“You know her better than I do. I just wanted to be honest with you and tell you my thoughts.” Mark looks down and shakes his head before looking back up. “I’m sorry if I—”
Cutting him off, I tell him, “Don’t be sorry. It’s fine. And maybe you’re right. I just feel helpless, and I don’t know what else to do.”
He lies back next to me and we just sit there. Mark is right; I can’t hide her away forever. She has to be able to deal with this on her own, but I hate the thought of not being there for her because I know that right now, she’s crying in the shower. I could see it all over her face when she walked through the door. Guilt is a bitch, and it’s consuming me as I sit here with Mark.
I look over at him with defeat written all over my face. He reaches out and runs his hand down my neck before I just can’t take it anymore. I hop off the couch and walk into the bathroom.
Sure enough, she’s sitting in the corner of the shower with her head in her hands. I open the door and shut off the water, handing her a towel. When she looks up at me with bloodshot eyes, I reach for her hand and help her up. Wrapping the towel around her, we walk into my bedroom.
“Talk to me, sweetie.”
She heads over to the closet and tells me, “Give me a second and I’ll come out, okay?”
“Okay.”
When I return to Mark, he stands up and places his hands on either side of my face. “She will be okay,” he tries to assure me, and all I can do is nod.
When she comes out into the living room she scrunches in between the two of us.
“What happened?” I ask as I lace my fingers with hers.
“Nothing happened. I just . . . I didn’t think I’d be so scared.”
“Scared of what?”
She looks at me with tears rimming her eyes and says, “Of him.”
When I shake my head, she continues, “What if I see him? I was so paranoid all day. I kept thinking I would turn a corner and he would be there. It was awful.”
“Have you ever seen him on campus before?” Mark questions, and she shakes her head. “Do you want me to try and meet you when your classes get out so you don’t have to walk across campus alone?”
I snap my head to look at Mark when he says this. I can’t believe how genuine this guy is. Even though I don’t want Candace to leave, I know that Mark’s heart is in the right place with what he said to me. He’s probably seeing things more clearly than I am. But before I can even mention anything, she says, “I’ll be fine. I just need to keep going about my days like I used to.” Looking up at me, she asks, “Can you come home with me on Wednesday. I don’t want to go alone in case Kimber is there.”
“What?”
“I need to go back home. I just want you to come with me.”
I’m caught off guard when she says this, and when I look across at Mark, he gives me an encouraging nod.
“Yeah, of course. But—”
“Jase. I’ll be fine.”
I don’t believe her lie for one second, but I don’t say anything because I know she doesn’t want me to. Nothing about this feels good to me.
Chapter fourteen
I grab Candace’s bags and follow her down to the parking garage. I hate that she’s going home. I hate this feeling in the pit of my stomach. I just hate this whole situation. She tried convincing me that she would be okay when we woke up this morning. She finally got her sleeping pills and the past two nights she’s been getting more rest. She still wakes throughout the night, but she hasn’t had a nightmare. I still worry though; I can’t help it.
“I’ll follow you,” I tell her as I toss her bags in her trunk.
“Okay.”
When we drive up to her house, Kimber’s car is gone. Candace has been uneasy about seeing her again, and I don’t blame her.
When I get out of my car, I get her bags and carry them in for her.
“Are you sure everything is all right?” I ask as I start helping her unpack.
“Yeah, Jase. I can’t stay with you forever, and you and Mark don’t need me around all of the time.”
It upsets me that she feels this way, but I can also tell that Mark has been feeling the same thing as well. We barely get to spend any alone time together and I know it bothers him, but he would never come out and say anything. He’s too nice.
I watch Candace, and I know she’s upset. The thought of her sleeping alone tonight bothers me, but Mark is right, this is probably the best thing for her, so I need to put my feelings aside and just let her be.
“What time do you get off work tonight? Do you want me to meet you afterward?” I ask.
“I close tonight, so I’ll leave around eleven, but you don’t have to meet me there. I’m working with Roxy, so I won’t be alone.”
She grabs her laundry basket and starts heading toward the laundry room as I follow. When we walk into the living room, I pick up my backpack and Candace walks me to the door.
“Thank you,” she says, and I turn to face her.
“For what?”
“Everything.” When her brows pinch together, I know she is trying not to cry.
“Sweetie, I feel like I haven’t done nearly enough.”
I know she doesn’t like to talk when she gets like this, so she shakes her head and the tears spill over. I pull her into me and brace my arms tightly around her, combing my fingers through her hair until she settles down.