Page 88 of Ransom

"I remember his face. It was fear, Blair. There was some anger and frustration mixed in, but mostly, it was fear."

"What? Why would he be afraid?"

Her face is filled with confusion, and I almost stop. She doesn't need to know Robert's part in us breaking up. But I knowthat if I do stop, if I keep that part of our story to myself, that I can kiss any hope of a future with her goodbye.

"He'd spoken to me a few weeks before that night. You were at some school thing, so it was just the two of us in the garage. He knew about us."

"I've seen the way you two look at each other. I'm not blind, son."

"It's not what you think," I blurt out, even though it's exactly what he thinks. "We're just?—"

"Don't," Robert cuts me off. "Don't lie to me. I need you to understand something very important."

I clench my jaw, ready to defend myself, to prove I'm not some dumb kid. "I care about her. A lot."

"I know you do. But, Ransom, she's almost eighteen. You're fifteen. Do you understand what that means?"

"Age is just a number," I mutter, hating how childish it sounds even as I say it.

Robert , turns to face me. His eyes are filled with a fear I've never seen before. "It's not just a number to the law. When Blair turns eighteen, if you two... if anything happens between you, she could go to jail. Do you get that?"

The weight of his words hits me like a punch to the gut. I hadn't even thought about that. "But we wouldn't?—"

"Blair doesn't always understand boundaries, Ransom. She might not realize the consequences of her actions. And I'm terrified she's going to end up in handcuffs because of it."

I think about Blair, about her gray eyes that see right through me, about how she makes me feel like I'm not broken. The thought of her in trouble because of me makes me sick.

"I'm not a kid anymore," I say, my voice shaking. "I've grown up. I can handle this."

Robert's face softens. "I know you have. But the law doesn't care about that. It doesn't care how mature you are or how deep your feelings run. All it sees are numbers."

I kick at a pebble on the sidewalk, frustration building in my chest. "So what, we're just supposed to pretend we don't feel anything?"

"I'm asking you to be careful. To think about Blair's future, not just your feelings right now."

His words sting, but I can't deny the truth in them. I think about Blair, about how much she's overcome, how hard she's worked to fit into this world that doesn't always understand her. The last thing I want is to mess that up for her.

"I don't want to hurt her," I whisper, my throat tight.

Robert puts a hand on my shoulder. "I know you don't, son. That's why we're having this conversation."

The silence is heavy between us. My mind's racing, trying to figure out how to protect Blair without losing her completely.

"What am I supposed to do?" I ask, hating how lost I sound.

Robert takes a deep breath. "For now, just be her friend. Be there for her, support her, but keep things...appropriate. When you're both adults, if these feelings are still there, then you can explore them safely."

It feels impossible, like asking me to stop breathing. But as I think about Blair, about her future, I know I have to try.

"I'll do my best," I promise, meaning it with every fiber of my being.

Robert nods, relief clear on his face. "That's all I can ask, Ransom. Thank you for listening."

Blair stares at me, then, with a muffled sound, shoves her door open and steps out of the truck. She moves to the front, her back to me, shoulders hunched. I climb out and stand next to her, wanting so badly to hold her that I have to shove my hands in my pockets to stop myself.

"Boundaries?" she repeats softly. "I don't understand boundaries? I was almost eighteen. He could have explained that to me. That it was wrong. I didn't know that. I didn't know any of that." She turns to me, devastation all over her face. "He didn't believe in me at all."

Fuck. This is exactly why I didn't want to do this. "He did, Blair. He loved you."

---