30. Cam
CHAPTER 30
CAM
“WOMAN’S WORLD” - KATY PERRY
V anilla bean candles mixed with the scent of stale beer, Ping-Pong balls clinking and clanking off of hard and soft surfaces, eyeballs adorning the walls that follow me everywhere I walk. Yep, I’m at Smith’s bachelor pad again. Although, he’s not really a bachelor anymore. I’m unclear how my neurotic and lovable Lo hasn’t made drastic changes to this place yet; everything is eerily the same. Oh, that’s right, they are always at our place.
Will and I spent most of the week alternating between his place and mine after work. Spending this much time together, and so soon into our budding relationship, feels right, and at the same time I can feel myself slipping deeper into this relationship, making my fears multiply. Obviously, there’s history between us, but he makes me happier than I have been in so long. It’s hard to justify putting distance between us when there’s a chance I could be wrong about how this ends.
I’m also afraid he is going to leave and that something will happen to him. Savoring every moment has been my primary focus, and yet it feels like waiting to die. That may sound dramatic, but how is someone supposed to deal with their loved one preparing to head off to God knows where when God knows who is trying to kill them? Or when you know you are just waiting for the other shoe to drop...
Feelings like this must be par for the course for military spouses all over the world. Fortunately for me, Will did say he isn’t usually gone as long as others, so I suppose I’m lucky. The thing is, whether it’s ten days or ten years, the worry is the same. Of course, I’ll miss him either way, but the sheer angst over the possibility of him being hurt is unbearable to think about.
In the meantime, we’re all trying to blow off steam with this party. Beer pong and bad decisions. Nothing screams rational like a bunch of anxious dudes, overly emotional and worried significant others, and alcohol. Very mature. Patricia would be sooo proud.
Opting to stop thinking about our impending doom, I suck down a long pull of light, refreshing and a little skunky beer. Beer is never my first choice, but when I do indulge, it has to be foreign or an IPA.
“Hey, you wanna be my partner next round?” Lo wiggles her eyebrows at me.
“Sure. I don’t know if they will want us to team up after the last time, though.” I gently knock my beer bottle with hers and throw in a wink for good measure.
“Think we can beat them?” she asks, nodding toward Smith and Will.
“Duh. In my sleep. Should give them something to talk about on their little vacay.”
“Nope. That’s off-limits. We are not talking about it or thinking about it before it happens. For all we know, it could be months.” Lo gives me her serious face, but I know deep down she is low-key freaking out too. She doesn’t love change, but who does? She also is head over heels, borderline disgustingly in love with Smith. At least we’ll be in misery together when they leave.
Cheering breaks out from the designated “pong area,” indicating the winners have finally claimed their victory. For a group of people who play enough to have a set up permanently installed in their apartment, these guys aren’t very good. I can win in far less time and with far more style.
“We have next!” shouts Lo.
Pulling myself off the couch to join her is far harder than it should be. My body is tired from all the worry, anxiety, and sexy time. Not to mention, standing all week at work; that doesn’t help either.
Will saunters up, all charming and swoon-worthy, trying to throw me off my game.
“Wright, don’t think I’ve forgotten how much you practiced this game with Elliott. No funny business,” he whispers softly in my ear.
“Please, Rambo, would I dare pull one over on you?” I give him my most innocent puppy dog eyes.
“Yeah. You absolutely would, and I know you’re up to something.” He smiles as he says this matter-of-factly.
“What’s going on you two? No trading secrets...she’s your enemy right now, soldier,” Smith chimes in, wrapping an arm around each of our shoulders.
“Don’t worry, Smith. Will’s just trying to woo me into going easy on him.” I give Will a little shove away from me and toward the table.
He knows I would never go easy, but it’s nice to have a little witty banter back and forth. Keeps things interesting. Smith looks appalled at the idea that anyone would have to ask Lo and me to take it easy, which is going to make beating him that much more fun—he still thinks the last time was beginner’s luck. Will eyes him cautiously, giving him the dude, you don’t know what I know look.
Lo steps up to the table, grabbing a ball for herself and handing me one. We wait patiently as Smith and Will refill the cups; if I didn’t inherently have the drive to always win, the low-end domestic light beer would have done it. Gross!
