Pretend to be mine tonight (GXG)

Chapter 11

Emily's POV

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, when I heard the front door close. I knew she was gone. After dinner, Ms. Vieira had insisted I go to bed while she cleaned up. I tried to argue, hoping to spend more time with her, but her stern look had silenced me. I had retreated upstairs without another word.

Now, with the house quiet, I felt a sharp pang of sadness. I wasn't ready for her to leave—or for her to be gone from my life entirely. My phone buzzed incessantly, the screen lighting up with missed calls and texts from Cam. She was the only one who had my number aside from Paul.

Scrolling through the messages, I saw half were about Alexandria and how amazing she was, and the other half covered Cam's updates about telling Paul I was sick and her frustration about working alone.

My thoughts drifted back to our earlier fight. I hated myself for hurting Cam, but I was still reeling from the fact she had brought up Chloe. I was managing—maybe not thriving, but surviving—until I met Alexandria.

When I first saw Alexandria in the restaurant, my heart had betrayed me. It started beating in a way I had long forgotten. I was furious with myself for breaking my vow to remain closed off. I wanted Alexandria out of my life, yet I also wanted her close. The anger consumed me—at myself, at Cam for pushing me toward Alexandria. How could I let this happen?

Why was I lying here, fixating on Alexandria, a woman I barely knew? Our first encounter had been far from ideal.

Yet... I was letting her in?

The pain surged back, every warm feeling I had for Alexandria replaced by anger and resentment. I couldn't afford to fall into this trap again.

My heart pounded as if trying to escape my chest. My fingers went numb, and I struggled to breathe. I tried to hold my phone, but it slipped through my fingers repeatedly. After several attempts, I managed to hold it steady. Just as the phone rang for the second time, I heard Cam's cheerful voice.

"HEY!"

I could barely breathe, managing to choke out a weak, "Need you."

The call ended abruptly. Panic overwhelmed me, and I let the phone drop. Minutes felt like hours before I felt my bed shift and heard Cam's voice.

"Breathe, Em. I'm here. It's just me. No one else is around. It's the thought that's scaring you, not the place." She began to breathe deeply and guided me to follow her lead, but I was too far gone for that.

"I'll get your medication," she said, jumping out of bed and rummaging through my drawers. I heard her footsteps return with the medication.

"Emily, I'm going to touch your face now, okay? I'm just going to open your mouth and put the pill in. Is that alright, love?" she whispered. I gave a soft whimper in response.

"I know it's scary, but it's not dangerous. You're safe with me. Focus on your breathing. Stay in the present," she repeated. It was true; it was scary but not dangerous, though my mind refused to believe it.

Eventually, my trembling subsided, and I weakly opened my eyes. Cam's concerned gaze met mine.

"Hey there. Do you want to try counting to ten with me?" she whispered. I nodded.

"One..." she said, and I tried to respond but couldn't.

"That's alright. Take your time. You can do this. I'm proud of you. You've got this." I reached out for her hand, which she took immediately.

"One," I managed to choke out. She smiled at me weakly, and by the time we reached ten, my breathing was more stable.

She lay beside me, allowing me to snuggle into her side as she wrapped her arms around me and rubbed my head.