9

"Don't be," I pleaded with him in a nice way. "I can comprehend the reasoning behind your actions and reactions. Honestly, I'm glad you did. Because of this, I've been able to work through a lot of the problems I was having."

His appearance briefly brightened, but it was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared. After that, he made an unhappy face and asked, "Why? What came to pass?"

I answered with some trepidation, "Nothing really." "In the end, everything turned out for the best. The issue has been rectified. The end of the tale."

"Your boss called you earlier, but you didn't mention that, did you?"

I nodded my head in agreement and murmured, "Yes, she did." "She expressed her deepest regrets for creating such a fuss over such a minor issue. It would appear that she had no intention of making a public spectacle out of me in front of everyone. She expressed that she is sorry that she had such a negative impact on my feelings."

He exhaled a longing sigh and shook his head with disappointment. "It's hard for me to believe that some people would treat you the way they do. Why is it that no one ever takes what you say seriously?"

I gave an uneasy shrug in response. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea. Perhaps they believe that I am too young to handle responsibility at this point in my life. Or, it's possible that they just think I'm incapable of handling the situation properly."

"Well, let me assure you that none of them are correct," he asserted with conviction. "Well, let me assure you that none of them are correct." "You have a greater level of maturity than the majority of adults, in my opinion. You always appear to choose the best option available. When someone tries to bully you, you don't back down and never hesitate to defend yourself and your rights."

I kindly thanked them by saying, "Thank you." "On the other hand, I really wish that you weren't the only one who had those thoughts. There are times when I get the impression that no one else sees what is patently obvious to me."

"Trust me," he urged me repeatedly. "They are aware of it. They simply choose to ignore the fact that it exists. Don't worry about it though; at some point in the not too distant future, everyone will finally acknowledge that you are capable of dealing with any challenge that life throws at you."

I couldn't help but crack a grin of amusement and give an appreciative nod. "I'm really hoping that it will be sooner rather than later."

Aran stared at me without speaking for a few seconds, and then he began shifting uncomfortably in his seat. At long last, he issued a resounding coughing fit and began to speak "Look, I hate to be the one to cut in on this conversation, but I think there are some other things we should talk about first. Such as relocating to the United States. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to leave the day after tomorrow. On the other hand, I don't think that will occur given that we haven't worked out where we're going just yet. So, what do you say? Should I consider bringing a bag with me and spending the night here rather than driving home? When you get back from your meeting, we can pick up right where we left off with our conversation."

"Okay," I nodded my head in assent. "We'll get together at my house at exactly noon. After that, you can ride along as I drive you to Canada. Obviously, this is under the assumption that you were successful in persuading your parents to let us go on this trip."

He eagerly nodded his head and responded, "Of course. There was no wavering in my father's position."

"Awesome," I exclaimed with a sigh of delight. When do you anticipate that you will depart?

"Right away," was the prompt response he gave. "As soon as the sun goes down, I'm going to head downstairs and inquire with my mother about the possibility of borrowing some luggage. After that, I'll make sure I have everything I require for the trip. When I've finished packing, I'll give you a call and tell you which set of keys to my car I need you to bring me."

I nodded in agreement and said, "That sounds good." "I'll see you in about twenty minutes," you said.

After that, I hung up the phone as quickly as possible and dashed down the hall toward our bedroom. I flung open the closet doors and immediately began removing items of clothing. While that was going on, I was searching for the appropriate toiletries in the drawers that were located beneath my vanity table. In the end, I decided to purchase a number of different things, such as toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, soap, deodorant, razors, and a hairbrush. After that, I crammed each and every one of them inside my backpack and secured the zipper. Last but not least, I ran back into the living room after grabbing a few books, my wallet, and my cell phone.

But before I went outside, I took a quick look around the kitchen to make sure everything was in order. During the time that I was waiting for my boyfriend, I made the rash decision to get a snack. While I was looking for something to eat, I suddenly realized that I hadn't brought any plates or cutlery with me. I was very embarrassed. Fortunately, I noticed an empty cereal bowl lying close to the sink and picked it up. The fact that I hadn't eaten breakfast led me to believe that I must have skipped dinner the night before because I wasn't hungry. As a result, I reached down and picked it up, and I brought it with me as I left the building.

As soon as I got on the bus, I found a seat next to a middle-aged woman who was lugging a large suitcase and was wearing sunglasses. She gave me a curious glance before returning her attention to the newspaper in her hand. After noticing the confusion on my face, she gave me a warm smile and proceeded to explain, "I'm travelling alone. Imagine being confined to the same seat for a period of three hours straight. It would drive me completely insane."

