Theirs to Keep

ce the bad dreams stayed away. In my dream I had contentment instead of unrest, pleasure instead of pain. For the first time in as long as I can remember I found freedom in my dream. Happiness and peace.

When I woke to find Camden stroking my arm, I realized why.

“Hey…”

I smiled at his smile. We were face to face, alone in the darkness. Well, almost alone. Behind me, Bryce was snoring away like a lumberjack’s chainsaw.

“Does he always—”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

I chuckled, enjoying the smile of contentment on Camden’s face. He wasn’t always so happy, at least not outwardly. Usually he was hard and tough. At times like this though, a person could see through all that. Underneath it all, he was very sweet.

“What time is it?” I yawned.

“Not sure.”

I paused for a moment, considering something. Before I could overthink it, I blurted it out.

“Maybe it’s time I came clean.”

Camden’s outstretched hand was still stroking my arm. He said nothing as he continued doing it.

“Not totally clean mind you,” I added.

“So you’ll still be dirty?”

“Oh I’ll always be dirty,” I smirked back at him.

“Thank goodness.”

“I just mean that… I mean… well…”

I took a deep breath, wondering where to begin. Before I could start, the hand tracing my arm clasped my shoulder reassuringly.

“You tell me whatever you want to tell me,” he said softly. “And nothing you don’t. Okay?”

I swallowed, nodding appreciatively as I stared at his high, beautiful cheekbones. God, could this guy get any more perfect?

“Okay.”

“Because if you don’t want to—”

“I’m from Concord, New Hampshire,” I said flatly. “I wasn’t born there, but it’s where I grew up.”

Camden was holding me now, our arms and legs entwined. The closeness was comforting, and so was the silence. He was smart enough to say nothing.

“I was a police officer there too,” I added. “Two years on the force. My parents are still there. They’re divorced now, and live in different parts of the city, but…”

I shrugged, thinking back to their split. It had happened afterward. It might’ve had nothing to do with what happened, but it could also have everything to do with it,

“I had a brother too,” I said, trying my best to keep my throat from closing. “A younger one. His name was Reese.”

“Reese.”

“Yes.”

Camden nodded. “Cool name.”