Текст книги "Gemini"
Автор книги: Penelope Ward
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Текущая страница: 16 (всего у книги 18 страниц)
“I am so sorry about your dad.”
“Thanks.”
“What’s is your mother’s name?”
“Vanessa…Vanessa
Green.
Well,
Green was my dad’s last name. Before that, she was Vanessa Bologna. She’s Italian. She looks just like you, actually, it’s freaky. That’s how I knew you were definitely my sister.” Wow.
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I smiled at Jake. He seemed like a really good kid.
“Jake, do you think your mother wants to meet me?”
“I know she does. She told the investigator that when he found you to let her know. But he never got back to her. We don’t have a lot of money, so it’s not like we could have come to Boston, but I know she wants to meet you…she’s just afraid of what you’ll think of her, I think. That you’ll judge her for giving you up and separating the twins and stuff.”
“Do you know if she chose to separate us, the twins?”
“She told me that the adoption people pressured her to do it…something about no family wanting to take on two…she didn’t really want to…but they told her the babies were going to two good homes, so she gave in.”
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I tried to process what he was saying.
“I see.”
“She begged the investigator let her know where Amanda was buried and he did, so we come out here once a week. We take turns…sometimes she comes, sometimes I do and sometimes we come together. It makes her feel better to come here.”
“That’s nice, Jake.”
Jake put his hands in his pockets and gave me a crooked smile. “You seem really cool,” he said.
“You too. Hey…give me your phone,” I said.
I grabbed his flip phone and added my name into his contacts. “I leave to go back to Boston tomorrow. You tell your mom when she’s ready, I’d be willing to meet her if she wanted to...no pressure, though, okay? I don’t want to make her uncomfortable or anything. I’ll be back here in a couple of months for Thanksgiving. If she wants to 613/727
meet me, then I can come to you. If not, that’s okay too. But…you…you can call me anytime, okay?”
“That’s cool, Allison. Really cool,” Jake said.
“It was really nice to meet you Jake.”
“You too, Allison.”
We stood in silence for a bit before we both opened our respective car doors.
Before getting in, I waved goodbye to him again as he faced me looking hesitant to get into his car.
Something came over me as he stood there and it really hit me that this awkward tattooed tobacco smelling teenager was my kid brother.
I had a living sibling.
I impulsively ran over to him and pulled him into a hug. When we separated, his eyes were watering and I knew at that moment that he was thinking the same thing.
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*** On the plane ride back to Boston, I thought about how different my life is now, compared to last time I was on a plane headed to Chicago. I had felt so alone then and so confused.
The two months spent with the Thompsons in Naperville had given me a new perspective on my past, on life, on what truly matters and most of all, forgiveness.
I looked down at my phone to the series of texts that I had received last night from Jake.
Jake: Just checking to make
sure I wasn’t dreaming.
Allison: Hey there!! Nope…it
was surreal, though, wasn’t it?
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Jake: I told Mom. She really
wants to meet you when you come
back.
Allison: Really?
Jake: Yeah…she was disappoin-
ted that you left so soon, but she was
happy the two of us got to meet.
Allison: I am happy we got to
meet too.
Jake: Talk to you later…Sis.
Sounds weird to say it.
Allison: Please keep in touch,
Jake. xo
Jake was a sweetheart, but I was glad that I wouldn’t be meeting my birth mother for another couple of months. It would give 616/727
us both time to prepare for that face-to-face encounter and give me time to think about what I want to say to her and ask her. She couldn’t be that bad of a person because Jake seemed to turn out okay. He was very sweet actually. I really looked forward to getting to know him more than anything.
Before I faced my Chicago relatives, though, there were more pressing matters back home in Boston that have been waiting long enough to be dealt with.
It was time to face Cedric. It was time to let him know where I have been and to finally let him know how I have been feeling all of these weeks since he poured his heart out to me in that letter.
I had been very careful not to let him know where I was all of this time. For all he knew, I had run away, never to return. I was a little nervous about what I would find out tomorrow. A lot can happen in five months.
Has Cedric moved on with someone else?
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Would he forgive me for leaving town and not saying a word to him about where I was going?
By the time the plane lands in Boston, it will be too late to do anything or see anyone. But tomorrow is Labor Day and no one is working, so I had vowed to track down Cedric and get this over with. It couldn’t wait any longer.
