Cayson

I can’t believe that Kayla is willing to give me a chance to make things right. I thought I had lost that chance forever, so when she nods, giving me the opportunity to spend just a few days with her to show her she means everything to me, I drop to my knees, pull her close to me, and hold her. When I feel her hand graze the top of my head, I think I’m going to lose it right there and cry like a baby.

* * *

Kayla makes us dinner that night, and we sit at the dinner table just talking as if nothing has happened between the two of us. It’s hard for me to open up and share with her that she was one hundred percent right when she said that maybe my father wasn’t the innocent victim in the divorce between him and my mom. I even find it hard to swallow when I have to admit that maybe, just maybe, I have been the one with skewed visions of what the real world is like.

It’s me who finally suggests we call it a night. I watched her secretly yawn several times, and her eyelids are getting heavier with each passing moment, so I stand and say, “Good night,” as I press my lips to her forehead and head out of the kitchen. Just before I leave the room, I hear Kayla say, “Good night, Cayson,” so I stop to look over my right shoulder and wink at her then head up the stairs to find the first spare room with a comfortable bed in it and pass out.

When I awake in the morning, I’m still wearing the same clothes I did the night before. The house is silent, so I take the opportunity to grab my bag from my car and shower and change. It’s still quiet by the time I finish and make my way downstairs. My cooking skills are nonexistent, but I can make a mean pot of coffee, so I do.

I sit quietly drinking a cup of coffee and running through my head all the things I have to make sure I complete before I leave here and leave town to go on tour. Everything has to be settled between Kayla and me, or I’ll risk losing her to someone else. Particularly Randy, who texted several times last night and is causing Kayla’s phone to vibrate on the counter this morning. I couldn’t see the texts she received last night, but the ones this morning piss me off.

The first comes at around seven thirty.

RANDY: Morning, sexy. I waited for you to call me like you said you would, but I guess you got busy and forgot. Here’s a reminder of what you’re missing.

A picture of his junk semi-aroused pops up on the screen and is followed by another text a few minutes later.

RANDY: We both miss you terribly. Call me when you get up.

I’m tempted to reply to his text with a GO TO HELL, since Kayla doesn’t appear to have her phone password protected, but I think better of it.

This guy is a douche; it takes one to know one, so I’m positive of my assessment. Who sends photos of their dicks to women? I think but then quickly push the thought out of my mind because it’s a stupid question. I’m sure that I would if I weren't afraid it would end up on TMZ and all over the Internet. I’m pretty proud of my shit, and if I thought it would impress Kayla, I’d send her one every night I’m on the road, but somehow it just doesn’t seem like she would be one to be impressed by a dick pic.

Kayla’s phone vibrates once again, pulling me from my thoughts. Curiosity getting the best of me has me walking to the counter to see who is sending her another text. This one is from her mom.

MOM: Brenda said Cayson was on his way up there. Did he arrive? Is everything OK? Be nice to him, hear what he has to say, and then decide what you want to do. Remember, men are the inferior species, and they are emotionally unintelligent when it comes to matters of the heart. Well, all of them except your dad. He’s a genius. Love you, baby girl. Call me later.

I stand there staring at the phone thinking my mom needs to keep her mouth shut and silently thanking Mrs. Marshall for at least telling her daughter to give me an opportunity to speak when it vibrates once more.

RANDY: You still sleeping, beautiful? I miss you. Call me.

“What are you doing?” The sound of Kayla’s voice startles me, causing me to knock my cup of coffee off the counter. “Why do you have my phone in your hand?” she asks skeptically but then shrieks when she sees the picture of Randy’s dick. “Oh, my God, is that what I think it is?” Kayla asks, placing her hand over her mouth.

She is so cute when she’s embarrassed. Her cheeks are tinged pink, and her eyes look as if they’re ready to pop out of her head. “Yep,” I reply, “your boyfriend misses you something fierce, but I’m not sure his cock quite got the message, since it’s still a little soft.” I can’t help but laugh out loud.

Kayla quickly snatches the phone from my hand and glares at me. “I can’t believe he would send something like that, and he is not my boyfriend. We’ve just gone out a few times.”

“Well, ignore his texts and read the one from your mom. I like her message,” I tell her as I walk toward the sink to grab some paper towels to clean up my mess. Kayla isn't’ paying attention to me; her fingers are quickly moving on her phone as she texts something in reply. To whose message, I’m not sure, and it doesn't make me happy.

“I’m going to go get us some breakfast. There’s a little diner in town that has amazing food, my mom says.” Without thinking twice of it, I grab my keys out of my pocket and place a gentle kiss on Kayla’s cheek before I leave.

* * *

“I feel like a spoiled princess,” Kayla tells me as we sit on the porch watching the sun go down. “You’ve been waiting on me hand and foot all day today. Don’t think just because you are being so nice, I’m going to let you sleep in my bed tonight.”

