Love and Loss

15. I Need You

10:45 pm
Atlanta, GA
Deija

"So what are your thanksgiving plans?"

I looked up from my phone, with a sigh. After dinner, neither one of us were ready to go our separate ways, so after grabbing milkshakes from a burger place, we were sat in Cam's rental car, talking for hours.

"Um I don't know. I'll probably order in, I got some bomb Thai food from this small hole-in-the-wall place last year. Maybe I'll get that again." I licked my lips just thinking about the delicious food.

"You're spending it alone?" Cam furrowed his brows.

"Not completely." I said, honestly. "Sky, Bri, and I normally do a Friendsgiving the day before."

I obviously never spent Thanksgiving with Derek. He would leave for his family's house in Florida for a week, without me. Truth be told, I don't even think his parents know about me.

"But you're not going back to the Chi?" He asked, confusion all over his face. "Your family isn't doing anything for the holiday?"

"Oh I'm sure they're doing something," I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Just not with me."

My relationship with my family was complicated. My mother and I were never super close. She always had these unrealistic expectations of what she wanted me to be, what she wanted me to wear, where she wanted me to go to school. She was constantly trying to live her life through me, and that never sat with me well so we were always getting into it.

On the other hand, I was always a daddy's girl. He had me wrapped around my finger, just as I had him, but my mom practically had him on a leash. After they found out I was pregnant at 18, my mom went ape-shit and dragged my dad with her. They practically disowned me. I had barely talked to my dad, and hadn't talked to my mother at all in the last five years.

"They never got over it? It's been five years." Cam exclaimed in disbelief.  "Do they even know about Kya?"

"I'm sure they do. My cousins and grandma know. Someone was bound to tell them." I shook my head, feeling myself grow annoyed even thinking about my so called, parents. "My grandma keeps calling me, trying to get me to come to the dinner but I just don't want to. I don't even think I can be in the presence of my mother without putting hands on her."

"Yeah, maybe not the best idea." Cam chuckled, taking a sip of his cookie's and cream shake. "But, you shouldn't spend the holiday alone."

"What else am I going to do?" I raised my brows.

"Come back home with me." He said simply, his face displaying nothing but seriousness.

"What?" I spluttered, looking at him with wide eyes.

Cam chuckled, turning in his seat to face me, his chocolate eyes connecting with mine. "Come home with me."

Butterflies erupted in my stomach at his words, and as much as I wanted to say hell yeah, and jump on a plane to our hometown with him, I hesitated.

"I don't know..." I trailed off, looking at him with uncertainty. "I don't want to intrude."

"You won't be. You're my guest." He waved me off. "Plus, Kalen really misses you. So does mama, she asks about you all the time."