August,

I knew if I told this to you in person, you'd stop me. But there are things I have to take care of. Things I need to fix. Things I have been putting off because being here with you felt too good. But I can't keep ignoring reality.

I saw the hurt in your eyes when I told you the truth, and I saw the doubt. I don't want there to be any doubt, and I know what I need to do.

Yours,

Quinn

I left the note on August's kitchen counter, scribbling it hastily because I knew it was only a matter of time before he came to look for me. He was a patient man, but he was also a smart one. He'd get suspicious in only a matter of minutes when I didn't return, and if he found me, I'd never leave.

I'd never be able to leave.

I didn't want to leave.

But I had to leave.

I didn't pack much. In fact, I left most of my things in August's guest bedroom. Hopefully, he would see it. Hopefully, he would realize that meant I was coming back.

I grabbed his keys from the hook where they always were, praying he'd forgive me for taking his jeep. It wasn't his only mode of transportation; I'd seen his other cars in his garage, the ones he never used. But I knew his jeep was his favorite. It was also the only set of keys I knew where to find.

He was going to be mad; I knew he was going to be mad. Hopefully, he would be mad enough that he wouldn't bother following me. Hopefully, he believed that I wanted to fix things. That I was doing this for him.

But I'd never forget the momentary look of betrayal when he'd questioned me in his bed, when he felt like he had to ask if I slept with him just to save my job.

I'd shown up on this island desperate to keep my position, desperate to be the one who succeeded in doing the impossible: getting secrets out of August Fletcher. But all of that had changed.

August's secrets? They were mine. His. I didn't want to share them with anyone. I didn't want to share him with anyone. I wanted him to stay on the island where he belonged, living his life peacefully like the way he had been before I showed up in his uncle's bar.

I had no idea what that meant for my life, but at the moment, that didn't really matter. I'd figure it out. The only thing I cared about was August.

I threw my backpack in the passenger seat and turned on his jeep, wincing when it roared to life. Maybe, just maybe, August didn't hear that. But most likely, he did. Most likely, he'd be walking through his house right now, and I definitely wouldn't have the strength to drive away if I saw his face.

I backed out of his driveway, keeping my eyes on the path behind me, on the empty road that led past the exclusive beach houses.

No one would ever notice me trying to sneak away if I was in New York. In fact, they hadn't noticed me slip away, not when I came down here.

My coworkers knew, of course, but they didn't care as long as I returned with the information they needed. My parents knew, but mainly because I asked for help with Eloise. I didn't have that many friends in New York; it was hard to make friends as an adult. Most of the people I'd grown close to in life had gone on to sprout careers in other big cities, and keeping in touch was easier said than done.

In New York, hardly anyone noticed me at all.

Except August.

August had noticed me.

And I hadn't even realized.

Not really. Not like I should have.

I'd noticed him, of course. But I didn't let myself entertain ideas I didn't think were possible.

After all, he was August Fletcher.

Oh my God. I couldn't believe I slept with August Fletcher. I couldn't believe it was the best sex of my life. I couldn't believe I was going to give up everything for him.

And yet, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Just as natural as being with him last night had felt. Natural and amazing, and God, I was sore, but it was worth it.

I made it to the docks with only minutes to spare before the ferry was about to depart, but that was for the best. I didn't want to sit around on the boat. If I sat around, there was a high likelihood that I would turn around and run back to August. It was far too tempting to return to him. Him in that bed in that house by the beach.

After parking August's jeep by Sunny's, I ran across the street and hopped onto the ferry, weaving through the seats until I found one on the top deck, looking ahead at our ocean roadway.

I'd been so annoyed about how hard it was to get out here when I first arrived. A plane, a train, a boat. But being so removed had been a relief. It had been everything that I needed. Distraction-free, with the exception of August. But he was the best kind of distraction.

The boat shifted beneath me, gradually pushing away from the dock. I sighed, watching the water crash up against the ferry as it picked up speed, cruising through the waves on its way to the mainland.

August would understand. Once he realized what I was doing and why I was doing it, he would understand. He might be mad—no, he would be mad—but I hoped to hell he would get over it.

All my hopes of that happening vanished as soon as the ferry docked, and I walked off the boat.

What the—

My jaw damn near dropped as I halted, my gaze meeting August's steely one. He leaned against a post at the end of the dock, arms crossed over his chest. Even from here, I could see how tense he was. And as I swallowed and started walking toward him, I noticed how his jaw ticked.

Mad at me or not, he was still the most attractive man I'd ever seen.

I stopped a few feet from him, wondering if I even dared get close. I had a train to catch and then a plane, which meant I didn't really have time for a conversation. But I couldn't just walk away. Not when he was looking at me like that, with fire blazing in his eyes. It heated me from within.

God, the things he could do to me with just a look alone.

"Don't you fucking walk away, Castle," he said, like he could read my thoughts. His voice was hard, unyielding. "I already told you that, but you didn't listen. I need you to listen this time."