The table is set. I toss one little wink at Will, draw my hand up, and with a flick of my wrist, I sink the ball directly into the first cup. He chuckles a little at me and then tosses one our direction while drinking his cup. It’s a perfectly placed ball, landing in the cup directly in front of me, causing beer to slosh out at just the right angle, spraying my shirt. Arrogance and sass are written all over his face. He actually thinks I might let him beat me. The audacity! Game on, buddy. I’m coming for you now.
“That was cute, Rambo. Too bad your friends will all be able to see through my white shirt now.” I turn toward Lo and throw the ball without even looking. Before I can finish downing the beer in my hand, Will is at my side pulling his hoodie over my head.
“Not anymore.” He races back to his side, challenging me with a look to take it off. I won’t and he knows it. If this helps him feel more secure, then fine. But it’s a tad dramatic seeing that the only part of my shirt that actually got wet was below my belly button. Not much to see, but a part of me likes the protectiveness he’s displaying.
We continue tossing balls at breakneck speed. Lo is playing so well, neither of us has missed. Smith is completely confused; he was so sure we were horrible, but as of now, he’s the only one who can’t sink a ball. As for me, my competitive streak has given me precision-level focus. I could make any ball in any cup I wanted right now.
We each have three cups remaining, and since Lo and I threw first, we’re going to win, as long as we don’t miss. I’m trying to decide which cup I want to aim for when there’s a knock at the door.
Okay, seriously, everyone is here. Who could be showing up when I’m about to win?
“Hey, Butler, get the door wouldya?” Smith shouts across the room while I sink another ball.
Instead of drinking, Will immediately walks away toward the door, leaving the rest of us to stand and wait. Lo tosses me a skeptical look, and even though I know where we stand, my skin is covered in goose bumps and my stomach starts to churn. It’s a woman’s voice I hear first; greeting Will and Butler like she’s known them for years.
Finally, they round the corner, and I see her. The girl from Patty’s Patties. Bri. She’s wearing a casual pair of jeans that are rough cropped at the bottom, exposing just a tad of her perfectly skinny ankle. She has on a pale teal tank top that hugs her slender curves, and her luminous hair is flowing down her back in perfect waves. She’s breathtakingly beautiful, just as she was the other day, and she makes it look effortless. It’s incredibly unfair to be that magnificent.
Jealousy should be the furthest thing from my mind, because I know who she is. I know what she’s been through and what she means to the guys. It’s not rational, but I can’t help wondering why she’s suddenly back in Will’s life right when we’ve reconnected.
“Hey...you ladies must be the ones who’ve swooped in and stolen these knuckleheads’ hearts. I’m Bri,” she says sweetly. Her voice is slow and smooth, like dripping honey.
“Umm...yeah, I guess so.” I’m not able to contain my nervous smile. “I’m Cam.”
“Oh Cam, I’ve been dying to meet you! I’m sorry Davenport is such an idiot and didn’t tell you about our lunch the other day. I kicked his ass over it. I swear, men are sooo dumb sometimes.” She pulls me into a hug, and while I’m a very physical-touch kind of person, it startles me a little.
Just going with it, I squeeze her back.
Have you ever hugged someone and just known instantly that they’re a good person? Like you could just feel their soul, see and know everything about them from something so simple?
I have now. Hugging Bri back, the mixed feelings about her swooping in to Will’s life unexpectedly from a minute prior vaporized and vanished. There wasn’t anything particularly spectacular about it, it was just a hug, and yet it felt like being in the arms of a best friend I didn’t know I had.
“It’s okay...about the other day, I mean. I’m very glad to meet you.” I stumble over my words a bit, still shaming myself for being such a raging jealous bitch on the inside. He made me this way, though, this is the result of me still not fully trusting him.
“Same. This one hasn’t shut up about you in years.” She nods toward Will while giggling to herself.
“ Years? Really? Tell me everything!” I smirk at Will, raising an eyebrow.
“Honey, you must have a magical lady cave because my boy here has been pining away for you as long as I’ve known him.”
