Page 92 of Through You
I open my mouth to protest, but she’s already gone. I’ll fight for her, and I will not rest until I have her in my arms. I contemplate the many ways I can seduce her and make her fall in love with me.
This is going to be fun.
Twenty-five
Artemis, I don’t like the dark.
CLAUDIA
I’m not good with good-byes.
I suppose this is normal, considering I’ve had very few in my life. The day Artemis left for university, we didn’t even say good-bye. I couldn’t look him in the face after I pushed him away. In a nutshell, situations like these are rare and far apart in my life. My lack of experience makes it hard to prepare for the moment, so it’s difficult to predict how I’ll behave when it happens. Ares is going away to study at a university in another state. Raquel let me know that his flight leaves in a few hours. I just left her in the kitchen, eating with the rest of the family.
I notice that his door is ajar and peek inside. His room looks organized and clean, but it also appears empty in a way that’s hard to describe. Ares is wearing jeans but is shirtless. His hair is wet, and he’s having a hard time trying to fit something inside one of his suitcases.
Though I knew this day would come, I’m shocked by how much it pains me now that it’s finally here. As I watch him pack his bags, I realize I’ll no longer run into him in the hallway, or catch him making faces at me, or find him in the rec room playing video games, or spend time chatting about silly things wherever we happen to be hanging out in the house. I underestimated how used to his presence I am, and how much I’ll miss him. He smiles at me with sadness when he sees me, and there’s a glimmer in his blue eyes.
“All set?”
He nods, and sighs. “I guess so.”
I’m not sure what to say or how to say it. I’ve always put up a strong front around him, and I’m not sure how he might react if he sees me crying. A memory of Ares as a little boy comes to mind.
He’s inside the restaurant and his hand is pressed on the glass where I have mine. His smile is warm and innocent. He’s always been kindhearted. These boys have truly been family to me.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks.
“Nothing. Just reminiscing, that’s all.” I have a lump in my throat. “I’m not going to the airport.”
He doesn’t ask why, or look disappointed. He simply nods, understanding that farewells at airports are not for everyone.
“I guess you’re here to say good-bye, then.” The closer he gets to me, the more I struggle to contain the tears that are welling up in my eyes.
“Umm, I . . .” My voice breaks, so I clear my throat. “I wish you the best in the world and I know that you’ll do great. You are incredibly smart.” I stop talking for a moment; my vision is getting foggy. “You’re going to be an amazing doctor. I’m really proud of you, Ares.”
His expression saddens, and his eyes turn red. Before I can continue, he pulls me into a tight hug.
“Thank you, Claudia,” he whispers against my shoulder.
“Thank you for everything. For being a good woman, and teaching me everything that my mother couldn’t.” He places a kiss on my hair. “I love you so much.”
I let the tears flow down my cheeks at the sound of those words. “You dumbass, I love you too.”
Ares wipes away my tears with his thumbs when we pull apart.
“Dumbass?”
We both laugh.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be here every other weekend. And Thanksgiving and Christmas. You’re not going to get rid of me that easily.”
“You better do that. All right, I’ll let you finish packing,” I tell him as I sniff through my stuffed-up nose.
“Okay.” Ares kisses me on the forehead. “And remember, no matter what happens with iceberg—”
“You’ll always be my favorite.”
He winks at me.
