father might say to protect his daughter, he simply walked away.
I wasn’t going to complain. I was a little old to hear threats like that, and Bree was twenty years old. We were both old enough to decide what we wanted to do.
I brought myself up the stairs, not knowing what room was hers. The first room was closed, so I took the chance and knocked. A soft voice told me to come in, so I peeked my head inside first, just to make sure it was her.
And it was.
Bree sat at her desk, working on a laptop. When she saw it was me entering her room, her eyebrows furrowed and she slowly got up.
I closed the door behind me, hoping to give us some privacy for this. I didn’t know how she would take me leaving, and I didn’t know how to break it to her gently. If anything, I wanted to reassure her, to make her see that just because I was going back home didn’t mean I would automatically remove myself from her life. I wanted Bree to believe in us.
That was probably too much to hope for, since she didn’t even believe in herself. It was okay, though, because I’d be strong enough, bold enough, stubborn enough for the both of us.
“Calum,” she said, tilting her head as she studied me. She wore some kind of black pants, not quite leggings but definitely not jeans, along with her typical oversized sweater. Today her pink hair was drawn to a single shoulder, haphazardly braided and kept tied with a black band. “What are you doing here?” She did not rush to my side, didn’t rush to hug me or kiss me like another girl might’ve. She simply stood there, staring, waiting for me to explain myself.
“I came to see you,” I said, stepping closer. “I needed to see you, actually.”
Bree looked at me like I was crazy. “We just saw each other last night.”
“I know. There’s something I didn’t tell you last night, though.” I ran a hand through my hair, watching her expression change. Almost instantly, she looked so sad, it hurt me to see her stare at me like that.
I reached for her, and she allowed me to take her hand and pull her toward her bed, where I sat. Just on its edge, not completely. I didn’t want her to get any wrong ideas here. Bree sat beside me, our knees grazing each other’s, and I held onto her hand, refusing to let it go.
Her hand was so much smaller than mine, her fingers slender and pale, her nails cut short. Not a freckle anywhere to be seen. Almost like a child’s hand in mine, every part of it smooth and soft. I held onto her like the world depended on it, like I would lose her forever if I let her go.
It might be easier to let her go. It might be easier for the both of us if I cut this off, trampled and discarded these budding feelings inside, but that wasn’t what I wanted. Even if this would be hard, even if this would be the most difficult thing I’d ever had to do in my life, I wanted to keep Bree with me. I wanted to be in her life and her to be in mine. I would be enough strength for the both of us.
“It’s nothing bad,” I told her, trying to ease the tension I could feel seeping from her. “I just…I’m heading back home today.” Figured it would be best to just out and say it, get it over with. To prolong this would only lead her to think of everything else that I could possibly say and have her needlessly worried.
Her expression fell somewhat. “Oh.”
I tugged on her hand, causing her to lean into me. “That doesn’t mean anything, though. I meant what I said before. I still want to see you, Bree.”
The look she gave me right then told me she didn’t believe me, and I responded by using my free hand to cup her cheek and tilt her head, planting my lips on hers. I hoped this kiss told her all my words couldn’t.
Bree turned to mush in my hands, leaning into me, sighing into my mouth as her lips turned pliant and willing. I released her hand, pulling her onto my lap as I kissed her harder, wrapping my arms around her back and holding her against me, soft enough not to hurt