This sends Lo, Bri, and me into a fit of giggles at her use of the term lady cave and makes Will look adorably shy, like he maybe just swallowed his tongue. I may want to hate this girl, but I think it also might be love at first vagina joke.
“This is greeeeat. I take back every nice thing I’ve ever said about her now. She is the worst and you two should not be friends. Come over here with me, Wright.” Will throws this last bit in for good measure, which just results in more laughing from the three of us.
Will leaves us to our own devices, and the three of us spend time chatting about the guys. Bri, being the goddess she is, brought a couple of bottles of wine and a wine opener, so we find a spot to perch at Smith’s high-top table.
“So, how did you fall for that big lug?” Bri points at Smith, who is crowding Will and whispering, likely about us.
“It was love at first sight. I don’t know how it happened, but there was just something about him.” Lo has hearts in her eyes. It’s still insane to me how over the moon she is for him.
“More like love at first Jell-O syringe,” I quip.
“Well, I can see it. He’s a good guy, deep down. Maybe way deep down...I’ve seen that man pull some stunts, so I can’t give him too much credit.” Bri twirls her wineglass before taking a long pull, savoring it.
“Okay...I need you to tell me at least one story. He practically lives with us, I need dirt.” I say, as Lo and I both lean in conspiratorially.
“There was this one time . . .” Bri begins laughing to herself, struggling to get the story out. “He met this girl, and sorry if this is weird for you, Lo...but he met this girl, and we could all tell she was completely off her rocker from the second we met her. He went home with her and then what do you know, at three in the morning, Eric’s phone was ringing with the fire department calling us to pick him up. When we got to the station, Smith didn’t have any clothes on and he was soaking wet.” Lo’s eyes have grown ten sizes, and she’s carefully covering her mouth so as not to laugh or cry, who knows.
“Wait, why though?” I ask, I have to know.
“This girl wanted him to sleep over, and he was ready to leave, so she burned his clothes. Wadded them up, tossed them in her trash can, and lit it up. The sprinkler system in her apartment complex kicked on, and the fire department showed up. All they had to give him was a gray wool blanket.” We can’t help the cackling that ensues. I’m laughing so hard, tears stream down my face.
We continue chatting and swapping stories for a while longer. It’s mostly me giving them dirt on Will from when we were in high school. We’re all careful not to bring up the potential of an impending deployment. Bri because I’m sure she knows we are nervous and dreading it, and us because...well, she no longer has someone to worry about. Talking with her about it seems cruel, like it would be forcing her to walk back through very painful memories.
Awe-inspiring is the only way to describe Bri. She may very well be the toughest person I’ve ever met. I’ve spent the better part of a week dreading being away from Will for a month or two; she has to be away from Thatch forever. How is she so normal? How is she not crying, buried in bed?
“I have to get going soon. I have a volunteer event in the morning, and too much wine gives me a wicked headache,” Bri says.
“I get it. It’s been so wonderful to meet you. Thank you for coming and for being so nice.” I stand to hug her, bidding her farewell.
Bri places a soft hand on my arm, looking me straight in the eyes. “My Thatch and Davenport were close, like brothers. They are more emotional than the others, and yet like to act stronger, unbothered. Here’s my number.” She hands me her business card. “If you need anything while he’s away, you call me first. I know the drill and I will support you every step of the way.”
“I don’t know what to say. You’re being too kind to someone you hardly know.” Tears prick the backs of my eyes.
“I know all I need to. You’re it, according to him.” She nods toward Will, who is trying to not make it obvious that he’s totally eavesdropping on this conversation.
“Thank you, really. I mean it. I may just call you even when I don’t need anything,” I say, clutching her hands in mine.
“I would love that,” she responds, hugging me and Lo again, then walking off to say goodbye to all the others.
Lo and I exchange a look. We don’t need to say anything, but we both know that she just changed our lives somehow. She is going to be our friend, our confidant, and guide us through this military thing. For the first time in days, I don’t have such a heavy weight on my chest. Maybe because I feel less alone, or maybe because deep down, I know I have so much more than Bri, the nicest person in the world, and I’m grateful.