More tears well in her eyes as she whispers, “Please, stay.”
Those two words have him abandoning any and all thoughts of why he came down here in the first place, rounding the couch to sit on Lexi’s other side instead. There’s a tenderness in his gaze I recognize—one he’s aimed at me so many times over the last months. Maybe that’s why I know the words that’ll leave him next before he can even speak.
“What do you need?”
Her lower lip trembles at his question, the sight slicing through my gut like razor blades. But it’s her response that cuts the deepest.
“For someone to wake me up from this nightmare.”
“I would if I could. In a heartbeat.” He layers his hand over hers and offers her a gentle smile. “Will talking about it help? Or would you rather just sit in silence like you were with Logan?”
All she does is shrug before burying her head in her arms again.
“Okay,” he says softly. “Then is there anything I can get you? Like maybe ice cream? A pillow to scream in? A punching bag?”
“Are you offering yourself up for the job as the last one?” shemutters, the question muffled.
“I might be a goalie, but I do take hits on the ice sometimes. I think I could handle your tiny, ineffectual fists.”
A watery laugh leaves her, and she turns to face him, resting her cheek on her forearms. “You must’ve forgotten I was raised with a brother. I’m scrappier than I look.”
“I have no doubt,” he confirms, unable to keep the amusement from his voice. “Then I can go track Wy down for a good beating, if you want. Seems like he might be deserving of it.”
She shakes her head, a few stray tears falling from the movement.
“No, no. It’s not like that. It’s just…” She sucks in a big breath, only for a soggy hiccup to come from her before she continues, “We were fighting about m-my plan to go home instead of seeing him over spring break, and it just started getting really…ugly. I didn’t see the issue, ‘cause I was just in Texas to see him over Valentine’s Day, and I haven’t seen my mom since Christmas. But apparently it was a big deal.”
Her lower lip trembles some more as Camden reaches over, wiping away her tears, only for more to replace them. Every time she goes to speak, another hiccup or squeak comes out, and she shakes her head. As if the movement is enough to dislodge the memory of what happened.
“Take your time. Just breathe, Lexi. We’re right here,” Cam whispers, his expression tight as he rubs his palm up and down her arm.
Something inside me cracks a little, seeing him with her like this. Seeing how good he is in moments of need, how easy it is for him to get people to open up. It makes me wonder what I did to deserve having someone like him in my life. Someone so kind, compassionate, and empathetic. Who takes on the burdens others are feeling without a second thought or care of what itmight cost himself. I’ve seen it firsthand when he’s done it for me.
And now, here he is, doing the same thing for Lexi—someoneIlove and care for. But the thing is, I don’t even think he’s doing it because of me or her being one of my favorite people. It’s just who he is as a person.
It’s impossible not to love someone like that.
Lexi sucks in another deep breath, coughing a little because of it, before she finally calms down enough to continue.
“He just started going off on this tangent. Like, on and on about how hard it is on him to do this long distance stuff, and I told him I understood. It’s not easy on me either, you know? But I told him it was only for another year. I kept saying that, over and over, because like…what’s a year in the scheme of a life, right?”
The question comes out all high pitched and squeaky, and she shakes her head helplessly.
“I mean, my brother did it. He and his husband were long distance for two years after he got drafted, so why couldn’t Wyatt and I do it too? And with the way Wyatt idolizes Keene, I thought that’d be enough to convince him, you know? But then he just said ‘they’re the exception, not the rule’ and then—”
Her breath hitches, her entire body vibrating with anguish and grief as another strangled sob spills from her lips. Before I can even act, Cam pulls her against his chest and starts rubbing small circles on her back, shushing her as she cries.
She clings to him, her fingers clawing at his hoodie as she gasps out the rest of the story, the words coming out more garbled with choked emotion.
“Then he told me…that we’re long past…our expiration date, and…n-no matter how much he loves me…he can’t do another year of this. And he said he was sorry…and he— He just hung up.”
This time, it’s not a cry that leaves her body after she finishes speaking; it’s a wail. A gutteral, bone-shattering sound that will live in my mind for the rest of my life.
Camden cradles her head against his chest, smoothing her hair down while he consoles her. His features contort with sorrow and agony, almost as if her emotions are pouring out of her directly into him. But it’s his eyes that are the most alarming—the far off, distant look they take on—while tears well at their edges, threatening to spill over.
Our gazes meet over the top of her head, and he starts whispering gentle reassurances, barely loud enough for me to hear.
“It’s gonna be all right.”
