I poke him in the ribs. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think I’ll go back to a party of Aqidah’s anytime soon, so you won’t have to watch something like this ag—”

“Stop!” he shouts, his arms going flying around him. “Just fucking stop, will you?”

I retreat back. “What?” My voice is squeaky, small. I’ve never seen him like this before. It isn’t like him to be this angry.

“Can’t you just at least pretend not to find this so terrible?” he says, jaw square.

“I don’t… I don’t understand.”

Aaron drags a hand through his mussed hair before letting it drop to the steering wheel with a bang. “Don’t you see how upsetting this is? You talking about loving and committing to someone like it’s the worst thing in the world?”

No. This can’t be happening. My head starts shaking left and right as I watch the invisible castle we’ve built, made of secret confessions and stolen moments of happiness, crumble around us.

With a soft voice, I say, “I set rules, Aaron.”

“Well, guess what?” he says, his dark gaze cloudy. “I didn’t follow them.”

I close my eyes. My gut is being torn in a million little pieces, heart beating out of my chest. In an instant, I see it all. Our entire history, all the moments of joy we shared, destroyed with a short set of words. And it hurts. It hurts so damn much, yet I can’t do a thing to stop this moving train.

“You can’t mean…” I whisper.

“Of course, that’s what I mean, Wren!” He hisses, as if in pain. “God, how can you not see I’m so in love with you I can hardly breathe?”

“Aaron, please,” I beg, pressure building behind my eyes. By saying this, he’s making me a villain. Telling me I’ve set him up for pain.

And yet, for a millisecond, I can’t help the flash of fireworks that light my chest, because this kind, incredible man loves me. My feelings aren’t one-sided.

But this feeling quickly bursts, panic returning to me faster than a boomerang.