I responded in a sympathetic tone by murmuring, "No kidding." "At least you had the chance to sit by yourself," they said.

She gave a hushed chuckle and then responded, "That is correct. Despite this, I am suffering from severe homesickness for my husband. Every time I get on a plane, I say a prayer asking for him to miraculously materialize somewhere nearby."

I continued to look at her with affection for a few more seconds before turning my attention back to the window. Not much longer after that, the driver made the announcement that we were getting closer to the airport terminal. Shortly after that, the bus came to a stop, as was to be anticipated, and passengers started getting off. I followed in their footsteps not long after that and went inside the terminal. Unfortunately, neither my biological mother nor my stepfather could be found anywhere in the vicinity. Instead, I noticed a person I recognized standing close to the counter where the information was being handed out. I was shaking so badly that I had to will myself to keep my composure as I hurried over to him. Despite the fact that I worked very hard to conceal my anxiety, I couldn't help but notice that his eyes kept darting back and forth between me and the person standing behind me. Finally, after a number of very lengthy moments had passed, he became aware of my approach and hurriedly stood up from where he had been sitting. After that, he moved aside and extended his arms in an inviting manner.

"Hi!" He smiled joyfully as he greeted me. You are most welcome here.

After a few seconds of hesitating and second-guessing myself, I finally took his hand and made my way around him. After that, I backed my suitcase up against the wall, turned around to fully face him, and gave him a bear hug. He encircled me and gave me a reassuring squeeze, which at first felt a little forced but was ultimately very comforting. After that, he reluctantly let go of me and signaled for me to follow him with his hand.

"Where are you, Mom?" I inquired with great impatience. "And Dad?"

He let out an irritated sigh and shook his head in disappointment. "Mom is hard at work right now. Additionally, Daddy is still in the city of Toronto. Another business conference is being attended by him today."

I gave a miserable frown but didn't say anything else about it. After that, I felt anxious and looked around before asking, "What about our friends?"

He made an embarrassed face and confessed, "I'm sorry." "Not sure. Probably still in class at this point. Sorry, sweetie. I neglected to check everything before hand."

I quickly assuaged his concerns by telling him, "It's okay." "What are your plans for the foreseeable future? Where do you want to go, exactly?"

He wore a frown and mumbled something under his breath "I suppose that we could wait here for a little while longer until your dad gets home from work. Or, if you prefer, we could go pay a visit to your maternal and paternal grandparents."

"That has a nice ring to it," I readily agreed. "What are you waiting for? In addition to that, it could take them some time to get used to the concept of seeing me once more."

"Yeah," he concurred with some reluctance. "Perhaps we should hold off on bringing them here for a little while. Okay?"

I gave a hesitant nod and looked anxiously around the room. Suddenly, I recalled the incident that took place during my birthday party two weeks ago, in which both my mother and stepfather were involved. When it happened, I had unintentionally shared their confidence with my entire family. That had caused quite a commotion among all of the people, with the exception of my own father. As a consequence of this, I was aware that my biological mother and stepfather would not be eager to have me back any time soon unless they received assurances directly from him. Therefore, I proposed somewhat tentatively, "What do you think about us inviting your parents to spend the night with us at the hotel? It is conveniently located and offers a wide variety of amenities. In addition to that, there is sufficient room for everyone."

"Sure," he agreed in a casual manner. "But how do you intend to get in touch with them?" "Actually," I informed him after giving it some careful thought, "I have an idea." "I already did. Earlier on today, I forwarded an email to both of them in which I detailed everything that took place between you and I. After that, I let them know that you are also privy to their most closely guarded secrets."

Aron's expression of shock was a blank stare, and then he blurted out, "You did WHAT?!"

I huffed angrily and rolled my eyes in exasperation as I read the sentence "Come ON! Are you serious?! Why didn't you let me know that you had gotten in touch with them? Have you forgotten that you promised to protect my privacy and keep my secret a secret?"

He scowled angrily and grumbled in response "Sorry, babe. I completely failed to account for it. Before I do something so stupid the next time, could you please remind me to thoroughly check every detail twice? In point of fact, why don't you write down the instructions so that you can refer to them in the future?"

When I thought back to the humiliating experience I had during the most recent Christmas Party, I couldn't help but twist my lips into a bitter twisted mess. After that, I shot an accusatory glare in his direction and yelled, "Fine. Please feel free to write them an email and relay the information that you have just given me. I challenge you to carry it out in the very moment."