Losing My Life

Chapter 44

'Wait, do you think this Cameron guy is your ex?' Ryleigh asks after Kelsie has given her the backstory.

'Yes...I wasn't sure why Josh needed to get some information about him...he must know something...'

'Look, I've been trying to call Rory, but he isn't picking up either.'

'Thanks for trying.' Kelsie expresses her sorrow.

'They'll be ok...' Ryleigh takes her hand in hers and squeezes it firmly.

'I don't know...he can be quite malicious...He must be up to something...'

'We'll try again later.'

She calms Kelsie down, but Ryleigh doesn't understand because she doesn't know Cameron as well as she does.

She sighs, 'I thought I got away from him...I thought I was finally free...' Her chest tightens harder, '...I can't lose Josh....I don't want him or Rory getting caught up with this...'

'What makes you think he's after them?'

'To get back at me....revenge....hurt the people I'm closest to...' Kelsie raises her eyes to Ryleigh, '...The same goes with you...'

'Okay, calm down...take deep breaths...I'll keep trying.'

Ryleigh reassures her by rubbing her hand, as seeing her friend in this state worries her as well.

Kelsie makes every effort to forget about him and what he's done to her. Making her move here and telling her she can't leave the house or make any friends. They met at school, he was a year above her, and she had a massive crush on him. Cameron took her out on a date after noticing her, and she had the best time of her life. She believed he would be her forever, and when he had big dreams, she did too and couldn't wait to see their relationship blossom.

When really, he wanted her all to himself. Cameron found it necessary to break ties with their hometown and communicate only with her family. Even back then, there was only once a month contact. When he grew in popularity as a tattoo artist, he starts to be invited to these parties, where he becomes extremely drunk and high. Cameron would keep an eye on her and make sure she wasn't flirting or making friends with other guys.

If she ever stepped out of line, the back of his hand would swing across Kelsie's face. He'd never do it in front of other people, but it always left a stinging mark and made her sob inside the four walls of the tiny apartment she had to clean every day.

When he was too high to care, she met Josh, and she wanted to tell him everything. She stated that she wasn't happy anymore and wanted to move away again. Without being pushy, Josh advised her to be happy and do what she wanted. He encouraged her to stay and offered her a position at the same agency. Because of his kindness, Kelsie felt safe again, and she followed Josh's guidance.

She stormed into his tattoo shop and made a scene, announcing that their relationship was over and that she was moving out. Josh had her stay with another work colleague so she wouldn't be on her own. From then on, her gaze was fixed on Josh, but she had no way of telling him and didn't want to jeopardize their friendship. That was before Ryleigh persuaded her otherwise.