Chapter 9: Old Feelings
642 Words
For a long moment, neither Camille nor John spoke.
The noise of the restaurant faded into the background as they sat across from each other, lost in their own thoughts.
Camille stared down at her coffee.
Everything she had believed for years had been turned upside down in a single conversation.
“You should have told me,” she finally said.
John nodded.
“I know.”
“You should have trusted me enough to tell me the truth.”
“I know.”
Camille shook her head.
“Do you have any idea how much I hated you?”
A sad smile appeared on John’s face.
“I hated myself too.”
His answer caught her off guard.
John looked out the window before continuing.
“When you left, I wanted to run after you.”
Camille looked at him.
“But I thought you deserved someone better.”
“Better?” she asked bitterly.
“You cheated on me, John.”
His eyes filled with regret.
“I know. And that’s something I’ll regret for the rest of my life.”
The sincerity in his voice made it difficult for Camille to stay angry.
“After we broke up, I tried to move on,” John continued.
“But no matter who I met, nobody was you.”
Camille felt her chest tighten.
“John…”
“I’m not saying this to pressure you.”
He leaned back in his chair.
“I’m saying it because you deserve the truth.”
Silence settled between them again.
The waiter arrived with their food, giving them a brief break from the emotional conversation.
Neither touched their meals right away.
Finally, Camille spoke.
“Do you know what hurt the most?”
John looked at her.
“I thought our story ended because you stopped loving me.”
John immediately shook his head.
“Never.”
His answer came so quickly that Camille’s heart skipped a beat.
“Not for a single day.”
The intensity in his eyes made her look away.
For years she had dreamed of hearing those words.
Now that they were finally spoken, she didn’t know what to do with them.
John took a slow breath.
“Tell me about Ethan.”
Camille looked surprised.
“Ethan?”
John nodded.
“You seem happy when you talk about him.”
A small smile appeared on Camille’s face.
“He’s a good man.”
John looked down.
“I figured.”
“He cares about me.”
“I’m glad.”
But the sadness in his eyes told a different story.
Camille noticed it immediately.
“You don’t sound glad.”
John gave a soft laugh.
“What do you expect me to say?”
She remained silent.
“The woman I never stopped loving is with another man.”
His voice was calm, but she could hear the pain underneath.
“I want you to be happy, Camille.”
He paused.
“But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Camille reached across the table without thinking.
Her hand rested gently on top of his.
The second she realized what she had done, her breath caught.
John looked down at her hand.
Then slowly back at her.
Neither moved away.
Neither spoke.
But in that simple touch, years of love, pain, regret, and unanswered questions passed between them.
And for the first time since they met again, both of them felt it.
The connection they had tried so hard to forget.
The connection that had never truly disappeared.
When Camille finally pulled her hand away, her heart was beating faster than before.
She knew she was stepping into dangerous territory.
Because the more time she spent with John…
The harder it became to remember why she had let him go.
- Writer