I would start by going to Bettina’s house to check on Callie and to apologize for leaving them high and dry. Then, I would find out where Cedric is and arrange to meet him to let out all of the feelings I have been keeping bottled up.
The anticipation of what I was going to say to him made me nervous but the memories of both his stunning face and the warmth of his touch comforted me, made me frustrated and giddy.
***
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Optimize the fire Moon today, Dear Gemini, as this is a day to be constructive and finish those projects that have been difficult to complete. This is a day to advance in the direction of your goals and tackle unfinished business.
The sun was shining and the air was warm and dry on Monday morning. It was the perfect weather for good hair and I celebrated by giving myself a long blowout.
I also picked out the prettiest aqua tank top and matching skirt I had bought at the mall in Naperville on a rare outing with Elaine during my trip. I finished off the outfit with gray wedges and a thin gray half cardigan. I made up my face and even tried the smoky eye that the mall cosmetologist showed me how to do.
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It might have been the peace I had found in Illinois or it might have been the fact that I was happy to be home in Boston, but even I had to admit, I looked and felt really good when I saw myself in the mirror.
There was no answer when I called Bettina’s house from my apartment to see if she and Callie would be home today. I decided I would just head over there anyway in the middle of the afternoon. Hopefully, she and Callie would be home since it was Labor Day. I kind of wanted to surprise Callie anyway. It was possible Bettina would be having something at the house to celebrate the holiday or that she might not be home at all. I would have to take my chances. After I saw Bettina, I planned to text Cedric to find out where we might be able to meet up and talk.
“Damn, you are one hot bitch,” Sonia said as she got a look at me.
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“Thanks. I want to look decent in case I see Cedric later and don’t have time to come back here to change.” Sonia started fluffing my hair. “You’re really going to confront him tonight? You just got back. Maybe wait a few days?”
“This can’t wait anymore, Sonia. It’s been five months since he wrote me that letter. I owe him an explanation of my feelings.
It’s time.”
“And what exactly are you feeling these days?”
I thought about that for a second and the really it came down to one thing.
“I miss him.”
Sonia sighed. “Are you prepared for the possibility that he may have moved on?”
“Honestly? No,” I said, putting my head in my hands and rubbing my temples.
“I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Sonia said.
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“I know, but after all that’s happened this past year, I owe it to myself to see this through even if I risk getting hurt. I mean, come on. I finally meet the man of my dreams, found a meaningful career path, got attacked by my ex-boyfriend, found out I had a twin, found out she died, found out the man I was falling in love with was said twin’s boyfriend and that they conceived a child.
Then, I fell in love with my sister’s parents and saw her Dad through cancer. And to top it all off, I randomly meet my biological brother in a cemetery! I think it’s safe to say, I’ve built up a little strength to handle what might come my way today.”
Sonia hugged me. “Agreed and I am so proud of how you have survived all this.
You know, you really should write a book.
This would make a hell of a story.”
“Seriously,” I said as we both broke into laughter.
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“Really. You could call it Gemini…you know, it’s your sign and symbolizes twins.
“That’s freaky. I never thought of that,” I said.
*** The train ride to Bettina’s house went by quickly and I walked the several blocks from the station to her door, noticing a handful of cars parked in front of the house.
Cedric’s Audi was not among them, so I breathed a small sigh of relief. I wasn’t quite ready to see him yet today. For all I knew, these cars could have also been visitors of the neighbors.
I knocked on the front door and waited for about three minutes before ringing the doorbell, which I wasn’t sure worked anyway. I seemed to hear people out 623/727
back, but couldn’t tell if it was the neighbor’s yard or Bettina’s.
Just when I was about to turn away, the door opened. I was surprised to see Cedric’s brother Caleb open the door.
“Allison. My God,” he said, seemingly taken aback.
“Hi, Caleb.”
Caleb’s bright blue eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost and he briefly looked behind his own back and whispered, “What are you doing here?”
“I tried to call earlier, but there was no answer. I…uh…just got back from an extended leave and was hoping to talk to your mother and visit Callie. Is she home?”
“Yeah…um…” he said, looking behind his shoulders again briefly.
Caleb just stayed in front of me speechless.
What was going on?
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Before I could think, I heard footsteps and a male voice come up from behind him and say, “Caleb, what the hell is taking so long? I’m fucking thirsty. Who’s at the door?”
I knew that voice anywhere.
Caleb closed his eyes defeated and moved out of the way.
