I Love You More Than I'm Afraid (Our Forevers #2), Rebel Hart [best adventure books to read .txt] 📗

invisible tether that was trying to drag me backwards and hold me in place. It would have been so easy for me to stay home, just fight my way through the discomfort of living with my parents until I could find some college to go to, doing something that I didn’t love, just because that was easier, but I was glad I didn’t do that. The tether was straining and straining until it snapped somewhere in the drive up to the front of the airport.

I was finally free.

After checking my bags and getting through security, I found my way to my gate. I packed all of my materials to wash up once I was there because I knew I’d have time. I made a plan to brush my teeth after getting breakfast, but I at least wanted to wash my face, brush my hair, and get some makeup on. I located my gate first and then headed to the nearest bathroom to clean myself up.

I’d gotten all the way through my hair and face and was leaning a little closer to the mirror to put my eye makeup on when I noticed the reflection of a beautiful woman staring at me through the mirror. I smiled at her and kept doing my eyeliner, keeping an eye on her as she walked up to the sink a couple down from the one I was using and started washing her hands. She was wearing a university sweater for NYU and had long, curly brown hair.

After finishing my makeup, I packed everything back into my bag and then turned to walk away.

“You’ve got a ‘fleeing the small town’ look about you.”

I laughed and looked over my shoulder at her. “You figured me out. I was trying not to be obvious.”

“Then you may not want to pack everything you own in one bag,” she responded.

I snickered. “You obviously didn’t see the body bag I had to lug up to bag check.”

She giggled, finished washing her hands and then walked over. “Let me guess, gay in a small, midwest town. Parents are hyper-religious and think your very existence is a sin? Headed to New York for the art scene and open-minded culture?”

I led the way out of the bathroom, laughing. “Wow. You are really good at that. Or maybe it’s just a story that you know really well?”

She flicked her head side to side. “Now you’ve got me.” She extended her hand towards me. “I’m Phoebe. My family is from here, but I’m an art history major at NYU. I’ll be starting my sophomore year in the fall, but I’m heading back early because… well, why would I not?”

“I get it,” I responded. “I’m Arden. I’m starting the Young Innovators Internship Program in August, but also, why stay here longer than I have to?”

“Totally.” She checked her watch and then looked back up at me. “Well, we’ve got time before our flight. Do you wanna get some coffee with me?”

I thought I meant what I said to Aria about not dating, but I was quickly remembering how nice it was just to be involved with someone. Phoebe was cute. Not Hannah cute, but cute, and maybe it would be nice to have a little distraction and maybe move on sooner rather than later.

“Sure,” I said.

“Sorry. She’s taken.” I whipped around at the sound of a familiar voice and my jaw dropped at the sight of Hannah standing behind me with a bag over her shoulder. She didn’t have her blue contacts in, nor was she wearing any preppy clothes, but instead she had on a hoodie, jeans, and a pair of her designer kicks. “So no coffee for you.”

“Hannah…”

“I can’t believe you,” Phoebe yelped. “If you have a girlfriend, why are you flirting with me?” She stomped around me, scoffing, but that didn’t matter.

The only thing that mattered to me was right in front of me.

I stammered to find my words. “What are you—”

“Here, you watch this. I have to pee.” She shoved her cell phone into my hand with a video cued up and rushed into the bathroom.

I was still so in shock that I could barely move, but I forced what focus I had into pressing the play button. Hannah’s face appeared on the screen briefly before the video turned down and showed a shot of some packed bags. She zipped up the last of them and then a couple of sets of hands reached into the frame and grabbed the bags off the bed. The camera panned up to Tristan and Aria, who were holding the bags and smiling.

“We’ll get these down to the car,” Tristan said quietly. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you?”

“I’ll be fine. I’m gonna be running for the hills anyway,” Hannah replied. “Go. Quietly.”

Aria and Tristan walked out of the room with the bags in hand and the camera angle showed as they walked down the stairs and up the hallway towards the front door, before the camera angle turned and flowed into the kitchen. Hannah’s parents were sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee with the sunrise barely coming up in the window behind them. It seemed the video had been filmed not too long ago.

“Mom, dad,” Hannah said from behind the camera. “I’m gay.”

My heart leapt up into my throat as Hannah’s parents looked up in shock. “What?” her dad said.

“I’m gay, and I’m in love. With Arden,” she said.

“We won’t stand for this,” her mother said. “No one living under this roof is going to follow such a sinful lifestyle.”

“I figured that would be the case, which is why I’m moving out,” Hannah replied. “To New York. Where I will live with my girlfriend.”

Both of them stood up from the table, infuriated. “What?”

“Call you later. Bye!” Hannah yelped, then the video got really swirly as Hannah evidently bolted from the house. She charged out into the front yard with her parents screaming after her and ran up to Tristan’s car