I nod. “Yes. Of course I am.”Lie.I’m not okay, but he doesn’t question me any further; he never does.
“Good, I’m home now, and we can get back to us.” He kisses my lips, and once again, it feels all wrong.
Later that night, we sit on the floor in the living room eating dinner on the coffee table. I engage in conversation with him, and I’m present during said conversation. He speaks more about rehab, and I tell him all about work and how the build of my new location is coming along. I even tell him about Dean. Well, I tell him that he is an old friend who just so happens to be an architect and is the one who is doing my build. He doesn't ask further questions about Dean; I knew he wouldn’t. Declan isn’t like that. He's always trusted me—I’ve never given him a reason not to, until now.
“Well, I’d love to meet him sometime. Meet the one who’s bringing my wife’s dream to life.”
“I’m glad you say that because he and his wife want to go out on a double date this weekend.”
“Sounds good. Count me in.” He wipes his mouth with his napkin. "Now, if you're finished eating, I don't plan on sleeping anytime soon." He pins me with a hungry look, slowly making his way toward me as if I were his prey.
That night, Declan fulfills his promise for that third orgasm.
And a fourth.
And a fifth.
The entire time, only one man is on my mind.
Dean.
NINETEEN
THEN
Camille,14 years old
Today is my first day of ninth grade.
I officially start high school today, and I’m nervous as hell.
Spencer, Dallas, and Dean start their senior year, and I know I’ll rarely see them.
Our schedules are opposite, so my chance of getting to hang around them is a bust.
Spencer says I need to make more friends because I won’t have anyone to hang out with once she goes away to college. I have two friends, but they’re more strictly school friends. Obviously, she’s right, so my goal for the year is to make new friends.
Starting right now, I will work on becoming more social.
I grab my phone from my bed and send a quick group text to Bex and Fallon, my only friends.
Me:Let’s meet outside the school and walk in together!
Fallon: Okay! I’m so nervous!!
Bex: Me too, and my sister won’t let me walk in with her.
Me: Spencer said all the seniors have to get there earlier because of some first-day stuff.
Fallon: I’m leaving now. Meet you guys out front!
Of the two,Fallon is the one I'm closest to. We’ve known each other since kindergarten, and we’ve hung out a few times during the summer, but it’s been a while. She knows about my crush on Dean, too. I've told her, letting her know that I already have dibs, so she can't have him.
Luckily for me, she's more interested in girls than boys.
An hour later, my mom drops me off at the front of Cyprus High School, where I immediately spot Bex waiting outside. She waves her arms in the air the moment she sees me. I hug my mom goodbye with a smile and climb out of the car, rushing toward Bex just as Fallon’s mom drops her off. After a group hug between the three of us, we walk inside of our new school arm in arm.
Luckily, my classes are easy to find. I know where most of the classrooms are because I’ve already been to the school several times before. I came with my parents anytime Spencer had a school function, and she would often bring me along to Dallas’s basketball games, so I’ve already gotten a glimpse of the school.