Chapter 4
\nThree Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 4<\/p>\n
Seeing Bonnie again felt like a miracle. Just being in the same room with her made Lawrence feel like every scar and bruise he\u2019d carried for years was finally starting to heal.<\/p>\n
She was quieter than ever before. Lawrence remembered how, back when they\u2019d first gotten together, he\u2019d thought Bonnie was almost too quiet. Her clear, almond-shaped eyes always said more than her words ever could. There was this cool distance about her when she wasn\u2019t smiling, but when she did, it was like all the gentleness in the world was poured into one look.-<\/p>\n
That smile though\u2026 it was only for him. Only Lawrence got to see the real Bonnie, the one who\u2019d laugh until her eyes turned into shining crescents, who teased and pouted, and who could be so stubborn she made his head spin. She\u2019d playfully fuss over the smallest things, whine, demand attention, and act like she ruled the world\u2014and somehow, he always let her.<\/p>\n
Outside, a pile of cigarette butts was growing by the trash bin. Lawrence just stood there, staring at the spot where Bonnie\u2019s taxi had disappeared into the night. The restaurant door slid open a moment later and Hannah stepped out, holding Jasper\u2019s tiny hand.<\/p>\n
The memories faded, reality snapping back into focus.<\/p>\n
\u201cLawrence, why are you still out here? You barely touched your food,\u201d Hannah asked softly.<\/p>\n
Lawrence stubbed out his cigarette. \u201cAs long as you and Jasper ate well, that\u2019s fine by me. You two full? I\u2019ll drive you home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hannah blinked, caught off guard. \u201cYou\u2019re not coming with us? We barely had any family time while we were overseas. Jasper was so excited to sleep with both his parents tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
He reached for his cigarettes again, then remembered Jasper was right there and thought better of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made plans to catch up with some friends,\u201d Lawrence said. \u201cI\u2019ll be with you and Jasper tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hannah\u2019s grip tightened on the strap of her purse, but she only nodded, her voice gentle. \u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
He dropped Hannah and Jasper off at the Lane family house. He didn\u2019t even get out\u2014just waited until they disappeared through the gates before pulling away.<\/p>\n
Lawrence drove to the Cabinda School staff apartments next. He\u2019d lost count of how many times he\u2019d dropped Bonnie off here, back when he knew every street and every shortcut by heart. Tonight, though, retracing his steps made him slow down. Everything looked the same, but it all felt different.<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t even sure if the Whites still lived here anymore. He didn\u2019t know if Bonnie had moved back home after college, or if she was living on her own somewhere in the city.<\/p>\n
It felt impossible to stop, and neither of them wanted to.<\/p>\n
He was hooked on Bonnie. Any time he saw her, all he wanted was to hold her, kiss her, make her laugh\u2014or maybe even cry, just to see her lose that careful composure for him.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why losing her felt like going cold turkey after an addiction.<\/p>\n
When he\u2019d been abroad, the only way he could get through the nights was by throwing himself into one extreme sport after another, anything just to burn off the longing and exhaustion until he finally passed out.<\/p>\n
Now, Lawrence sat in his car, hands draped over the steering wheel, a bitter smile on his lips.<\/p>\n
A sudden knock on the window snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up, startled back into the present.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-672","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}