by Isabelle Rae
Holy crud, I did not see any of this coming! Is he being serious? “So, you have a job in New York, and Amy accepted my place at college when I thought that I’d turned it down?” I asked, needing conformation.
He nodded. “Yeah, it was pretty easy, she confirmed over the internet using your laptop, and I kind of intercepted your place rejection letter that you mailed,” he agreed, grinning sheepishly.
I closed my eyes, still unsure what to think about any of this. “You would move to New York with me?” I whispered.
He laughed. “I’d move to Antarctica with you, Cutie.”
“We’re going to New York?” I gasped, the reality of it suddenly washing over me.
He nodded. A smile stretched across his face. “Yep. Me, you, and Amy.”
How the hell did I get this guy? I seriously don’t deserve him at all. He’s willing to leave his family, and move half way across the country, just for me? “Will, what the hell? Seriously?” I cried, jumping off of the bench and covering my mouth as I started laughing.
He nodded, stretching his arms out across the back of the bench, looking the epitome of ease as he smiled up at me. “Seriously,” he confirmed, shrugging casually as if this was no big deal.
I squealed and jumped on his lap, making him grunt before he laughed too. “Oh my God, thank you. Thank you! You’re just… I don’t the words to describe you. You’re just perfect,” I gushed, looking at him in awe.
He shook his head. “I’m not perfect, I’m a messy math nerd,” he joked.
“Correction, you’re my messy math nerd,” I countered, grinning at him.
He smirked at me and gripped his hand around the back of my head, pulling my mouth closer to his. “And you’re my Lucky Charm eating, Cutie,” he whispered, before pressing his lips to mine and kissing me tenderly.
I smiled against his lips, feeling so happy that I could burst into song at any second. Then it hit me. I pulled back and winced. “I told my parents I was staying here now. How am I going to them that I’m not?”
He smiled. “I thought we could do that together.” He looked a little nervous about it as he stroked my hair softly.
“You finally worked up the nerve to want to meet my dad?” I teased, knowing he’d wanted to do it for months now, but we couldn’t until I’d graduated.
He nodded. “Finally yeah,” he agreed, playing along. “Not only am I meeting the guy, but I’m also about to tell him that I’m taking his only daughter to live in sin, miles away from home. I can see this night ending badly.”
I laughed and pressed my lips to his, kissing him fiercely. “Don’t worry, we’ll get through it together,” I promised.
He nodded. “That’s why I’m not freaking out. Whatever happens after this, I know it’ll be fine, because I’ll be with you.” He kissed me again, ending the conversation.
I melted against him, my heart crashing in my chest as I wondered just how it was that I got so freaking lucky. I now had my dream guy, and we were moving together so that I could go to my dream school. Life couldn’t get much better than this. No matter how my parents reacted, it wouldn’t matter, Will and I would get through it, we’d get through anything. Together.
Epilogue
“I’m so nervous that I feel sick,” Will muttered, shaking his head, gripping my hand tightly.
I smiled and tried to pretend that I was confident, that this would all be fine, when in reality I knew it wouldn’t be. We were about to tell my parents that he was my teacher, that we got together last summer, and that we were moving to New York together. This was not going to end well at all.
“Would you rather me tell them on my own and then introduce you tomorrow? Maybe that would be a better idea,” I suggested, wincing. Maybe they won’t go as crazy if it isn’t all thrown in their faces in one go. I knew my dad would be angry about it. He would be seriously annoyed that I’d been keeping it secret; he would be even more annoyed that Will was older, but he was going to be seething mad that he was my teacher.
Will shook his head and frowned. “I’m not letting you do that on your own,” he protested. He nodded towards the door. “Come on, Cutie. Let’s get this done.”
I took a deep breath and jammed my key in the lock, opening the door, feeling my heart sink as I heard the click. The TV was on in the lounge, my parents were laughing at some show they were watching. I tugged Will into the house with me and closed the door quietly behind us. I smiled tentatively at him before going up on tiptoes and pressing my lips to his, kissing him softly.
