Tyrant (Lazaretto Sequel)

thirteen

April 26, 2094

CAMILA

"That's him," I said as I pointed Derek out to Tanner through the window of the restaurant. The sun was just beginning to set, most of the cars just having turned their headlights on. It had taken me a week to finally convince him to meet his father, and ever since running into my own on the subway I hadn't seen him again, and Tanner hadn't mentioned him. I decided to keep the new-found information from the group, especially my mom, for now. I wasn't exactly sure how to bring it up, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it, either.

I looked up at the pale eyed boy to see his face etched with worry, and I wanted nothing more than to smooth out the wrinkles in his forehead. My hand was in his, the familiar warmth spreading through my body. He slowly took a step forward and placed his free hand on the glass to peek inside at the group sitting in the back of the crowded restaurant. I felt his hand grip mine harder, and I knew he had found what he was looking for. I squeezed back just as tight to let him know that I was there. He leaned away moments later and turned slowly to face me. His pale green eyes had turned a light shade of grey, and I wondered what made them change so quickly. He dipped his head down and grabbed onto my other hand to hold them both between us.

"What's wrong?" I asked after a couple minutes of him still in the same position. "We don't have to go in if you don't want to." I watched silently as it seemed like he had fallen asleep standing up. The traffic around us was the only noise being heard amongst my fast paced heartbeat.

"It's not that," he clarified as he finally lifted his head. His then grey eyes searched mine, and I felt a little self-conscious under their intense gaze. "It's just that...no one has ever done anything like this for me before. And then you come along out of nowhere and completely turn my world upside down. I know this sounds crazy, and you'll probably run away from me after I tell you, but I think we were meant to meet on that train that day. I'm not sure if I believe in soul mates, but if I did...I think you would be mine."

I was shocked to say the least. I wasn't expecting for Tanner to say any of that. I was pretty sure my mouth was agape at the confession, and his face turned a light shade of pink out of embarrassment after I hadn't said anything. I couldn't formulate the right words I wanted to say. Being with Tanner made me realize that being in a relationship didn't have to be hard, that sometimes your first love wasn't always your best love. I stood in awe of the man before me as I felt him reach up and wipe away a tear I wasn't aware had fallen.

"You deserve the world," I said simply trying to find my voice. He smiled and bowed his head when he realized I wasn't going to run away from him. His pale green eyes had returned when he looked back up, and that caused a grin to sweep across my face. I untangled our fingers and slipped my arms around his neck to draw him closer to me, resting my forehead against his and breathed in his familiar scent. I closed my eyes and savored the moment we were sharing as I felt his warm breath hit my lips.

"I don't know if I believe in soul mates either," I whispered, "but if I did I think you would be mine, too." I leaned forward and closed the small gap between us, sealing the moment with a tender kiss. My heart was beating out of my chest, but it was out of pure happiness. I smiled into the kiss, and I felt Tanner do the same as we parted, brushing a piece of hair behind my ear before giving me another quick peck. I grabbed his hand and led him inside of the restaurant before he could change his mind. As we made our way to the table in the back of the restaurant, Tanner gripped my hand hard again. I knew he was nervous, but he had every right to be. It wasn't every day that you were reunited with your father.

As we neared the table, everyone was laughing and talking amongst themselves. Ally was the first to notice me as she raised her hand to waive at us. When she saw who I was with, she dropped her hand and her smile faltered. She leaned over to Troy and whispered something in his ear. He turned and looked at us both with wide eyes as he must have made the connection. How does Ally know Tanner? I didn't have time to think about it as I stopped behind Derek who hadn't heard us approaching. The chatter amongst the group had quieted to a near silence. Normani cleared her throat loudly and Derek aimed his attention at her, clearly confused as to why everyone was being so silent. She pointed to Tanner and me, and Derek quickly turned around in his seat, nearly choking on the water he had in his mouth. I could feel Tanner's erratic heartbeat through his palm.