“Don’t be an idiot, Ted, of course we will pay. Think of your mother.”
I am thinking of my mother and that’s the issue. I have already put her through enough.
“I… I don’t think that it’s a good idea. I don’t have a passport or anything. I can’t travel…”
“Are you worried, Ted?” The tension in his voice is evident. “What if they come after you next?”
I hope that I’m telling the truth now. “I’m fine, Dad.”
“I don’t believe you, son. I’m coming to get you, wherever you are. Are you still in the city?”
“No, I’m not.” I shake my head violently. “I’m nowhere near that place anymore. I’m safe.”
“Well, where are you then? I’m booking tickets now. I need to see you, Ted.”
“Dad, stay there.” I sound like a dick, and I know it, but I have to be cruel to be kind. By keeping him away, I will keep him safe. “I’m on the move, away from everyone. I need this to cool off before I put anyone in danger.”
“Ted, we haven’t seen you for six years.” He’s trying to be firm with me, but it won’t make any difference. I’m doing this for his own good. “We need to see you.”
God, I want to see him too. I want to see both of them. “Dad, I can’t do this right now.” He must be able to hear the emotion in my voice. I’m basically fucking crying. “I can’t see you. Just know that I am safe, okay?”
“No, son, I don’t think that you understand…”
“Bye, Dad. Tell mom that I love her, and I will see you when I can.”
And with that, I hang up the phone. I feel like a massive asshole, but I know that it’s what needs to be done. If it keeps them where they are, safe and far away from me, then I will be happy. I can’t do, but I can keep them safe.
“They will be fine,” I tell myself through the thick ball of emotion that has officially lodged itself in my throat.
I need to come up with a plan. I think I am safe at Chloe’s for now, but it can’t stay that way forever.
Chapter 11 – Chloe
“What is that smell?” I gush as I step into my house. Now this is the life. Having someone to come home to after a long day, and find out that they cooked for you … wait a minute, Ted doesn’t cook…
“I ordered take out,” he reassures me as soon as he spots my panicked face. “I hope that’s okay. I wanted to make up for my piss poor attempt at breakfast this morning.”
I toss my head back and laugh. “I don’t know, it wasn’t that bad.”
“Because you stepped in and rescued it, but this time I wanted to do something for you, to say thanks.”
“Well, I could get used to this.” I smile and nod. “It’s nice to be spoiled every once in a while.”
It’s nice to come home to Ted, not that I would ever tell him that to his face. I can already feel things are a little strained between us, so I don’t want to make it any worse.
“Good. You deserve it.” Ted looks satisfied with himself.
What if I asked him to stay? Would that be so bad? I would love it if this were real and I got the chance to redo what we lost. But, I can’t forgot what Alex said.
She went on at me all day long, every single time that I saw her, reminding me that I’m in danger when it comes to Ted. She’s convinced that he’s back to work a job and using me as cover.
I want to listen to her and be sensible, especially because I know that Ted could be bad news, but I can’t seem to help myself.
“So, how was your day?” Ted asks as we take a seat.
“Not too busy. But long…I’m exhausted.” I roll my eyes and smile.
It probably only felt like the longest day of my life because I was busy thinking about Ted all day. The good, bad and the ugly. I know that he could be my downfall, but I still have feelings for him. And let’s be honest, after that dream I had, I wouldn’t mind seeing if he was as good in real life.
“That’s good news. I kinda missed having you around today. It’s nice to have someone to talk to.”
I smile at him. “Yeah, it’s good to have you back after all this time. I missed you.”
“I wish that my parents still lived next door. Now that I’m here, I miss my old family home.”
“I miss your yard,” I laugh. “We spent half our lives hanging out down there. The family next door have a couple of kids who are back there all the time. Looks like they love it as much as we did.”