I encourage Aiden to go join Tyler and Devon at the campfire they set up for some of the kids. He wanted to go hide away in their cabin, but I knew isolation wasn't what he needed. Aiden shined brightest when around people he cared about.

The moment he's out of sight, I beeline for the shiny silver Aston Martin parked outside the gates. Mr. Clark had just opened the driver's side door when he spots me and freezes. Distaste colors his face at the sight of me approaching, but he at least has the decency to give me the time and day and shuts the door.

"Ms. L/N," He addresses me boredly before lowering his head to read whatever was so fascinating on his phone.

"Mr. Clark," I begin, my voice calm yet holding some uncertainty, "I don't think you fully understand the kind of person your son is. He's not just an extension of your success story or some tool to carry your name. He's a person with his own dreams, his own life. And for once, he's choosing to live it on his terms."

I wait for a reaction, or any sign that he's even listening, but he doesn't bother to look up from that damn phone. I keep going, my tone growing firm but not disrespectful.

I mean, this is my boyfriend's dad I'm talking to.

"I know you think you're what's best for him, and I understand that. But he's capable of making his own decisions. He's eighteen! You can't control everything, and you shouldn't expect him to bend your will forever. He deserves the chance to be himself, not the version of him that you want."

Mr. Clark lowers his phone slowly, his gaze finally meeting mine. And that in itself is already a partial win for me.

He doesn't speak immediately, just stares at me with that same cold, calculating look. I can almost see the gears turning in his mind like clockwork, trying to asses the situation, trying to find some weakness in my words he could use against me.

"You don't know anything about my son," he finally says, his voice low and measured. "You're just another distraction, another person trying to lead him astray. He's wasting his time here. He should be focusing on his future, not..." he scans me from head to toe, "...whatever this is."

I shake my head, keeping my voice even and controlled, "I'm not trying to lead him anywhere. I'm just here for him, and he's here for himself. He's not just your investment, Mr. Clark. He's a person."

He narrows his eyes, his expression hardening. "You think you know better than me? I'm his goddamn father. You're nothing but a girl whose name he'll forget the minute he returns home. You're just some kid trying to make sense of something that's far bigger than you."

I'll admit, that hurt more than I expected it to. It's a low blow, even for a man as brutal as he is. But I can't allow him to see me fall. For Aiden's sake, I refrain from bruising his ego enough to do some permanent damage.

I'm not confrontational, nor have I ever been up until now. But what I feel for Aiden is meaningful enough for me to tear down my walls of comfort and speak loud enough for the both of us. He may have gotten a chance to say what he wanted to, but there were a few things that needed to be made clear.

I wasn't loud enough when I tried to reason with Barron—to see through his bullshit and end things in a more impactful manner. I wasn't going to make that same mistake twice.

I take a deep breath, holding my ground.

"Maybe I don't know everything but I know that Aiden deserves a chance to be happy. If you truly care about him, you'll let him take that chance. You wouldn't be fighting this hard if you didn't see the potential he has. You know just as much as I do that he is going places—with or without you."

He doesn't say anything for a long moment, just watches me, his jaw tightening. Finally, with a curt nod, he says, "I've made my peace with my son's choices. You should be very careful about what you encourage."

He turns, rests his hand on the car's door handle, but then stops, just for a moment.

"I don't think you're the right person for him."

I can't help but smile, despite the tension and the heavy blow of his words, "Maybe. But he's the one who gets to choose who's right for him, not you."

With that, he climbs into his car and slams the door shut. He reverses out of his parking spot and leaves immediately, leaving me standing there feeling like I've said everything I needed to.

---

"Aye, there's our girl!" Maya cheers happily when I approach the brightly lit bonfire the counselors sat around.

She scoots to make room between her and Aiden, embracing me tightly. I smile, greeting the others before taking a seat and grabbing the smore Taylor offers me.

She lets me go as soon as Tyler slips an arm around her shoulders, whispering things to her that makes her cheeks turn a vibrant shade of crimson.

Aiden wastes no time in intertwining my hand with his. He leans in, his lips brushing my ear. "Where'd you run off to?"

I glance over at the fading flow of his dad's car disappearing into the distance, "Had to take care of some things," I say softly, keeping the details out. He's dealt with more than enough this evening. He doesn't press further, just nods, as if he understands.

With a deep sigh, I allow myself to finally relax now that I'm surrounded by smiles and warm laughs. Tyler and Maya are in their own world, taking advantage of this temporary moment of bliss in their lives that will end the moment the summer ends. I don't know how she has the strength to stay detached.

Across the fire, Ashlyn and Taylor are teaching Devon how to braid. His hands move carefully through the strands of Taylor's hair, brows furrowed in concentration. He mutters something about how his little sister—adopted from Singapore this past spring—has the finest hair he's ever seen, and how he wants to learn to do it right.

It's a small thing, maybe. But it matters.

Everyone here came to this camp for a reason. Whether it was to escape, to prove something, or to hold onto something they weren't ready to lose. And as I sit there, wrapped in the golden glow of firelight and laughter, I realize that I did too.

I came looking for a place to escape to temporarily, a place to belong.

And somehow, without meaning to, I found it.

I turn to Aiden.

The firelight dances in his eyes as he laughs at something Devon says, his entire face alight with something rare—something unburdened. His shoulders are loose. He hasn't looked this relaxed since his father came down. He teases Maya for burning her marshmallow to a crisp, then reaches over and swaps it with his own without a second thought. She grins at him, nudging his arm in thanks.

I watch him, memorizing every detail. The way his dimples deepen when he smiles. The way his true, naturally dark roots glow a light brown. The way his voice lifts in excitement when he's talking about something he loves. He looks happy. Really happy.

And I wonder if he's found what he was looking for too.

I hope he has.

I squeeze his hand, and he turns toward me, his smile softening into something quieter, something just for me.

Yeah. Maybe he has.

The End.