Chapter 24
The sound of Melody's alarm pulled her out of her sleep. Reaching over, she quickly silenced the phone before it could ring again. Carefully lifting Cameron's arm from around her waist, she slipped out of the bed and started gathering her clothes.
"Where you going?" he questioned.
"Ummm, I promised my sister I'd watch the twins. I'll be back," she lied.
Cameron nodded and rolled onto his back while Melody headed toward the bathroom.
A few minutes later, Melody stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over her. She reached for her EOS body wash and took her time washing up.
By the time she finished and stood in front of the mirror, her thoughts had started to wander. Looking at her reflection, she could not help but think about how much her life had changed over the last two months.
What started as a school project had turned into something neither of them could pretend was just friendship anymore.
Somewhere between the football bet, the late-night phone calls, dinners, and the time they spent together, Cameron had become one of her favorite people.
The biggest difference was the peace that came with him.
With Cameron, she never found herself questioning where she stood.
He called when he said he would, showed up when he said he would, and never left her guessing.
There was no confusion, no games, no drama attached to him, and Melody had come to appreciate that more than she realized.
Thinking about him naturally led her thoughts to Major.
Their relationship had become something completely different from what it once was. They still talked. They still handled business together. They still saw each other regularly. But somewhere along the way, the relationship itself had stopped growing.
Did Melody still love him? Absolutely. But was she still in love with him?
Absolutely not. If she were being completely honest with herself, the relationship had run its course.
She just didn't know how to end it without everything blowing up.
The realization should have made her feel sad, but instead it brought relief.
Cameron made her happy. He brought out a softer side of her that most people never got to see.
"I love you, baby, I'm gone," Melody called out before slipping out the door.
As she walked across the lawn and climbed into her car, the smile she had been wearing all morning slowly faded. Although she loved Cameron, there were still parts of her life she hadn't shared with him, and the court case was one of them.
Maybe she was ashamed. Maybe she wasn't ready for him to look at her differently. But whatever the reason was, every time she thought about bringing it up, she found an excuse not to.
After starting the car, Melody pulled out and headed to the courthouse.
It was the first court date since her bond hearing, and despite everything Mr. Ellis had told her, she couldn't shake the nervous feeling sitting in her stomach.
She trusted her attorney. He had been honest with her from the beginning and had done everything possible to keep her out of jail, but that didn't stop her from worrying.
For the first time in her life, things were actually starting to come together, and she was genuinely happy. Things with Cameron were better than she ever imagined they could be, and her and Major were still making money together. On top of that, she had just been accepted into nursing school.
As the courthouse came into view, Melody tightened her grip on the steering wheel and let out a slow breath.
A few minutes later, she parked and made her way inside. The moment she stepped through the front doors, she spotted her family waiting near the security checkpoint. Cady stood with her arms folded, and Harmony scrolled through her phone while Major leaned against the wall nearby.
Once they made it upstairs, they didn't have to wait long before Mr. Ellis appeared. The second he saw Melody, he motioned for her to step away from the group.
"What’s up?"
"Everything is looking good," he assured her.
"It is?"
"Yes. Let me do all the talking, and you remain calm no matter what happens."
"I can do that," Melody nodded.
"Good. That's all I need from you."
A short time later, Melody's name was called. She followed Mr. Ellis into the courtroom and took her seat.
For the next several minutes, she listened while both sides presented their arguments. Judge Wallace barely tried hiding his frustration whenever her name came up, and more than once, Melody found herself wanting to respond to everything that was said.
Thankfully, Mr. Ellis had already warned her, so she remained quiet.
By the time the hearing ended, Melody felt mentally drained. Between the arguments, legal terminology, and uncertainty hanging over her head, she was more than ready to leave the courtroom. In the end, the judge granted a continuance and pushed the case back another two months.
Once they were back in the hallway, Mr. Ellis looked over at her and nodded.
“We got more time. That's a good thing.”
Melody thanked him before heading over to her family. The tension that had been written across everyone's faces all morning had eased a little. It wasn't exactly good news, but it wasn't bad news either. Nobody was celebrating, yet nobody seemed ready to panic anymore.
"So, two months?" Harmony asked.
"Two more months," Melody repeated.
"At least that gives him more time to work," Cady added.
"That's what he said."
For a few minutes, they talked about the hearing, the judge, and what came next before Major lightly touched Melody's arm and motioned for her to step away.
"What you bout to do? You want to grab something to eat and go back to my crib?"
"Nah, I'm good.” She shook her head.
"What you mean you good?" Major frowned.
"I'm just tired, and I low key got a headache.”
"Nah…. You know what? You been acting weird as fuck lately. What's good, Mel?"
"Ain't nothing wrong. You know it's finals. I need to study and…."
"Okay, study at my crib." Major cut her off.
"Nah. I won't get much studying done there,” Melody replied, shifting her weight from one side.
"So, this what we doing now?"
"Major..."
"I'm just saying."
"Look, I'll hit you up later."
Before he could press the issue any further, Melody stepped away. She returned to where Harmony and Cady were standing, gave both of them a hug, and promised she'd keep them updated before heading toward the escalator.
A short time later, she was pulling away from the courthouse.
The further she got from 26th street, the louder her thoughts became.
For most of the drive, she found herself thinking about the trial.
And for the first time in a long time, Melody prayed.
She prayed that everything would work out in her favor.
She prayed she would be able to start nursing school in the fall.
She prayed she wouldn't lose everything she had worked for.
At one point, she even found herself making promises. That if she got through it, she would do better. She would make smarter decisions. She would stop putting herself in situations that could cost her everything.
Whether God was listening or not, Melody didn't know. What she did know was that for the first time in her life, she actually had something to lose.
Melody turned the music up and continued driving, hoping it would quiet her thoughts. For a little while it worked, but every few minutes her mind drifted right back to the courtroom, the trial, and everything hanging in the balance.
Instead of heading home like she told Major, Melody turned her car in the opposite direction. She was drained, and all she wanted was a few hours of peace, and Cameron was her peace.
By the time Melody pulled onto his block, some of the tension from the hearing had already started to ease.
For the first time that day, she felt like she could breathe.
The knot that had been sitting in her chest since that morning loosened as she pulled up in front of his house.
After cutting the engine, she grabbed her purse and headed toward the front door, completely unaware that she hadn't made the drive alone.
A few cars back, Major sat watching from behind the wheel. He’d followed her from the courthouse and never once lost sight of her. Melody walked up the steps believing she had left the stress of the day behind, not knowing that the real stress had just begun.