Adore Me

“It’s not. I don’t think it’s just about me anymore. James said something about Vincent wanting both me and Mom. I’m positive there’s stuff going on that they aren’t telling me. So my being gone wouldn’t solve my family’s problems.”

Unless I take Vincent down with me, I think, but don’t dare say out loud.

“This is all just crazy.”

“Yeah, it is.”

He gives me a hug and says, “I’m go

“Right before you leave for the airport. I’ll tell him and just not go with.”

“You think he’s going to accept that?”

“That’s the other thing I need you to do, Damian. Make sure he gets on that plane and goes home.”

I move from the cabana to go sit in the sand. I close my eyes, sit still, and just breathe.

I need to say something to Peyton about not going back too.

But I can’t come up with anything.

The truth is, I don’t want her to go back to Eastbrooke without me. I don’t want to miss dancing during basketball season, or our competition, or the first big snowstorm, or winter formal, or French weekend . . .

“Hey,” Peyton says, sitting down beside me. “You’re up early.”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t believe it’s already time to leave. Have you seen Damian this morning?”

“Yeah, he went to shower a little bit ago.”

“He says he’s writing me a song.”

“He is. He was working on it last night on the beach after you went to sleep.”

“We slept together,” she whispers. “And he wasn’t there this morning.”

“That doesn’t mean what you think it does. Damian is creative and driven and when he’s inspired, he has to get it out of him.”

“So does he write every girl a song? Is that, like, his thing?” She sighs.

I think to when I asked Aiden if he brought every girl lunch, or clovers, or cake.

“No, it’s not his thing. He’s never written a love song before.”

“Sure he has.” She quotes, “Her eyes get bright every time he’s around. The ocean waves beat out her heart’s sound. Their love begins as a ripple and grows into a tidal wave. But he’d surf through uncertainty just to see that gaze. Oh baby, if you only knew, Oh, baby, the feelings I have for you, Oh baby, if you could only see, Oh, baby, it needs to be you and me. He’s totally got a crush on someone. Or has a girlfriend. Or something.”

“One, I would’ve told you if he had a girlfriend. And two, that song is about me.”

“He’s in love with you?”

“No, silly. It’s about me and the surfer guy. We were friends for a couple years before we got together and supposedly everyone could see we were in love.”

“What about forget about him, come surf the crowd with me, it ain’t the water, but baby it’s plain to see—” She stops. “That song really resonates with me. About how she’s popular but no one sees that she cries herself to sleep.”

“Remember I told you on the plane about how I became the biggest bitch ever?”

“Yeah . . . So that song’s about you too?”

“Inspired by what happened, yes.”

“Does he have a secret crush on you?”

“Damian is like my brother. Absolutely no crushing. Well, except for the big one he has on you.”

She gives me a blazing smile. “Do you think so?”

“I know so.”

“He says he wants to see me again. That this isn’t just a vacation hookup and that it’s the start of an epic romance.”

“He’s not like other guys, Peyton. He’s honest and he doesn’t play games. He’s the kind of guy you can trust. And now that he’s back in the states, he’ll probably be all over the internet, so you can keep an eye on him.”

“I’m not going to stalk him.”

“A

“Yeah, but I don’t want to leave here,” she says quietly.

I see Aiden walking toward us and say, “I wish none of us had to leave.”

“I’m all packed,” he says, sitting down next to us.

Peyton’s phone dings. “Oh, I have to go,” she says and then rushes off.

Aiden seems lost in thought. He keeps tilting his head like he wants to ask me a question but doesn’t know if he should.

“What?” I finally say.

“Can I ask you a question about your ex?”

“Uh, sure.”

“If he loves you, why aren’t you together? Why doesn’t he come see you at school? Why aren’t you at his competitions? Like, this weekend. You were off school. Why didn’t you go watch?”

“Uh, well, because I’m not allowed to see him.”

“But yet you have. You saw him on Labor Day break before you went to the Hamptons. And then again when you went to the birthday party.”

“Yeah, but we weren’t supposed to see each other.”

“Do your parents not like him?”

“No, my family likes him. It’s complicated, Aiden.”

“I’m sure it is, but I need to understand.”

“Maybe it isn’t my parents that don’t want us to see each other.”

“So, his parents?”

“His dad.” I don't want to flat out lie to Aiden, but B’s dad did play a big role in his leaving the way he pla

“But you said he’s older than you. Why would he even have to listen to his dad?”

“Because even though he has sponsors, he still needed his dad’s financial support to do it. He has a trust fund, but he doesn’t get it until he’s, like, thirty or something. The deal was that he’d try it for a year and see if he was good enough. And if he turned out to be good enough, he’d probably get full sponsorship, and then could do whatever he wanted.”

“So, after a year, he’s coming home? To you?”

“In theory, yes,” I say, because that was the original plan. Sort of.

“When’s that year up?”

“On my birthday. August.”

He reaches out and grabs both of my hands in his. “I’ll take it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Boots, I may not be out wi

Oh gosh. This is it. This is where I finally have to do it.

I’ve been dreading this moment since we stepped off the plane.

“Yes, you do have to leave for the airport soon.”

“What do you mean, you? And why do you look sad again?”

“Because I’m not going with you. I’m not going back to Eastbrooke.”

“Why not?”

“Family stuff, kinda.”

“Then why did you let me come with you? Give me hope? Why didn’t you kick me off the plane?”

“Because I didn’t handle it well when we were at school. Things felt unsettled, and I wanted to give you closure. Give us closure. I didn’t do it to hurt you, Aiden. I just wanted to be able to say goodbye.”

Aiden stands up quickly and paces in the sand in front of me. “Where are you going?”

“Probably France,” I say, pushing back tears.

Aiden pulls me off the sand and into his arms. The wind blows my hair across my face in front of me. Aiden pushes it behind my ear, gets close to me, and says softly, “Then I’m moving to France too.”

“You’re what?”

“Wherever you go, I go.”

“What? No. What about your sister?”

He looks over my shoulder, so I glance behind me to see Peyton happily laughing and swinging her feet off the edge of the pool, Damian sitting next to her.

“I think it's time I start living my life for me,” he says.

“But, Aiden, it’s not that easy. You have school.”

“School is overrated. Let’s stay here.”

“But—”

He kisses me, effectively stopping me from speaking.