LOVELORNED CHAPTER FOURTEEN
381 Words
LOVELORNED
Chapter 14: Cake for Breakfast
7 PM. Diner on 5th.
I showed up with Lily’s notebook in my bag.
And I wore the hoodie from the locker.
Caleb was already there.
Two slices of chocolate cake. Two forks. Two hot chocolates.
“You remembered,” I said, sliding in.
“I remember everything about you,” he said. Simple.
We ate in comfortable silence for a while.
No phones. No cameras. No Addison.
Just us. And cake. For breakfast.
“Can I tell you something?” he asked.
“Only if it’s not a secret.”
“It’s not. It’s a promise.”
He pushed a small box across the table.
Not jewelry. Not flowers.
Inside: a red umbrella. Miniature. Keychain size.
“Because you deserve someone who shows up,” he said. “Every time.”
I laughed. Cried a little.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Lily said you’d say that.”
We talked until the waitress kicked us out at closing.
About college. About his book. About the therapy he started last year.
About how he was sorry. About how I was trying.
When we got to my dorm, he didn’t ask to come in.
He just stopped at the door.
“Can I see you again?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “But we’re going slow.
And we’re telling the truth.
And we’re eating cake for breakfast whenever we want.”
“Deal,” he said. And smiled. For real this time.
He left.
I went inside.
Kayla was waiting with popcorn.
“So?”
“So,” I said. “We’re trying.”
I pulled out Lily’s notebook.
Flipped to a blank page.
And wrote:
_“Day 1 of living.
Had cake for breakfast.
Let someone bring me an umbrella.
Didn’t run.”_
My phone buzzed.
Caleb: _“Goodnight, Maya.
P.S. The book is being re-released.
With a new dedication:
‘For Lily, who brought us together.
And for Maya, who taught me how to stay.’”_
I didn’t answer.
I just set my phone down.
And for the first time in 4 years, I fell asleep without checking the door.
Because I wasn’t alone anymore.
THE END... for now
LOVELORNED: Book 1
Book 2: HEARTMENDED - Coming Soon
- Writer
