Bittersweet Love

Chapter 14

Camille's point of view:

Punctually at seven o'clock there is a knock on the door. "See, Logan is always on time," I say to my dad, who shrugs indifferently. "Yes, if you like control freaks …"

"Logan is not …" I start, but then I let it be. Okay, my dad is right about that one point. "Whatever. Will you finally tell me what you intend to do?"

He looks at me innocently. "I already said that. I just want to get to know him. That's all."

"Dad, I'm serious. If you use this dinner to insult Logan, then …"

He's completely unimpressed. "You shouldn't keep your prince waiting so long. That's impolite."

Worried and a little angry, I go to the door and open it. "Hey, Logan," I greet him and kiss him. I know my dad is watching us, I don't care. Logan smiles slightly. "Hey." He seems nervous now. I can understand him. l lean forward and whisper, "Don't worry. Nothing will happen. I'll pay attention to that."

He nods. I take his hand and lead him inside. "Dad, this is Logan. Logan, my father." Of course, they both know each other, but not officially. Logan smiles and reaches out his hand. "Good evening, Mr. Roberts."

Dad looks at him for a second, then he shakes Logan's hand briefly. "Hello."

The dinner is going well. I talk most of the time, but that's fine with me. "Oh, dad, you know what? Logan wants to become a doctor. Isn't that great?"

Dad raises his eyebrows. "Oh, really?"

Logan nods enthusiastically. "Yes, that has always been my biggest dream." He thinks for a moment and then laughs. "And do you know what the crazy part of it is? Although I want to become a doctor, I'm terribly afraid of needles and I can't see any blood at all."

Dad doesn't look amused. "Well … I would prefer to go to a doctor who doesn't collapse on every wound."

Logan stares at him and a slight blush covers his face. "Oh, no, I … I explained that wrong. I mean, I can't see my own blood."

Poor Logan. I'm so sorry for him. Carefully, I place my hand on Logan's knee and squeeze it gently. I want to show him that everything is okay and that I'm there for him. Luckily, the table hides it so my dad can't see it. I can feel Logan's hand on mine. He squeezes it briefly and gently pushes it away from his leg. That disappoints me.

Logan's point of view:

No matter what I say, Camille's dad doesn't care. I should have known. Why didn't I listen to Camille? All this is a waste of time. He will never accept me. At that moment, he looks at me. I swallow.

"Say, Logan, you seem to be smart … Do you know anything about technical things?"

I try to calm myself. "Um … yes. How so?"

"Since this morning, my digital alarm clock doesn't work anymore, but it doesn't seem to be damaged. Do you have any idea what the problem might be?"

"Well, it could be a loose connection. But that's easy to fix. I can tell you how."

He nods slowly. "Yes … Or you could do it yourself."

Before I can answer, Camille says, "Dad, Logan isn't here to fix our stuff. He is our guest and-"

"No, I'll do it," I say suddenly, not knowing why. Mr. Roberts smiles, for the first time this evening. He stands up. "Wonderful. Come on, I'll show it to you."

I also stand up and follow him to his bedroom. Camille wants to come with us, but her father holds her back. "It's okay, Camille. I think Logan and I can do it alone."

Camille doesn't look convinced. I give her a reassuring look, then I enter the bedroom. Mr. Robers points to the bedside table. "There's the alarm clock."

I go to it and discover the alarm clock. I look at the cable and I'm surprised. The plug isn't connected. I take it and put it in a socket that's just behind the bedside table. Immediately the red numbers light up on the display. Then the door closes and suddenly I feel a pain in the area between my neck and shoulders. The pain surprised me so much that I scream. Quickly, a hand lays on my mouth and I hear the voice of Mr. Roberts on my ear, "Shut up and listen to me. I can't keep you away from my daughter, but I can make sure that you at least don't hurt her again."

"I never hurt Camille," I say, startled. The pressure on my shoulders increases. I groan.

"Don't lie to me! She has always tried to be close to you and you have ignored her. Do you know how much it hurt to see my daughter suffer so much? She was so sad and you didn't care!" At his last sentence, he gets angry again. My heart is pounding wildly in my chest. "But later we were a couple. We-"

He snorts contemptuously. "Oh yeah. For two weeks! And then you have nothing better to do than to break up with her?!"

"I didn't want that! That was a mistake. But when she kissed my friend-"

"Are you accusing Camille?" He asks menacingly, squeezing harder. I close my eyes. "No, I-"

"It wasn't her fault. Had you taken better care of her, that wouldn't have happened. It was your fault! But that's the problem, right? You've never taken great care of her. Especially not after the breakup."

"But that wasn't necessary. She was fine after the breakup. We were friends and it was okay for her."

Suddenly a slap hits me. The burning pain on my cheek is enough to bring tears to my eyes.

"That is not true! She cried for nights. She missed you. I tried to help her, but no matter what I did or said, she didn't want to forget you."

Although fear takes my mind off, I begin to understand why Mr. Roberts hates me so much. But that can't be true. Camille felt better than me after the breakup. Or was that just played? Did she really suffer so much? If so, then Mr. Roberts is right: I don't deserve Camille. "But it's different now! We are together again and we will stay that way. Really. Maybe we'll fight from time to time, but-"

"That will not happen anymore. I can't separate you two, but I can make sure you treat her well. You will do whatever she wants. You will not disappoint her, no matter in which way. Did you understand that?!"

"Yes," I gasp in agony.

"Good." Once again, the pressure increases, then he lets me go. Trembling, I breathe deeply in and out.

"Oh, and of course Camille's not supposed to know anything about this, right?"

"Right," I reply quietly. He nods in satisfaction and goes out.