Back Where I Belong

Chapter 8

Updated picture of Peyton is 🔝

Zoey's pov

"Zoey. Zoey. Zoey, wake up," someone calls, gently shaking my shoulder back and forth.

I open my eyes and blink a few times until my vision clears. When it does, I immediately smile. I sit up quickly and throw my arms around Peyton, who was standing right in front of me.

"Hi baby girl," Peyton says softly, holding onto my body tightly.

"Peyton," my voice breaks. I just hold him tightly. Nothing else mattered at the moment. I missed him so damn much.

"It's okay, Zoey. Don't cry. We're together now," my boyfriend whispers, gently swaying our embraced bodies back and forth.

I try to speak. But I can't. I just want to hold him. But I also want to tell him about Cindy. He would've thought of her like a little sister as well. She loved him and thought we were a cute couple.

A few tears slip from the corners of my eyes. I miss her so much. Of all of the unfair things in this horrible world, Cindy's death seemed to be the most cruel.

"Zoey, what's wrong?" Peyton asks, sitting down on my uncomfortable hotel bed. He pulls me down onto his lap.

"I miss Cindy," I whimper, laying my head against his warm chest. The steady rhythm of his beating heart was comforting, but didn't completely soothe me.

"Who's Cindy, baby?" He questions, sounding confused. I had forgotten that he didn't know her.

"She was a little girl from the orphanage I was sent back to. Well, I say little, but she was thirteen. She was practically my little sister. She was the only one nice to me there. Cindy ended up helping me escape. She was there when I got caught again. She and I were locked up together in Tim's basement. Then he gave her chicken nuggets cooked in peanut oil. She was allergic to peanuts. The allergy was too severe. She ended up dying," I explain weakly. It hurt more to relive the entire thing. I could still see the pleading look in Cindy's eyes as she begged me to hold onto hope, to not give up.

"She sounds amazing," Peyton comforts, kissing my temple. I don't say anything, but I appreciate how he doesn't say 'sounded'. He talked about her as if she was still around. I was grateful for that.

"Come here, Zoey. You're obviously still tired. I feel bad for waking you up now. I'll see you in the morning, baby girl," he says, setting me back down on my bed.

I grab his hand, "Will you stay here with me?" Peyton nods and drops his backpack on the floor. He kicks off his shoes, then climbs into my bed beside me. I snuggle into his chest, holding onto him tightly. Peyton wraps his arms around me too. I sigh contently, then allow myself to drift back off to sleep.