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It had been three days since I moved in with the Wrights and I hadn't heard from Bastian once. At first I thought he was giving me some time to get settled but his continued silence had me fearing there was more to it. I had gotten so accustomed to feeling him next to me, I was having trouble sleeping at night. I missed him, I ached for him, so I reached for my phone and texted him
I want to see you. Are you working tomorrow night?
I hurriedly got ready for bed and climbed under the covers waiting in anticipation for Bastian's call. I sat there for a good hour before I gave up waiting and dialed his number. His phone went right into voice mail. I hung up without bothering to leave a message. I couldn't help but think that Bastian was avoiding me.
The following day was Monday, but Bastian didn't pick me up for school. I caught a ride with Poppy and waited at my locker until the bell sounded, but no Bastian. I felt his absence acutely as I swapped out my books and headed to homeroom.
After morning announcements, I hurried to English determined to make Bastian talk with me, but when I entered the class, he wasn't there. Part of me was happy he was absent, because it explained why he hadn't picked me up earlier, but there was another part of me which acknowledged what most of me wasn't quite ready to accept: Bastian really was avoiding me.
He was absent for two days. On the third day, I found him at my locker. I was so happy to see him, I practically launched myself at him.
“Where have you been?” I demanded.
He didn't answer, but he held me so tightly against him. I just sank into his embrace because I had missed him. Sooner than I wanted, he stepped back from me and when he smiled, it didn't quite reach his eyes.
“Talk to me, Bastian.”
He ran his finger down my cheek, but I saw the anger in his expression. “They've recruited Kira.”
“Your parents?” My incredulousness was chased away by my own fury. “What, is she supposed to keep tabs on you?”
“Yes, and report back. They'll make good on their threat of calling in Cal's loan if I don't fall in line. That garage is his life.”
I stood there looking at the person I wanted most in this world, someone who was so close to me I could literally reach out and touch him, but thanks to his parents' meddling, he might as well live clear across the planet. I never knew heartbreak could actually make a person physically ill. A gut-deep sadness filled me.
“I'll stay away.”
He cradled my face in his hands, the gesture stunningly tender and though his words were softly spoken, there was no denying his intensity. “I don't want this. I want you but until I find a way to get them to back off, I have to toe the line. I owe that to Cal.I'm sorry, Lark.”
“Me too.”
***
Despite my heartache over the situation with Bastian, life with the Wrights was idyllic. I had feared being in Poppy's company 24/7 might turn us into bickering siblings, but it wasn't that way at all. As it was with Bastian, tiresome chores like homework were actually enjoyable if someone shared the monotony. And when I got stuck with an assignment, I only needed to ask the Wrights for help and they were more than happy to sit with me for as long as I needed. The day-to-day family dynamic was not one I was used to, and I found that I craved it. In many ways, that time with the Wrights was the happiest I had ever been and I understood now why Mr. Wright had been so insistent, but even that was tempered by the absence of Bastian. I missed him every damn day.
He had stopped sitting with me in English and he could usually be found at the popular table at lunch. He no longer waited for me at my locker and seventh period found me all alone in the art room. In the week that followed, he grew increasingly more distant, until the time came when he avoided me altogether. I'd see him in lunch, sitting with Kira, and in English, I'd sit in my seat and just stare at his back. Even though my heart was now a dead organ, the phantom of it ached as I watched him.
Almost two weeks after I moved out of the apartment, Bastian texted me asking to meet at our spot near the river. Mr. Wright let me borrow his car and when I arrived, Bastian was already there waiting. As soon as he saw me, he drew me into his arms.
“I'm sorry.” He whispered.
“They didn't give you a choice.”
“I've missed you so damn much.” He said.
I touched his face and was thankful that I had the chance to do so. I knew what was coming. There’d been talk at school about Bastian taking his finals early. He said, “I've been going over my options with Dom.”
It was just shy of a month since my birthday surprise. We had been so perfectly happy then and now only a few short weeks later, it was all falling apart.
“I won't live under their thumb—being so close to you and being unable to be near you. I can't do that anymore.”
“And your parents' threats?”
His hold on me tightened, “They want me away from you, so I'm guessing me leaving will appease them for now.”
“Where will you go?”
“My brother helped me work it out with my teachers to let me graduate early. I was surprised at how accommodating they were: arranging for me to take last year's exams. I'll lose my AP credit but that's a small price to pay.” He hesitated a moment, his next words seemed hard for him to say. “I'm going to Massachusetts to start my apprenticeship. But I still want to go to Columbia and I still want to get a place together.”
