Page 84
Story: Belong With Me
When he handed it over to me, I unclipped the small strap and emptied the contents onto the bed. Thumbing through the papers, I saw they were images of some kind. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were maps of our property. “So, she really was here for alternative reasons. It was all a lie.”
“I don’t think that’s the case, Ryder.”
“How the fuck isn’t that the case, Colton? Look at these maps. They’re our entire property.” Picking up one in particular, I shoved it in his face. “This one actually has markings to indicate the best spot to drill for oil. The junk yard is marked right there for heaven’s sake.” I pointed at the marking.
“Chill out, man. If she truly wanted the property, she would have made her move when she was here, but she didn’t.”
“I suppose you’re going to tell me why she didn’t?”
“Well, since you’re too damn stupid to see it yourself, I’ll tell you. Her feelings for you trumped it all. She cared more about you than doing her job and that’s why in the end she chose to leave.”
“If she cared as much as you say she did, then explain to me why leaving was the best choice.”
His eyes rolled skyward. “She was protecting you, dumbass. She left because if she stayed, she would have had to choose between you and the job. She obviously wasn’t sure if staying was the right thing to do. Not when you couldn’t tell her you loved her.”
“How dare you!” I roared. “Get out of my room!”
“What? You’re going to take it out on me? I’m not the one who let the best thing that’s ever happened to him leave without doing everything in my power to keep her here. That was you. Did you prove to her that you meant every single word? No. Ry, even I know words are cheap. Actions mean something and speak much louder than words.”
“I chased after her, what else am I supposed to do?”
He picked up the paperwork from the bed and gave it to me. “You fight. You go to the city, and you show her what kind of man you are. What kind of man she fell in love with. Show her that you won’t ever let her down. That you’re a team. That she is it for you.” After a minute of silence, he left the room.
I didn’t know what to do. I looked at the bed and I knew I couldn’t stay here for much longer with the paperwork strewn all over it. I left the space and found myself in front of Wyatt’s old room. Her room.
The moment I entered, my eyes found where she slept. The bed was unmade, but that didn’t bother me. What bothered me was the complete lack of her left in this space.
It was like she’d been wiped from the house entirely. Besides the faint lingering of her perfume. The floral one I would recognize anywhere.
Deciding there was nothing for it, I headed to the bed, figuring at least I could do something productive. I grabbed the worn quilt and set to stripping the linens off. When I got to the pillows, I took the one that Sienna slept on, and held it close to my face. Maybe holding it a little longer than I should have as the smell of her shampoo wafted from it.
I tossed the pillow, now uncovered, to the floor and added the pillowcase to the dirty linen pile. As I moved to reach for the other pillow, something caught my attention. Something very familiar. My heart began beating faster at the realization in my chest at the realization that it was my shirt. The one I’d given her on that first day. The one I’d been told I’d never get back. I picked it up and held it for a few seconds.
Like a bloody teenager, I lifted it. When the fabric touched my nose, I inhaled deeply. That’s when another wave of emotion crashed over me. She was gone. I had let her go. And I hadn’t done everything in my power to get her to choose me and this life we could have together. The life I had imagined for us.
There was no other option than to go to Louisiana and tell her I loved her. To lay absolutely everything on the line. No more holding back. No more half confessions. I would tell her those three words and hold my breath that she felt the same way. That she would agree to come home with me.
Back in my room, I threw some clothes into my only suitcase and grabbed my toiletries. I had a few things to organize before I could leave, but once I did, I was going after her.
This time it was all or nothing, no more secrets. One way or another, she’d know I loved her.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84 (Reading here)
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92