Chapter 6 Zhuri
six
Zhuri
“Couldn’t you have run the other direction so the goose didn’t want to chase me, too?” Cameron huffs, both of us out of breath as we find a spot to hide behind some trees.
“Fuck off.” I cross my arms and glare at him. “I’m so sorry that in my panic about getting away from a rogue goose, I ran him in your direction.”
“Apology accepted.”
“The apology was sarcastic.”
Cameron ignores me and looks carefully around the tree trunk before sighing. “Apparently, you pissed off the goose that holds a fucking grudge because he’s literally standing on the trail waiting for us.”
I throw my head back and groan. “Fuck me.”
“Not interested.”
“You’re fucking insufferable.”
“My whole goal in life is to make you suffer.”
“Can you not be an ass for once?” I settle myself on the ground, leaning my back against the tree trunk with my legs lying out in front of me.
“I’m sure I could, but why would I want to?”
“Fucking hell,” I breathe, watching as Cameron begrudgingly sits next to me on the ground. “Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot back in college, but can we at least try to set all that shit aside? The team is never going to take us seriously if we’re always at each other’s throats.”
Cameron sighs and lets his head rest against the tree. “You’re right. We should both make an effort to put that behind us.”
“That’s all we can really do.”
He glances over at me, and his face is softer now than it was a minute ago. “Let’s get to know each other then. Maybe we’ll find some common ground or something.”
“Fine,” I shrug. “What do you want to know?”
“Why do you wear the number seventy?”
“I don’t really have a reason,” I state. “That’s the first number I was given as a kid, so I stuck with it. It’s not some deep meaning.”
“Fair enough,” he replies. “Are you going to ask me about my number?”
I can’t hold back the laugh that slips out. “You wear number ninety-six, which is the inverse of sixty-nine, and you’ve always been a fuckboy. It’s not hard to put that together.”
Cameron shakes his head. “I’m not the fuckboy you think I am, Zhuri.”
I give him a disbelieving look. “Did you or did you not try to hit on me when we met with the hopes of bringing me into your bed?”
His lips turn up in a small smile. “Can I plead the fifth?”
“Like I said.”
He lets out an easy laugh as his smile grows. “Fine. Yes, I did try to hit on you, but no, I did not pick ninety-six for a specific reason. I don’t really sleep around anymore.”
“You don’t?”
“Nope,” he shrugs. “I did before, but the older I get, the less that interests me.”
“You really are full of surprises,” I say softly. “I never would have expected that from you.”
When Cameron replies, his voice is so low it’s almost inaudible. “I’m not like everyone thinks.”
I can feel a thickness in the air now, so I change directions to avoid delving into some deep topic. “How often did you watch Dragons’ games?”
“As often as I could. I lived in Boulder until I was twelve and always rooted for the Denver teams. When the WHL was created, I jumped right in as a Dragons fan. You guys were really damn good.”
“You actually watched me play?” I ask in complete disbelief.
“I wasn’t lying when I said you’re the best left winger I’ve ever seen, ljepota.”
“Lye-poh-tuh? What the hell does that mean?”
Cameron laughs lightly with a sly smile on his face. “You don’t speak Croatian, Zhuri baby?”
“No, Cameron, I don’t speak fucking Croatian,” I deadpan, and he only laughs harder.
“Such a shame then that you won’t find out what that means.”
I groan. “You’re so annoying.”
“Now, now,” he teases. “We’re being nice to each other.”
“You can still be annoying,” I grumble. “Let’s move on from the Croatian lesson. What type of music do you like?”
“I like softer alternative music, honestly,” he says. “Del Water Gap would probably be my favorite artist.”
“Shut up,” I shout, clamping my hand around his bicep. His very muscular, tattooed bicep. “You listen to Del Water Gap?”
“Yes…” Cameron looks at me in confusion. “That is what I said.”
“I love Del Water Gap,” I smile.
“Huh,” he says. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a fan.”
“I mean, I wasn’t always a fan,” I shrug. “We had a girl on the Dragons a few years ago who was a big fan of his. She always played his music in the locker room, and I just fell in love with it. It’s so smooth and sultry.”
He cocks his eyebrow at me. “You like sultry music?”
I roll my eyes. “Yes, Cameron. Just because I don’t exploit my sexuality doesn’t mean I don’t have any.”
I swear I can almost see something flicker in his caramel eyes, but it’s gone before I can discern what it is.
“Maybe you’re not as uptight as I thought.”
“I’m not uptight.” My head falls back against the tree. “I just need to be cognizant of the image I’m putting out of myself. I’m a black woman—I don’t get to have any slip-ups without it being made into a huge thing.”
“Fair enough,” he breathes. “I guess that’s just not something I’ve ever had to worry about.”
“Because you’re hockey’s golden boy. That’s not a status I’ll ever attain. I’ve always had to work twice as hard to get half as much attention. I can get a little bitter about that sometimes.”
Cameron turns to face me now. “Is that why you were so against me when we met?”
I let out a deep breath. “Yeah. Jack had it in my head that you got everything handed to you on a silver platter just because your dad played in the NHL. I was really resentful of that.”
“I fucking hate Jack,” he chides.
“You and me both,” I laugh. “He’s in this new league, too. On the Los Angeles Lasers. We play them in the preseason. I heard Sean mention it.”
“Good,” he chuckles darkly. “Can’t wait to kick his ass on the ice.”
“You don’t fight, Cameron. Theo seems to be the bruiser from your team.”
He smirks at me. “Have you been watching me play, Zhuri baby?”
My cheeks heat at the observation. “I occasionally watched the Lizards. We did share a rink, after all.”
He smiles before steering the conversation in another new direction. “Would you rather read a book or watch a movie?”
“Book,” I answer. “Especially if it’s a romance novel. I love curling up at night with a good book. Would you rather vacation on a cruise or in a cabin?”
“Cabin!” he replies a little too quickly. “I’d prefer a cabin.”
“That’s a strong response…”
He tries to shrug it off.
That was weird…
Cameron peers around the tree again, letting out a sigh of relief. “The demon goose is gone. We should be safe to get out of here now.”
“Thank God,” I say, standing up and stretching out my muscles, and he does the same. “I am sorry about running into you earlier. And having the goose chase us both.”
“No big deal,” he laughs. “Maybe it was a good thing. This little chat should help us get along better for the team.”
“Yeah,” I smile. “I think it will.” I grab my earbuds again and put them back in place.
“Del Water Gap?” Cameron asks, gesturing to my headphone case.
“Glitter & Honey.” I start walking around the tree before looking back at him again. “I’ll see you for the pool party on Friday.”
“See you, ljepota.”
Cameron’s gone before I can ask him again what that means.
It’s going to drive me crazy not knowing, but considering I have no clue how to spell the damn word, I think I’m out of luck for now.
Goddammit.