Cedric stood frozen behind him and placed his hand over his heart upon seeing me.
The sight of him nearly knocked me down. Still standing in the doorway, I lifted my hand in a small wave and whispered,
“Hi.”
Cedric looked at Caleb who continued to say nothing, then looked back at me and swallowed.
“Allison,” Cedric said so softly it was almost inaudible.
My heart skipped a beat at the sight of his handsome face, piercing eyes and the 625/727
immediate recognition of his familiar scent.
My body tingled in sudden awareness as if it found a connecting part that had been missing for five months.
I cleared my throat. “I am sorry for just showing up here. I…um…thought…I was just dropping in on Bettina. I had wanted to surprise Callie. I didn’t mean to startle you I—”
Cedric licked his lips and shook his head and interrupted me. “Don’t apologize…don’t ever apologize…God…It’s so good to see you,” he said as he continued to stare at me as his mouth turned slowly upward in-to a genuine smile that tugged at my heart.
But why were both of them just standing there and not inviting me in?
A few seconds later, I heard a female voice say, “Cedric, hon…where did you go?” and got my answer when an attractive Asian woman walked in the room.
CHAPTER 35
CEDRIC
“Ugh…I’m gonna be sick,” Denise said as the smell of the roasting pig wafted in the air. Denise was three months pregnant and the aroma of the meat was making her nauseous.
I was helping my mother rotate it as it sat on the stake over flames. This porker was going to taste damn good though, when the roasting was done and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it.
“I can’t believe you guys do this every year,” Stephanie laughed.
My mother smiled, salted the pig and said, “Twice a year, actually…Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends. You’ll see how good it tastes.”
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“Well, this is definitely a first for me.
Thank you for letting me experience it with you.” Stephanie smiled.
“You’re very welcome. Don’t thank me until you taste it.”
I was happy Mom was being cordial to Stephanie. Even though I hadn’t wanted to bring a woman I was only seeing casually here, I was finally relaxing, thanks to the passage of time and the passage of beer down my throat. I knew my mother was going to be shocked to see me show up here with someone because she knew how torn up I still was over Allison, but I think even she realized that I needed a distraction.
Allison had all but disappeared from our lives. Even Callie had finally stopped asking about her. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about her today, though, and wondering how she was spending the holiday, whether she was alone or whether she had found someone else by now. Every time I 628/727
had even a little alcohol in my system, the longing got worse, my hazy thoughts immediately would shift to her, to her beautiful face and eyes and to memories of the way she tasted. Sometimes, it was downright painful to remember and I could feel my chest tighten.
My mother interrupted my daydream-ing. “Looks about done. What do you think, Cedric?”
“I say about ten more minutes. But it is time for another cold one.” Stephanie laughed and shook her head. “Will you get me one too?” Caleb stood up from the lawn chair he was sitting in. “You guys stay. I’ll get them. I have some Octoberfest in Mom’s fridge. I wanna break into those. Looking over at a pregnant Denise, he added with a wink, “For you, an O’Doul’s.”
Caleb sauntered through the sliding glass door into the house. After a few 629/727
minutes passed and he hadn’t returned, I decided to go in and help myself to the beers deciding that he was probably stuck in the john.
I walked through the empty kitchen down the hall toward the bathroom, where I was going to taunt him if he was taking a shit, when I saw him standing instead at the front door.
“Caleb, what the hell is taking so long?
I’m fucking thirsty. Who’s at the door?” Caleb moved to the side and I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me.
Allison was standing at the threshold looking more beautiful than I imagined in my dreams. He dark flowing hair had grown longer, almost to her waist and it was blowing in the breeze. Her green eyes were spark-ling, made brighter by the sexy bluish green tank top she was wearing that hugged her breasts tightly. It took all of my strength to stop myself from rushing toward her.
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I could barely get the words out and uttered, “Allison.”
She looked nervous, but sweet. Her eyes seemed to be welcoming the sight of me.
This was not at all the enraged person I saw leave my condo many months ago. This was not the distant person I left at her doorstep when I delivered the letter. Something had changed, or rather…returned.
She looked down at her shoes briefly and then straight up into my eyes. “I am sorry
for
just
showing
up
here.
I…um…thought…I was just dropping in on Bettina. I had wanted to surprise Callie. I didn’t mean to startle you I—.” I shook my head. God, she was beautiful. “Don’t apologize…don’t ever apologize…God…it’s so good to see you.” I smiled and just stared at the stunning sight before me.
