Chapter 11
The screech of Caden’s car finally dissipated into the silence of the night. Everything was quiet; even the crickets cut their song short. For the first time in hours, I was alone.
Every inch of me shook, yet I felt numb to the chill biting at my skin. I was frozen, stuck to the cracked concrete beneath my bare toes. Nothing made sense. All I could see was the look in Caden’s eyes right before he closed them, the sharp angles of his face so close to mine. My finger still tingled from the softness of his lips, a frightening part of me wishing my own lips knew that sensation. Nothing made sense.
Somehow, my feet regained consciousness, and I made my way into my house. My parents eyed me questioningly but didn’t move as I stumbled up the stairs. I heard them slip into their bedroom, my mother whispering worriedly.
“Do you think she’s okay? Should I go check on her?”
I could almost hear my dad rolling his eyes.
“No, she’s fine. You always worry too much, Lillian.”
The sound of their door closing woke me from my trance.
“This is not happening. This will not happen again,” I mumbled into the night unsteadily.
I undressed, tossing on an old tee shirt as time slowly began to flow. After only one entire day with him, I was slipping into old patterns, finding myself in his eyes again. The celebrity that I spray painted had morphed back into my best friend. I had to keep telling myself it wasn’t real; I knew who he really had become. This was wrong. I wrapped myself in my blankets as my eyes grew heavy, sleep offering an escape from my nightmare.
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From the edge of reality, I could barely make out the sound of knocking on glass. My eyes shot open, my heart pounding. Someone’s come to murder me in my sleep. I thought. My windowpanes rattled together as if something was shaking them, attempting to get inside. A hushed voice cursed.
“Since when is this damn thing locked! With my luck, it got painted shut.”
The rattling grew more frustrated.
“Damn it!”
Slowly slipping out of bed, I crept toward source of the intruder’s voice. Once my eyes adjusted to the moonlight, I pursed my lips in frustration.
“What the hell, Caden?”
His hands flew from the window and over his head as his eyes met mine. A guilty smile spread across his face.
“Could you let me in, Ness? It’s cold out here.”
Sucking my teeth, I flipped the lock, easily lifting the glass. As Caden glided through, I knocked him in the back of the head.
“Do you know how to use a phone, dumbass? Is this really necessary, breaking into my house?”
I looked him up and down as he massaged his head, eyeing his torn clothes.
“Did you roll in a rose bush, rock star?”
Caden slid his hand over my mouth before I could question him further. He smelled like dirt and aftershave.
“For starters, I don’t have your number, so, yes, this is necessary, and I had to climb that rose bush along your house to get up here. That was very hard, by the way, so please, don’t be shy, be impressed,” he smirked.
I smacked his hand away, crossing my arms.
“Why are you here? I thought we were clear: you were supposed to leave. Leaving entails not immediately coming back.”
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This One's for You
RomanceTwo years ago, Vanessa Daniels watched her best friend, Caden Orcino, head out of their small town of Phillips, Maine with his band, Torment. He promised her he'd never drop her from his life, that they'd always be best friends. He lied. Now, Van...
