Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Camille
My cheeks hurt from the fake smile I plastered on my face all night. Whose bright idea was it to have the party at my family’s diner anyway?
The only highlight of the night was seeing my friends. They were a good distraction from the man of the hour. His parents were there, along with everyone in town, and the new crew of former military men moving to town, so I spent a lot of time meeting new people.
But no matter where I went, I felt Zach’s eyes on me. And when I’d find him across the room, he’d hold my gaze and offer me that playful grin of his. The one that always made my stomach flip and my legs clench together. How could he act like there was no bad blood between us?
The feelings I’d pushed away for so long all came rushing back as if they were brand new, flipping my world upside down as if they hadn’t once before. Why? Why couldn’t they stay dormant? Why couldn’t they die like the way I did the day he left?
It wasn’t possible to date anyone in this town either. All the guys around here knew who Zach was and would spend the date asking me questions about him and whether I’d heard from him. It was ridiculous. It felt like everyone saw him when they looked at me. Only one guy never mentioned Zach and I quickly grew to like him. Yet when we began to get closer, I couldn’t do it. My heart wanted only one guy, and fuck, did it frustrate me. I ended up saying I wasn’t emotionally available and never spoke to the dude again. Thank the stars he eventually left town.
I paced back and forth while wringing my hands together. The cold air did nothing to help my nerves, and I huffed and puffed like a damn pissed-off dragon. Which was exactly how I felt.
“Hey, are you okay, Camille?” Lena’s voice washed over me, and her question snapped me away from my racing thoughts.
I whirled around to find her standing behind me. So much for hiding outside. “Yeah, I’m good, why?”
Lena pursed her lips and gave me a look I knew well from her—she wasn’t having my bullshit. “You look like you’re in the midst of a panic attack. It’s like maybe fifty degrees out here, and you have no jacket or sweater on.”
“I needed some fresh air.” I rubbed my hands over my arms as Lena’s statement made me realize how cold I actually was. “It’s crowded in there.”
Lena smirked. “Is it? Or does it feel that way because of a certain someone who can’t take his eyes off you?”
“Ugh,” I groaned. I covered my face with my hands.
“Why are you avoiding him? I figured you two would be holed up in a bed somewhere, barely coming up for air.”
I blew out a breath. “It’s not like that anymore.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Lena’s eyes softened as she took my hand in hers and squeezed gently.
I did. I wanted so badly to get all of this shit off my chest and free myself of it. But it was also a small town where gossip traveled fast, and while I knew I could trust Lena, sometimes gossip still managed to get around. Either way, I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“No one knows how things really ended between Zach and me. Not my parents, not his, no one. It wasn’t a nice goodbye, an I’ll wait for you forever goodbye. It was more of him—” As I was about to finish my sentence, the back door swung open and hit the brick wall.
Zach stood there, his intense stare zeroed in on me, and I closed my mouth and swallowed hard.
Lena looked back and forth between us. “Uh, you two look like you need to talk. I was just heading back inside…” She scampered inside, but not without darting a couple of questioning glances my way. I wanted to yell after her to stay and not to leave me alone with a man I couldn’t control myself around, but it was too late.
The door closed, and there he stood. Only a few feet of pavement was between us, and no one else was around.
Alarm bells sounded in my head. Don’t let him take one step closer.
“You can’t avoid me forever, sweetheart,” Zach growled and stepped toward me.
My heart rate tripled in speed as the blood rushed through my ears.
“Why not?” I snapped.
“Feisty. I love it.” He took another step closer.
I took one back. He chuckled.
“You know what, Zach? You want to talk? Fine, let’s talk.” I threw my hands up in the air and scoffed. “You can’t come back here and act like everything between us is fine. Talk about being a coward. You weren’t so afraid when you broke up with me over text at six in the morning after an amazing night together where you told me I was your world. Nor were you afraid when you disconnected your phone and disappeared. Not one call. Not one text. Not one letter. Nothing. I don’t love you anymore, Zach. In fact, I can’t stand you.”
He flinched from the sting of my words. Good. Now he knew how I felt that day when he destroyed my world.
“I’m sorry, Camille. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I meant everything I said to you that night. You are my forever. There is no one else for me.”
“Then why? Why did you take the cowardly way out? Why did you ignore me for four long years? I deserve an explanation!” Hot tears streamed down my face as I shouted the painful truths.
Zach tried to take my hands in his, but I yanked them away and turned away from him. I cried quietly to myself, the pain fresh and raw once again.
“I didn’t want you to waste your time waiting on me.” Zach stood in front of me and hooked one finger under my chin, tilting my head up. His eyes were filled with so much pain and sadness. I felt like I was looking at my own reflection.
“What? Waste my time? Zach, I loved you! I would’ve waited forever.”
“I know. And I didn’t want you to.” He took my hands in his, and this time, I let him. His touch felt so warm, so familiar, so nice, but I ignored it. I couldn’t let him in again. I refused. “You’re such an amazing woman, Camille. Smart, beautiful, strong, stubborn, hardworking…I could go on and on. You deserve the world. If I couldn’t be there to give it to you, then someone else should. Because the thought of you, alone and hurting, I…I couldn’t bear it. Fuck, it sounds selfish, but that’s the last thing I was trying to be because if I had my way, I would’ve taken you with me.”
I shook my head as I tried to make sense of it all.
His explanation wasn’t helping. “Why couldn’t you tell me this before? I would’ve understood…I would’ve…” I snatched my hands out of his and brushed past him, headed toward the door. “Never mind, I don’t care. I don’t want to hear any more lame excuses. You set me free, I’ve moved on, and I’m sure you have too. It was nice seeing you, Zach. Welcome back home to Appleridge. Now please, if you’ll excuse me, I’m needed inside.”
“I haven’t moved on, Camille. And neither have you.” Zach’s deep voice sent a shiver up my spine. “You still love me. Just like I still love you.”
His words and the way my body reacted made my blood boil. I clenched my fists, and my face flamed red. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I came back to Appleridge for you, sweetheart. And I’ll be damned if anything gets in my way.”
I scrunched up my face in disgust and huffed. “Guess you’ll be damned a lot, then.”
I disappeared inside, but not without slamming the door behind me first.