The Forget Me Not Pact (The Secret Author Series, #1.4)

by M. J. Padgett

  “Jordan, please tell me what’s wrong?”

  He sighed loudly. “You have to tell your parents you plan to break up with me.”

  I pushed away from him. “What? Are you crazy? Why would I do that?”

  “Just trust me, Dana, okay? I’m not saying we actually break up, but we have to pretend for a little while. Can you do that? Can you just trust me without a bunch of questions?”

  “That’s not fair, Jordan,” I pressed.

  “I know it’s not, but I can’t bear to see the look on your face—”

  “Jordan, tell me right now what’s going on. Do not treat me like a helpless child.” I stomped my foot—like a child.

  He bit his lip and ran his hands through his wet, blonde hair. “Baby, it’s not... I don’t think you’re a helpless child. It’s going to hurt you, and I shouldn’t have brought it up this way, not today.”

  I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes. I was not playing around. If he had information about my parents, I needed to know what that was, especially if it meant we’d have to start hiding our relationship. They decided early on they didn’t like Jordan only because he wasn’t “the kind of person” I should be hanging out with if I was serious about my future. To them, a skateboard-riding boy who lived in a perpetual state of needing a haircut, and who scraped his way through school with barely passable grades was such a bad influence on me, that I should run screaming in the other direction. It would have been nice if they’d focused that energy on, I don’t know, noticing that I was a straight-A student in multiple extra-curricular activities despite dating him, then maybe they would realize he made me better.

  He closed his eyes and took a breath. “Your father called me.”

  “Oh, God. What did he say?” I had a feeling he went on about doing what was best for me and walking away, maybe even told him he was a better man if he did just that, but I was unprepared for the truth.

  “The day I turn eighteen, he’ll press charges against me if we’re still dating.”

  “Wait...wh-what? H-he can’t do that! I’m seventeen! You’re not even three full months older than me!”

  “He can, Dana. I checked, and state law is very clear. If it’s one day older, he can still do it.”

  “That’s the dumbest law I’ve ever heard! One day?” I screeched.

  “Yes, one day. But it’s only for a little while, baby. We can find a secret place or... I don’t know, leave each other letters or something in a hiding place. Whatever you want, but...”

  His voice faded at the sight of my tears. He quickly raised his hands to my face and brushed away each one. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, lingering for a long time. I saw a few drops of rainfall onto his shirt and knew we should get to cover before the storm came. We could talk more once we were somewhere safe from lightning strikes.

  When I looked up at him, I saw that the drops were not raindrops, but tears. “Jordan...”

  “I’m so sorry, Dana. I didn’t want to hurt you that way or make you think poorly of your parents,” he said.

  “Jordan, baby, it’s not your fault. They did this, not you.”

  I’d never seen him cry before, not even the time he fell off his skateboard and dropped ten feet to the concrete, breaking his arm. Frankly, it scared the heck out of me.

  “Hey,” I said, “we are in this together, forever and ever, okay?”

  “Dana, he’s serious. I’ll go to...” he hesitated. “Screw it. I’m not going to just abandon what we have or hide it in shame. Let him have me thrown in jail. I don’t care, I love you too much to—”

  I pulled him down and kissed him, ignoring his statements and just living in that moment with him. I never doubted it, but if I had, those tears would have sealed the deal for me. He loved me more than anything, and I’d do whatever necessary to make sure we stayed together. I released him and rested my head on his chest.

  “Wow,” he said. “I should get emotional more often.”

  I playfully shoved him, then grabbed his hand to steady him. “Look, I know a place we can meet that no one will see us. If you’re okay with sneaking around, I’m okay with it, too,” I said.

  “I don’t like lying to your parents, but I can’t stand the thought of not seeing you for months,” he admitted.

  “It’s done then. I’ll stage a break-up with you during vacation, and when I get back, we’ll meet there.” As I watched him contemplate his options, weighing his concern for my relationship with my parents versus our love, I fell in love with him all over again.

  Day 365

  Jordan

  I REALLY HATED THE idea of lying to her parents, but there was no way I would let her go. I loved her, and even my young mind knew it was the kind of love that didn’t come around often, maybe never for some people. The connection we felt the first day was still as strong, stronger even.

  “Okay, but we can’t meet every day. Maybe once a week so they don’t get suspicious. I’m not crazy about the lying, but—”

  She grabbed my collar and kissed me again, determined to prove her point. It was taken, I got it, but I’d act like a moron for the rest of the day if it got me kisses like that. The magic was still there, the tingle of anticipation just before her lips touched mine, the exhilaration when they finally did... the whole darn thing was just magical.

  I eased her away and turned her in the direction of the row of shops so we could finally eat, but she had other plans. She tugged my arm and took off running as the rain started falling. We were soaked within seconds, but she didn’t care. She ran, checking over her shoulder periodically to make sure I was behind her.

  Finally, she slowed when she reached a rickety chain-link fence that surrounded an old clock tower, part of the local college that desperately needed updating. My little rebel ignored the “Do Not Enter” signs and pushed her way through an open space between two poles.

