ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟝𝟚 #2
I had left this house furious, and now I was sitting on his bed, wrapped in a towel, listening to the rain while waiting for him to bring me food.
I felt pathetic.
My phone suddenly started ringing.
I grabbed it. "Dannah."
"Hello?" I answered it immediately.
"Dixie! Oh my gosh."
I could hear the panic in her voice.
"Josh told me you called me earlier. I just got out of the shower. Are you okay?"
I glanced toward the bedroom door. "I'm okay."
"Where are you?"
I hesitated. "With Cameron."
Dannah went silent.
"Oh."
That made me feel even worse.
"I didn't have anywhere else to go," I explained quickly. "The reporters followed me and the storm got really bad and I couldn't drive anywhere safely."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Dixie, I'm so sorry."
"It's alright, I'm fine now."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Dannah sighed. "Okay. But call me if you need anything. I'm glad you're somewhere safe."
"Yeah, thanks."
We ended the call. I stared at my phone.
Safe.
That was the problem. I was safe, but my entire life felt like it had been turned upside down.
My career, my marriage, my reputation.
The last one mattered the most. My parents had always said everything else could fade away quickly, but one thing that sticks is your reputation.
It felt like they were right.
There were probably cameras somewhere outside this house waiting for me to walk out.
What had I done?
I had wanted to protect my privacy, but I'd made everything more public.
My phone buzzed again. A news notification. I immediately turned the screen facedown.
I closed my eyes.
A few minutes later, the bedroom door opened. Cameron walked in carrying a plate and a glass of water.
"I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I made something simple."
"You cooked?" I looked at the plate.
He gave me a look. "Don't sound so surprised."
I smiled gently. He set the plate down beside me, and I picked up the fork.
"Thank you."
He sat beside me. Cameron stayed beside me, then his phone buzzed. He reached into his pocket and checked the screen.
I watched his expression change. "What is it?"
He stared at the notification for another second, then looked at me.
"My dad."
"Is it about Molly?" My stomach dropped.
He nodded. "I got a notification."
My fork stopped halfway to my mouth.
"Is she..."
He immediately shook his head. "No."
I exhaled. I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath.
"It's just an update."
"Okay."
Cameron looked back at his phone.
I could see the exhaustion in his face.
I suddenly felt awful.
Molly was still missing.
And while Cameron was living through the worst nightmare of his life, I'd spent the last few days angry that he hadn't celebrated my victory properly.
I looked down. My appetite disappeared.
"Dix?"
"I'm okay." I said quietly.
Cameron set his phone down, then he pulled me closer again, and I let him.
I could feel how tired he was. How badly he needed someone.
Despite everything between us, he was still holding me, still making sure I was safe, while his little sister was somewhere out there.
I closed my eyes.
Cameron had been hurting too, but we'd both just been too angry to notice.
Everything was quiet except for the rain hitting the windows. Cameron's arm was still around me, but there was nothing romantic about it.
I could feel the tension in my shoulders slowly returning.
I picked up my fork again, mostly because I needed something to do with my hands.
I took another bite. It tasted fine, I just couldn't taste much of anything anymore.
Cameron stood up and glanced toward the window.
"They're still out there."
I nodded. "Oh, I bet."
"Have they been following you all day?"
"Pretty much."
His jaw tightened. "They shouldn't be doing that. They can't just follow you around."
"I know."
Neither of us said anything after that.
We used to talk about everything- things that didn't matter at all.
But oh well.
Rachel would be cute with Cam.
Gosh, I hated Brody and Hunter for getting Rachel stuck in my mind.
That was embarrassing.
I looked at Cameron.
He was staring down at his phone again- probably checking for another update about Molly.
He had enough going on. I shouldn't be sitting here taking up space. Especially after leaving him.
Especially when there was another woman who could make more sense beside him than I did.
I looked away.
"Dix?"
I didn't answer immediately. "Yeah?"
"Just making sure you were there. You got quiet."
"I'm tired."
"You've had a rough day." He chuckled softly.
"That's one way to put it."
He nodded slowly.
I rubbed my forehead. A dull headache had started somewhere behind my eyes. It was probably from crying, or the reporters. Or the complete disaster that had become my life.
Cameron noticed me rubbing my temple.
"Headache?"
"Mhm."
"You should rest."
"Yeah, uh..I will."
"You can always come back here."
My fingers stopped. I looked at him.
"I don't want to impose."
"You aren't."
"I already came here unexpectedly."
"You were followed."
"I know that, I just feel..."
My voice faded. I didn't know how to explain that staying felt dangerous.
