If I Were Allowed To Love You

Sixteen

Ryan wasn't sure if he heard the man correctly. "I'm sorry. She joined the circus? I left our date for a family emergency, and she wound up joining the circus?" he slowly clarified.

The man winced and nodded. "I didn't know she went on a date with you. I thought it was the other guy."

"Okay, date might not be the right- Did she consider this a date?"

"She told me she was going out with a friend, but based on her smile, I can guarantee she thought of it as a date." He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sure she'll send a text or something explaining everything, but it isn't like her to run away from her problems. I'm sorry she left you like that."

"No, no, it was my fault. I had a family emergency, and I had to head home immediately. I should have known she'd...join the circus- Oh, God," he sighed, dropping his face into his hand. "I'm sorry to bother you so late."

"Knowing my daughter, I know she won't be able to handle being there for so long. She'll come back before you know it. I wouldn't worry too much. Trust me."

"Well...thank you for your time."

After the man shut the door on him, Ryan slugged his shoulders and trudged up the hill to his car. Out of all the responses he could have thought of what Melissa's reaction would be to him leaving the date, he didn't think 'join the circus' would be one. How she wound up coming to that conclusion in the first place was beyond him.

He sat in the driver's seat and turned on the car. His mind was numb and his body on autopilot. Gone. She was gone. Out of the blue, she left. He blamed himself for leaving and not telling her right away, but he felt his fears were justified. He only assumed he would have had more time with her before the possibility of her leaving would arrive.

Gripping the steering wheel tight, he let out a silent scream in his car as tears pooled in his eyes. His mate. His other half. The woman he was destined to be with. Gone. Ran away to join the circus. He'd heard of men running away with the circus after a break up, but he'd never heard a story of a woman running away and joining the circus because she was afraid to be with someone. He wished he could have done a better job at securing her thoughts.

Driving home in silence, Ryan pulled up into his driveway. The moment he walked into his house, he spotted Theo waiting on the steps. His leg bounced in anticipation, he chewed on his bottom lips, and he wrung his hands together with his phone in his lap. When he closed the door, Theo looked up and frowned, his eyes misty. "I just got a text."

"From Melissa?"

He nodded and pulled out his phone. "Theo, I know this is sudden, but life got a whole lot harder today. My dad's been downgraded in his job, so we can't afford savings for anything. We can barely make it with me still living at home. His paycheck can take care of him alone but not the both of us. I know it sounds sudden and weird, but I've decided to join the circus. With my knife throwing skills, I will be able to create a successful show in no time, thus allowing me to earn more money to send home and take care of my dad. I already talked to him about this, and he's agreed to let me go. I don't know when I'll be back, but I'm cheering you on during your last year of school. I can't wait to see pictures of you walking across the stage and receiving your diploma. We'll still stay in touch online. I'd say I'd call, but I'll be leaving for Europe in a week. I'm heading to the circus early to meet everyone and get a show started for myself. I'm going to miss you like crazy, but I promise to see you again. This is not the end."

Theo looked up and frowned, his lip quivering. "Gone. Just like that. I can't believe she'd feel the need to run away and join the circus to help her dad."

Ryan felt guilty for the thoughts he had before. It wasn't because of fear of ruining her best friend's life that kept her away, rather the love she had for her father and her need to take care of him so they could both survive. He found his thoughts to be selfish and horrible. He regretted ever thinking such things.

"There's no way she's going to stay away for long," he added, and Ryan glanced up at him.

"Her dad said the same thing."

"You met her dad?" he gasped.

Ryan nodded. "I wanted to explain why I left, remember? Turns out I just missed her."

"Look, if anything, I bet she'll be gone for a year tops. She's going to Europe, and depending on how much she makes, she'll probably take a little trip to the places she always wanted to visit and then come home, get her GED, and then we will work on you two finally getting together." He jumped up from the stairs and clamped his hands on Ryan's shoulders. "I am not giving up on you two. This is not the end."