"I didn't say you could go in." He slams his fist on his desk, looking at us angrily.
"What will management say when they hear you've turned down your only customers?"
That shuts him up, and Dani and I go up the stairs, following
the signs. I expected to watch stars or some similar shit, but instead, we end up in a room that looks like a movie theater. It becomes dark when we sit down, and images of constellations are projected on the screen, while a voice plays in the speakers, explaining what we're seeing. It's only when I look sideways at Dani that I realize this sends the wrong message. Looking at stars, even fake ones, is something romantic. I'm about to break her heart.
"This is so cool." Excitement laces her voice. I'm doing this all wrong. I should just tell her. But then a new constellation is projected, and I can't bring myself to spoil the moment. I almost forget what tonight is about when the voice mentions Canada. It's like someone dropped a bucket of ice on my head.
"Canada," I whisper, almost hoping she won't hear me. She does, though; I can tell by the tiny quiver in her fingers, like she knows what I'm about to say. My fingers burn with the need to touch and soothe her, but I can't. If I do, I won't have the strength to tell her, let alone get on that plane tomorrow. "That's where I'm going." I don't look at her as I spell out the words, but I hear her harsh intake of air. It cuts through me like a knife.
"You're leaving," she says. I feel her looking at me, and I can't bring myself to turn toward her. I keep looking up as if the damned sky is the most interesting thing I've ever seen in my life.
"My father enrolled me in a boarding school."
"Starting when?"
"Monday."
She chokes out the next word. "No."
"He told me yesterday." I grab her hand gently, rubbing the soft skin of her inner wrist with my thumb. She's shaking badly.
"Your dad couldn't have arranged this so quickly."
"He planned it before."
"Maybe we can talk him into changing his mind." Her eyes are brimming with a tiny bit of hope. I can't stand taking that away from her.
"Trust me; there is no talking him out of anything."
"Let's run away." Her words are like a punch in my gut. They physically hurt.
"No, Dani. That's not what I want for you. You have everything mapped out. You will graduate and go to college in England. I won't take that away from you." For a split-second, I think she’ll burst into tears. Her eyes are all glassy, and she's holding her breath. Dani surprises me like she always does. She doesn't cry.
"Okay, well, that's not so bad, really. There are just three months of school left. You can come to England as soon as you graduate. I'll wait."
"You deserve someone you don't have to wait for. A guy who doesn’t fight, who doesn’t get busted by the police. You could've gotten hurt on Thursday."
The voice in the speaker booms louder, startling both of us, but we don't pay any attention to what it says.
"You want to leave." Her voice shakes.
"I don't know," I say honestly. "I'm just not sure about anything anymore."
"Not even about me?"
"I love you, Dani." Gripping her shoulders, I turn her until we're facing each other. "I am sure of my feelings for you, but not about anything else." She means everything to me; she must know that.
"What happened on Thursday—”
"Is a prime example why good girls shouldn't fall for bad boys. I'm not the guy for you, Dani. Not now, anyway. Maybe someday, when I get my shit together, I will be."
"Damon..."
I kiss her more forcefully than I ever have. I know it's one of the last times I'll get to, so I make it count. Tears stream down her face, making me hate myself for it.
"Stay, please," she murmurs when I pull myself back.