Lost in Time (Forever and Always #20) (8 page)

Romantic comedy?
It didn’t sound like
something he’d want to see in a million years. And I didn’t care
for chick flicks. “How about a thriller or suspense movie?”

He finally eyed me. “You like that kind of
stuff?”

“My favorite movie is
Close Encounters of
the Third Kind
.”

“You like sci-fi movies?”

“Yeah. Why is that surprising?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. There’s a new Tom
Cruise movie out.”

“Let’s watch that.”

“Cool.” He pulled up his phone then looked at
the movie times. “There’s one in twenty minutes.”

I finished my food then pushed my plate
aside. “Let me change and we’ll go.”

“Okay.” He picked up the dishes and washed
them in the sink.

I stared at his back incredulously before I
walked into my bedroom.
Seriously, what was with Cade?
He
was a completely different person. I changed and didn’t dwell on
it. In five minutes, I was ready. I still looked like hell because
I was depressed, but whatever. There was no one to impress.

We left the apartment then walked to the
multiplex. Cade walked with his hands in his pockets and stared
straight ahead. Every time someone passed me on the street, I
thought it was Flynn. I saw him everywhere.

When we reached the line, Cade paid for both
our tickets.

Another surprise.

“Did you want any snacks?” he asked.

This was getting weirder and weirder. “No
thank you. I’m full.”

“Okay.”

We walked into the theatre and took our
seats. I leaned back against the chair and slouched. Without Flynn
around, I really had no vigor for life. The movie finally played
and it was nice to be entertained for two hours. I didn’t think
about Flynn, except during the romance scenes.

When the move was over, we walked back to the
apartment.

“Did you like it?” he asked.

“I did. You?”

“I thought it was awesome. I don’t like Tom
Cruise, but I love his movies.”

“Have you read
American Psycho
?”

“No, but I’ve seen the movie. Why?”

“In the book, the author has Tom Cruise live
in the same building as the main character. It was funny. You’d
have to read it to understand the humor.”

“You read that kind of stuff?” he asked in
surprise.

“Yeah. Why is that surprising?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know a single girl
who’s even seen the movie, let alone read the book.”

“Well, I guess I’ve always been different
than other girls.”

“Flynn obviously thinks you’re special.”

I listened for the sarcasm but there was
none.

We walked inside then locked the door behind
us.

“Tom Cruise is going to be on the
Late
Night Show
. Wanna watch?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I guess.” I sat on the couch and
pulled out my phone, hoping Flynn would call me. I kept glancing at
the screen, hoping it would light up or ring.

“You miss him a lot.” It wasn’t a
question.

“I do,” I said sadly.

He nodded. “He’s a good guy.”

He actually said something nice about
someone else? Astonishing…

“I remember when he was with Zahara. Those
two seemed like they were in love. There was never any problems,
and he seem perfectly happy.” I really didn’t want to hear about
his ex. “But with you, he’s totally different. You guys are on a
whole new level. Living with you guys for these past few months
makes me realize how serious this relationship is. I can tell
you’re the one.”

My eyes widened at his words. I didn’t know
what he was going to say, but that was the last thing I
expected.

“It makes me wish I had someone who would
mope around the house while I’m gone, even if it was only for a
week.” His voice carried his despair, his pain. “But no one loves
me. Why would they? I’m an asshole.”

I wasn’t sure what happened to Cade but he
wasn’t the man I met all those months ago. He used to be full of
himself, having a bigger and more annoying ego then Flynn, and now
he was humble and real. It was hard to process. “Cade, everything
alright?”

He shrugged. “Not really.” He didn’t look at
me, his face glued to the screen.

“Well, I’m here if you want to talk.”

“I know.” He didn’t snap at me.

I wanted to push him but I didn’t feel it was
appropriate. The fact we went to the movies together without
killing each other was already a miracle. I didn’t want to end a
great night on a bad note. I stared at the TV and kept my thoughts
to myself.

