Page 33 of The Moments You Miss
“You wanna get something to eat? You could use some food,” I say as I gently stand up off the edge of the bed and walk around to her side of it, offering her my hand. It’s probably 5:30 in the morning by this point and she hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday.
“Yea, food sounds good. Then you can… can… start telling me what the fuck just happened.” Her voice is sounding a little more confident than what it had been like for the hours prior.
“I’m just glad you’re okay, princess. I thought I lost you for a minute there.” My smile is plastered wide on my face. The true joy of knowing that she’s mine again and that I didn’t ruin anything is starting to simmer just below my skin.
“You did and you have a lot of explaining to do,” her voice is harder than I’ve ever heard it before. That smile that was there just a moment ago, falls into a face of emotionlessness. I’m not in the clear. There is a fuck ton of work that has to be done and I may have just dug my own grave or severed any chance of redemption of us ever being happy together. I will make this right. I have to.
Chapter 27
Answer Me
Leyla
Memories slam into me like a tidal wave and I don’t know that I’m ready to handle them. Not yet.
Cameron was there the day my parents were killed. I had just killed someone too. This wasn’t the first time that I had killed either.
Can I really hold anything against Cameron when I’ve become just as bad as him?
I sit on the edge of his bed, eyes tracing the bare skin of his chest. A scar stretches across it, something I hadn’t noticed before. It catches the morning sunlight pouring through the window as he moves around the kitchen.
Guilt stabs me like a blade when I see the bandage on his shoulder to cover a wound. The one I put there— I really stabbed him. I did that.I fucking stabbed him.
God, how do I move on from that? Can I ever get past it— especially knowing he’s the one who killed my parents? Was it just him? Or someone else too? My head’s swimming with questions, and I don’t even know where to start.
“Cherry?”
I jump at the sudden voice. My heart slams against my ribs as I turn toward him standing in the doorway. “Hmm?” I murmur, trying to push down the chaos in my mind. My expression slips into something softer— fake, but softer. And damn it, there go those butterflies again, fluttering in my stomach like they have no business doing. I shrink inward as he crosses the space between us.
“Breakfast is ready. I know it’s probably the last thing on your mind, but you’ve gotta eat something.”
His voice is so gentle, it physically hurts. I need his touch. I needhim— but my heart and my head are at war. I just nod, unsure, as he offers me his hand.
I want to turn away. I should walk out that door and never look back. That would be the smart move; the safe one.
But I take his hand anyway.
His fingers curl around mine in a soft squeeze, and I feel the guilt pouring off of him like a second skin. I see the pain in his face, and it hurts. My internal war rages over the choices that I want to just have the answers to and show that I know what to do, but I bury it, letting him lead me forward.
I’ll get my answers. I’m better than this.
We walk to his little kitchen table and he pulls out the chair for me as I sit down. He walks to the counter grabbing the two plates that he prepared and places one in front of me. Our eyesconnect and a sad smile sits on Cameron’s face, but we don’t say a word. We don’t do anything but start eating.
The silence crushes us, broken only by the clinking of utensils against plates. I bite into the pancakes and a small moan escapes before I can stop it. My cheeks flush as I glance up. He’s grinning now, like really grinning. I sigh and give in to his perfect face.
I’ll talk, but I’m going to talk about what matters. I’m not going to play like everything is alright whenI just fucking killed someone.
“I have a lot of questions, Cam. And I’m really confused. And... honestly, I don’t even know where to start.” I relent and finally break the silence that has crept over the atmosphere. Cameron opens his mouth, my hand flies up stopping him. “No, it’s my turn to speak, I will tell you when it’s your turn to answer.”
He nods and my stomach is in knots. “Why— no how did–” the questions I’ve got spiraling around in my head don’t slow, I close my eyes trying to keep my mind calm.
“Sorry. I just… I guess my first question is, are you okay? I didn’t mean to stab you.” I keep my voice steady, even though my face betrays the guilt clawing at me. “I’m sorry. Really.”
I gently trace the edge of the bandage over his bicep and flinch in empathetic pain. Cameron gives me a small smile, and nods. “I’m okay, Leyla, I’m okay. I stitched myself up and I’ll be good as new. You didn’t do it on purpose.” His voice doesn’t waver, but he looks at me knowingly. “Ask me the real question,” he says. “The one that got interrupted yesterday.”
Fuck, was that only yesterday?— No, fucking focus Leyla.
“I already know you were there the day my parents died. I don’t need to know the whole story just yet, but– I need to know why.”
