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After telling my father I was leaving, I tried to talk to my mother but she completely ignored me. I didn’t have time for games. I needed to get home to Kilyn.
“All right, Mama, if that’s how it’s going to be. I’m leaving to go talk to Kilyn. Se agapó.”
Lifting her hand in a silent gesture, I quickly tracked down the five people I needed to move their cars to let me out. The faster I got to Kilyn the better.
Walking into my apartment, I shut the door and tossed the keys on the side table.
“Kilyn?”
Her car was parked in her spot so I knew she was here. I’d finally talked her into moving in with me a few weeks back since she had been living with Claire and Blake. She moved in on Christmas Eve and it was the best gift I’d ever gotten. It was a huge step, but falling asleep and waking up with her every day was amazing.
I headed straight to the bedroom and came to a stop when I saw her packing.
“What are you doing?”
She spun around and all the air was sucked from my lungs. Her face was covered in tears and mascara.
I’d never felt such a deep pain in my heart like I did at this very moment looking at her tear soaked face.
“Baby, no. I swear to you she was my high school girlfriend, and I was as surprised by her actions tonight as you. As soon as you left, I asked her to leave.”
She stood there staring at me as more tears came.
“Did you hear me, Kilyn?”
Sitting down on the bed, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably. Dropping to my knees in front of her, I pulled her hands down.
“Talk to me, ladybug. Please talk to me.”
Shaking her head, she sucked in a shaky breath and attempted to talk.
“I’ll . . . never . . . fit . . . in. Your Yiayia hates me!”
My hands came up as I wiped her black tears away. “No, she doesn’t, baby.”
She nodded and used the back of her hand to wipe her snot.
Ew.
Gross.
“Yes . . . she does! She told me today not to turn you into a beer loving drunk! Because you know . . . all people from Irish decent are beer-loving drunks. Your mother thinks you’re going to starve because I can’t cook, but I’m actually a damn good cook! I can learn to make Greek food just as good as them but they won’t ever give me a chance. I know they won’t. I’ll never be good enough.”
Hearing her fears had my heart breaking.
“That’s not true.”
“It is true!” she yelled out. “Do you know how many of your cousins came up to me today and said they couldn’t believe Katerina was okay with you dating me? A non-Greek in the family.”
“No, I don’t know and I don’t care, and neither should you. Some of my family is very old school Greek. I don’t care what any of them think.”
She stood up quickly. “I do! Today they were questioning me about growing up Catholic. I was scared to death to tell them I haven’t set foot in a Catholic Church since I was fourteen! This will be our life forever. Me, always wondering if your family accepts me. Your grandmother thinking I’m not good enough. Your mother thinking I’m starving you. I think your father only likes me because he knew my father.” She shook her head and mumbled, “I can’t do it.”
Grabbing the suitcase, she slammed it shut. “I have to leave. I need . . . I need to think.”
The only way to describe the feeling in my chest was to say someone was squeezing the fuck out of my heart.
“What?” I mumbled as I watched her carry her suitcase out of the bedroom.
She can’t leave. I’m not letting her leave me.
Reaching for her jacket, she headed to the door. “Maybe I was too hopeful that this would work out. That . . . that we . . . would . . . work out.”
My eyes widened in horror. Racing around the front of her, I fought to pull air into my lungs.
“No. Kilyn. Please don’t leave. Baby, I can’t breathe without you, don’t you know that?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks as my heart pumped faster. My eyes searched her beautiful face. “You’re the only reason I smile when I go to sleep at night and when I wake up each morning. Your smile can turn the worst of days around and make me the happiest man on earth.”
A sob slipped from her soft pink lips. “I don’t know what to do. I love you so much, Thano. I’ve never loved anyone like I love you.”
“That’s all we need, ladybug.”
She closed her eyes tightly and blurted out, “I lied!”
