Ringing in the New Year

“Oh, Dimples.” He cups my face again and rests his forehead to mine. “I’m sorry. Don’t cry,” he pleads. “Your tears cut me up inside.” I sniff, trying to get it together. “Go to the bathroom and do what you need to. I’ll wait outside.”

I glance down to see I’m in an old shirt I recognize. It’s from our high school and I know Reed’s last name is printed across the back. I don't remember falling asleep or being carried inside of wherever we are right now.

“I changed you because I couldn’t look at you in the fucking dress any longer,” he says, reading my mind. “I’m sorry—”

“Reed, don’t, it’s okay. You can change me and do anything you want to me.” I bite my lip, realizing what I said, and my cheeks burn. It’s true though. He can do anything he wants to me and I wouldn’t say no.

He sucks in a deep breath as he takes a step back. “I’ll leave you to it.”

I slide off the counter, but Reed doesn’t move. I’m not going to make him leave, so I walk over and do my business. He glances down at the floor as if that gives me privacy while I pee. When I’m finished I stand up and wash my hands.

He shakes his head. “I couldn’t bring myself to leave.” I smile at him in the mirror before drying my hands.

“I once vomited on you, Reed. I don’t care if you see me pee.” He laughs, remembering the time I’d gotten the flu and he wouldn’t leave my side. His mom had to call in sick for him even though he wasn’t. He swore he had sympathy pains.

“You were still the prettiest girl I’d ever seen. Vomit and all.” This time I throw back my head and laugh, and he actually gives me a full smile.

“Where are we?” I ask as he pulls on my hand and we walk out of the bathroom.

I look around at the giant bed we slept in. The sheets are a tangled mess, but that’s about all that’s in the room. There’s nothing anywhere that indicates this is his home.

“Is where you live?”

“This is where I’m staying until we figure out where you want to go.” He runs his free hand down his face. “When I got the news you were here in Phoenix, I got a place to stay and flew out as fast as I could. I knew I’d want to take you someplace safe. This place isn’t all that different from my real home though. When we get there you can decide what you want to do with the place.”

My heart breaks for him. “You haven’t been living, have you? I was so scared you might have moved on.” I admit my selfishness. We always did tell each other everything and I still want that.

“Never,” he barks out. It would probably scare someone else but not me. He’s a gentle bear, at least when it comes to me.

“I know. Deep down inside of me I knew you’d never move on from me, but sometimes my mind played tricks on me.”

“There was no moving on.” I look up at him. “Once someone asked me what I’d do if you were dead.” He grits out the word. “I told them it wasn’t possible because I would have felt it. I knew you were out there and I just had to find you.” I can tell from the look on his face he means every word.

“You seemed to find me pretty quick once I got free.” Before they could even call him he was on his way to me.

“Yeah. If only it could have been sooner.” He shakes his head.

“It doesn’t matter now.” I can tell there’s no talking him out of this right now.

“We better go see Mom and Dad. I’m surprised they haven’t already barged in. The only thing that kept them out was that I told them you were sleeping and you needed the rest.”

“They’re here?” I squeal with excitement.

“Of course they’re here.” He grabs me by the hips and pulls me to him. “But first I gotta kiss. Really kiss you, Cami,” he tells me, then his mouth falls to mine. I wrap my arms around his neck and my feet leave the floor.

His tongue slips into my mouth and I moan. Being connected to him like this again is everything. It doesn’t feel as if any time has passed between us and it’s just the two of us again.

Who am I kidding? It was always just the two of us.

Chapter 9

Reed

My parents are staying at a hotel nearby, and when I text them that Cami is ready to see them my dad responds right away that they’re downstairs.

One of my contacts with the police force here set us up with this place as a safe house. I don’t know anything about the people she was staying with, but from what research I have been doing while she slept, I know she’s lucky to have gotten away.

“They’re coming up,” I say as I grab a pair of sweatpants from my bag and pass them to her.

She pulls them on and then I take her hand and we walk into the living room. I can’t stand the thought of being more than a few feet from her now that I’ve got her back. I didn’t even sleep last night because I thought if I did she’d disappear again. We’ve both got some things to work on, but we’ll do it together every step of the way.

The front door of the apartment opens and my parents rush in and wrap Cami in a double hug. I have to take a step back so they can get to her, and I watch as my mom cries and kisses Cami’s cheeks. Then Cami is crying and I can’t understand what either of them say.