Concealed
Depressed
I didn’t hear much from Cameron while his brother was in town. We texted a few times and he told me how my dad dropped by to give Trent the old tie clip my dad wore while he was in the Air Force. He said it got him through every battle safely and would do the same for Trent.
I missed Cameron a lot but I had two major things on my plate that was increasing my stress level.
The first was my book. Olivia was a great agent but still scatter-brained. It made me a little uncomfortable but she followed through with everything she said she would. There was a website that I had access to. It showed me where my book was in the process and already they were getting the copyright and ISBN.
The second was my brother.
Ever since the night he found out Cameron and I were a couple, he had become ten times worse. When he was home, I stayed in my room with Minnie. Though I didn’t need to just yet, I was writing a sequel to my current book. It gave me something to do while my brother stormed through the house.
“Why is he so angry?” I asked my dad.
“I don’t know,” he said, passing me some pie that was left over from the restaurant. “Do you want me to talk to him?”
“No,” I said quickly and sighed, watching Minnie chew on her bone. Then I looked out my window. “I want to see Cameron.”
“So go over there.”
I shook my head. “No. Not while his brother is here. I know it’s hard to see family members in the military.” I sighed heavily. “I can wait. Thanks for the pie.”
I gave it to him and crawled into bed, not realizing I was also crawling into depression.
-
Minnie and I were playing with her tug toy a day later when someone knocked on my door. I rolled my eyes. It was probably Jim, wanting to berate me some more. Minnie started to scratch the door, though, so I groaned and opened the door.
“Look, Jim, it’s-”
Two lips pressed to mine. Two familiar lips.
“You should have told me,” Cameron whispered, walking in and closing the door. He gave Minnie a quick scratch behind the ears and sat down on the bed, bringing me with him. “I’m your boyfriend, Amanda.”
“Told you what?” I asked, still surprised that he was here.
He brushed my hair out of my face. His was sad as he held my hand.
“That you’re depressed and missed me.”
I groaned. “My dad can’t keep his mouth shut.” I toyed with my blanket. “I’m not depressed….”
Cameron sighed and had my lay down. He got in bed behind me and wrapped his arms around me. I shut my eyes, trying not to cry. He started to hum ‘Dreams’ and I bit hard on my lip. It was my favorite song of his and the only love song he had done. I turned in his arms and buried my face in his chest as Minnie curled at our feet.
“Tell me what happened with your brother,” he whispered and it broke the floodgates. He held me while I cried quietly. He kissed the top of my head and waited until I calmed down. “Tell me, baby. Your dad won’t.”
“He’s been awful, Cameron!” I cried and he held me tighter. “Every night he’s home for dinner, he talks about how you’re going to do a hit and run. He says you’re just with me because you need a fuck buddy. He-He told his friends at the diner that the money I’ve been getting is from sleeping with you and-”
Cameron sat up so fast I nearly fell out of the bed. His eyes were livid. Before I could even ask what he was doing, he threw my bedroom door open. I looked at Minnie and gasped when I heard shouting downstairs.
We both ran down and I gasped again. Cameron was shoving Jim to the back door.
“Cameron, stop!” I said but he ignored me.
“Who the hell do you think you are!?” he shouted at Jim.
“Dad, stop him!” I said when I saw my dad just standing in the doorway.
He shook his head with a sigh.
“I’ve already tried, sweetie,” he said. “He doesn’t look it, but Cameron’s stronger than I thought.”
I looked around desperately and saw his phone on the ground. It must’ve fallen out of his pocket. It was unlocked and, with shaking hands, I found his brother’s contact information.
“Hey bro. She all right?”
“Please come over,” I sobbed.
“Amanda? What’s wrong?”
I tried to speak but I couldn’t so I motioned desperately for my dad to explain.
“He’s on his way,” my dad said just as Jim punched Cameron.
I tried to run to him but my dad stopped me, his eyes sad. I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t doing anything!
“Asshole!” Cameron shouted and my hands flew to my mouth as Cameron punched him back.
