Chapter 12
JULIET
With each passing day, it felt like the whole world had slowed down and become heavier at the same time.
The days blurred together in a strange kind of way.
I kept expecting the worst to pass, but instead, it just settled in deeper.
Every time I walked through the main house, I could feel the shift, the way conversations would die when I entered a room and the way eyes would slide away from mine.
It wasn’t loud anger anymore. It was quieter and colder, like the family was trying to figure out how to exist around us without falling apart completely.
I couldn't lie… I thought about heading back to the city to give my parents space to process this. But I couldn’t. I couldn't leave Bastian, and I couldn't leave my parents without fixing things. Or at least trying to.
My dad still carried that hurt in his eyes whenever we were in the same space, but he didn’t yell. He just looked tired in a way that made my chest ache, and every once in a while, I saw him watching me with that same fatherly love that I’d always seen before all of this tainted it.
Mom tried to keep things civil, and I saw her accepting the situation quicker than my father. But I could still see the strain on her face, too. They were both trying in their own limited ways, but the wound was still fresh and raw and would be for a while.
Bastian kept to himself next door, giving everyone space like we’d agreed. But I couldn’t stay away from him. He never turned me away. He’d just pull me inside and hold me like he was afraid the world might take me from him.
Today, I found him sitting on his patio with a beer, staring out at the water.
But as soon as he saw me, his focus shifted to me, and his smile tipped up his lips.
I sat down beside him and leaned my head on his shoulder.
Both of us sat and watched the sunset paint the lake in soft oranges and pinks.
Bastian exhaled slowly and said, “I keep thinking about what happens after all this.” His voice was low, but it was soft… hopeful. “When summer ends and when we’re not just hiding out here anymore. What kind of life we could actually have together.”
I lifted my head so I could look at him. His eyes were tired, but there was something else there, too. It was a quiet determination I hadn’t seen in days, like he’d been thinking about our future even though we were living in hell right now.
“I’ve been thinking about that, too,” I admitted. “I don’t want us to live like this forever. Always waiting for the next fight or the next awkward silence. I want… more. To wake up next to you without feeling like we’re doing something wrong. To have a life that’s actually ours.”
He turned toward me, his gaze searching my face like it held the answers to all the questions he’d ever had. “You really see that with me? Even after everything?”
I nodded without hesitation. “Especially after everything. I don’t want the easy version of you…
of this. I want all of it, even the rough edges, scars, and the man who stayed when it would’ve been easier to run.
I want a future with you, Bastian. Here at the lake or somewhere else.
I don’t care where as long as it’s with you. ”
He let out a shaky breath and pulled me closer, resting his forehead against mine. “I want that, too,” he whispered. “More than anything. Even though I’m scared as hell, I want it.”
That night, we ended up in his bed. It started slow and quiet, full of all the fear and hope and love we couldn’t quite put into words yet.
He touched me like he was afraid I might change my mind, kissing down my body until he reached my pussy.
He licked me slow and deep, groaning against me like he needed the taste of me to survive.
And when I came, shaking and moaning his name, he moved up and slid inside me in one smooth thrust, making love to me and telling me he’d never let me go.
“Fuck, I love you,” he breathed against my mouth as he rocked into me and came, his big body shuddering and tense as he filled me up. “Love knowing you’re mine even when the whole world thinks it’s wrong.”
We were both scared, and although our family was fractured, I was confident things would be okay.
They had to be.
We’d take one hard day at a time, but for the first time since the shit hit the fan, I was looking forward to a future with the only man I’d ever loved.