A Beautiful Train Wreck

Chapter 3 - Be My Guest

A tall, brooding guy loomed over me.

Micah's POV

I don't know if it was just a pure coincidence or we shared a telepathic connection. The midnight blue material that wrapped around her body not only matched my suit, but also those mesmerizing eyes of hers that held mine captive. It took a while before I realized I was lost in them. Again. But this time, I didn't have to force myself to break the gaze. I cherished each second of it, fighting the temptation to pull her into my arms at the same time. It took every ounce of me to refrain myself from doing so. I've been waiting for ten years, a little longer won't hurt.

Little did I know, waiting did all the damage.

"Cameron, it's rude to not invite the guests inside," an elderly man spoke from behind her.

I recognized him instantly. The wrinkles that creased his skin had intensified throughout the years. Other than that, nothing about him changed. The neat, professional attire of his remained the same, even the drooping eyelids that hung over his sunken eyes and the bushy white brows that hovered over them. One thing for certain is that he still gave his all to protect this family.

"Good evening, Charles," struggling to gather my words for a moment, I eventually projected them, "It's been a while since I've seen you."

Cameron stepped aside to let me enter the elegant house. I knew she was excited to see someone else, but I crushed her expectations. Just like I did this morning. The disappointment that she displayed on her face pinched my heart. A charming face like hers should never be frowning. It was a sin to be one of the reasons that caused her pain. But I was convinced that everything was easier when emotions weren't involved and that I was protecting her by being distant.

I was tremendously wrong for thinking that. No one can ever bury their feelings in the past.

"I've been looking forward to seeing you, young man," his stern face cracked a welcoming smile as he closed the door, "Cameron, do you still remember Micah?"

"I never forgot him in the first place," Cameron muttered under her breath, her gloomy eyes glued to the floor.

My chest felt heavy from guilt. Leaving her was never my intention. We had no other choice but to leave everyone behind in that town to build a new life from scratch. The last thing I wanted was to drag Cameron down and drown her in the darkness of my childhood with me.

When Mama told me the Lockwood family had bought the company she was working for, I knew I couldn't let my feelings jeopardize my plan of vengeance. I had my act laid out precisely, down to the very last detail, in order to shield Cameron from this suspicious town. Particularly, Mason Academy, the shadiest private high school in disguise as the best in the States.

"I assume you have already met at school?" the wrinkles on Charles' forehead deepens.

I nodded, but Cameron remained motionless. The awkward atmosphere was so suffocating, I couldn't help but loosen my tie.

"Where are your bags, Micah?" Charles enquired, glancing around my surrounding for a packed suitcase.

"They're in my mother's car," I responded, "She'll be here soon. She just finished work late."

"That's perfectly fine. I'll get one of the maids to retrieve your bags when she arrives. In the meantime, you can head to the-"

"Wait, bags for what?" Cameron interrupted as her head perked up at me, folding her arms in front of her chest.

She truly was clueless, nobody had told her about me at all. It was what her father wanted, for her to know as little as possible regarding how I was working for him.

"Micah's grandmother has fallen ill," said Charles, "His mother is going to France tomorrow evening to take care of her. She shouldn't be gone longer than a month but your mother insisted that Micah should stay with us until Madeline returns."

She gawked at me for a while, but she didn't stay silent for long, "So all of you knew Micah lives here but you didn't bother telling me?"

My mind rushed around to find the right words to say. I had to say something - anything but the truth about why her family prolonged our reunion. Before I could open my mouth, Charles took the matter into his own hands, once again.

"Micah was away for the whole of summer. Your mother and Madeline thought it would be best if they left it until he came back home. Hence, the reason for this dinner."

Letting out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding, Cameron narrowed her eyes at me and slowly shook her head in disapproval before storming up the stairs. Maybe it didn't have to be this tiring, maybe I could explain what exactly I was doing.

But then I remembered. I couldn't, for the safety of my bestest friend.

"I should get back to work, but if you're going to look for her, she will most likely be on the rooftop," Charles hinted, giving a light pat on my back before announcing yet another endless list of jobs for the maids.

I wasn't surprised at all to hear that she would be on the roof. Some things just never change. The only thing that was different about it was this time, I wasn't the little boy that had to tell her to get down from the death sentence. This time, I found myself climbing my way up to be with her. As a little boy, I thought a lot about where I would be in ten years time. On top of a mansion with the rooftop girl was not one of them.

Her silhouette curled into a ball in the dimming night sky. The gentle breeze attempted to carry her soft locks along with it, leaves rustled with each sway of the branch. The peace of nature was delicate, but the grunts I allowed to slip out of my mouth while mounting up the slanted structure disrupted her moment of meditation.

"Mind if I join you?" I hopelessly tried to catch my breath.

She sighed deeply and I could sense that she rolled her eyes, even with her back facing me, "Be my guest."

Steadily lowering myself onto the cold slates beside her, I also curled into a ball. Neither of us said anything for a little while. It wasn't because we didn't have anything to say. Rather, we had so much to talk about, we didn't even know where to start. While I was deciding whether to beat around the bushes or to skip the small talk and cut to the chase, Cameron seemed to have chosen the latter.

"Why did you leave?" her quavering voice reached out to me.

I had to pick my words carefully. I was walking on eggshells.

"Cam," I heaved a heavy sigh of frustration, "I don't want to get into it."

But she wasn't taking it for an answer.

"It's not fair! Micah, you can't just leave for ten years, treat me like an insignificant memory then expect us to be 'bestest friends' again! That's not how it works!" she yelled, tears accumulating in the corner of her eyes.

"I know it's not, but I promise I'll explain it to you," I said gently to calm her fuming anger and she toned it down a notch when she realized she was borderline screaming, "Just not now, not before dinner."

"I genuinely thought you forgot about me and it really hurt. Why did you act like you didn't know me? Do I still mean anything to you? Or am I just a stranger who was once your friend? Were you not happy to see me for the first time in ten whole years?"

It's dangerous for you to be close to me.

You mean so much to me.

No, but we have to act like it.

I was so happy to know that you never forgot about me.

But the last time I saw you wasn't ten years ago, it was two. It was when I carried your unconscious body across the blazing fire as the smothering smoke filled my lungs with toxic chemicals. The flames scorched my skin, but I was willing to risk my life to save yours.

That was what I wish I could say to her. Instead, I reluctantly bit my tongue and swallowed my words. Silence was my only answer to her questions.