“Oh shit,” Dad breathed.
Jim flew back at least five feet. Cameron strode over to him and grabbed the front of his shirt, punching him again.
Suddenly, Trent pushed by me and ran to Cameron.
“Stop it!” Trent said, pulling on Cameron’s arms. “Amanda, some help would be nice!”
Still mute, I did my best to help, pulling on Jim. That just resulted into me getting hit and Cameron looked ready to lose it.
“Not now!” Trent shouted in his face and made him look him in the face while Dad grabbed Jim. “Look at me, Cam! Look at me right now!”
“Let me go!” he shouted back. “I’m going to make that bastard pay!”
“You have to stop! Remember what happened last time!”
“I don’t care about last time! Let me go, damn it!”
Trent looked regretful as he punched Cameron’s jaw. He stumbled back and blinked a few times. His eyes calmed and he groaned, gripping his hair and falling to his knees. I was shaking as my dad yelled at Jim. My breath was coming in hitches and last I knew Minnie was jumping on me and Trent helping me to the ground.
-
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Calm down right now.”
“I’ll kill the fucker.”
My eyes opened. I didn’t recognize where I was and I started to panic.
“It’s okay,” Trent said, putting a hand on my shoulder when I sat up and scurried to the wall. “Calm down, Amanda. You’re all right. You’re in Cam’s room.”
“Why am I here?” I asked, my voice weak.
Trent looked over his shoulder. “Cam, she’s awake.”
Cameron barreled into the room and Trent left. Cameron got in bed with me and wrapped his arms around me. I shut my eyes and leaned into him, welcoming the smell of his detergent. He didn’t speak for a while and I felt him shake his head.
“Jesus, this is all my fault,” he murmured.
“What are you talking about? What happened?”
He sighed. “What’s the last thing you remember, babe?”
I thought hard. “We were in my room,” I said slowly. “I told you what Jim said about the money Olivia’s been paying me from early royalties and you got mad.” I groaned, remembering everything now. “You got into a fist fight in the backyard.”
He sighed again and pulled out of the hug. He lifted the blankets and settled in beside me.
“I….” He held my hand and his eyes were nervous. “I have a temper,” he muttered. “Got it from my dad. Anyway, the last time I lost it, the man ended up in the hospital.” I gasped. “Trent made me go through anger management. This is the first time I’ve lost it in almost five years.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I shouldn’t’ve told you.”
“I’m glad you did,” he said and caressed my cheek. He shook his head. “Don’t do that again, Amanda.”
“Do what?” I sniffled.
“Keep things like that from me,” he answered. “Tell me when you’re starting to feel depressed, okay?”
“I didn’t know I was,” I said honestly. “I thought I was just overwhelmed.” I sighed heavily. “Why am I at your house?”
“Your dad wants you to stay here for a few days,” he said. I frowned at him. “Apparently Jim’s threatening your parents.”
I sat up. “What do you mean!?”
“Bad choice of words,” he said quickly and made my lay down again. “He’s… delivered an ultimatum.”
“What kind?”
He bit his lip. “I don’t think I should tell you just yet,” he said. “Not after you just had a seizure.”
“Please tell me,” I whispered.
“No, I’m sorry. I’ll tell you when you’re feeling better.”
“Cameron,” I began angrily and he kissed me.
I gave in to his lips and kissed him back. His hand ran up my back and into my hair. I licked his lower lip and he immediately admitted me. He rolled so that he was on top of me and I wrapped my arms around his neck.
He broke from my lips and kissed down to my neck. I shut my eyes and let out a long sigh as he pressed long kisses just under my left year. He bit down gently on my ear and I gasped, gripping him tightly.
“Cameron,” I panted. “No. Not right now.”
“Sorry,” he breathed and got off me.
I shook my head and put my head on his chest.
“It’s okay,” I said. “What time is it?”
“A little after five in the evening. You hungry?”
“Not really. I’m tired but it’s time to feed Minnie.”
