The Way to Love (Camren)

Chapter 23: You're Cold, and I Burn

XXIII. 

"I want you to get out of this house." Dan said bravely, his voice cracking on every other word, and his surroundings covered in a thin layer of blue glass. "Leave this house, take your ideals and your money with you, and don't ever show your face here again."

"Dan..." Sinu stared at her son in shock. "What are you doing?"

"I'm saying that he can't be here anymore." Dan said, stepping over the mess.

"What?" His father's voice was angry. "What on earth?"

"Don't act like you haven't been telling me the exact same thing you've been telling her. Your charade is over now, and it's not safe for you to be here. Leave!"

"I won't abandon my children."

"You wouldn't abandon your children..." Dan voice was like ice. "But you're willing to..."

"Stop!" Alejandro shouted as he froze, his eyes widening in pure horror. Sinu was tensed next to him, and her own expression was turning as dark as night.

"You told him..." Sinu said softly. "How could you do such a thing to a mere boy. How could you force him to shoulder the weight of knowing how horrifying of a father he really has..." She looked at her husband. "He's right. You will leave this house tonight... and you will never... ever return."

Dan knew his father's eyes were on him, and he knew that he had taken a giant leap into the belly of the beast in a matter of minutes. But this wasn't about him. From the minute his dad had picked up the bottle, mixed it with the drugs and saw stars, it hadn't been about him.

Dan nodded, turning around and putting his back to his father. He walked back down the hall, his feet carrying him and mind running blank. Up the stairs, towards his bedroom and through the door, the boy walked in to see that Camila was still asleep in the soft chair on his floor.

With all the turmoil that was spinning around them both, she still managed to find a way to sleep with a peaceful look on her face. He took a deep breath, closed the door and used his desk chair to wedge under the handle and keep it locked tight.

He knew that from that point on, that the sacrifice he was making meant that nothing was going to be about him again.

***

Dan jogged down to his truck, a little more of a bounce in his step as he swung the door open and jammed the keys into the ignition. His place only sat a few miles outside of town; a small one story home that consisted of nothing but a kitchen, one small bedroom and a living area.

The previous owners weren't looking for any numbers too high, so it was perfect for a tenant who just couldn't seem to nail down a steady job. He took off down the road, maneuvering through the tree lined highway until he reached his front drive.

It had been a few days now since his conversation with Camila, and it had gone much better than he had ever imagined. It was going to take time, but he was going to find a way to put things back to the way they used to be. The first step in doing that, was definitely to get rid of the shit-hole that he had been referring to as a home for the past few months. Moving on and moving forward. That was his mantra.

Even alone, the moving process didn't take long. The only pieces of furniture that Dan owned was old and relatively lightweight, not to mention quite small and only fit for one person. Still, it was an investment, and perhaps one day he would have both the time and patience to re-upholster and sell the items for a bit of dough.