The Peterson's

Chapter 12

After our legitimate date, we end up driving 5 minutes out of Brooksworth, even though Cameron shouldn't be driving since he's drunk. He stops his car in the middle of a large piece of empty grass land. We both climb out and walk towards each other "What are we doing here Ca-"

"Hold my hand" He holds his hand out and I reluctantly take it. He takes out his phone and opens the torch as he begins to lead me out further into the grass land. "Where are we going?"

"Just trust me" He continues to walk until a large willow tree comes into view. "It's beautiful" I say as he leads me further towards it. "I come here to think" He says once we finally reach the tree and he sits down underneath it. He opens his legs and pulls me down so i'm sitting down in between them.

"It's a great place to think" I say, looking up at all the individual branches blowing in the wind. I suddenly feel an overwhelming feeling of calm and all my worries seemed to disappear. I start to shiver and then feel Cam's arms rap around me from behind. We sit there for awhile, listening to the breeze and taking it all in until he speaks.

"When I was 7, my Mom, Bethany was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. It was gradual and even before she was diagnosed, it was obvious she had it. She hated it so much. You know, all those involuntary movements and all the pain. it was unbearable for her" He paused and then continued "One day we went for a walk together before school and we somehow ended up here, at this exact location. We sat down together and that's when I noticed something, her shaking stopped. She was calm and her body was still. It was like some kind of miracle. This tree was a miracle. She told me the pain stopped. After that we came here every single Wednesday, not a Wednesday would pass that she wouldn't come here and relax. Her shaking stopped every time we came" He seemed uneasy...like he hadn't told me something prior to this chat.

"We'd always come here together, every Wednesday before school. She'd tell me different stories every single week and I'd learn something new about her. It was our safe haven" He gulped "As the years went on, The disease became worse. Her speaking became stuttered and when I was 8, she began having seizures. Instead of every week, we ended up coming every day. This tree was like a drug for her, she couldn't-" He breathed in "She couldn't live without it. One Wednesday before school, she had a seizure, her worst one so far. She wanted to come to the willow tree but she was too weak and my Dad wouldn't let her come" his voice starts to become weaker "I went to school and when I came back, the house was quiet. Usually she'd be watching TV or listening to music but I couldn't hear anything. I looked everywhere until-" I hear him choke. I turn to face him, his eyes are glossy and he is biting his lip. I grab hold of his hand "I went into the bathroom, she was under the water in the bath. Her body was limp and pale. She had drowned herself" A single tear falls down his face as one falls down mine "She couldn't handle it anymore and she killed herself. I come to this tree every day now because just like it helped her, it now helps me"

"Cameron, I- I had no Idea, I'm so sorry" more tears begin to spill out of my eyes. I engulf him in a hug and just hold him. As we let go, he stands up. I follow him as he walks behind the tree. He hovers his torch over an engraving on the tree and rubs his hand over it

"Our Tree" I read.

"The first time we came, My Mom decided to put this engraving on the tree to ensure it was always ours" His finger trails over the letter "It's our tree now, Zoey. You can come here whenever you want and need it" I shake my head "I couldn't possibly" I can't tell if he is being serious since he is still slightly tipsy.

"My Mom would have wanted this. I see how you are Zoey, you need this" tears start to pour down my face, I'm uncontrollably crying. He pulls me in closer so I am right up against his chest, He looks down at me and I look up at him. I can feel his chest heaving "You aren't alone Zoey, we can get through this together"

He leans in closer to me, his lips roam above mine, my breathing hitches and then that's when I feel it...that overwhelming feeling, the desperation and need for him. The desire.

"Together" I mumble through tears before it happens. He presses his lips hard against mine, dropping his phone on the ground. Just as our lips connect, rain starts to fall, just like in a movie. I throw my arms around his neck as he puts his around my hips. Our lips move in sync. I'm on the tips of my toes reaching up since i'm so short but his large hands are supporting me on my back.

The feeling sends adrenaline through my body. He pulls away teasingly and roams over my mouth once again, leaving me desperate for more. I go to kiss him but he moves his head back and smirks. he takes his jacket off and puts around me to shelter me from rain. "We better get home before we both get the flu" He says, picking up his phone from the ground, wiping the dirt off it.

"Why so soon?" I frown. He laughs and then takes my hand, we start to walk back but the mud is wet and since i'm in heals, I have to drag myself through it. Cameron sees me struggling and without notice, sweeps me off my feet and starts carrying me bridal style. "You could have warned me!" I laugh as I dig my face into his neck away from the rain "But your reaction was priceless" He laughs in response. He cuddles me in his arms as we walk the rest of the way, making me have a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach that I can't quite put my finger to.

He puts me in the passenger seat , then climbs into the driver's seat and we start travelling back. As we drive, I can't help but stare at his features, He's wearing a white singlet which is now wet and is clinging to his skin, his arms are bare and show his large biceps. His dark brown hair is all messed up from the rain and is still wet. He's hot.

He notices me staring and smiles. "Are you okay there?" He laughs at my gobsmacked face. "Yeah, I'm just now understanding why all the girls chase you at school"
He raises his eyebrows "Well you don't do so bad yourself Just Zoey" He says, emphasizing the "Just Zoey" just like how he said it when we first met, while he looks me up and down. I laugh and shake my head.

"It meant a lot that you told me that story Cam. I know it was hard" I take his free hand that is on the gear and squeeze it. He looks from the road to me and smiles at me in Sympathy as he squeezes it back. Wait...why is he being sympathetic? He's the one who told me the story. Something doesn't seem right.

"It only seemed right" He says, focusing back on the road. What does he mean by right? We stay quiet for the rest of the ride home. He stops in front of my house and then looks at me "I really like you Zoey" He simply states. I smile and say "I really like you too"

"I think we should do this again tomorrow" He says, smirking.
I nod and smirk back. I lean over and kiss him by surprise. He smiles at this and kisses me back. I take his jacket off and then I quickly jump out of the car and he drives off. I walk up the driveway, full of excitement. I can't believe that just happened.

The door is open so I just walk in. "Where were you?" I hear Dylan's annoying voice. "Melody's house" He walks into the hall, wearing only underwear. I put my hand in front of my eyes "I really don't need to see that tiny thing right now"

"Excuse me this is not tiny, it's actually pretty big" He says, putting his hand over it.

I roll my eyes as I take off my dirty high heels and throw them on to the floor "You really didn't have to stay up for me. I'm a big girl now Dylan" I moan.

"Can't I be worried about you?" He says, making his way up the stairs. I just grunt in response and follow him up. I give him a big hug up at the top of the stairs "Goodnight Zo" He murmurs. he's exhausted. "Goodnight 2 inches" I  tease as I walk up to my bedroom door.

"More like 8 inches" I hear him mutter as I walk into my bedroom.