"Kara." "What—" I cut myself off, turned away from him instead. I went to the counter, hands shaking as I opened the drawer, placed the cash register there. I didn't talk to him. I pretended that he didn't exist. It felt easier that way. "Hey, Cameron! Thanks for letting me borrow the game. Caleb says—Kar, you're here!" Dylan ran up to me happily but stopped in his tracks at the glare I shot at him. Traitor! "What is it? Dad said you were sick. Are you feeling better?" "Do I look better?" Shit. I sounded like a chain smoker. "What game? And what do you mean Caleb says? You hung out with Caleb?" "Yeah, all four of us—Cameron, Caleb, Dad and me painted your bedrooms, except the one where you slept in. Man, that must've been some kind of cold. You were out like a light," he continued, growing more excited. "Don't worry, Cameron bought the paint you wanted. Was it a crab white or jellyfish white or some seafood thing?" He turned to Cameron. "Oyster white," Cameron said. I gritted my teeth. "Right. Oyster white. Cameron finished everything and cleaned up. What's wrong?" "Nothing. Stay away from me if you don't want to get my virus. Two meters. Actually, make it twenty meters. All right?" "She gets psycho when she feels sick," he explained to Cameron. "Or when she's close to getting her period." "Dylan!" He sulked. "Where's the thank you?" he demanded then stomped away. "Kara." No. I turned my back to him, gripping the edges of the counter. "I'm sorry," he said softly. I swallowed the lump in my throat, lowered my arms to my sides and curled my hands into fists. "Will you talk to me?" But I didn't answer. Was he going to tell me his story now? But the pain in my heart was still very new and stopped me from welcoming him so easily. Maybe I was being petty but find me someone who got hit by a speeding truck, got up right away, and boogied on the street. Yeah, that would be no one. I went on with my routine, but it was hard when it wasn't that busy. And Cameron was a huge and intense presence in the room. Eventually he understood that no amount of asking would make me talk to him right now. He chose a spot in the room and stayed there. Cameron sprawled on the chair behind me. I could feel his eyes watching me throughout the morning. When I heard a thump, my head automatically turned to look. He had fallen asleep. His muscular arms were on the desk, pillowing his dark head. He must've been exhausted painting the bedrooms in my new place. My heart was turning soft. No. It's wrong. So wrong. I appreciate his effort in coming here, asking me to talk to him. I really did. But the deep hurt in my chest was so intense, and every time I looked at him, the pain intensified a bit more. I didn't want to love someone who couldn't reciprocate. I didn't want to have the same fate as my dad, loving someone who wasn't in for the long haul. I wasn't going to abandon myself, jumped into the water to save him when he didn't want to be saved. And who would save us both when we were both drowning? He needed to learn how to swim too. Swim with me to our safe place. Just like Dory and Martin and Nemo. But when he did stuff like taking care of me and my family, it shook my resolve. Why would he do that? Was this his way of making up for not being able to open up to me? Through his service? It should be enough, but it wasn't. It wasn't enough. I needed his heart too. I needed all of him. "Kara!" I blinked when Andrew snapped his fingers in front of my face. I had been standing in front of the counter for a few minutes, lost in my own thoughts that I didn't notice him right away. "I need to talk to you," Andrew said. "Okay. I'm listening." He looked behind me. "Can we talk in private?" "Do you see anyone here besides me? If you are, it's just a figment of your imagination and you should see a doctor." "Stop being snarky. This is serious." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Well, spill it." "It's about the shares of the shop." I frowned. "I'm almost done saving the money. Give me till next year and I'll have all of it." He shook his head regrettably. "Too late. Someone offered a huge sum for my shares. If it was a small amount, I wouldn't entertain it. But it's hefty enough that I could retire." My heart fell into my stomach. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I blinked, but he was still standing in front of me. "I don't know why anyone would pay that much for this garage," he continued. "It's falling apart, but apparently business is booming. I noticed that too. There was another company who brought in their fleet last week." Everything inside me turned cold. "What the fuck are you talking about?" "Just what I said. Weren't you listening to me?" "You...you..." I sputtered. "You can't do that!" "Of course, I can. I already checked with my lawyer. Did you know, and even I almost forgot, that your mom technically owns a third of the shares?" "What?" "What did my mom say?" Dylan suddenly appeared beside me. He looked worried and angry at the same time. "For sure she wouldn't agree to this. For sure." "As a matter of fact," Andrew answered, nodding his head repeatedly now. "She did agree to this. She'll get her share once we sold our shares." "No..." Beside me, Dylan backed away, naked pain on his face. "You're lying. She won't do that to us." "Believe what you want, kid. I'm just letting you know." Andrew tapped the counter impatiently, but he had a satisfied grin on his face. "I can't find your dad anywhere so I'll phone him later about it and we can discuss. I'm ready to leave this place and move on. You guys should start thinking about that too. Have a good New Year. Bye now." I was frozen. Panic and anxiety crept up and down my limbs, felt it push my shoulders down, filled my throat so that I felt like throwing up. "Kara." Cameron. In the middle of this dark chaos, the sound of his voice felt like light. I didn't realize until then how much a part of my life he had become that he was the first thing I looked for. "Cameron..." "Stay here, Kara. Dylan?" "I got her." I shook my head. What could he say? What could he do? Everything was falling apart. "Kara, it will be all right," Cameron said, and I could hear the promise in his voice. I watched as he walked to the exit. He stopped at the door and I could tell he was about to turn, but he didn't. I had no idea why I felt scared at that moment. Terrified. I wanted to call his name, tell him to come back, but I was paralyzed. He pushed the door open, stepped out and disappeared.