Page 79 of Cut up
“Good.” There’s pride in his voice. “I’m proud of you, Bug. I’m sad you didn’t tell me sooner, but I understand. If I ever see him around, I’ll be havin’ words with him. Where are you living now?”
“I’m staying with some friends—Lucas and Tyler. They’ve been really great. I was supposed to move in with Danielle, but now she’s leaving too… I’m not sure what to do. It was only supposed to be temporary, staying here.”
“What if you lived with me?” he offers. “I’m supposed to be finishing up here soon. How about I buy a place in Coevey Bay, you can stay with me for a while? I’ll get a normal job like I did last time?” I blink, stunned. I hadn’t even considered that as an option.
“Are you sure? You want to come back?”
“Bug, it’d be perfect. You don’t have to live with me forever, but I’d love to be there while you get back on your feet. I’ll start looking for a place. You still got Gizmo?” I glance down at the little fluffball curled up in my lap.
“Yeah, she’s here. It’ll need to be cat-friendly.”
“Got it. I’ll find something. And Bug?” He pauses, voice soft. “Don’t be afraid to talk to me, okay? You’re so much like your mum… you hold everything inside. But you gotta let people in. You’ve got a beautiful heart, my girl. You need to let people see it. I love you.”
“I love you too, Dad. Thank you.”
“Anytime. Bye, Bug.”
“Bye.”
I head back out to the living room and sit down next to Lucas on the sofa.
“My dad’s coming back to Australia. He’s coming here.” I tell him while looking at my hands.
He puts my hands into his. “That’s good. I know you must miss him.”
“I do, I really do. He’s offered for me to live with him when he comes back too.” I look up at Lucas.
He takes a breath before he says, “If that’s what you want to do, then that’s really great.” I can tell he means it.
“To be honest.” I take a pause. “I don’t know what I want.” I lean my head against his shoulder.
“Well, I’ll be here while you figure it out. There’s no rush to figure it all out right now Camille.”
We have a beat of silence, just me leaning on him, breathing one another in before we get up.
40
It’s a date
Our week slips by in a blur. A new kind of normal. Camille’s been in my bed every night, and we’ve been hopeless at keeping our hands—or any other body part—to ourselves.
I could get used to this, having her close, feeling her beside me at night and waking up to her there every morning.
I didn’t think I was ready for a relationship before her, but she quickly changed that mindset.
She makes me want one.
I think she feels it too, even if she hasn’t said it outright.
She shows it in the way she looks at me, touches me—like I matter, likewematter.
I know she wants this. She’s just scared. Hell, so am I.
Trusting someone not to betray me again? Trusting myself to showup the way they deserve? That’s terrifying. But with Camille… it already feels different.
I’ve started pulling back at work, making space for her in my life. Iwantto make time for her. Iwill. The rest… that’s up to her now.
It’s been a week since our double date, and now I want to take her on a real date. Not a fancy dinner date, but afundate. When I found out she had the weekend off, I shuffled some things around at work so I could spend some time with her. I told her to pack an overnight bag, no questions asked.
