“What?” Henry bites back. He’s angry. It appears I’m about to be in the middle of a heated argument and I’m convinced if Callie sees me, I’ll only make things worse for him.
“Oh no,” I gasp and glance around the room. I need to hide.
The knob turns more and glows. Turns and glows.
I panic and spin around in a blur. Where can I go? Where can I hide? I stare at the closet. I dash over and fling the door open. No!
The small cubby hole is way too small and way too messy. I scramble over to the french doors that lead to the balcony. I’m fumbling with the lock. My hands are sweating and they keep slipping at I try to turn it.
My stomach is in my throat. Oh God. The knob on the door turns all the way and the door creaks open slightly. I look at the skirting on Henry’s queen sized bed. Black satin fills my gaze and right before Henry steps through the door, I dive underneath the bed.
Chapter 13
“A desire arises in the mind. It is satisfied immediately another comes. In the interval which separates two desires a perfect calm reigns in the mind. It is at this moment freed from all thought, love or hate. Complete peace equally reigns between two mental waves.”~ Swami Sivanada ~
My heart hammers, pounding against my ribcage. The thumping is so loud I swear Henry will be able to hear it. My breaths leave my lungs short and raspy. I swallow hard and cover my mouth. The springs on the mattress squeak as someone sits down and the mattress dips down over my head.
Henry lets out a frustrated sigh and my limbs tingle. I almost pray that he’ll start talking to himself just so I can listen to his melodic voice.
His fingers brush against something and I listen as the sound of crinkling paper echoes through the quiet room. “I miss you.” His voice is soft—hushed and I know he’s looking at our picture.
Warmth fills me up and my eyes water. “I miss you, too,” I say silently.
Then another pair of footsteps. “I missed you too, gorgeous,” she coos.
Callie. Ugh. The sound of her voice makes me cringe, but at the same time a smile curls on my lips and excitement flows through me. He wasn’t talking about her. He was talking about me.
Callie’s lips smack against his cheek and I wince. Oh man. Please don’t do this right now.
“Callie,” Henry groans. “I just want to be alone right now. Can you like go downstairs or something?”
More weight shifts on the bed and I see that someone is crawling across it. I blanch and turn away. “Oh you know, you want to,” Callie purrs. “You know I’m irresistible.”
I sneak a peek and I’ve now determined who is who. Callie is on my left. Henry on the right.
Henry moves and I assume he’s pushing her away. “I’m not in the mood, Callie. Leave me alone.” His voice is more adamant.
Callie’s weight on the bed shifts. “Henry,” she whispers. Her lips make a smacking noise again.
Henry stands and my head turns. I catch a glimpse of the bottom of his feet from the tiny sliver of light shining from the bed skirting. “I said, no damn it!” he snaps.
Callie’s weight shifts again. “What is with you?” she retorts. “You’ve been acting weird all summer! You rarely touch or kiss me anymore and you always seem distracted! Am I not good enough for you anymore? Because if that’s the case, I can name at least ten guys that would kill to have me!”
I feel the bile rising up in my throat and I gag. It’s hard for me to imagine the Henry I know wanting to be with someone who is so self-absorbed.
He lets out a strained sigh. “You know I’m going through a lot right now. It would be nice if you’d be more sympathetic.”
Callie stands and her hot pink stiletto’s clink against the floor. “Does this have to do with your Mom?” Callie’s tone is somber.
Henry doesn’t answer and I figure that Callie is right.
But then my mouth hangs open and I scrunch my eyebrows together. What’s going on with his mother? He rarely mentions his parents to me and I’d never been to his house when they were home.
“How is she doing?” Callie asks. “You know? With the treatments?”
“As well as expected I guess.” He speaks with a detached tone, but there’s more emotion in his voice than anything I’ve ever heard out of him. He’s in pain, lost and conflicted.
Part of me wants to comfort him. Part of me wants to soothe him with loving words and tell him that everything will be okay. I want to tell him that no matter what he’s going through. I’ll be there. I’ll help him through it. We’ll get through it together.