AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER12
Cami
The night I’d left Mason had been the hardest night of my life. I’d sobbed all day, knowing that there wasn’t really any other choice for me. I’d cried as I’d written that letter, hiding out in the movie theater until I was sure that the banquet had started, and I could slip into our bedroom without him hearing me.
He’d been so caught up in his work that it had almost seemed like I’d ceased to exist. When he’d stopped showing up for our usual breakfasts and dinners together, I’d brought him something to eat a few times. I’d knocked on his door and he’d let me in, but I hadn’t been brave enough to stay because he’d been scolding someone over the phone. There was some sort of tax emergency or an audit of some kind that he was working through, and I didn’t want to distract him, so I’d gone off on my own and kept myself busy day after day that week.
He came to bed at night late and he got up early. He hadn’t touched me in several days. But the thing that had hurt me the most was that he forgot to tuck me into bed most of those nights, so I’d gone to sleep on my own. I’d woken up to feel him climb into bed beside me, but he’d just snuggled close to me, which was enough to help me fall back asleep.
The disconnect between us felt so vast and the longer it went on, the worse it felt. I found myself wondering about our future. He’d taken me on several dates, but every one of them was engineered to just be the two of us. He’d book out the whole place, be it a restaurant, movie theater, or somewhere else. I had enjoyed those dates immensely, but it also felt like he was hiding me when I considered them after the fact.
I didn’t want to hide how happy he made me. I couldn’t live a life where I had to pretend like we didn’t exist.
What hope did we have for a future together? He wanted to run for mayor eventually and having me at his side would only hinder him. Society would never approve of a couple like us. I was only nineteen and he was thirty-four. There was no doubt in my mind that my very existence would cause a scandal and he didn’t deserve his chances to be ruined just because he cared for someone like me.
The difference in our ages had never been important to me until the day he’d asked me to not be around the day of the gathering. I’d never really thought much of the age gap, but it had been weighing on me heavily for days before I finally made the decision to go.
But that wasn’t the only thing. I was an orphan, a poor girl who could offer nothing to a rich man like him who had everything.
For a while, I’d been blinded by him and his world and I’d been foolish enough to think I had a place in it. I’d been lying to myself. I’d never belong. I knew that now.
He wouldn’t be my Prince Charming. I accepted that and I knew deep in my heart that there was only one thing left for me to do.
I had to leave.
The morning of the party, I’d brought him breakfast. I hadn’t been able to look him in the eye for fear he might figure out what I planned to do, and he hadn’t even noticed. He hadn’t reached for my chin. He hadn’t kissed me. Honestly, he’d barely acknowledged me that day. I had swallowed back my hurt and false hope and had left his office as soon as I was able, which was easy because he was so distracted by work.
I’d packed up a bag and hidden it behind a pile of boxes in the closet that afternoon. When the time came to leave, I’d grabbed it and ran. I’d cut through the woods, taking backroads and alleys for fear that he would figure out I was gone before I could get away.
That first night, I’d slept at my friend Sophie’s house. She’d taken me in with open arms, but I hadn’t stayed long. I knew that Mason would be looking for me. I wasn’t sure if he would be angry with me for leaving, but I didn’t want to be the person that held him back from his dreams. It was my responsibility to end it now before the two of us got too deep and society found out about us.
The first day was rough and it hadn’t gotten any easier since. I’d cried at least once every day, wanting to take back my decision and go back home, but I couldn’t put myself in a relationship where I had to hide the fact that we were together. More than anything, I couldn’t let my very existence hinder him.
I knew he wanted to run for office one day. On the nights when we’d snuggle and tell each other all the things we dreamed of, he’d tell me about the legislation he would change, about the various strategies he would use to bring more tourism and revenue to the area, and the additional support he wanted to provide to the state foster care system. He’d kissed my head those nights and circled his arms around me, telling me that it had been me who had inspired him to get involved to make things better for all those that struggled.
It had been so sweet. He’d reached for my hand and held it tight, and I cherished that memory more than anything.
I missed him, but I wouldn’t tell anyone how I felt. I didn’t want to ruin his chances at happiness, so I would stay hidden because it was the right thing to do. I’d suffer through my broken heart in silence, but most important, I’d do it alone.
I’d couch surfed for a few days at a few different places, but I never stayed more than a night. Thankfully, I still had some of the money he’d paid me for decorating the house. I used some of it to buy some food from the grocery store or for small cheap meals off the dollar menu at McDonalds. I spent it sparingly, not really knowing where I was going to go from here.
Yesterday, I’d stopped at Miss Ethel’s place for dinner, and she’d taken one look at me and pursed her lips in disapproval.
“If you’re in trouble, Cami, you will tell me,” she chided and I shook my head, pretending nothing was wrong. I blinked back tears as a sudden rush of emotion took hold of me, but I pushed it away.
“Don’t lie to me, girl. If you need a place to stay, all you need to do is say the word,” she insisted. She didn’t even given me a chance to stammer out an answer before she shook her head again and cleared her throat. “You’re staying in my guest room tonight and I’m not taking no for an answer.”
She walked into the kitchen and muttered something to Tony. I didn’t really hear what she said, but she emerged a few minutes later with a full plate of spaghetti.
“Eat. When you’re done, you’ll go freshen up and then you’ll help Tony in the kitchen. When we close tonight, you’ll come home with me and when we come back in the morning, you will earn your keep as my newly hired waitress,” she scolded, and I nodded. She’d never really spoken to me with such sternness before, so I wasn’t really certain what else to do. I worried my bottom lip with my teeth.
“Eat up, Cami. Everything is going to be okay,” she murmured.
She didn’t really give me a chance to argue. She went back to work right away, and I stared at the food on my plate. There were only a few people eating in the restaurant and I moved my plate to the place I usually sat. The local news was broadcasting on the television hanging up in the corner and I watched it absentmindedly for a while.
The news anchors talked of some traffic backup on the highway, some new construction to the north of town, and some other things I didn’t really listen to. The white noise of their chatter eased the constant swirling emotions in my head. I ate the pasta in front of me without really tasting it. To be honest, I hadn’t had much of an appetite since the day I left.
If Mason knew how little I’d eaten this week, he’d probably spank me silly with that terrible wooden spoon. I’m not really sure why, but I smiled before I realized what I was doing. When what I did finally dawned on me, I sat back, aggravated that I’d let myself think something like that.
