Please don’t run away from me. Come home, please.
I sigh and pay the bartender. The last thing I want is her worrying about me. When I walk outside, it’s dark. I’ve realized I was drinking way longer than I thought I was, and I need to sober up completely before I see Cami. I take a few deep breaths and try to prepare myself for how she will react to my confession, and if I’m still going to be able to tell her everything that I wanted to. If we will still be on the same page.
Walking back to the apartment, I wonder how mad she is with me, or how done she is with me. This isn’t how I wanted tonight to go.
When I open the front door of the apartment, I see a furious Cami sitting on the couch in the living room, and I know I’m fucking in for it.
Chapter 17
Ipacebackandforth in the kitchen. Why did he just storm away like that? I didn’t want to have this conversation in front of Franklin. Did he take my silence as some sort of signal that I pity him or that his background changed any of my feelings for him? If anything, it made me understand him so much more.
Franklin pours me a glass of water and puts it on the island for me. He looks at me with sadness in his eyes and I’m not sure what that’s about.
“Do you want me to stay up here until he gets back?” he asks me.
“No, Franklin, you can go down to your apartment.”
“Are you sure, Cami? I don’t mind staying.”
“I’ll be fine. Is everything with your place working out okay?” I ask him. I was grateful that this building has smaller living quarters for residents’ staff. It’s not cheap, but I always house Franklin anywhere we go.
“Everything’s fine, I will need to go back to California soon and see Thomas.”
“I’ll book your airfare. Why don’t you go once I’m in heat? Just use my card,” I tell him.
He opens and shuts his mouth a few times. “That’s very generous of you, Cami. I don’t deserve your kindness.”
“Of course you do, Franklin. You’ve always been there when I needed you. Don’t even think about it. Make sure you give Thomas a huge hug for me, okay?”
“I sure will. If you change your mind and would like me to stay, just give me a call.”
“I will, thank you, Franklin.”
I continue my pacing around the apartment. I send him multiple text messages and attempt to call him. He doesn’t bitch button me, but he doesn’t answer either.
What if he does something stupid or doesn’t come back at all? I can’t see Smith doing that even if he is upset. I pick up my phone and call Kelsey.
“Hello?” she answers, panting. “Seriously, you’re answering the phone right now?” I hear a joking voice in the background.
“Kelsey, I can call back,” I say.
“No, if you’re calling, it’s important.”
“We ran into Hannah today after Heat Haven and Smith told me everything. I was getting ready to tell him how I felt about him, and I didn’t want to do it in the back seat of Franklin’s car. I guess he took my silence as me being uninterested or uncomfortable, and he stormed off and he won’t pick up the phone.”
She sighs. “He’s such a fucking idiot. I promise it will be fine, Cami. He’s always been like this. Give him some time to cool down. Once he gets back to the house, lay it all out there. I’m sure seeing Hannah put him in a weird place mentally. He hasn’t seen her since she broke his heart. Just let him get this out of his system. He might be an idiot when it comes to emotions, but he doesn’t do reckless shit. He will be fine.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah, he probably just went to a bar by your house. He’ll come home. If he doesn’t come home by tomorrow, call me, okay?”
“Yeah, thanks Kelsey. Sorry for interrupting whatever it is you were doing.”
“Oh, don’t worry, he likes it,” she says, laughing before she hangs up the phone.
It’s almost midnight, I’m exhausted. I was tired when we got home, and now all I’ve done is stress about Smith and if he is okay. The least he could do was text me back and let me know that he’s fine.
The door lock clicks and Smith walks in, looking dreary and beaten down. I sit on the couch and stare at him, which I imagine is a pretty good death glare.