“I’ll take care of it. You get some more sleep, okay?”
“Thank you,” I said my words slurring together as I fell asleep.
I missed Cameron a lot but I had two major things on my plate that was increasing my stress level.
The first was my book. Olivia was a great agent but still scatter-brained. It made me a little uncomfortable but she followed through with everything she said she would. There was a website that I had access to. It showed me where my book was in the process and already they were getting the copyright and ISBN.
The second was my brother.
Ever since the night he found out Cameron and I were a couple, he had become ten times worse. When he was home, I stayed in my room with Minnie. Though I didn’t need to just yet, I was writing a sequel to my current book. It gave me something to do while my brother stormed through the house.
“Why is he so angry?” I asked my dad.
“I don’t know,” he said, passing me some pie that was left over from the restaurant. “Do you want me to talk to him?”
“No,” I said quickly and sighed, watching Minnie chew on her bone. Then I looked out my window. “I want to see Cameron.”
“So go over there.”
I shook my head. “No. Not while his brother is here. I know it’s hard to see family members in the military.” I sighed heavily. “I can wait. Thanks for the pie.”
I gave it to him and crawled into bed, not realizing I was also crawling into depression.
-
Minnie and I were playing with her tug toy a day later when someone knocked on my door. I rolled my eyes. It was probably Jim, wanting to berate me some more. Minnie started to scratch the door, though, so I groaned and opened the door.
“Look, Jim, it’s-”
Two lips pressed to mine. Two familiar lips.
“You should have told me,” Cameron whispered, walking in and closing the door. He gave Minnie a quick scratch behind the ears and sat down on the bed, bringing me with him. “I’m your boyfriend, Amanda.”
“Told you what?” I asked, still surprised that he was here.
He brushed my hair out of my face. His was sad as he held my hand.
“That you’re depressed and missed me.”
I groaned. “My dad can’t keep his mouth shut.” I toyed with my blanket. “I’m not depressed….”
Cameron sighed and had my lay down. He got in bed behind me and wrapped his arms around me. I shut my eyes, trying not to cry. He started to hum ‘Dreams’ and I bit hard on my lip. It was my favorite song of his and the only love song he had done. I turned in his arms and buried my face in his chest as Minnie curled at our feet.
“Tell me what happened with your brother,” he whispered and it broke the floodgates. He held me while I cried quietly. He kissed the top of my head and waited until I calmed down. “Tell me, baby. Your dad won’t.”
“He’s been awful, Cameron!” I cried and he held me tighter. “Every night he’s home for dinner, he talks about how you’re going to do a hit and run. He says you’re just with me because you need a fuck buddy. He-He told his friends at the diner that the money I’ve been getting is from sleeping with you and-”
Cameron sat up so fast I nearly fell out of the bed. His eyes were livid. Before I could even ask what he was doing, he threw my bedroom door open. I looked at Minnie and gasped when I heard shouting downstairs.
We both ran down and I gasped again. Cameron was shoving Jim to the back door.
“Cameron, stop!” I said but he ignored me.
“Who the hell do you think you are!?” he shouted at Jim.
“Dad, stop him!” I said when I saw my dad just standing in the doorway.
He shook his head with a sigh.
“I’ve already tried, sweetie,” he said. “He doesn’t look it, but Cameron’s stronger than I thought.”
I looked around desperately and saw his phone on the ground. It must’ve fallen out of his pocket. It was unlocked and, with shaking hands, I found his brother’s contact information.
“Hey bro. She all right?”
“Please come over,” I sobbed.
“Amanda? What’s wrong?”
I tried to speak but I couldn’t so I motioned desperately for my dad to explain.
“He’s on his way,” my dad said just as Jim punched Cameron.
I tried to run to him but my dad stopped me, his eyes sad. I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t doing anything!
“Asshole!” Cameron shouted and my hands flew to my mouth as Cameron punched him back.
“Oh shit,” Dad breathed.