"How–" I momentarily lost my ability to talk, too stunned. "How did you even get here?"

"I have a boat," he said bluntly before eyeing the ferry behind me. "It's faster than that one."

Shit, I should have known. I should have known it would never be that easy to slip away. Not from this man.

"You shouldn't have come, August."

He pushed off the post and strode toward me with intent. "Fuck that. You shouldn't have left."

"August..." I chewed on the inside of my cheek, choosing my response. "I was always going to have to leave eventually."

"Yeah, eventually," he emphasized, pausing when he was just out of reach. "I thought we had more time, Castle. I'd planned for more time. I need more time."

I sighed. "I'm trying to get us more time."

He raked a hand through his hair impatiently, his eyes scanning over our surroundings before returning to me. People passed by, but we didn't pay them any attention.

"I don't want to go any more than you want me to leave, but I can't ignore reality anymore. I have responsibilities. I have an apartment in New York. I have Eloise," I explained.

August shook his head. "If this is about your hedgehog, I'll pay someone to bring her down here. She can have her own goddamn room if she wants."

"It's not...just about my hedgehog." I glanced further up the dock, watching the stream of people disappear in the direction I needed to go. "I really have to leave if I'm going to catch all my connections."

"Quinn." August stepped toward me, and I felt myself wavering from his proximity. "Talk to me. Why are you suddenly running away?"

"I told you in my letter," I pressed. "There are things I have to take care of. Things I have to fix."

"If there are things you need to fix, I want to help you fix them." He frowned, and it was almost adorable. "Why won't you let me?"

"Because this isn't on you to fix, and I know you don't want anything to do with New York."

"I do if you're in it."

I blinked, absorbing his words and what they meant. And while I was comprehending them, he closed the distance between us. My body physically ached with the need to feel him, to touch him. It hurt to stand still and not lean toward him, not let him consume me like he always did.

"What do you think I would have done if I'd been too late, and I'd missed you?" he asked, his bright gaze meeting mine. "Do you think I would have gone home, Quinn?"

I swallowed, biting down on my lip, unsure of how to answer.

August wasn't unsure.

"Fuck no," he answered himself. "I would have followed you. I'd go back to New York for you in a heartbeat, and I still would if it meant you'd let me help you with whatever it is you're planning."

I shook my head despite the warmth spreading inside me at what he'd said. "I don't want you to go back to New York for me, August. That's the opposite of what I want."

I didn't want to hurt him any more than I already had. I didn't want to put him through anything else for the sake of my job—the job I was growing to resent.

August sighed. "I'm sorry if my questions hurt you this morning, but you don't need to prove anything, okay? I know you were telling me the truth."

I searched his face, looking for any signs that he was telling me the truth. Because God, I needed him to know that I wasn't lying when I said I had no agenda when I showed up on this island. No agenda other than to finish the task that had been assigned to me.

But August was looking at me with such sureness in his eyes that he had to be telling the truth. And I'd needed to see that.

"Come on, baby," August said, softer this time. Like he was coaxing me into his arms, and I supposed since I found myself instinctively moving towards him, it was working. "Come on back to my boat, and we can talk. And if you still want to leave for New York, we'll go to New York."

"We'll?" I questioned.

"We'll," he said definitively, but I immediately countered.

"I'll go to New York."

August rolled his eyes, but he didn't argue. His fingertips slid slowly up my arm, gradually pulling my body into his. Little jolts of heat warmed me, caused by his touch.

"Just come back to the boat, and we can talk about it."

"I already bought tickets," I said weakly.

"I'll pay for your tickets," he reassured softly as his hands fell to my waist, gripping me harder.

He wasn't going to let me go, was he?

I sighed, pressing my hands against his chest.

Why was I relieved?

August's eyes fluttered shut momentarily.

"Don't fucking scare me like that," he breathed before opening his eyes and piercing me with a tortured look.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, letting him wrap my fully in his arms, flattening me within his embrace. I tucked my head into his chest, melting against his body. "I'm sorry about everything."

"Just don't do it again," he rasped. "Please, Quinn. Promise me you won't do that again."

"I'm going to have to leave at some point, August."

I didn't like bringing it up, but I couldn't promise him that I'd stay here forever.

As much as I wanted to.

I felt August's breathing falter, his body tightening around mine and then stilling. After a pause, he kissed me on the top of my head.

"Leaving is different than disappearing." He mumbled the words into my hair. "Don't you dare disappear like that on me again."

That, I could agree to.

I nodded, feeling both resigned and relieved as August pulled away to grab my hand and lead me to the next dock over where he'd tied his boat.

"Come on." His soft mutter inexplicably sent chills down my body, and I learned why as soon as he kept talking. "Let's talk. And then after we talk, I think you need to learn a goddamn lesson about how fucking serious I am about you, Castle."

Heat licked my skin as I followed August onto the boat.

Because the truth was, I might just follow August Fletcher anywhere.

☀️

a/n:
back onto the boat we go🤭

xoxo amelie