“I love you. If they kick me out can I stay at yours?” I whispered, looking at him hopefully.
He smiled. “Of course you can. It really is wrong for me to hope that they do kick you out, isn’t it?” he countered, winking at me. I giggled and slapped his chest with the back of my hand, nodding towards the lounge. He smiled and kissed my forehead softly. “I love you too by the way.”
I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths before heading into the lounge, seeing my parents sitting there watching TV, cuddled up on the sofa, sharing a bowl of popcorn. My mom noticed us first. She smiled happily, but then her eyes took in Will who was standing slightly behind me, still holding my hand in the death grip. Her smile turned into more of a polite, bemused expression as she looked at him curiously, as if trying to work out if she knew him or not.
“Er, hey guys,” I mumbled, noticing how my voice shook with nerves as I spoke.
My dad looked up from the TV then and frowned, his expression turning into the bad cop that happened whenever he met a guy I brought home to meet them. “Hey, pumpkin,” he replied, his voice tight, his eyes locked on Will.
I was sweating. I could feel it forming on my top lip where I was so nervous. “Er, okay so I have someone I want you to meet,” I started, unsure how I was going to kick off this conversation. “This is Will Morris.” I tugged him forward a little, nodding in his direction. “Will, these are my parents.”
Will smiled and stepped forward with his hand out. Both my parents stood up too, my mom’s eyes flicking to my dad worriedly. She obviously knew what he was like too. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr and Mrs Henderson. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Will said confidently.
My dad raised one eyebrow as he took Will’s offered hand and shook it. “Really? Well we’ve heard absolutely nothing about you,” he replied, his voice harsh.
Oh God, please let the ground open up and swallow me!
Will laughed nervously. “Yeah I know. Sorry about that, that was a small complication.” He shook my mom’s hand too; she was watching me curiously, probably wondering why I was just standing there with my teeth gritted and my hands in tight fists. “Chloe and I have a few things we need to explain to you. I’m not quite sure how to say it really,” Will continued.
Jeez, is he oblivious to the death glare my father is shooting him right now? Does he just not care that my dad looks like he wants to rip his head off?
My dad’s hard stare turned on me. “Who is this then, Chloe?” he asked. I flinched; I knew he was already mad because he hardly ever called me Chloe, always pumpkin.
I cleared my throat. “This is my boyfriend,” I answered, trying to sound confident.
My dad’s eyebrow rose even further. “Little old for you, isn’t he?” he countered, his eyes not leaving mine.
“Not in my opinion, but I’m sure in yours he will be,” I agreed, slipping my hand back into Will’s, squeezing gently. “We need to talk about some stuff. I’m sure you’re not going to like it, but just hear us out. Please?” I asked, looking at him pleadingly.
“Why don’t we all sit down?” my mom suggested cheerfully. I smiled gratefully. She was obviously trying to help me out and keep my dad calm.
I nodded and tugged Will over to the other sofa, sitting down and pulling him down next to me, pressing into his side, wishing I could hide behind him or something. My parents were both looking at me curiously so I knew I needed to get the conversation going and expl
ain.
I swallowed loudly. “Okay, so remember I told you that I was dating a guy last summer but we broke up?” I inquired, wincing.
My dad nodded. “Yeah, some guy called,” his eyes flicked to the love of my life, “Will,” he finished. Understanding crossed his features before his eyes narrowed. “A year? Seriously, you’ve been dating for almost a year and have only just brought him home?” he cried, shaking his head angrily.
“There were some other things, it was impossible,” I countered. This is not going well.
“What other things? You know I like to meet your boyfriends, Chloe. Why are we only just meeting now?” Dad asked, glaring at Will again.
Will shifted on his seat, and I knew he was about to take over this conversation. Hopefully my part was over now and I would just have to add into the conversation a little here and there. Will would take care of everything and make this all right, he always did.
“Mr Henderson, I met your daughter last summer and I didn’t know how old she was. I thought she was older than she was. We started dating and getting on great. But then at the end of the summer Chloe went back to school and… well, we found out that Chloe was actually my,” he took a deep breath before finishing his sentence, “student.”
