Page 13 of Beyond Oblivion

today.

I understand if it’s too hard or too

weird for us to be friends. You don’t

have to text me back. Take care <3

I set the phone back flat and settled back against Trenton’s chest, trying not to overthink it. But something felt off. I closed my eyes, trying to push away any speculation, the what ifs, the suspicious thoughts. At the end of the day, it wouldn’t matter if her intentions weren’t exactly pure. Trenton loved me, and just as importantly, he respected me and our marriage. He didn’t even care if I checked his phone.

After multiple reassurances, I finally let myself drift off to sleep.

“No! Goddamn it, no! Don’t you fucking leave me, Cami!” Trenton cried, shaking me awake.

“Whoa! Whoa!” I said, holding up my hands.

Once I was fully conscious, I saw Trenton lean back to sit on his haunches, his eyes wide. He shook his head, and then wiped the tears from his cheek and chin. After a few faltering breaths, he covered his face.

“Baby, Jesus Christ. Are you okay?” I said, sitting up on my knees to hug him.

He buried his head in my chest and threw his arms around me, grabbing my T-shirt with both fists.

He sniffed once. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, did I hurt you?”

“No, I’m fine, Trent. Talk to me.”

“It was so fucking real,” he said, his face crumbling.

“You had the dream again.”

He let go of me and sat up, shaking his head. “No,” he wiped his eyes again. “No, that was a fucking nightmare.”

“The same one you were telling me about?”

He stood, rubbing the back of his neck, trying not to cry. “I can’t go back to sleep. I don’t wanna see that again. I can’t feel like that again.”

“Okay,” I said, crawling toward him. “We’ll… watch a movie.”

He looked down at me, and then his bottom lip trembled. “You’re okay.” He took a deep breath, exhaled, and then nodded. “You’re okay.”

“I’m okay,” I said, reaching out to hug him. “I’m safe. You’re safe. But… Madison is going to have to find someone else to talk to. You,” I shook my head, “it can’t be you. It’s too traumatizing.”

He crawled back in bed beside me, and I reached for the remote, turning on the TV. Trenton pulled me next to him, holding me tight.

“I’m okay,” I said.

“You’re okay.” He heaved a sigh, relaxed his grip, and then rested his cheek against my hair.

Chapter Four

Trenton

I twisted the wrench in my hand, cranking down on the bolt with a growl. “That should do it, Dad! Try it now!”

The engine coughed and sputtered, but it eventually roared to life. Not exactly the soothing purr of a well-oiled machine—more like a cat with a hairball stuck in its throat—but hey, progress. I slammed the hood shut and caught Dad’s eye, beaming like he’d just won the lottery.

He let the beast run for a minute before turning it off and slamming the door.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the hem of my dirty T-shirt. “I’m telling you, Dad, this junk wagon is on borrowed time. Might be better to sell it to a scrap yard and invest in something that doesn’t have a retirement plan.”

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