Loving Leighton ✔

cayden

( six years later )

HE NEVER DELETED THE VOICEMAIL. Even the phone he had used back then was just there, lying around in his room. It had been worse when the feeling of missing her was still fresh some time around six years ago. He listened to her voice every night, and it only made him miss her more. He couldn't not hear it again, but eventually he learned how not to. His days just went by, and then when he was just a mess, a huge mess, it finally came onto him piece by piece that it wasn't worth sulking around anymore. He had a life, and she chose to step out of it. 

She didn't even leave him a choice, and that's what he hated the most.

Over the years, she never tried to contact him and after a while, he stopped trying too. And then sometimes, the times where he felt lonely, he would play her voicemail again and again. He kept reminding himself that she did it for both their own good, though it didn't feel much like it. When he walked down the street, he would think that he caught a vague scent of what seems to smell like her perfume, but when he would turn around he wouldn't find her there. 

Sometimes, he even expected to see her around the corner, down the street, or at some local diner that people rarely visited, apart from its regular customers, but not once did he catch a glimpse of her anywhere. Over time he had learned how to fight the emotions that resurfaced. He learned to stopped looking.

"Hey, honey." 

The small, brunette woman stood before Cade when he opened the door to his new home. She stepped forward and kissed him on the cheeks before settling down on the couch. "So where's dad?" he asked. Mrs. Morris, or Eve, smiled softly at her son. "He won't be coming today. He caught the flu." she said. "Mom," he groaned, "you should have stayed home then. You could've just called me over the phone. I would understand, you know." 

Eve snorted. "And miss visiting my son? Over my dead body." she said, half laughing. A wash of silence fell over them. Eva was supposed to be spared any knowledge of what had happened, but eventually she found out. She had to. 

"Cade..." she tried. He knew very well where this conversation would lead to. His mother never hated Leighton because she understood what the death of the Scotts had done to her emotional health, but at the same time she wanted so many of her questions to be answered by Leighton herself. "Have you...?" she said leaving out a part of the question blank. Have you found her, she meant. "No. I don't think I ever will." he said. 

"I know we haven't talked much about it, and it's been six years, but I understand why she needed to do what she did, honey." she said, putting a hand on her son's knee. Her son had bags underneath his eyes and his stubble growing. His hair looked a little too messy, and although it was better than the Cade from six years ago, she knew there was much room for improvement. He still looked dull, and she wondered how much more quickly her son aged than before. More importantly, she wondered if the life in his eyes would return if Leighton decided to come back.

"I understand, mom. I just wish she left me with a choice."  

"I know, sweetheart." his mom said, and he nearly bit his tongue to hold back his response. Do you, really? 

"But what if I told you that she's coming back?"

*

His mother decided to leave after an hour or two. Apparently, his dad needed her because he was sick, and although that may be true, he knew better. His mother wanted to leave him some time. He couldn't process his mother's words in his head. Leighton was coming back. Leighton Scott was coming back and his mom knew it.

And then suddenly, all the questions left unanswered and all the emotions he had learnt to hide have resurfaced. He felt weak all over again, and he hated it. He wanted so much for her to be back, but he needed to look tough on the outside. 

With those thoughts, he also felt the need to take a walk and breathe for a moment. It bothered him so much to the point he could not even think straight.  With that, he grabbed whatever coat he could find and threw it on, then stepped out the door.

*

The air was chilly, to say in the least. He felt glad that he had decided to put on his coat, but at the same time he also secretly wished that he'd gotten his gloves. He calmed down a little when he saw the leaves drying up and falling down, the autumn season catching up. He has always loved autumn.

There were kids with their parents, chasing around the park. Their laughter pained him a little bit, knowing it had been quite some time since he had laughed that much too. There were couples as well, and even the same ice cream vendor for the last decade or so was there, selling his infamous chocolate chip ice cream on homemade waffle cones.

Then, his phone rang.

It startled him, knowing it could be anyone. He had hoped for a split second that it was his mom or even his dad, but after looking at the called ID, it became crystal clear that it was neither. And finally, after six excruciatingly long years, he heard the voice of the girl he had grown to love so much. 

"Hello?"

Her voice was still sweet as ever, but it lost its edge and guarded tone to it. What else has changed within the time they spent apart? He was happy for her, really, but he couldn't help but feel the pinch in his heart as well.

"Hello?" it came out as if he was unsure. It sounded like he was too uncertain, as if he was almost scared that she would hang up and decided to not contact him ever again. "Cade..." she breathed. Her voice did not waver, but he had heard the shaky breath she took afterwards. And then, silence. She was the first to break it. "I-I'm sor—"

"Please don't." he said, almost feeling his heart break all over again. "I don't know what to say." she admitted, and with every second passing that he listened to her voice, his stomach just leaped to his throat. "Then don't say anything." he said. Even more silence. "Why did you leave?" he forced the words out. 

"You know why, Cade." she said, and he hung his head down. He did know why. His ego just wanted to know if she ever felt the same remorse and sorrow he had felt all those years ago. "I do know why, but that doesn't mean you didn't hurt me, Leighton. You left me without a choice. You just packed your bags and disappeared, only for me to find out that you left without so much as a minute for me to say goodbye." 

"I know." she said, with guilt lacing in her tone. He caught it, but he didn't feel the satisfaction in hearing her feel guilty as much as he had hoped he would. He still felt the same way every time she felt guilty, and it was the need to comfort her. "I understand if you wouldn't want to come...but I'll be at the cafe near the park at five." she said. Can we talk, she meant.

"Will you be there?" she asked. He remained silent for a moment as a million memories and thoughts for the future flashed through his head. "Cade?" she asked, softly, snapping him out of his reverie. He drew in a sharp breath. "I will." he replied. Cade was there and always would be, just like how he had always been, and somehow they both knew it. 

And though loving Leighton has never been easy for Cade, deep down where their souls met, each and every memory they had was tainted with the most profound love the other could possibly give. Most of all, right when their hearts had been aligned like the rarest pair of stars in the nightsky, their once fleeting glimpse of eternity has turned into a lasting love for the both of them, and nothing would change that.

~fin.~