Come Back To Me (chapters 1-9) by Paige569 (top 100 books of all time checklist .txt) 📖

while he drove, but I was too busy dealing with my own private thoughts.


The future was all I could think about. Where I would go, what I would do. This little get away would only keep me busy for a week or two and I needed something more permanent.


The last four years I had held onto a dream that just wasn't going to happen and picking up whatever pieces of myself I had left was going to be a struggle. Dylan was so much of everything I was. My entire life was somehow based with him being in it and now...that just wasn't possible.


Not with Vanessa.


The image of them together was unbearable. It stung my heart and made my abdomen hurt like I'd been punched in the gut.


I will not be broken, I will not be broken. I repeated these words over and over inside my head. I wanted them to be real and for me to believe them.


They say all wounds take time to heal, but a wound of the heart? It seemed like the worst kind of hurt and who's to say how long it will take for someone to get over their lifelong crush.


Glancing out the window and seeing the fields of green pastures laid beneath the swaying willow trees I knew this was the first step. Somehow I would rid myself of this affliction that made my body ache and I would be whole again.

I just didn't know if I could or if I really wanted to. This might sound dumb, but in a strange way I didn't want to stop being in love with Dylan. Being in love with him was wonderful. It made me feel happy, complete and hopeful. But that was before Vanessa and before he broke my heart.

Slowly the day came to an end and the moon drifted out into the open. I wondered how many stories of lovers lost it had witnessed under its watch; a million, a trillion?

"Hey, you mind if we stop for a while, I'm finding it hard to stay awake," Jared said as he stretched one arm over his head.

His did look sleepy. He had been driving for the past seven hours and only stopped a couple of times; another thing for me to feel guilty about.


I shrugged, "I don't mind."


"You hungry?" he asked.

My stomach gave a slight growl, "No," I was hungry, but food just didn't sound good.

"Come on Kate, we haven't eaten since breakfast and its well past dinner time now."

He sounded like my mother.

"Jared, I said I wasn't hungry," my voice slightly higher than before.

Why was I being difficult? I had no idea.

"Fine, but I think your stomach is saying otherwise," he mumbled under his breath.

"Look, just pull over to that mini mart down there," I said pointing down the highway to the nearest exit, "I'll grab us some snacks, okay," I finished hoping that this would satisfy him and giving him a small smile.

"Yeah okay," he said turning off the deserted highway and onto an old dirt road.

"You going to be okay in there, I could go in with you?" he asked unbuckling his seat belt and opening his door.

"Jared I'll be fine. You can rest your eyes while I'm inside. Besides, I need to freshen up," I said reaching for my carryon bag in the back seat.

"Any special requests?" I asked before shutting the door.

"Just a coffee," he sighed.

The inside of the mini mart was the same as the outside; old and rusty. It smelled like someone left a rotten carton of milk lying out in the sun and the floors looked like they hadn't seen a mop in years. The lights were dim and the man at the cash register had a long beard that tangled with the nest of ratted hair hanging down from the top of his head.

As I walked past him he scowled and set down the newspaper he was reading. He didn't look happy to have a customer; one of those grumpy older men who are just pissed off for no reason.

"Can I help you?" the man asked in a raspy voice. One you get from years of smoking.

"Umm...I'm just here for a few things. I can get it on my own thanks," god I wish I had let Jared come in with me. This guy looked like someone you didn't want to be left alone with.

I walked down the aisle and grabbed a bag of chips and some jerky, traveling food. I was about to grab a few energy drinks when something else caught my eye; the liquor aisle.

God I could use a drink. Dylan was the drinking age, but I had a feeling he wouldn't buy it for me if I asked him.


I leaned over the aisle taking another look at the cashier.

Nope, he wouldn't let me slide.

So I did something I had never done before. I had heard of kids back in high school pulling beer and liquor runs, but I had always been to chicken. I slid the bottle into my jacket and walked hesitantly up to the mean looking cashier.

"That everything?" the man asked suspiciously.

I think I was sweating.

"Uh huh," I muttered.

He put my things into the bag and I handed him some cash; even a little extra for the booze hidden in my jacket.


I reached for my bag when his hand slammed down on the table causing me to jump back.

"Listen here little lady, you think I don't know what you're up to!" he snarled.

Not knowing what else to do, I screamed and ran out of the store as fast as I could.

"Jared, Jared, start the car!" I yelled.

I nearly slid in the dirt when I heard the chime of the door slam open.

"Hey get back here!" he shouted after me.

This was a horrible idea. I'm not a bad ass who does stuff like this and for obvious reasons. I'm probably going to wind up in jail or worse. My heart was beating like it might rip from my chest as I slammed the door and shook Jared awake.

"Jared go now!"

"What's going on?" he asked confused.

I struggled to put my seat belt on. My hands were shaking. This would definitely be the end to my criminal streak.


"I'll explain later, please just go, he's coming." I urged.

Jared started the car and spun out of the parking lot leaving a very angry man yelling after us.

"I'm sorry," I yelled as we drove past him in a whirlwind of dust and pebbles.

"What the hell is going on Kate?"

Oh god, what did I say, I stole?

"Nothing, I just...I...I stole something," I muttered under my breath.

"You what?" he asked.

Yelling, "I said I stole something!"

I felt so humiliated.

I expected Jared to yell at me, but I was surprised when he started laughing.

"You can't be serious," he said laughing so hard he was clutching his side with one hand.

I wanted to be mad at him for laughing at me, but I had to admit it was the most daring thing I had ever done. And it wasn't like I was a real thief, I had given the guy money for the bottle still strapped into the inside pocket of my jacket.

Jared was still laughing and I frowned playfully at him and took his cap right off of his head.

"What now you're stealing my hat now, I never knew you were so crazy?" he teased.

I raised my eyes at him with a sneaky smile and smacked him with his own hat.

"It's not funny Jared," I warned.

"Oh its funny alright, miss never done anything bad in her life."

What was that supposed to mean?

"Hey I've done things Jared; you don't know everything about me," I reminded him.

"Maybe," he said with a smile, "but I doubt there isn't much I don't know about you Kate."

His laughter stopped after that. The road suddenly seemed very interesting to him and I wondered what had happened. I handed him some jerky and he took it without looking at me.

The road seemed to go on forever after that until I spotted a road sign up ahead that said rest stop.

"There has to be a hotel somewhere up the road, let's get one already. Were both tired and I need to lie down." I looked over at Jared who nodded his head in compliance.

We parked the car and headed to the check in counter. It was the kind of place that only had a walk up window.

"You guys need a room?" He was a young guy maybe my age.

I didn't like the way he looked at me.

Jared went to answer, "Yeah, will take-"

"Two rooms," I cut in.

Jared shook his head and laughed.

"Sorry, only got the one," said the clerk.


"What do you mean only one," I nearly shouted.


"I mean I only got only one," he said.

"Does it at least have two...you know beds?" I asked hopeful.


"Sorry miss, just one single room with one bed."

I was not sharing a bed with Jared, especially since I had planned on crying myself to sleep and digging the spare picture of me and Dylan out of my suit case.

"Look Kate, I can sleep in the car, its fine," Jared said tiredly.

I couldn't do that.

"Isn't there any other place around here?" I asked.

I looked behind me and saw nothing but farmland and open road. Why was it that whenever you go on road trips you always wind up in the middle of nowhere.

"Not for another twenty miles," the young guy who I was starting to hate answered.

Deciding there was no other choice I nodded okay to Jared.

This was going to be one weird night.
Imprint

Publication Date: 03-22-2010

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
to my watt family love you guys and wouldnt even be writing if it werent for you :)