“But you came back.”
“Yes.”
Another pause that made my heartbeat race.
Then Cameron took one step forward, closing part of the distance.
“I’m not ready to pretend that didn’t hurt. But I don’t want you gone.”
I shuddered out a breath, sharp and unsteady. “Okay. That’s enough. That’s more than enough.”
Cameron hesitated, then reached out, his fingers brushing my wrist, the touch light, testing.
I looked him in the eye. “I’m not going anywhere.” His words, from the first time we?—
The first time we made love. Tell it like it is.
He exhaled, his shoulders dropping. “Good. Because I don’t want to do this alone.”
I stepped closer, still not touching, still careful. “You won’t. I promise.”
Cameron regarded me with eyes that held more warmth. “We’ll take it slow. On my terms,” he added.
I nodded. “On yours.”
His hand tightened briefly around my wrist, and the contact reassured me.
“Okay.” Cameron’s voice came out firm.
Oh my God.
I hadn’t fixed it, but the air felt calmer.
“You look tired,” he remarked.
I grimaced. “I didn’t get much sleep. And I don’t care what Max says, that couch of his is nowhere near as comfy as mine.”
“Then go to bed. I might be doing the same.” He gestured to the couch. “I couldn’t sleep either.”
The fact he didn’t suggest joining me told me we weren’t out of the woods yet.
I can wait. As long as it takes for him to realise I won’t hurt him like that ever again.
Cameron
I hadn’t planned to fall asleep.
Theo had been wrung out. I watched him from the doorway as he collapsed onto the bed, his face turned into the pillow, his breathing uneven but deepening fast.
Out like a light.
I stood there for a long moment, my hand on the doorframe, listening to Theo breathe. The instinct to crawl in beside him was strong, but that wasn’t what Theo needed right now. Closeness might turn into expectation.
Slow. On my terms.
I’d meant it.
I closed the door gently and went back to the living room where I curled up on the couch with a blanket pulled to my chest. It felt strange, choosing distance when all I wanted was closeness, but it also felt powerful.