My body ached to touch her, to hug her, but I wasn’t sure if that’s what she 631/727
wanted, so I painfully stayed put as we just stared at each other.
I needed to know what she was thinking.
What the fuck was I going to do when she saw Stephanie back there?
Before I could come up with a solution, a few seconds later, Stephanie entered the house and broke the silence.
“Cedric, hon…where did you go?” Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
I looked back at Stephanie and then over at Allison frantically trying to telepath-ically tell her with my eyes that Stephanie was not my girlfriend, was not important to me, like she was.
Allison looked sad, but then suddenly put on a fake smile and stuck out her hand in Stephanie’s direction as she stepped through 632/727
the threshold. “Hi, I’m Allison, Callie’s therapist.”
My heart nearly stopped when I saw the ring I had given her gleaming on her right hand.
Holy shit, she was wearing the ring.
Stephanie shook Allison’s hand and looked over at me, probably curious about whether there was any relation to the Allison I called out in my dream last night. If she did suspect it, she let it go at that point.
“I’m Stephanie, nice to meet you.” The four of us continued to awkwardly stand in silence until we heard the words “PIG IS READY!”
My mother was calling from the back-yard and when we lingered, she burst through the sliding glass doors. “Didn’t you guys hear me, the pig is—Allison!” My mother ran over to Allison, wiping her hands on an apron and hugged her.
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Allison returned the hug. “Hi Bettina, sorry to barge in, I wanted to come by and say hello.”
My mother gazed at her. “Honey, don’t be silly. The door is always open here. I hope you’ll stay and join us for the pig roast?
I absolutely insist.”
Allison looked like she was thinking about it, then while looking straight over at me said, “Yes, that’d be nice.” She was staying.
As awkward as this was going to be, I could get through anything, as long she didn’t run from me again.
The
five
of
us:
Mom,
Caleb,
Stephanie, Allison and myself walked out to the yard.
Allison immediately snuck behind Callie, who turned around and squealed louder than ever at the sight of her long lost friend.
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“Allison! Allison!” she yelled jumping up and down. I guess she hadn’t forgotten Allison after all.
“Callie, I missed you so much,” Allison said as she hugged my sister.
I wanted to hug Allison, too…so badly.
Stephanie was looking over at Allison and Callie, then gauging my reaction. “So, she works with your sister?” she asked.
“Yeah…yup…she does.” I said flatly, immediately picking up my beer and taking a swig.
Stephanie was looking Allison up and down as she sipped her white wine.
My mother waved everyone over to the table where a dozen side dishes flanked the gigantic roast pig, which had now been carefully sliced into individual pieces of sa-vory pork, garnished with herbs. Thankfully for Denise and Stephanie, the head had been discarded. As good as it looked, I had lost my 635/727
appetite the second Allison walked through the door.
Stephanie sat next to me while Allison was diagonally across the table from us, next to Callie. I watched as Allison carefully tucked a napkin into the front of Callie’s shirt and carefully placed slices of pork and sides onto my sister’s plate. God, she was so good with her and Callie looked so happy to have Allison back.
Allison glanced over at me, catching me watching her. I didn’t even try to pretend like I wasn’t and kept my gaze on her. To my surprise, she gave me a slight smile, which I returned. My fists were clenched into balls of frustration under the table.
Everyone
was
unusually
quiet
throughout the meal until my mother broke the silence. “Allison, when did you get back into town, honey?”
“Last night. I called Bright Horizons about getting reassigned to Callie, but 636/727
haven’t heard back yet. I’ll keep on them until they get back to me.”
She didn’t offer any information on where she had returned from and even though I wondered so badly where she had been and what she was doing these past few months, I couldn’t bring it up right then and there.
I nearly spit out my food when Stephanie decided to ask Allison a question.
“So, Allison, how long have you worked with Callie?”
Allison seemed startled before answering. “I had worked with her about six months before I took a leave of absence. We get along really well, don’t we Callie?” Allison turned to Callie who still had her head face down in her food and then laughed nervously.
Stephanie nodded. “That’s so nice.” You could cut the tension in the air with a knife as everyone continued to eat, 637/727
with only my mother and her friends at the far end of the table making small talk amongst themselves.
After about fifteen minutes, after Callie had cleaned her plate and left the table, Allison excused herself and walked into the house alone.
