The Turn of a Page

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

            I had parked in the same car park as yesterday, and we were now perched on my bonnet. He sat on one side, I sat on the other. I had my hands between my knees and my eyes fixed on the grass in front of me.

            I had just finished telling Baz everything that Cayleb had said to me, and what I had felt throughout it all. I wasn’t putting an innocent face on as I knew I had played as much a part in betraying him as Cayleb had in leading me into my betrayal.

            Not wanting to press him into saying anything, I sat there quietly and listened to cars driving along the road in the background.

            ‘And that’s everything?’ he asked. I could completely understand why he would think I was holding something back or had changed a bit of detail to get some sympathy from him; but I knew he could tell I’d told everything the way it had really occurred.

            ‘Yes, Baz, I swear I wouldn’t keep anything from you when it means losing you is on the line. I feel so bad and it hurt all the way through from when I realised that I was letting him in. I’m not trying to make excuses to cover myself, but I’m seriously going to do my best to try to make this all up to you. Though I know nothing I do will ever be enough.’

            The car bounced as he shuffled closer across the bonnet. ‘Kerry, stop talking and come here.’ As I turned my head to look at him, I saw he had his arms open; the smallest smile I could muster touched my lips and I shuffled over to him and lay my hands and head on his chest as he closed his arms around me. ‘You’re right, it does hurt but I know you well enough that you will try to make it up to me. But the fact is, Kez, I don’t want anything from you; except that you drop out of the play, I will as well,’ he added, then continued. ‘Anything to get him away from you. If I hear that he’s been anywhere near you, then I’m going after him. And if it’s because you’ve asked him to come near you then I’m gone and you won’t see or hear from me again. And that’s that.’ The seriousness of his words and what he was saying hit me hard. My hands gripped at his shirt and I pressed harder into his chest. ‘And that right there tells me it’s going to be him who gets hurt if it happens.’ His arms tightened around me. What he meant by that last comment was that he believed that I wouldn’t dare ask Cayleb to come near me or let him if he did. And there was no way I was going to let even a bit of Cayleb come into my mind again, ever.

            Then something occurred to me, so I built up the courage to speak to him but kept myself firmly in his arms still. ‘Baz, are you going to tell Charlie and the others about this?’ I asked with concern hanging on my words.

            Before he answered, I felt his chest sigh. ‘What do you think I’ll do?’

            I wasn’t expecting him to ask that. ‘Deep down?’ He nodded. ‘Deep down, I’m thinking you might tell Charlie but not the others. Though I don’t know how much you’ll tell him if you do.’

            He grumbled. ‘Well, you’re wrong about that. I’m not going to tell him. This is between you and me, and that’s the way it’s going to stay. Oh, and I think this belongs to you.’

            Leaning off his chest, and him keeping one arm around me still, he rummaged around in his jeans pocket and pulled out his necklace.

            ‘I thought you might have left it behind,’ I exclaimed.

            ‘This was a present, Kerry. And I still want you to wear it. After all...’ He paused with a smile. ‘I still love you,’ he breathed as he placed the necklace round my neck and tried clasping it in place. I hadn’t turned my head around for him to see what he was doing, so as he fiddled around with the clasp, he leaned as close as he could and kissed me soft and slow.