Page 90 of The Story Of Us

As much as I kept trying to deny it, I’d fallen for him a long time ago, and it’s so relieving to know that he felt the same way, too. As soon as I read the words he’d written, his familiar handwriting that I hadn’t realised I’d missed seeing so much, it was like every single worry I had about our relationship and future left my mind.

There is no doubt in my mind that Isaac is the love of my life. No doubt in my mind that I’m his, too.

And now that the words have been said out loud, it feels so freeing. I can’t wait to say them to him for the rest of our lives.

“I love you,” I tell him, looking right into his golden green eyes so he can see how serious I am about him.

“I love you,” he says it back, staring right at me like he can see into my very soul, and I think he can because he’s the other half of it anyway.

We decide to skip dinner and spend the rest of the evening just talking to each other about anything and everything. Isaac tells me more about the universities he’s applied to, which one he wants to go to the most, and why. Somehow, that leads to him showing me random clips from his favourite animated movies. He goes back and forth between the frames, pointing out small details that I never otherwise would have noticed, and it just gives me a newfound appreciation for how talented he is.

It also makes me feel so immensely proud of him for standing up to his parents and following his dreams. I was completely shocked when he told me what decision they had made, and I expected him to be, too. But he was so calm and collected that it made me realise just how much he’s grown over the past few months, how much more confident he is in himself and his skills.

I did worry that maybe he was being too quick to make a decision, that perhaps he should consider it some more and try to find a way to appeal to his parents. But I know there’s nothing he could have said that would have made them change their minds. He’s already given up so much for them, wasted so much time trying to appease them, and it seemed like nothing he did was ever good enough, so why should he keep trying?

I told him about my mum and her parents and how something similar had happened to her, and Isaac asked if he could speak to her. I was nervous at first, but I knew it would help Isaac to get that input from her and to see that everything could still be okay even if he didn’t have his parents’ support. She said I could invite him over during the summer, but I know she’ll embarrass me to no end, so I’ll stick to visiting him at Luke’s house instead.

Eventually, Isaac realises that it’s way past curfew, and we’re playing with fire by spending so much time in each other’s rooms recently. We’re lucky we haven’t gotten caught yet, but I don’t want to risk it and get us both in trouble, especially when Isaac must stay here until the end of the school year because he can’t go to his parent’s house.

“Give me the USB, and I’ll work on adding some of my parts to it tonight.”

“Are you sure? It’s already pretty late,” he says, holding my face in his hands and squishing my cheeks together. If I didn’t love him so much, I would be annoyed at the way he’s pressing my cheeks in, but then he kisses me, and nothing else matters.

“I won’t do a lot, don’t worry. And I’ll call you before I go to sleep, too.”

“You better. I’ll come to your room tomorrow morning.” I smile up at him, nodding my head as best as I can while he’s still holding me. “I love you.”

He’s said it probably a hundred times just in the past few hours, but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing it.

“I love you, too.”

Isaac kisses me again before finally letting go of me, reaching over to take the USB from his desk and passing it to me. I tuck it into my tote bag next to my laptop before putting it on my shoulder. We say goodbye, and then I sneak out of his room and head back to my own, successfully avoiding bumping into anyone.

As soon as I get in, I put the tote bag on my desk and then go into the bathroom to shower. I do my nightly skincare routine before getting changed into a loose, oversized sleep shirt that reaches my knees. I sit at my desk, pulling the laptop and USB out of it before setting them up.

Violet

I’m gonna work on the project for a little bit, and then I’ll call you when I’m in bed

Isaac

Don’t work too hard

I put my phone down, but it buzzes just a few seconds later.

Isaac

I love you, jaanu

Violet

I love you, too

I’ve smiled so much in the past few hours that my cheeks are starting to hurt, but it’s impossible not to when I know Isaac loves me.

I open the file I’ve been working from, a Word document that has all the dialogue we need written out and ready for Isaac to add in. But he mentioned a few things he’d added that might change what the characters say, so I plug in his USB to open it up and check, but nothing shows up.

I unplug it, put it back in again, still nothing.

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