Stephanie had been trying to engage me in a conversation about her law firm’s upcoming yearly banquet that she wanted me to attend, but the corner of my eyes were all too aware of Allison’s absence and my brother Caleb’s swift exit to follow her.
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CHAPTER 36
ALLISON
I had to get out of there and take a breather, so I locked myself in Bettina’s bathroom as a million thoughts ran through my mind.
Who was this Stephanie and how serious were they? She’s clearly all over Cedric…who could blame her…but I couldn’t help but feel like he only had eyes for me out there. They seemed to follow my every move, while she was going on and on about her job.
I wanted to scream while Cedric pretended to listen to her while he clearly wanted to say something to me.
I had also forgotten just how painfully good looking that man is; he is hotter than ever. His hair has gotten a little longer and is 641/727
parted and pieced so perfectly together framing his beautiful face. And his scent had been killing me from across the table. Let’s just say, the pork wasn’t the reason my mouth was watering.
This was all so awkward and frustrat-ing. I can understand the predicament he is in. He could have never imagined I would show up out of the blue after disappearing for months and never contacting him. Who could blame him for moving on? I might have done the same thing if I were him. Taking a deep breath and grabbing my bearings, I opened the bathroom door to return outside.
As I exited the bathroom, I was startled to see Caleb standing there waiting for me with his arms crossed. “We need to talk, real quick, Allison. Let’s go out front.” I nodded, took a deep breath and followed Caleb out to the front steps, as he gently closed the door behind us.
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“Listen, I know this has got to be awkward for you,” he said.
I shook my head in agreement. “Obviously, I wasn’t expecting this when I came here.”
Caleb blinked rapidly and shook his head. “Where have you been for three months?”
I hesitated for a second, unsure about whether I wanted to tell him where I was before I had a chance to explain it to Cedric, but caved. “I was in Chicago actually…with my sister’s parents.”
Caleb
looked
stunned.
“No
shit…Wow. I didn’t expect you to say that.
Cedric had no clue where you went and you told him not to contact you, so—”
“Yes, it’s a long story, but the Thompsons and I have really gotten close.
That’s part of what I wanted to talk to Cedric about. I was going to contact him later today, before I knew he was here. I really did come 643/727
here to see Callie and I didn’t mean to make anyone uncomfortable.”
Caleb quickly looked back to check if anyone was coming and then said, “Listen, we don’t have much time. People are gonna start to wonder where we are. I just wanted you to know that Cedric has been really broken up over everything that happened between you two. It’s taken him all the time you have been away to only somewhat recover and even though it may look like he has moved on, I know for a fact that he hasn’t. I just talked to him this morning on the phone and he was still talking about you, okay? I didn’t want you using the fact that he is here with a date as an excuse to run away from him again. They are not serious. I just wanted to make sure you knew that.” Relief washed over me. “Thank you. I appreciate that.” I couldn’t contain my smile upon hearing that.
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He looked back again and spoke softly. “And Allison, listen…I know he hurt you really badly by not telling you the truth right away, but he didn’t mean to cause you pain. His feelings for you were as true as I have ever witnessed. But let me tell you, if your plan was to come back here and ream him out face to face about what happened, I would appreciate it if you didn’t. Just walk away from him instead and let him try to move on. Believe me, he understands his mistakes.”
Walk away? No.
“Caleb, I wasn’t planning on doing that. I had a lot of time to think in Illinois about his reasons for doing what he did.
Amanda’s parents really helped me through it. I know now that he didn’t mean to hurt me and I still care about him a lot. I just wish I could talk to him right now.” 645/727
Caleb smiled, looking a little surprised at what I just said. “You’ll get your chance.
Come on, let’s head back out.” Stephanie was still talking Cedric’s ear off when Caleb and I returned to the yard.
At the sound of the sliding glass door, Cedric turned around looked at me and then to Caleb inquisitively. I wondered if he knew we were inside talking. Denise didn’t seem fazed and I have a feeling she knew exactly what Caleb had been up to in cornering me.
My heart clenched when I looked over and saw Stephanie running her fingers through Cedric’s hair. It was painful to watch but I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Jealousy swept in like a freight train.
