Page 5 of Never Forget You
I don’t take anything that Matthew says to me to heart because I’ve been on cloud nine for days now, soaring higher than air, and I can’t see me coming down anytime soon. Why would I when I have the best woman ever by my side? God, Georgia is amazing. Everything I learn about her makes me fall harder.
“I told you this was true love,” I gush excitedly. “I told you I was going to marry her. I stand by that.”
“Hmm, well, I don’t know about that.” Of course, Matthew is going to remain cynical. That’s just his way. “But you do seem very happy together. What will happen when she goes back home, though? Surely, that’s going to be really hard for you. You’re going to have your heart shattered into a million pieces and I’m worried.”
An ice-cold spike hits me, but I ignore it. “You know, it’ll be fine. We’ll find a way. There’s always a way. It isn’t like we’re going to completely lose touch or anything. We can visit one another all the time…”
“Oh, yeah?” Matthew cocks a knowing eyebrow at me. “And you will pay for this how, exactly?”
“I can get a job.” I shrug one shoulder, refusing to get sucked into his bubble of worry. I justknowdeep in my gut that this will all work out. I’m not worried one bit about any of it. I won’t let myself because it’s going to be fine. “I can find a way. Iwillfind a way because Georgia is the one. I just know it. I don’t care how young I am.”
I dart one last glare toward Matthew for daring to try and put doubt in my mind, and I leave him to go and see Georgia. She has been forced into lunch with her parents but can now come and spend some time with me, which is perfect. I’ve missed her, and talking with Matthew has only made me miss her more.
“See ya later,” I call over my shoulder. “And I’ll prove you wrong, you’ll see.”
I mean, love has to win out in the end, doesn’t it? It just has to or what is the point in life? If it didn’t find a way to win, then no one would bother, would they? No one would be happy. I have to have faith in us and our happy ever after. The love, the bond, thechemistry… I just know that isn’t something I will find again. It’s her, only her.
“Ah, Georgia, there you are.” My heart skips a beat, just like it always does when I see her. “You look gorgeous, of course.” It doesn’t matter to me that she’s wearing the same thing as before. She’s beautiful. “How was lunch?”
She rolls her eyes in irritation. “My father was being a bit of a dick again. I don’t like the way he always wants to have control over me. It’s so annoying. I try not to get sucked into the argument, but it’s difficult.”
“Oh, you’re my damsel in distress,” I quip as I spin her around. “Let me save you from your life.”
We joke about this, but I would love nothing more than to actually be able to save her. She really doesn’t seem to be too happy with her home life, and it hurts that we’re just teenagers and there’s nothing I can do about it. But one day, I will. I don’t know when or how, but I intend to give her the best life ever. We will always be happy and joyful like this, I’m sure of it. I can’t wait for us to get started when we’re a little bit older.
“Yeah, yeah, poor little rich girl.” She rolls her eyes and laughs. “I know what you think of me.”
“I just think that you are perfect. Now, what would you like to do? What can we do to cheer you up?”
“Hmm.” She taps her chin thoughtfully as if she’s actually thinking about this. But we both know what she wants and that’s to go to the beach. Not living by the ocean makes her absolutely adore it. It has given me a newfound love for it as well. The memories we’re creating by the sea will stay with me forever. “The beach.”
Without even thinking about it, I envelop her in my arms and kiss her with all the deep passion within me. I love kissing Georgia more than anything in the world. It’s the absolute best feeling. If I could do nothing but kiss her for the rest of my life, then I would be happy. Her soft, plump lips are the best thing I’ve ever tasted.
“What the hell is this?” A gruff, sharp voice rips Georgia away from me. It’s shocking, it happens so fast. “Georgia, I thought you said that you needed to go out with some friends. I didn’t know you needed to cavort outside the hotel that we are all staying at with some low-life boy.” I’m far too stunned to be offended. “What is happening?”
“D–Dad?” Oh, God, this is the terrifying father that she has been moaning to me about. I never thought that I would have to come face to face with him. I can see what she means. He has a terrifying aura about him. I’m already scared to the core, which doesn’t help because I’m already on his wrong side. “I’m sorry, this isn’t what it seems. It’s not…” Georgia’s eyes are everywhere, all wild and terrified. I’ve never seen her like this before. “It’s…”
“Don’t try and palm me off with ‘it isn’t what it looks like’ bullshit because I know exactly what I saw, and I think that you already know I won’t be happy with it. Not a chance in hell. This isnothow you should behave.”
I should say something. I need to say something. This is my chance to save my damsel in distress and I have to take it. My brain is screaming at me to be a man and take action, but I can’t seem to make any sound come out. The fact that I am just a kid compared to this scary man hasn’t escaped me, and I’m not quite sure what to do about it.
“Dad, please, let me just go out for a bit. Nothing like that will happen again. I just want to enjoy my time here…”
“You think I’m going to let youenjoyyour time with this boy?” he sneers, clearly disgusted with me and not afraid to show it. Not that I can picture him as a man who hides his feelings. “Not a chance. I’ve seen enough to know why you were suddenly happy to be on holiday here, and I’m not allowing it to continue. You can come with me right now and we are leaving. This is over. You’ve ruined it for everyone. I hope you understand that.”
“No, Dad.” Tears stream down Georgia’s face. I feel like she’s in a TV screen or something, broken and upset, and I can’t get to her to comfort her. I want to do something to make this better, but I’m incapable. Unfortunately, she is right there, and I’m sure that Icoulddo something, but I’m frozen to the spot, encased in lead. “Please, don’t do this to me. Please. This is just a friend. That was a mistake. It won’t happen again. I will go out on my own…”
But her father has a bright red face that’s full of thunder. Wow, she told me that he was a controlling man, but I never knew that it could be like this. She really is a damsel in distress, isn’t she? Only I can’t be the hero. I have to admit this makes me very happy to have my parents who are much more lenient with me. So much more. As long as I’m happy and healthy, they are fine and they would never publicly humiliate me like this.
“Get inside. Now.” At first, Georgia refuses to go with her father, but he grabs her arm and pulls her. Now, this has become a horror movie and all I want to do is save the day, but I’m far too pathetic to do anything. “Now!”
Georgia glances at me for just a second as she’s taken away, but not in hatred. It isn’t like she blames me for not helping.She simply looks at me like her heart is breaking. Mine is too. I finally understand what Matthew has been trying to tell me, what he wanted to shield me from. He wasn’t being jealous or a bit of a douchebag. He just didn’t want me to feel this way. He didn’t want other factors to get in the way of my love for Georgia.
It has, though. Her father seems to be the sort of man who gets his own way no matter what. And what if she does go now? We haven’t exchanged numbers, addresses, email addresses, or even surnames. We’ve been so wrapped up in our love for one another that things like that didn’t matter… until now. Now it means everything.
“Shit.” I stuff my hands into my pockets and stare up at the building, knowing that she is lost somewhere within those walls and possibly about to be taken from my life forever. All because I couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her. I shouldn’t have done it here. If we had just started walking and gone straight to the beach, then none of this would have happened. He wouldn’t have caught us like he did and things would be smooth sailing. I would still have time with her… but how much time? God, reality is really sinking in now, in the worst way possible. I hate reality.
Eventually, she is going to go home, and if her father is really that against us, then he will find a way to rip us apart.