Jim flew back at least five feet. Cameron strode over to him and grabbed the front of his shirt, punching him again.
Suddenly, Trent pushed by me and ran to Cameron.
“Stop it!” Trent said, pulling on Cameron’s arms. “Amanda, some help would be nice!”
Still mute, I did my best to help, pulling on Jim. That just resulted into me getting hit and Cameron looked ready to lose it.
“Not now!” Trent shouted in his face and made him look him in the face while Dad grabbed Jim. “Look at me, Cam! Look at me right now!”
“Let me go!” he shouted back. “I’m going to make that bastard pay!”
“You have to stop! Remember what happened last time!”
“I don’t care about last time! Let me go, damn it!”
Trent looked regretful as he punched Cameron’s jaw. He stumbled back and blinked a few times. His eyes calmed and he groaned, gripping his hair and falling to his knees. I was shaking as my dad yelled at Jim. My breath was coming in hitches and last I knew Minnie was jumping on me and Trent helping me to the ground.
-
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Calm down right now.”
“I’ll kill the fucker.”
My eyes opened. I didn’t recognize where I was and I started to panic.
“It’s okay,” Trent said, putting a hand on my shoulder when I sat up and scurried to the wall. “Calm down, Amanda. You’re all right. You’re in Cam’s room.”
“Why am I here?” I asked, my voice weak.
Trent looked over his shoulder. “Cam, she’s awake.”
Cameron barreled into the room and Trent left. Cameron got in bed with me and wrapped his arms around me. I shut my eyes and leaned into him, welcoming the smell of his detergent. He didn’t speak for a while and I felt him shake his head.
“Jesus, this is all my fault,” he murmured.
“What are you talking about? What happened?”
He sighed. “What’s the last thing you remember, babe?”
I thought hard. “We were in my room,” I said slowly. “I told you what Jim said about the money Olivia’s been paying me from early royalties and you got mad.” I groaned, remembering everything now. “You got into a fist fight in the backyard.”
He sighed again and pulled out of the hug. He lifted the blankets and settled in beside me.
“I….” He held my hand and his eyes were nervous. “I have a temper,” he muttered. “Got it from my dad. Anyway, the last time I lost it, the man ended up in the hospital.” I gasped. “Trent made me go through anger management. This is the first time I’ve lost it in almost five years.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I shouldn’t’ve told you.”
“I’m glad you did,” he said and caressed my cheek. He shook his head. “Don’t do that again, Amanda.”
“Do what?” I sniffled.
“Keep things like that from me,” he answered. “Tell me when you’re starting to feel depressed, okay?”
“I didn’t know I was,” I said honestly. “I thought I was just overwhelmed.” I sighed heavily. “Why am I at your house?”
“Your dad wants you to stay here for a few days,” he said. I frowned at him. “Apparently Jim’s threatening your parents.”
I sat up. “What do you mean!?”
“Bad choice of words,” he said quickly and made my lay down again. “He’s… delivered an ultimatum.”
“What kind?”
He bit his lip. “I don’t think I should tell you just yet,” he said. “Not after you just had a seizure.”
“Please tell me,” I whispered.
“No, I’m sorry. I’ll tell you when you’re feeling better.”
“Cameron,” I began angrily and he kissed me.
I gave in to his lips and kissed him back. His hand ran up my back and into my hair. I licked his lower lip and he immediately admitted me. He rolled so that he was on top of me and I wrapped my arms around his neck.
He broke from my lips and kissed down to my neck. I shut my eyes and let out a long sigh as he pressed long kisses just under my left year. He bit down gently on my ear and I gasped, gripping him tightly.
“Cameron,” I panted. “No. Not right now.”
“Sorry,” he breathed and got off me.
I shook my head and put my head on his chest.
“It’s okay,” I said. “What time is it?”
“A little after five in the evening. You hungry?”
“Not really. I’m tired but it’s time to feed Minnie.”
“I’ll take care of it. You get some more sleep, okay?”
“Thank you,” I said my words slurring together as I fell asleep.