I tried to distract myself by walking over to where Callie was sitting and trying to involve her in a game of tic tac toe on her iPad. As we took our turns with x’s and o’s, I snuck glances over at Cedric and Stephanie 646/727
who were still seated next to each other at the dinner table and noticed how uncomfortable he looked, stiff and fidgety. He wasn’t returning any of her touches and his hands were planted firmly on his lap.
Stephanie’s back was turned to me, when Cedric’s and my eyes briefly met and I could tell by the look he gave me that he wanted to talk to me but he didn’t know how to break away from her. I needed to commu-nicate to him somehow that I wanted to talk to him too and that I wasn’t mad at him for being here with her, that I wasn’t mad at him for anything anymore.
Stephanie ran her fingers through his hair again and then reached over and pulled him toward her suddenly kissing him on the mouth. I turned away immediately at that sight and could feel the bile rising in me and started burning up with more feelings of intense jealousy. It was one thing to see him 647/727
here with another woman. It was another to see her all over him.
I was done with this, especially after what Caleb told me. If I truly felt that he was happy and moving on, I would have up and left. Thank goodness Caleb confronted me or I may have been gone by now. But I was determined to stay and determined to send him a signal that I still wanted him…that I needed him, and most of all, that I had forgiven him for not telling me the truth. I couldn’t sit here while someone else took something so important from me…while I watched. A primal urge to claim what was mine erupted in me and I knew needed to fight for him.
Just as Stephanie put her arm around him, Bettina started clearing the table.
Stephanie got up and took some plates through the sliding glass door into the kitchen.
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Then, Cedric immediately got up from his seat and started taking in some of the side dishes and was gone into the house.
Callie and I had stopped playing tic tac toe and now, she was just looking at You Tube while I sat beside her, playing with her long braid and pretending to focus my attention on anything other than the competition I had mentally started.
Stephanie came back out and returned to her seat, checking her phone, but Cedric remained in the house.
This was my chance.
I got out my phone, scrolled down to find his name and frantically typed.
I forgive you, Cedric.
I miss you so much.
I am sorry for leaving.
I need to talk to you.
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About a minute went by and there was no response. I hoped he had the same cell phone number and that he even had his cell phone on him.
After another minute, my phone vibrated on my lap.
Cedric: God, Allison, I’m going
fucking crazy…I need to touch you.
Cedric: This is killing me.
Oh. My. God.
Allison: Where are you?
Cedric: In Callie’s room. Meet
me in here when I tell you to.
Allison:
What
if
Stephanie
comes looking for you?
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About thirty seconds passed before he responded.
Cedric: Ok, when you see Caleb
walk over to her, come inside the
house.
About two more minutes passed before Caleb walked over to Stephanie and started a conversation about a legal issue his construction company was having. I realized quickly this was a setup and that Cedric had texted Caleb to occupy Stephanie.
My heart began to pound out of my chest and I walked quickly past them through the sliding glass doors, past Bettina washing dishes in the kitchen and down the hall.
It was as if I floated past everything until I got to Callie’s room.
The door wasn’t even halfway open when Cedric pulled me into his arms, shut 651/727
the door and held me tighter than anyone ever had in my life.
“Tell me this isn’t a dream,” he whispered into my ear, seeming to fight back tears.
Our faces slowly met and he kissed me like his life depended on it backing me against the door. After about a minute, he broke away suddenly and examined my face.
“How could you have become even more beautiful?”
I looked down at the floor suddenly bashful and emotional and started to tear up.
“Cedric. It’s so hard to see you with her. We really need to talk.” Cedric grabbed my chin, pulling it up to meet his icy blue eyes that were burning a hole through me. “Look at me, Allison.” I wiped my eyes as he caressed my chin and said to me, “There has never been anyone who has ever come anywhere close to how you make me feel…not before you or 652/727
after you. I had been trying really hard to forget you lately, but even so, I didn’t get very far. You need to know that I haven’t… been…with Stephanie or anyone for that matter, sexually, since you, okay? I hadn’t even wanted to…it just hasn’t felt right. I have been so fucked up. It’s the longest in my life I have ever gone without—”
“Really? No one?” I interrupted.
“No one. I swear to you, Allison.” I shook my head and smiled. “Me neither.”
Cedric kissed my forehead. “Thank God,” he said letting out a deep breath and laughing a bit.
Immense relief washed over me to hear that Cedric hadn’t slept with her…or anyone else.
“Where have you been for the past three months…did you leave town?” Cedric asked as his fingers kneaded the skin on my waist gently.
