
“Nothing, just emotion overload,” I say sadly.
Julian’s hand cups my jaw and he brings my face up to his. “You okay?” he whispers as he studies my face.
I smile and nod. The lump in my throat hurts as I try to hold back more tears. Willow has such a hard road ahead of her. It’s overwhelming and my chest hurts.
I’m not okay.
An hour of crying and a shower later, I finally crawl into bed. I’m exhausted from not sleeping last night and I’m hoping everything will seem better in the morning. Julian had to wait for Lola to leave before he could come down. He’s probably fallen asleep by now. He’s tired, too, after searching for our mischievous kitten all night. I get a vision of him walking around outside in the dark with a flashlight and it makes me smile.
He makes out he’s so tough, but I know the truth.
The door creaks open slowly, and then I hear the lock click. Knowing he’s here makes me smile into my pillow.
He comes around to my side of the bed. "Hey," he whispers.
“Hi.” I smile up at him. Last night was the first night we slept apart since we became a thing. I missed him.
He slowly undresses and crawls under the blankets beside me, taking me into his arm. The second I cling to him my emotions rise again and I tear up.
“What’s wrong, baby?” he whispers.
The lump in my throat aches so bad. “I’m just tired, and I’m scared for Will.”
“It’s okay. She’ll be okay, I promise you.” He leans up to rest on his elbow, offering me a kiss of reassurance
"Promise me that whatever happens, you will always be on her side," I beg him softly.
He frowns down at me. “You know I will. I love her. Of course, I’ll always be on her side.”
I imagine how he is going to react when he finds out she might be gay and it makes more tears run down my face. He won’t cope with it. I know he won’t. I can’t imagine how scared she must be.
He leans closer. “Hey,” he whispers, pushing the hair back from my face. “What’s causing all these tears?”
I shrug and force a smile.
“Roll over,” he tells me.
I roll over so that my back is to him, and he wraps his arms around me and kisses my cheek. “Go to sleep, baby. You’re delirious.”
I feel so safe in his arms and I close my eyes as he trails kisses over my shoulder. “I love you,” he murmurs into my hair.