Greenridge Academy

Chapter twenty - one

"You know... the only dream I can ever remember having —" His voice falters for a few seconds. "I've always wanted to travel the world, not like fancy hotels, and sight seeing..." He pauses again, emotion thrown over his face heavily. "I want to go to third world countries and help build schools for children. I want to feed them, teach them, and give them something they can be excited about." He ends abruptly. This is the most open he's ever been with me. We've spent every day of our winter break together. Sleeping, eating, laughing... I've done everything with him. I haven't had a single night alone since the night I gave him my choice. We still haven't talked about what this is, between us. As we lay on this quilt in his giant backyard gazing up at the stars, this is the moment. The moment he has me, and he doesn't even know.
"I don't know, it probably sounds stupid." He scoffs at himself. "It doesn't." I take a second to collect the right words, somehow knowing that this is an important moment. "I think — that's very noble of you. Something I would never expect someone like you — more so your family would ever want to do with their lives. I admire you for it." He sits up slowly, eyeing me as if he didn't actually hear the words I said. "So, if that's what you want to do... then why don't you do it? It's not like you have to save up money for years for it?" I question. He chuckles softly almost to himself, "My father would never let that happen. I'm the next son to run the family business." He says the last sentence in a voice that is not his own. Like he's heard it over and over from someone else's lips. "Lachlan — you give your father too much power over you. You're eighteen years old. You could leave now if you wanted to, and he couldn't stop you." I huff, overly annoyed with his scum of a father. "You don't get it." He says just below a whisper. "He does have control. If I don't do this, the business will have to be handed off to someone who isn't in the family for the first time since it was founded in the eighteen hundreds. My father will never let that happen." He's looking off into the distant trees now, not looking at me. He's leaning all of his weight on his hands that are propped up behind him.
As comfortable as I am around him, I don't waste a single thought as I slither on top of his lap, placing my hands on either side of his face so he has no choice but to look at me. "Lachlan, you have cousins... hell you even have a sister who could run this company with her eyes closed if she wanted to. Your father only has power over you... because you give it to him. If you really want to go help third world children and families then do that. Announce it somewhere he can't start an argument at." I pause again, with a small laugh to myself. "Yeah, he'll be pissed. But there won't be anything he can do. Especially if you do it in front of an audience or something crazy." There's a small twinkle of excitement in his eyes, he leans slowly into me. His scent is the first thing that hits my senses. Right before his lips come crashing down on mine, bruising and caressing all tangled together fighting for victory. That's how it always is with him... a battle within myself that knows he has the power to hurt me. But the other side is throwing everything I have ever kept inside at him. Wanting to be seen, heard, and loved.
"I have to go home soon, before Augs wakes up and gets the whole house up to see what Santa brought us." I say with a chuckle. "I love that little guy, take a video of him opening the gift I got him. I can't wait to see his face." I look at him, smiling, feeling all the things. "What?" I shake my head in response. "What's that face for?" He's now hovering over the top of me trying to tickle the answer out of me. "I just love that you love him." As the words leave my lips, his body stiffens. "Let's beat Santa to your house..." He stands swiftly, dropping his hand to me. Everything just changed... I feel the shift. Seven words, only one of them mattered.
I stood without his help, walking past him to his car. I could have driven here, but he's always so insistent on picking me up and dropping me off at home. I've been telling my parents that it was to rehearse for our project. Which isn't a full lie, we spend an hour every time we're together rehearsing. Especially the kissing scene. Not a word is said the entire drive back to my house, which tonight lasts way longer than it's ever had. "Thanks for the ride." I mumble out before jumping out of his parked car. He mumbled something under his breath that sounded a lot like Merry Christmas but I shut the door too soon to be sure.