Forever August ✔️

chapter twenty-nine

"we watch as our young hearts fade."
- dean lewis
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THE SUN WAS beginning to set when Gus stepped out of his mother's house, the sky an orange backdrop to his silhouette as he walked down the driveway. Aurora watched eagerly from the car, removing her gaze from the sun to look at him instead.

As he came closer, she smiled.

"So?" she asked when he was sitting in the driver's seat, strapping the seatbelt over his chest. "How was it?"

Gus faced her. It took a moment longer than normal for his mouth to stretch into a grin. Aurora noted the way his eyes didn't crinkle, and the way his hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles tight.

"Good," he said, quickly kissing her cheek before pulling out of the driveway.

"Good?" she repeated. "That's all you have to say?"

"Really good."

"Gus!" he chuckled as she slapped his shoulder. "You were in there for over an hour. What did you guys talk about?"

"Mostly my dad."

Aurora's annoyance began to grow at his clipped responses. She wanted his words to run like an open faucet and fill her curiosity. Instead, the tap was off. And every word out of his mouth seemed forced.

Aurora couldn't pinpoint why.

"What did she tell you about him?" she tried again.

"His name is Khean. They knew each other for a month and fell in love," he said slowly, peeling his eyes off the road to glance at Aurora.

She smirked. "Sounds familiar."

"He went back home after summer and when my mom found out she was pregnant, it was too late. He was gone and all she had was a name, Rory. It wasn't enough to find him—to tell him about me."

"What was he like?" Aurora asked, rolling down the window and letting the soft breeze into the car. They were still driving through the neighbourhood, and the roads were quiet here.

"Kind," Gus said simply.

"Like you." Her hand found his. "What else did she say?"

"That's really it." Something about the way Gus said those three words had Aurora leaning closer, doubting him.

"You expect me to believe she told you a story about your dad and then you two sat there, staring at a wall for an hour?" Aurora rolled her eyes. "She must have said more."

Gus shook his head. "Nothing else."

"Okay," she said, stretching out the word. "Are you going to come back some day? Does she want to see you again?"

"I don't think so," he whispered.

Aurora squeezed his hand, having expecting so much. "And what about you?" Gus lifted his eyes off the road quickly to turn to her, eyebrows drawn together. "Do you want to see her again," Aurora clarified.

"I just want to go home," he said.

The way his voice broke when he said that word—home—was enough for Aurora to catch on that he was withholding secrets. Gus stilled as she turned down the volume on the radio and placed her hand on his leg. When he stopped at a red light, she grabbed his chin between her two fingers and forced his eyes to hers.