A frown crossed my dad’s face as he took in what Will said. “Your student? What does that mean? I don’t understand. Student in what?”
Will shifted on the sofa, his hand tightening on mine. “I finished college and was offered a job at Chloe’s school. I’m her calculus teacher. Well, I was, she’s obviously graduated now,” he explained.
My mom’s eyes widened, but my dad still looked confused. His eyes flicked to me again. “What’s he talking about, Chloe?” he asked.
I winced and blew out the breath that I didn’t even realise I was holding. “When I met Will last summer I didn’t tell him how old I was, and he assumed I was older than seventeen. When I went back to school at the start of senior year, Will was there too, but he was… my teacher,” I explained, just repeating what Will had said. This time my dad understood though.
His face turned from confused to murderously angry as he sprung out of his chair. His eyes were hard and accusing as they latched onto Will. “Get your goddamn hands off of my daughter!” he shouted warningly.
Will nodded and let go of my hand immediately, holding up his hands innocently. “Mr Henderson, it’s not as bad as it sounds. I love your daughter very much, more than anything,” he said quickly, obviously trying to calm my dad down.
“You’ve been using your position at her school to date my daughter like some kind of sicko paedophile?” my dad spat. He pointed over to the other couch where my mom was sat with her eyes and mouth wide, looking like she was in shock. “Get over there and sit with your mother, Chloe. I’ll talk to you later!”
I gulped and shook my head. “No. Dad, seriously, calm down! I love Will, it’s not like that! It’s not some seedy thing,” I cried, looking at him in astonishment. I was expecting him to freak out and be angry but he looked like if I moved away from Will, that he would tear him to shreds.
“Move next to your mother!” my dad repeated, his eyes still locked on Will.
I stood up and shook my head. I wasn’t letting this end in a fight, sure I could understand he was angry, but I wouldn’t let him talk to Will like that. “You have no right to be looking at him the way you are. He’s an incredible person, yet you’re looking at him like he’s scum!” I cried angrily.
My dad’s jaw tightened as his face turned a darker shade of red. “He is scum! Please tell me you two haven’t been…” he trailed off, his frown deepening.
Oh God.
“We waited until I was eighteen,” I lied, wincing, hoping he wouldn’t see through me. I was a terrible liar. My mom shifted uncomfortably on her feet, and I knew she could tell I was lying. My dad, however, nodded and seemed satisfied with my answer. I begged my mom with my eyes not to say anything; if she chimed in right now there would be no stopping my dad’s fist from flying into Will’s face.
“Well, that’s one good thing I guess,” my dad admitted somewhat grudgingly.
“That was what Will wanted,” I said quickly, trying to get across to my dad that he was a good guy. We were all on our feet now. I knew I needed to add in the other stuff, the college stuff and get it all out in the open. “Will and I have decided that I should go to the school that I always wanted to, the one in New York,” I stated.
A smile twitched at the corners of my dad’s lips. “I think that’s a good idea. Put some distance between you two and then if you are still intent on being together then in the future the age difference wouldn’t seem so bad. How old are you anyway, you look about twenty-four,” my dad questioned, looking at Will expectantly.
“I’m twenty-two, sir. I’ll be twenty-three next month,” Will answered. “Um, Mr Henderson, I think you have the wrong impression about Chloe’s school,” he added uncomfortably.
I frowned. Maybe we just shouldn’t tell them. I can just pretend that I’m going with Amy and that Will is staying here. When they come to visit me in New York I could just make Will stay in a hotel or something the whole time, they’ll never know any different. At least then we won’t have to deal with this again for four years, hopefully my dad would have mellowed by then.
“What does that mean?” my mom asked, looking between the two of us for confirmation as she moved closer to my dad’s side. He slipped an arm around her and watched us curiously.
“I’m going to New York with Chloe. I’ve secured another teaching position at a high school near there. We’re going together,” Will explained.
My dad’s shoulders stiffened. “Not a cat in hells chance of that happening!” he roared, making my ears ring where it was so loud.