  “Hurry up, slowpoke,” she said, her words drowned in the heavy rainfall and thunder.

  I pushed through behind her and ran as hard as I could to catch up to her. She disappeared into the old tower, and the door fell closed behind her. Even a moment away from her felt like an eternity, so I double-timed it and pushed through the door.

  Inside, the tower felt like taking a step back in time. The stone walls were bare and worn, but solid enough I wasn’t concerned about our safety. There was only one way to go—up. I followed the winding, cobblestone staircase until it stopped at a platform where the first window was. I felt like I was inside a castle, a very odd feeling in our time. She was there watching the storm from the safety of a window beside the clock face.

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked.

  I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Wet hair stuck to her face, those gorgeous blue eyes focused on the storm outside, but there was a definite storm brewing in there as well. I could tell. The blue was darkened, like storm clouds from her mind settled there, and I hated it. I wanted my girl to be happy always.

  “So beautiful,” I said, tugging on her sleeve.

  She turned to face me and finally smiled. “I meant the storm, Jordan.”

  I pulled her into my arms and held her close, only then noticing she was shivering. She never got cold, so I knew it was from anger or frustration, not the weather. I squeezed her as tightly as I could without smothering her.

  “I love you, Dana. Nothing will ever change that. I promise.”

  “You’ll never forget me, right?” she asked, and I knew we’d moved past the issue with her parents into something altogether different.

  “We do have a pact, and I take those very seriously. What’s going on here?” I asked, pointing to her head. “Or, is it here I should be worried about?” I pointed to her heart, doubting it had anything to do with our love, but feeling the need to solidify our pact once more.

  “There will never be any doubt in my heart, Jordan, never. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I worry you’ll find someone better when I leave for college.”


  “Are you kidding me right now? You’re worried I’ll find someone better? Need I remind you, there is no one in the world better than you for me?”

  She laughed, her smile wide and honest. “I’m sorry. So many changes are coming next year, and I’m a little afraid of the future, that’s all. I know you’re right. I’ll always have you wherever I go.”

  “Mmm-hmm... now, can you tell me why we’re in a pretend castle?” I asked, sniffing the air. It was a little muggy and mildewed, but I could stand it for her.

  “This is it, the place I was telling you about. This is where we’ll meet. I happen to think it’s a very romantic place to meet in secret.”

  “Do you?” I asked. She grinned, which told me she was totally fine with the smirk I couldn’t wipe off my face.

  She reached for me and kissed me again. Heaven help me, I’d be delirious as a drunken man if she kept kissing me that way. I felt her cool fingers slip under the hem of my shirt, taking her time inching up my back. It was new, something she’d never done before, and I was intrigued by it.

  The kiss grew deeper, and she leaned against the stone wall, pulling me with her. The storm outside was nothing compared to the storm inside of her. She was a woman on a mission, and I finally realized what that mission was when she pressed her body against mine and slowly ran her fingers down my back. She tugged on the shirt, but it felt all wrong.

  It was difficult, but I broke the kiss and rested my forehead on hers. “Dana...”

  “I want to, Jordan.”

  “Okay, but I don’t want our first time to be in a dirty clocktower just to spite your parents,” I said, fighting every inch of me that wanted to give in. “And let’s not forget that other part.”

  “That’s a silly thing I said a long time ago. I don’t mean it anymore,” she whined, using the innocent voice that nearly always got her what she wanted. She could play me like a fiddle, and I usually let her, but not this time.

  “It’s not silly to want to wait for marriage, Dana. I respected your wishes back when you first said it, and I respect them now. I love you enough to wait for you.”

  She sighed, frustrated, but unable to find fault with my argument. But then she said, “You’re very good to me, Jordan. You always have been. You’re so much more respectful, kind, and thoughtful than other guys our age, but shouldn’t I be the one to decide what I do with my own body?”

  “Of course, you should, but I don’t want you to do something and regret it later, baby.” The woman was pushing me to my limit, but I wouldn’t budge. She was angry with her parents, and I knew she felt the need to prove something to me, maybe to herself as well, but this wasn’t the way to do it.

  “How could I ever regret anything I do with you? How can you even say that to me?” She looked hurt, beyond hurt. She looked downright... rejected.

  I stood up straight with determination. “Dana Fowler, how dare you try to manipulate me into having sex with you.” I shook my head, marveling at my own words. “Look, you’ve got me so turned around I’m not even making sense.”

  “I’m not trying to manipulate you, I’m just... Are we fighting?” she asked randomly.

  “What?”

  “Are we fighting? Is this really our first fight?” she asked, then pursed her lips together as tightly as she could to keep from laughing.

  I couldn’t control it. I laughed and said, “Yeah, I guess it is. What a silly thing to fight over.”

  “I agree, so let’s just—”

  “No, Dana. You little snot, you just did it again! Do not try to manipulate me to get what you want!” I fussed, but playfully this time.

  “Are you saying you don’t want to? Or is it just me? Am I not good enough—”

  I covered her mouth with mine because I couldn’t stand to hear the words I knew came next. Of course, she was good enough. She was too good for me, and maybe that was part of why I didn’t want to be with her then, not that way.

