Conor, but in the end I was literally forced to choose between him and my parents. And when it all came down to it...”

She paused, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

“You chose your parents,” I finished for her.

Wiping away the tears trickling down her cheeks, Naimh swallowed thickly and nodded.

“And if you were able to let go of Conor to keep your family, there's no way you'd leave them to come live with me."

Naimh frowned.

“It's not about you, Matty.”

“No, I'm sorry if that came out wrong; I never meant to imply this was about me. I just meant: it's clear that your relationship with Conor meant a great deal to you, and you're still feeling the pain of losing him even now. The sex we have is incredible, but so far that's the extent of our relationship, and I already know what you feel for me can't compare to what you felt for him. Maybe not even to what you still feel for him.

Naimh sighed.

“I've known Conor since we were eight. I've known you for less than a year. I'm not trying to compare the two of you.”

I nodded.

“I'm sorry for suggesting you abandon your family to come live with me. It was an off-the-cuff suggestion."

“You had no idea my history with my parents and me. You don't need to apologize."

“still, I can be sorry for hurting you, even if unintentionally.”

Naimh exhaled, folded her arms across her chest, and shook her head.

“When Dad realized I had fallen in love, it brought up the old wounds.

He's still hurt that I chose to leave home in the first place, which is why he put me on lockdown. He's testing me to see if I'll obey him or rebel. And to be honest, he already suspects that the boy I'm seeing is you. You're the only one he knows I've spent any time with because of the Tahoe trip."

“So what's the plan then? Stay under your dad's thumb and try to work a relationship without weekends, evenings, or any real alone time? Wait until he relaxes a bit, convince him you're not going to abandon the family just because you're an 18-year-old girl who wants to date, and hope he'll let up on the moratorium before you go to college?"

Naimh shook her head.

“That's just it. He's already said his deadline is when I go off to college. He said that even though I'm eighteen, as long as I live under his roof he doesn't want me dating again. To him, it's only asking for a few months for me to remain his baby bird before

I fly off and leave the nest.”

“Those may be the only months we have."

"I know." She Looked pained.

“And there's no chance we can convince him to let you date me?"

She shook her head.