Unrequited by Emily Shaffer Page B

told you I love you, doesn't that mean anything to you?” Will searched his mind for the words to make her stay.
    “I know you love me, Will, and I think part of me loves you too. Part of me wants to just give in and accept the life you want to give me, but a bigger part wants to go and explore the world and see what's out there.” Ashton began to cry, “From almost the day we met, I've felt like it was assumed we were somehow destined to be together. I was so angry. I felt like all of my choices had been taken away. I've fought it until I realized I can't fight the inevitable. I do believe you and I could be together, someday, but that day can't be today.”
    “So what are you saying? You want to run off and leave me here waiting for you, is that what you want?” Will was trying to control his voice.
    “No, that's not what I want, that wouldn’t be fair. What I want is for you to let me go, let me finish what I need to do. Just like you let me have space to finish high school. College was always my plan, and I want to see it through. I want to figure out how I'm going to carve myself a place in the world, just like you did.” Ashton wiped the tears from her eyes.
    Will slowly sat on the ground and put his head in his hands.
    “Don't you see, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn’t have the courage to leave. You showed me that living forever doesn't have to be some kind of prison sentence. You showed me it's possible to make a happy and fulfilling life for myself. I owe you everything, and I promise you, I will come back and give us a chance to see if there really can be more.” Ashton knelt beside Will and cradled his head against her shoulder.
    Ashton felt the weight of his sorrow, and she hated herself for making him feel this way. Still, she knew she had to go. Will had centuries to figure his life out, and she'd only had a year, and she was determined to take more time. In her heart, she believed it was very likely that Will was the man for her. She believed that, in a few years, he could very well become her husband. She just needed time to make sure.
    After a long silence, Will finally spoke. “Can't we at least have the summer? We've barely spoken in the past few months. You can't leave now. Not now.”
    Ashton moved away from Will and turned to face the water.
    “I'm leaving next week. I was accepted into a summer program for early starters.” She could see his face fall, even in the darkness.
    “Which program?”
    She moved back to Will and laid her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her.
    “I've decided to become a teacher, like you.”

Chapter Fourteen
     
    Four Years Later
     
    “It's so strange," Ashton said to her mother as they pulled the car in sight of Belle Ridge, “this place feels more like home than Mount Clara did.”
    Elaine Wallace smiled at her daughter as they drove past the now-familiar houses and businesses of Belle Ridge.
    Ashton had spent most of the past four years at a university in Alabama pursuing a teaching degree. There had been occasional visits home for holidays, but for the most part, she had stayed away. She tried to tell herself she was too busy to go home, but she knew it was a lie. She hadn't been able to face Will Leighton.
    Even on her infrequent visits to Belle Ridge, she hadn't run into Will. He'd honored her request for time and space. There had been an occasional letter, his preferred method of communication, but for the most part he’d kept his distance. Ashton knew the ball had been in her court, and she didn’t blame Will for staying away. In the time they'd known each other, all she had ever done was push him away.
    More than once, Ashton had been tempted to seek him out and talk to him. She wanted to try one more time to make him understand her feelings. But after reading his journal, she realized he understood her feelings quite well, and she was the one who lacked understanding. For so long, she kept trying to make him see her point of view but