When I went to bed that night, I waited for
Flynn to call me. I tried to keep my eyes open so I’d be awake when
he called, but I couldn’t. My eyes betrayed me and they fell. The
next thing I knew, my alarm was going off.

I grabbed my phone and saw his missed call
around two.

“Damn.”

He left a voice mail so I listened to it.

“Hey, baby. I know it’s late there so you’re
probably asleep. I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier. I was just caught
up and I didn’t get a chance. I’ll try to call earlier tomorrow. I
really want to hear your voice and see your face. Goodnight. I love
you.” He hung up.

I sighed in annoyance then lay back down. At
least I got a voicemail from him. Hearing a message was better than
hearing nothing at all. I got dressed then headed out to work.

Cade was in the kitchen, the smell of
breakfast in the air. “I made food if you’re hungry.”

The plate on the table had hash browns, eggs,
pancakes, and toast. It was hard to resist. “It does look
good.”

“Then sit down,” he said.

I decided I could risk being a minute or two
late and scarfed down the food. Just like last night, it was good.
I didn’t realize Cade was a chef. Cade was home all day, so I
wondered if he was working. I didn’t see how. Flynn and I still had
no idea what was going on with him. After Flynn asked him a few
times, he just gave up.

“Another day at the office?” he asked as he
sat across from me.

I stiffened at his closeness. I hoped he
didn’t notice. “Yep.” I was wearing my pencil skirt and blouse with
my hair pulled back. I definitely didn’t look like a dancer
anymore, but at least my feet didn’t hurt.

“You look nice.”

Did I hear him right?
“Uh,
thanks.”

He ate his hash browns then moved onto his
eggs. “You never eat breakfast so I thought I would entice
you.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” I blurted.
The words flew out before I could stop them. I assumed this
behavior would end after the sun rose, but Cade was exactly the
same way as he was yesterday. He treated me like I was a friend,
someone he actually liked and respected. I couldn’t understand what
had changed him so much and so suddenly.

He flinched at my words then played with his
eggs with his fork. “I just…I don’t know. I’d like it if we could
be friends.”

“Do you want something from me?” I hated to
be cold, but Cade was a jerk to me for a really long time. I
couldn’t imagine him being sweet to me just because. It didn’t seem
real.

“No…” He stopped eating altogether. He put
down his fork. “I just…a lot has happened in my life and I’ve had a
lot of reflection. I regret the way I treated you and how I
behaved. It was wrong.”

I was speechless.

“I see the way you are with my brother, and I
know he really loves you. And, I see how good you are to him. You
do little things that really make his day. You always put him first
and make him smile. You don’t deserve to be treated like dirt.”

Was this really happening?
I hoped
Cade would change but I didn’t expect it to happen in this way.
Since we hadn’t been speaking for months, I assumed no change had
happened. He hated me in silence and I felt the same way. I guess
there was more going on behind that rough exterior.

“My brother has been good to me even when he
shouldn’t be. When my world had fallen apart, he was the only one
who was still there for me. I owe him a lot more than what I’ve
been giving him lately.”

Again, I didn’t know what to say.

“And you clearly mean a lot to him, so you
mean a lot to me too.”

I felt warm inside. The awkwardness stretched
between us for a while. I played with my toast but didn’t take a
bite.

“You want to have dinner with me tonight?” he
asked.

“Sure,” I said quietly.

“Cool.”

I finished my breakfast then put my plate in
the sink. “Thanks for the meal.”

“Anytime,” he said.

After I waved, I walked out and headed to
work.

I replayed my conversation with Cade
repeatedly. So much had happened and it was hard to believe. Was
this really the new him? What happened? When he said his world fell
apart, what did that mean?

When I came home, he was reading on the
couch.

“How was work?” he asked.

I would never get used to this normalcy.
“Good. How was your day?”

He shrugged. “Fine.”

“I’m going to shower then we can go.”

“Okay.” He kept reading.

After I changed and got ready, we left the
apartment.

“Are you craving anything?” he asked.

“No. I eat everything.”

“Well, that makes it easy,” he said with a
laugh. It reminded me of Flynn’s.

