AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I folded my arms and cocked my head.
“Okay, well, yes, I’ve slept there. However, my primary concern is your comfort.”
I turned away from him. “As I said to Kima, I may not be here long.”
He walked around me and put his hands on my shoulders. “What’s this? I thought you were okay with coming here. If, now that you’ve arrived, you’re no longer comfortable, there are options.”
I looked up at the sky. It was something he and I did so often when we were kids. We’d lie on the lawn in front of this house and watch the clouds roll by. How I wished we could turn back time and relive those simple, happy moments. I sighed. We couldn’t, and that meant I needed to figure my shit out and fast. “I’m not sure where I’ll go.”
“Whereyou’llgo?” Cayman seldom got angry with me. In fact, I couldn’t recall a single time, even though I was sure there had been. Now, though, he seemed irate.
“Yes, Cay, that’s what I said.”
“What happened to needing me with you?”
“What happened to you staying with me for as long as I needed you to?”
He shrugged his right shoulder and put his hands on his hips. “This conversation is making no sense.”
“I can’t stay here if you’re gone.”
“Why in the bloody hell not?”
I was stunned that he was shouting.Iwas the one who yelled. Cayman calmly discussed things.
“Don’t be obtuse,” I yelled, hoping I’d used the word in the correct context.
“Obtuse?”
Evidently, I hadn’t. “You know what I mean. Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
“Bexli!”he roared my name. “I amnotpretending. I have no bloody clue what you’re talking about.”
“Kima said you’re leaving. I can hardly stay here if you’re gone.”
“Why not?”
“You don’t have to keep shouting.”
He raked his fingers in his hair and looked up at the sky. I watched his mouth move. He was counting to ten. When he got there, he lowered his hands to his sides and looked into my eyes.
“One, Kima can’t know I’m leaving since even I don’t know if I am. Two, there is absolutely no reason for you to leave if I’m not here. You know Nemesis, you have for years. I anticipate Poseidon, Zep, and Magnet will return soon. You’ve also known them for years. As far as I’m concerned, you have full run of the place.And,if you’re uncomfortable in the main house, you know very well there are other places on the estate where you can stay.”
“People are working here, Cay.”
“There isn’t a single person on the staff who would alert your mother or father that you’re here. I’ve seen to it.”
“That isn’t what I mean.You’reworking here.”
“The points you’re attempting to make mean nothing. More, they’re entirely illogical.”
I clenched my fists and stormed off in the direction of the bench. Did he truly just say I wasillogical? He wasn’t even trying to understand my feelings.
I heard his footsteps behind me, followed by someone calling his name. I turned around and watched him stalk back to the house. Rather than continue to the bench, I slowly walked in his direction.
When his eyes met mine, I knew he now knew too. Cayman had to leave. I’d been here less than an hour, and he was abandoning me. The man I believed would always be there for me, no longer was, and seeing it confirmed terrified me.
Ares returned inside, leaving Cayman and me several paces apart. When he walked toward me, I did the same. By the time I was close enough to touch, tears streamed down my cheeks. He pulled me into his arms and stroked my hair.
