Dominated (Obsessed II)

25.

Bianca Dawson
Reunion

I went on FaceTime a bit nervous, hands slightly shaking as I held my phone.

How could I have posted a cute picture when, in the moment, I looked nothing like what I'd just shown the world? This would be his first time seeing me in years. There was no way I was letting him see me like this.

I went to the bathroom, splashed cold water on my face, and forced myself to breathe. I dabbed a little concealer under my eyes, added mascara to make myself look awake, some blush so I didn't look drained, and gloss to bring life back to my lips. I fixed my hair until it looked like I hadn't touched it at all.

Only then did I sit down in a spot with decent lighting and hit the audio call button.

The ringing made my heart pound harder with each second.

He answered immediately, and requested to switch to video.

I hesitated for half a second, then hit accept.

His face filled my screen.

He blinked, leaned closer, then whispered, "It really is you."

I couldn't speak. My throat closed up. The effect he had on me hadn't changed; it was still too much.

"Bianca..." His voice cracked in a way I'd never heard. "I thought you were dead. Your brother told me, he even showed me a death certificate. I had no idea you were still out there. I'm so sorry I didn't fight harder. So much was happening and I... I needed time, but I can't imagine—"

"Jude." I stopped him gently. "It's okay."

He shook his head, jaw tight. "It's not!"

I looked down for a moment before meeting his eyes again. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hurt. I was. I felt like you did nothing to help me. But... the whole situation was a mess. You were living a normal life before I came along. You didn't deserve any of the baggage that came with me."

He studied me through the screen in a way that made my chest feel too tight.

"Bianca," he said quietly, "you were never baggage."

His voice, the sincerity in it, pulled old feelings right to the surface,  feelings I wasn't ready to deal with but couldn't deny were there.

He stayed quiet for a long moment, just looking at me. I could almost feel the weight of everything between us, months of fear, anger, confusion, and a strange kind of longing that never really went away.

"I—I can't believe you're here," he finally said, voice low, rough. "I mean... I saw the post. I thought maybe... maybe it wasn't really you. I kept hoping. Praying, even." His fingers fidgeted with the edge of the screen, like he needed something solid to hold on to. "And now... now you're here. Alive. That's impossible."

"I'm here," I said softly, trying to keep my tone calm, though my own heart was racing. "Alive, and I've been around. You just didn't know how to find me."

He swallowed hard, his eyes not leaving mine.

"You—you could have reached out. I... I would have done anything. I didn't know where to start. I thought I lost you forever." His voice caught, and for a moment, he looked smaller than he ever had in my memory, vulnerable in a way that surprised me.

I shifted slightly, gripping my phone tighter. "Jude... you didn't lose me. You weren't supposed to find me. Until I was ready"

His brow furrowed. "Bianca... I've spent months thinking about you. I—" He stopped himself, a shiver running through his shoulders. He had no clue I had my brother to take care of first.