She’s right. I have been waiting on her hand and foot today. For lunch, we went to the casino and gambled a bit and ate. For dinner, I took her to a quiet restaurant on the outskirts of town. And now, we’ve been sitting together in the wicker lounger relaxing. I won’t lie and say I haven’t thought about taking her to bed all day long, but I know I won’t act on it. “I wasn’t planning on sleeping in your bed tonight, princess,” I tell her with a quirky little smile.

“I find that very hard to believe.” Kayla laughs

“Honestly, I wasn’t. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t give in and do it if you begged me,” I say as I stand and walk through the French doors. “I mean, if you needed me to hold you all night long, I could inconvenience myself to make you happy.”

I’ve only made it a few steps in when a shoe flies past my head. “Hey, now,” I call out but keep walking toward the kitchen. Once inside, I grab a bottle of beer for each of us and a bag of chips. It’s getting late, but I’m not ready to call it a night just yet, and I don’t think Kayla is either.

Once the sun set, it got cooler outside. There is a gas firepit on the patio that I click on as I sit down and hand Kayla her beer. Today has been fun, but now it’s time to have a serious conversation. Kayla places her head on my shoulder and takes in a heavy breath and lets it out. “Kayla,” I utter, “this right here, you curled up with me, today, spending all our time together. This is what I want.”

She pulls away from me and sits up, looking at me with a puzzled look. “I want more days like this, Kayla. I think I know you well enough to know that even though you may have forgiven me, you haven’t forgotten how I treated you. Today doesn’t make up for any of that, but I want us to try dating. It’s a new concept to me, I’ll be honest, but I want to do it. With you. I want to spend my time with you when I’m not on the road. I’d even like it if you’d consider coming on the road with us for a couple of weeks.”

“What… what are you talking about, Cayson?”

“I’m leaving in a couple of weeks for a world tour, Kayla. I’ll be gone for a bit, but I’m not willing to leave without knowing we are okay. So, come with me, not for the whole thing. I know you can't do that, but for a couple of weeks. Spend that time with me. Let me show you how important you are to me, please. I’m afraid if I leave and we haven’t had a chance to explore how good we are together for more than a couple of days, you won’t be here when I get back.”

“Wow, my head is spinning,” Kayla replies. “I won’t say we don’t have a connection, Cayson, but you broke my heart by not even acknowledging that I existed after we slept together. Then you show up out of the blue at my author event, telling me you want to make everything right. We spend two days together, and now you want me to come away with you for two weeks because you think I won’t want to see you when you get back. It doesn’t work that way. You can’t make everything alright by taking me away for two weeks.”

My eyes lock with hers, hoping she’ll see the pleading and desperation in mine. I can’t lose her. I just can’t, which leaves me no other option than to go with plan B. “Fine, but I can’t leave things like this. I have to head home in the morning, and then we head out in two weeks for three months abroad before we come back to the States. Promise me for those three months that you won’t go on any more dates with that douche bag Randy. I promise you, I’ll call every night, text when I can, and when I get back on US soil, you’ll let me fly you out to where I am so we can spend a few days together. Please, Kayla, give me a chance, give us a chance.”

Agonizing minutes pass. I can see the wheels turning in Kayla’s head as she contemplates my offer. Her expressions give nothing away that would lead me to know what her answer will be. When she finally speaks, all I hear is one word, “Okay,” before I tune out everything else she’s saying. When I say I tune out everything she’s saying, it isn’t because I don’t want to hear what she has to say. It’s because my heart is beating so fast with elation that all I can think about is her finally giving me the opportunity to show her and how much I can’t fuck things up again.

“Cayson, did you hear a word I just said?”

“Uhm, I want to lie to you and say yes, I heard everything, but honestly, princess, when you I heard you say okay, I kind of got lost in my own head. I’m sorry, please repeat it.” I hope Kayla can see the sincerity in my eyes and hear it in the tone of my voice.

Her head shakes from side to side, not in anger but in amusement. “I said, I don’t expect you to call me every day. Remember, I know what your days are like; I’ve lived them. If you make promises that you can’t keep, it will only upset me and cause us more grief. As far as Randy is concerned, we are only friends and have only been friends. I’m sure he would like there to be more, but there never will be. I’ll make sure he understands that, but you have to promise me no groupies, not a single one, or I’ll never speak to you again. Understood?”

Elation, that’s the only word that can describe what I’m feeling in that moment. “I promise.” Two simple words that I know I can honor. Without waiting for any response from Kayla, I quickly wrap my arms around her, pulling her in tight, and begin kissing the shit out of her. Lips, tongue, and teeth are all involved as I devour her mouth, there on the porch, under the stars, in the quiet of the night.

I wake to the rising of the sun, finding Kayla still embraced in my arms, her head resting on my chest just as we were before we fell asleep last night. I couldn’t bear to sleep without her near me if this was going to be the last night we would have together for over another three months.