Maybe This Time

31

The three week trial was over. Whether it was a success lay on Willow's shoulders, and I only hoped that she was as passionate about this as I was. I wait at the college gates, my foot tapping repeatedly on the tarmac as I look around. I've already had a few lessons, and because Willow's day started a little later than mine, I haven't had the chance to speak to her. We've both been so busy recently with exam preparation, that we haven't had the chance to talk about ourselves. 

Then, I see her walk through the gates, and it's like my heart is completely captured. Whenever I see her, it's like laying my eyes on her for the first time and falling all over again. Willow grins when she sees me, skipping towards me and wrapping her arms around my neck, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. "Good morning." She smiles, and I lick my bottom lip, blinking at her. 

"So..." I cleared my throat. "It's been three weeks." I nod my head at her, and Willow smiles, biting her bottom lip lightly. I stare at her. 

"Yeah, it's not gonna work." She tells me, her hand on my shoulder. My face drops. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and Willow just laughs. "I'm kidding." She giggled, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. My breath shook and I lightly pressed my fingers to her waist. "The truth is, Ennis, I don't know why I needed three weeks to see if I wanted to be with you, or not." She tells me, and my heart crashes against my chest, causing an earthquake inside my body. "I knew from the first kiss that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." She smiles, her lip twitching. 

I try to fight the grin on my face. "Really?" I asked, and she nodded her head excitedly. "Well, Willow," I begin, curling my arm around her waist and pulling her in towards me. "I don't plan on letting you go any time soon." I grin, and she leans up, softly pressing her lips to mine for a few seconds. 

"Good." She smiles. "Do you wanna be my-" Before she could finish her sentence, her friends are behind her, and Willow is turning around, a huge smile on her face. They're all hugging and speaking with wide smiles on her face, and I step back a little, giving them space. Willow turns back around to face me, her hand on my arm. "I'll talk to you later, okay? Make sure to come to our break room at lunch." She smiles, and I nod my head before her three friends drag her away, waving goodbye to me as they skip away. 

I chuckle under my breath, shaking my head as I stuff my hands into the pockets of the cream trousers I wore. I had matched it with a white collared shirt that I wore underneath a light blue sweatshirt. Willow always compliments my outfits, so I find that I'm dressing up more and more when I know I'm going to see her. It makes me smile a little. 

***

As soon as I get home, the first thing I hear is my dad's voice, calling me from the living room. My eyes screw shut as I sigh heavily, my hand tightening around the strap of my backpack. I haven't spoken to my father since he dropped the bomb on me that he was divorcing my mother, and it took every willpower I had to drag myself into the living room. 

I drop my backpack onto the couch, crossing my arms over my chest before looking up, my eyes leaning on him. He sat in the armchair, a glass of wine in his hand and a newspaper in the other. "What?" I huffed, tapping my foot impatiently. 

"Ennis." Dad sighs, his eyes briefly closing before he stands up, his hands on his waist. I raise my eyebrow at him. "We need to talk about the divorce." He states, his lip twitching. "And the wedding." He added, clearing his throat. 

"Okay." I shrugged my shoulders and flopped onto the sofa, crossing my legs at my ankles. "Talk." I murmur, and dad sighs before he slowly lowers himself back into the armchair, leaning forward.

"Your mother and I decided to divorce before we moved back from Liverpool." He nods his head, and I focus my gaze on the floor, not prepared to look him in the eye as he tells me about his disloyalty and infidelity. How he ruined our family for another woman that he didn't even bother to tell me about until he married her. "I met Olivia about a year and a half ago, and I proposed to her six months ago." He tells me, and I scoff, rubbing the tip of my nose. 

"Of course." I murmured under my breath, and I heard the way my dad's breath shook as he tried to speak. 

"I want you to meet her, Ennis." He states, and I stare up at him like he's grown an extra head. Is he kidding? He wants me to meet his mistress? Two weeks ago, I didn't even know she existed. Now, he wants me to meet her? God, let this be a joke. "I want you at the wedding." He adds, and I'm on my feet, turning away from him. I rub my hands all over my face, trying to keep composed. 

"You are insane, dad." I scoffed, shaking my head. My body trembled in anger and I pulled my glasses off to poke the corner of my eyes with my thumbs. "Do you seriously think I want to be anywhere near you or your fucking mistress after what you've done to mum?" I asked him, and he was silent from behind me. I turn around to face him. 

"Ennis-" 

"If you think... I will entertain this in any way, you are beyond delusional." I snapped, and his eyes waver as he flinched from my words. "You broke my mum's heart, and I'll never forgive you for that." I shook my head. 

"Ennis, you have to understand that sometimes, people fall out of love with each other-" 

"And that condones cheating, does it?" I asked him, my eyes wide with anger. "You're a fucking disgrace. You're not even sorry that you broke her heart! You don't even seem hurt over any of this. It's like neither of us meant anything to you in the first place." I scoffed, and my dad shakes his head multiple times, stepping towards me. 

"Of course I'm upset, Ennis." He exclaims, quietly. "But..." He shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders. "I can't show it." 

"Why not? Will it make poor little Amelia upset?" 

"Olivia." He corrects me, and I laugh before grabbing my backpack, flinging it onto my back. "Ennis, come on. Hear me out." 

"No, I'm alright, thanks." I shook my head at him, and it's obvious he understands that I'm mad because he slowly nods his head, stepping away from me. I stare at him for a few seconds, wondering what the fuck possessed him to ruin our family, but not able to find an answer. Love really does have a way of making the most sane people do the craziest shit.