The longer I stayed, the more I wanted to forget everything that had happened, and we both knew that wasn't going to happen.
I wanted to pretend we were still us, and then Rachel's name would appear in my head again.
I was letting something stupid Brody and Hunter had said control my thoughts.
I wanted to ask Cameron about her, but I couldn't.
Another few minutes passed, then the rain began to slow.
Cameron looked outside. "They're leaving."
I glanced toward the window.The news vans were finally pulling away from the street. I felt relieved.
I slowly stood from the bed.
Cameron looked at me. "Don't rush."
I picked up my purse. "I should probably go before they decide to come back."
"Yeah, uh..for sure." He stared at me before quickly nodding.
"Thank you." I adjusted the strap on my shoulder.
"For what?"
"For letting me come here."
"Come on Dix, this is your house too. You don't have to thank me for that." He smiled.
"I know." I looked around the room one last time, then back at him. "Thank you for the food too."
"You're welcome." He smiled faintly.
I took a step toward the door, then stopped. Cameron's voice came quietly behind me.
"Hey, Dix."
I turned.
"When are you coming back?"
Oh gee.
I wasn't expecting that.
I looked at him. "When I think I'm ready."
"Okay." He nodded.
I wanted to walk back over, and wrap my arms around him. I wanted to feel his arms around me again. But Rachel made every one of those thoughts feel humiliating.
I couldn't walk back into his arms like I belonged there. I wasn't even sure if he wanted me there.
So instead of all that, I forced a small smile. "Bye, Cam."
"Bye, Dixie."
I walked downstairs. I reached the front door, and my hand wrapped around the handle. I closed my eyes. I could still feel his arms around me, and that made leaving hurt even more.
I opened the door.
~
Was it bad to say seeing Dixie again made me want to hold her close and kiss her?
I think the sleep was getting to me. What I did not understand was why she would come back to her house and leave again.
Had it not been obvious I wanted her back home?
I was about to post more posters of Molly, before my phone rang.
It was Dannah. Dixie's work assistant. That was weird.
Regardless, I picked it up. "Hey."
"Cameron, uh hi. Is Dixie still at your place?"
I frowned. "No, she just left. Why?"
"Oh, nothing." Dannah's voice softened. "I was just worried about her. I didn't see her call earlier, and when I finally noticed it, I figured I'd check in."
"Oh, okay."
There was a short pause, then Dannah said, "Thanks for picking up, though."
"Yeah."
I was about to hang up when something occurred to me.
"Wait."
"Yeah?"
"You said she's been staying with you, right?"
"Yeah."
"How's she doing?" I leaned against the fridge.
Dannah went quiet for a second. "Dixie's okay."
I frowned. "Are you sure?"
"She's Dixie." She laughed quietly.
"That's exactly what I'm asking about."
"Is she eating and sleeping well?"
"Yes, and probably. She sleeps- I think."
I rubbed my forehead. "That's not exactly reassuring, Dannah."
"Well, she's been stressed."
"I know."
I looked toward the stack of missing-person posters sitting on the table.
Molly.
My thoughts went straight back to Dixie.
"I just..well.." I stopped.
Dannah waited.
"She was really vague with me about everything. She kept saying she was fine."
"That definitely sounds like her." Dannah gave a quiet laugh.
"Yeah," I looked down. "She didn't seem so fine."
"Mm. She probably wasn't."
I exhaled. "Is she at least taking care of herself?"
"She's trying."
"That doesn't really answer my question."
"Cameron, you seem worried about her."
"Obviously I'm worried about her." I stared at the ground, scoffing.
Dannah laughed softly.
"Do you think she hates me?" I asked,
Dannah went completely silent. I immediately regretted saying it.
I laughed awkwardly to blow off some awkwardness.
"Actually, forget I asked that."
"No, no...but, why would you even ask that?"
"I don't know. I know it probably sounded ridiculous the second it came out." I rubbed the back of my neck.
"It does," She sighed. "Cameron, you're married. Why would she hate you?"
I looked away. I'd given her plenty of reasons to.
She'd left, we'd both said things we couldn't take back, and most importantly, we'd gone from being inseparable to barely knowing how to sit in the same room.
But I didn't say any of that to Dannah.
Instead, I muttered, "Things are complicated."
It was quiet for a couple minutes.
"Listen Cameron, I don't know everything about you two. I mean... Dixie hasn't exactly given me the entire history of your marriage."
That caught my attention. "What has she told you?"
"Not much."
"Anything about me?"
Dannah hesitated. "Ehh..some things."
"What things?" I straightened slightly.