I elbowed Will in the ribs. Why couldn’t he just shut up and leave it as I was going on my own? Jeez, we should have discussed this plan at the park earlier! He slipped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. “Sir,” Will started, by my dad cut him off.
“No way, Chloe. I’m not allowing you to move half way across the country with a pervert!” he cried.
Rage boiled in my stomach. “Will is not a damn pervert!” I shouted angrily. “I won’t let you keep talking about him like that. I love him. If you can’t see how happy he makes me then that’s your problem, not mine. I’m going with him to New York, and that’s the end of it, no discussion is needed here!” I ranted, my fists tightening in anger. I wanted to punch something. Where’s Erika when I need her? I would certainly like to take my frustrations out on her.
My dad looked at me incredulously. “So you’re choosing him, over us?” he shouted, making my mom flinch because he’d probably yelled in her ear.
I swallowed loudly. I really didn’t want to answer that question. “I’m really hoping you won’t make me choose. I love Will, I’m going to be with him whether you like it or not. I don’t want to choose between a guy I’m in love with and my family, please, please don’t make me, Dad, please,” I begged, starting to cry as I felt my lip tremble.
Will’s arm tightened around my waist supportively. I watched my father struggle to calm himself down, to accept what we were telling him. I just prayed that he would give him a chance. I didn’t want to have this happen, but I knew with every bone in my body that if they forced me to make a decision, then it wouldn’t go in their favour.
“So you’re saying you’re going to be with him, and move away with him, no matter what?” my dad asked, his voice breaking as he looked at me. His emotion was clear on his face even though he was obviously trying to hold it together.
“Yes,” I whispered.
He closed his eyes and spoke, “I could have him arrested; it’s illegal for a teacher to date a student. It doesn’t matter that you’re graduated, I could still report him,” he stated, still not opening his eyes.
I gasped. “Don’t,” I begged.
“Mr Henderson, you would be perfectly within y
our rights to do so. If that’s the way you want to go, then Chloe and I will respect that,” Will stated, shrugging.
I looked and him and frowned. “What the hell? I won’t respect that! I’ll be seriously pissed,” I snapped. I turned to my dad and glared. “Don’t you dare!”
Will smiled sadly. “Cutie, we both knew this was wrong. If your dad feels like he needs to do that, then fair enough. We’ll both respect his decision,” he said, looking at me sternly.
“What happens if you get sent to jail?” my dad asked.
I felt my body tighten at the word jail and my hands gripped fistfuls of Will’s shirt as if that could somehow keep him with me. Will shrugged. “Then I’d hope that she’d still want to be with me when I got released,” he replied.
“So if I was to threaten to call the police if you didn’t leave her alone, then you’d still be standing there by the time I got to my phone?” my dad asked incredulously.
Will stood tall and confident as he nodded. “Yes, sir, I love your daughter. How we met was unfortunate but I wouldn’t take it back for the world. I’m here for as long as she wants me here for,” he answered, his eyes locked on my dad’s, his sincerity clear in the tone of his voice.
My dad looked at my mom who shook her head fiercely. I saw his jaw tighten as he seemed to make his decision. “If you hurt her I swear to God, I’m gonna bring a whole heap of shit down on you, you’ll regret the day you ever heard of the name Chloe Henderson,” he warned, his voice menacing and full of promise.
Will smiled. “Sir, I’ll never regret it, she’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I give you my word that I’ll never hurt her,” he vowed as he held out his hand for my dad as a kind of peace offering.
My dad looked down at Will’s outstretched hand. “You’re word means nothing to me. I don’t even know you.”
“And I have a long time to change that fact, sir. I plan on being here for a very long time. I’ll earn your trust eventually,” Will replied.
“Cutie?” I could vaguely hear it, my mind was like a fog, I had no idea what was going on. “Cutie?” Will said a little louder. His voice cut through the fog, slowly bringing me back to reality. I groaned and cracked my stinging eyes open, looking towards the voice. “Cutie, you need to wake up, we have visitors,” Will cooed, stroking the side of my face.