  “Geez,” she said a moment later. “For a guy who doesn’t want me, that was some kiss.”

  “Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to say no to you? I’m almost eighteen, Dana. Of course, I want to be with you, but I’m pretty sure I already said I respect and love you enough to wait. In fact, I really like that about you. I know when we do, it’s because you’re mine forever, and I’m yours.”

  The rejection sank in again as she completely ignored my last statement. I couldn’t stand it any longer. It beat the heck out of me why she couldn’t seem to see herself the way I did, but if it was the last thing I ever did, I would show her the rarity she was. The woman loved the heck out of me, a low-class kid from the wrong side of the tracks whose only possession was a ratty skateboard. She didn’t know what she did for me every day.

  “Dana, you are the only person who has ever had faith in me. Period. You are the reason I get up every morning. You are the reason I feel like I deserve love, Dana, don’t you get that? I love you. I love you. I love you. I’ll tell you that a thousand times. A million if that’s what it takes.”

  “I know you do. I can’t explain this, Jordan. I just want to feel closer to you. I want to share every part of me with the only person I ever want to be with. Can you understand that?”

  The long silence, coupled with intense eye contact, made it so very difficult for me to control myself, to keep from granting her request. But I couldn’t, not that way.

  “Three months. Wait three months, and if you still feel the same way, I won’t argue with you. When you’re eighteen, and your father can’t lock me up forever, we can be together in as many ways as you want, baby.”

  It wasn’t the answer she wanted, but it was one she accepted without further discussion.

  “Fine, as long as I can still kiss you until the storm is over,” she said, and I fell in love with her all over again.

  Day 665

  Dana

  I LEANED AGAINST THE cool stone and closed my eyes. Jordan was running late as usual, but it wasn’t entirely his fault. Mr. Jacoby kept him late most days since it was impossible to determine how long a job would take. I knew he would smell like fresh-cut grass when he arrived, but I didn’t mind. I just wanted to be near him.

  I caught myself before I fell asleep and decided to stand. I gazed out the window of our secret hiding place. We spent two hours a week holed up in the clocktower for three solid months, then on my eighteenth birthday, I told my parents to kick rocks and ran to meet him.

  He didn’t expect a thing from me, as if he somehow knew I’d changed my mind about being with him before marriage. Or, maybe he knew from the first moment, and that was why he urged me to wait the three months. Either way, he never asked, never insinuated, never made mention of it in any way—and neither did I.

  It’s a rare relationship that can move that way, go with the flow, and easily mold to handle whatever is thrown its way. We read each other without words, and for that, I was grateful.

  I saw someone running toward the fence, and my heart clenched. No matter how much time passed the boy made my body react the same way. My heart fluttered and my stomach flipped until I was in his arms.

  He slid through the opening and darted across the field to the door. I heard it creak open, then the sound of heavy footsteps on the stone staircase. I turned to meet him just before his lips fell on mine. His arms snaked around my waist as he pulled me close. My fingers tangled in his sweaty hair, but I didn’t care.

  When he finally released me, I got a good look at his face.

  “Jordan!”

  “I’m okay, Dana. It doesn’t even hurt anymore. I’ve had a crap day, and all I want is to sit here with you.”

  “What the heck happened?” I screeched as I took at his bruised face. He had stitches over his eyebrow and on his cheek just under his eye.

  “It’s nothing, Dana. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Jordan, what happened? Did... did someone do this to you?”

  He lowered his eyes and shuffled his feet�
��a telltale sign he was avoiding the conversation. He would never lie to me, so all he could do was avoid it and hope I’d let it drop. No way in heck I’d let it slide, not when his face looked like he ran it headlong into a brick wall half a dozen times.

  He sighed and leaned his back against the wall. I took both of his hands in mine and forced him to focus on me.

  “Jordan, tell me what happened.”

  He licked his lips and winced slightly as he did so. I noticed the split on his slower lip then, and as I investigated further, I could see the dark bruising under each eye. A little bit of crusted blood under his nose told me it had been broken and set.

  “If you don’t tell me—”

  “Carson. It was Carson.”

  “Your mother’s boyfriend? He did this to you?”

  He nodded slowly, then slid to the ground. I sat across from him and wrapped my arms around him. He melted into me, and before I could utter another word, he fell apart. When the boy you love is coming undone in your arms, and his crying reduces him to nothing more than a hiccupping mess on the floor, it leaves you feeling very weak and small. But it didn’t matter how weak and small I was, to him, I was everything that mattered. I was his anchor.

  “Does your mother know?”

  He nodded between racking sobs. “Doesn’t care...”

  He repositioned himself until his head was on my lap, and his arms were wrapped tightly around my legs. I hunched over him and ran my fingers through his hair until his crying subsided. When there was nothing left to cry, he fell asleep on my lap.

  I watched him sleep, in awe of the man that he was becoming. He was gentle and kind to me, supportive and encouraging. He was my ally, my partner, everything I could ever imagine the most perfect partner could be. Then, when his world was crumbling around him, he looked to me as his lifeline. No one had ever needed me, not like that.