Eye of the Beholder [Completed]

Chapter 23

     My heart stops, momentarily, after reading the text from Nathan. What have I gotten myself into? The way that Nathan looked at me on Saturday is what made me tell him that he could text me...and now I'm wondering if I made the right choice. The past three years without him have been stress free and drama free....

      I shake my head. I throw my phone on to the passenger seat in my car where I can't see it.  I can't think about Nathan right now....Samuel is upset with me. Why can't I ever do anything right? I feel like I'm always making the wrong choices.

       Maybe I should just quit taking care of Samuel and try to get back on at the hospital. I wouldn't have to worry about seeing him everyday. I wouldn't have to worry about these feelings that I have been having about him. I wouldn't have to think about Samuel at all. But, the fact is, I don't know if I want to stop thinking about him or if I even could...

      The drive back to my parents house is a blur. My mind is all over the place. I walk through the front door like a zombie.

"Karrington! Is that you?" My mom yells from the kitchen.

I sigh and walk into the kitchen to find her slaving over the stove. It looks and smells like she is making her famous shrimp gumbo.

"Yes, it's me...who else would it be?" I ask her, as I take a seat on one of the bar stools that faces towards her.

My mom wipes her hands on her green apron. "I don't know, baby,...I just...." She trails off. I see her eyes looking over at a picture of Brittany that is on the refrigerator.

"Have you heard anything from her?" I ask, curiously.

"She texted me this morning." My mom dashes some salt into the gumbo.

"What did she say?" I fold my hands together across my lap.

"All she said was, "I'm okay." " My mom sighs, heavily.

"Just two words." I whisper.

"Two words." My mom verifies.

"Well, isn't that lovely." I mutter, sarcastically.

     My mom doesn't say anything. I can tell that she is trying to get her mind off of it by making her famous shrimp gumbo. I don't blame her. As I'm sitting there, I remember that I left my phone on the passenger seat in my car. I tell my mom I'm going to grab my phone out of my car real quick and that I will be back to taste the food.

      I open the door to my car, bend down, and grab my phone. I don't want to look at the screen, but I do it anyway. I have a text from an unknown number...

Unknown number: Come back.

Me: Who is this?

Unknown number: Samuel.