Page 23 of Puppy Love

Jayden

I’ve been sittingoutside her bedroom for hours and still nothing. She won’t open the door and she won’t talk to me.

She’s acting childish and it’s pissing me off. I’m not leaving her. I included her in everything I planned. She’s acting as if I said this is over, thanks for the fuck. That’s not how it is and the longer I sit here, the more pissed I get.

I bang on her door again and Ace barks. “Cambri, I’m not leaving you. I’m trying to give us something more.”

Ace comes over and lays down with me, resting his head on my lap. “You gotta help me convince her. You wanna go back to California, don’t you?”

He wags his tail and I smile. He knows I need a little extra love.

The door finally opens, and I jump up when Cambri tries to step over me. “Cambri, come on,” I say, grabbing her arm.

She looks at where my hand is, and I drop it quickly. “There’s nothing to say. You’re leaving and I’m staying.”

The bathroom door slams shut, and I groan, pulling at my hair. This is ridiculous. I’m not going to argue with her when she’s being so unreasonable. I grab Ace’s leash and he runs over to me. I clip it on him, snag my truck keys, and walk out the door. We both need some time to cool down.

I drive with Ace until we get to the hotel I called on the way. It’s dog friendly and as much as I don’t want to be away from Cambri, I think it’s what she needs. She needs time to think clearly. To understand I’m not leaving her.

“Come on,” I say, holding Ace’s leash as we walk into the hotel.

Once I’m all checked in, we head toward the room. I’m grateful it’s on the first floor and even happier when I see that there is a sliding door that leads to a grassy area for Ace.

He whines looking up at me and I squat down, petting his head. “I miss her too, but she’s pissed at me, and we just need to give her the night. We’ll be back tomorrow.”

I lay awake in this strange bed, staring at this strange ceiling.

The longer I do, the worse I feel.

I had the best of intentions when I accepted this job. I thought she would be happy about it. A new start. My mom always taught me that you take care of the person you love. That you do everything to ensure their happiness. That’s what I thought I was doing.

Clearly, I was wrong.

I wish it was as easy as saying fuck the job, but it’s not. They hired me already. The ball is in motion and there’s not much I can do about it all now.

I scrub my face, groaning as I drop my arms onto the bed. If I knew she’d react like this I never would have considered the new job. I never want to be the cause of an ounce of her pain, yet I am.

She feels like I’m leaving her, just like everyone else in her life has.

The difference is I love her.

And I’m going to prove it.

Cambri

I can’t believeI’m not dehydrated. I haven’t stopped crying since I walked out of the bathroom and realized Jayden and Ace were gone.

I have no idea where they went or if they’re coming back.

Rolling onto my back, my tears slide down into my hair as I stare at the ceiling. Jayden said he wasn’t leaving me, that he did all this for me and maybe that’s how he sees it. The thing is, I told him being here is the only constant I’ve ever had in my life. I find comfort here.

Maybe he thinks I’m being overly emotional or dramatic, but it doesn’t feel that way to me. To me I feel like he never understood what being here meant. I don’t want to move on and leave the past behind me. The past is what keeps me moving forward. It encourages me to do better.

I sigh, covering my eyes with my arm. That’s what he said he was doing — giving us something better.

“Fuck,” I cry out.

I’m so confused and hurt right now. I shouldn’t have stomped away like a child. I should’ve sat down and listened to everything he had to say. Instead, I closed my door, essentially closing him out.

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