We walked into an Indian restaurant. The
curry immediately reached into my nostrils.

After we sat down, we both looked through our
menus. With just a single glance, I knew what I wanted. We both
ordered and waited for the food.

Cade rested his elbows on the table and
looked out the window.

I stared at him and studied his face. “Cade,
can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why have you been living with us for
months?”

He sighed. “I guess I have to come clean
about it eventually…”

I waited for him to tell me what I’ve wanted
to know forever.

“I burned some bridges at work. I had a bad
attitude and I was difficult to work. Basically, they fired me and
bad-mouthed me all over town. No one wants to work with me now. I’m
known as a selfish asshole—which is completely true. The girls
quickly took off when they realized I wasn’t a hot shot anymore.
But I shouldn’t be surprised. People I thought were my friends
turned their backs on me, but now I don’t see why they would have
liked me to begin with.” He shook his head slightly. “I spent my
money on drugs and alcohol. I thought I was rich and pissed it all
away. When I had to pay taxes, I didn’t have enough money. They
took all my possessions, including my car and apartment. Now I’m
broke with no job.”

Wow, that was a lot to take in. Even though
he deserved that fate, I felt bad for him. He really had hit rock
bottom.

He shrugged. “I ask for help from friends, or
people who I thought were my friends, but they turned their backs
on me. They wouldn’t even let me sleep on their couch. I quickly
realized I had no one in the world who cared about me. And that
made me feel like shit. But the worst part is knowing I deserved
it.” He took a deep breath before he continued. “I didn’t tell my
parents because I knew exactly what would happen. They wouldn’t
help me. My dad was adamant about Flynn and I taking care of
ourselves. If I told him I’d fallen, he would just tell me to get
back up. But I really have nowhere to go. I’m broke and jobless.
Flynn was the only person who accepted me without question. He’s
the only person I can rely on…”

My heart ached at his words. Without
thinking, I reached across the table and rested my hand on his. The
touch felt warm. He didn’t pull away and I let it rest there. “We
all fall down every once in a while.”

He stared at our joined hands.

“When I was dancing, I barely had enough
money to pay food and rent. My parents disowned me when I told them
I wanted to dance for a living. They never gave me support in
school or for anything else. I’ve never had anyone to turn to. I
felt alone for the longest time. It got so bad that I couldn’t
afford food or groceries. Flynn knew I was struggling even though I
never asked for help. One night, he placed groceries in front of my
door and walked away. I was drowning but he kept me above water.” I
rubbed his knuckles before I pulled my hand away. “My point, Flynn
loves you and he’ll always be there for you. He’s the one person
you can count on.”

“I know,” he whispered.

“I’m sorry to hear about all of that.”

“Why should you be?” he said bitterly. “I was
a total ass to you. And you were still nicer to me than I
deserved.”

I shrugged. “I love your cocky brother.”

He smiled slightly.

“I take no pleasure knowing you failed, Cade.
But sometimes we have to lose everything before we realize we need
to change our ways. I admit you were an ass to me, but if that’s
not who you are anymore, I’m not going to hold it against you.”

“Really?” He seemed surprised.

“I’m not perfect. I’ve done a lot of things I
was forgiven for. You deserve forgiveness too.”

“I haven’t technically apologized.”

“Then do it now.”

“Okay.” He smiled slightly before he dropped
it. “I’m sorry about everything, Hazel. You’re a cool girl and I’d
like to get to know you better.”

“I accept your apology.”

“Thanks.”

The waitress brought the food. I wasn’t
hungry anymore but I dug in anyway.

“Cade?”

“Hmm?”

“Why didn’t you tell Flynn this?”

He shrugged. “I’m embarrassed.”

“Then why did you tell me?”

“I can tell you’re a sweet person.” He dipped
his ngam into the hummus then took a bite. “I was only an ass to
you because you called me out on my shit. But it was immature for
me not to let it go. When it escalated, it just got worse, but it’s
my fault it happened. Anyway, I’m sorry.”