Chapter 2 #2
He holds my gaze, his blue eyes bright. There goes my tummy flopping around again, just like it did when we were kids, when he’d give me this same sweet look.
I feel like a kid with a crush again, even though I shouldn’t.
Camden’s just being nice. I’m certain he’s not interested in anything other than catching up with an old friend.
I mean, he’s a professional hockey player.
And he’s insanely hot. I bet he has a girlfriend.
Or if he’s single, I bet he dates models or celebrities.
He wouldn’t be interested in a regular girl like me.
Actually, I’m not even a regular girl.
The flicker of excitement dies down, replaced by a sad, disappointed feeling.
“Dude, what the fuck?”
I look up and see Ryker standing behind the kitchen counter, holding up a hot pink lace bra. My eyes go wide.
Camden lets out an easy laugh. “Oops.”
“What the hell was this doing in your liquor cabinet?” Ryker asks.
Camden just shrugs. “Not sure.”
Ryker and his teammates just shake their heads.
“Wild night with a lady friend?” Xander teases.
Camden’s mouth curves up in a sly smile. “Something like that.”
“Did you at least get her name this time?” Blomdahl asks. Camden doesn’t answer him. He just laughs along with his teammates.
Well. That settles it. Just like I suspected, Camden is single and hooks up. A lot.
My mind starts to wander. I wonder what he’s like during a hookup. Pretty wild, I bet, judging from the lingerie hidden away in his kitchen.
Heat scatters across my skin, intrigued at the thought, but then the cold splash of reality hits me. I shouldn’t be thinking about him like that. He’s my childhood friend. I shouldn’t be picturing what he’s like in bed.
And it’s not like I have any experience with…that sort of thing.
A shameful feeling drags through my gut. I shove away the thought and refocus on painting gold dots on his cheeks.
He flashes that pantydropping smile. “How do I look? Like a pretty unicorn, right?”
I chuckle, that uneasy feeling slowly fading. “The prettiest.”
When I finish, he stands up and faces his teammates. He holds his arms out at his sides like he’s presenting himself. “Well, boys? How do I look?”
“Like the scariest fucking unicorn I’ve ever seen,” Del deadpans.
I cover my mouth as I chuckle.
Camden’s smug grin doesn’t budge. “Just for that, you’re getting a unicorn drawn on your face too.”
An hour later, I finish painting all the guys’ faces. They’re all taking photos and texting their fiancées, laughing and joking the whole time.
I pack up my paint kit and offer to take a photo of all of them together. They stand in a line, arms linked as they pose. All of them are grinning except for Ryker and Del, the two grumps of the group.
I snap a bunch of photos and hand them back their phones.
“Thanks again for being a good sport about all this,” Xander says.
“It was a lot of fun,” I say. “Congrats on your engagements, guys.”
They all tell me thanks. I go to grab my bag, but Camden takes it.
“I’ll walk you to your car.” He leads me out of his house and to his driveway.
A warm summer breeze whips around me as we walk to my car.
When I take in the stark contrast of my beat-up sedan against all the nice cars of Camden’s teammates parked in his driveway, I feel so out of place.
I glance over at the front of his luxury home.
My crummy studio apartment is smaller than his entire living room.
That embarrassed feeling settles deeper. As unpleasant as it is, I’m used to feeling out of place—to feeling different. I’ve been different my whole life in the worst way because of my illness.
I watch as Camden loads my bag into my car.
I wonder if he remembers. I tried to hide it, but I couldn’t help it sometimes.
I was the sick kid, constantly missing school to go to the doctor.
I never talked about it much though. He was my best friend—my crush.
I didn’t want him to think I was a freak.
And I don’t want him to think I’m a freak now either.
He shuts the door, an easy expression on his face.
“Here.” He hands me a stack of twenties.
My eyes go wide. That’s gotta be at least a few hundred bucks. “What’s all this for?”
“Your tip. You get tips as a party princess, right?”
“Yeah, sometimes. Never that much though.”
“Well, tonight you are.”
He holds my gaze, that cheeky gleam flickering in his golden-brown eyes.
I shake my head. “Camden, no way. It’s too much.”
“It’s the exact amount I want to pay you. Take it, Ellie.”
I let out a breath, heartened at how generous he is. Honestly, I could use the extra money. I need every penny I can get my hands on these days.
“Thank you,” I say softly. I tuck the cash in my purse.
“Hey, can I have your number?” Camden asks. “I don’t want to let another thirteen years pass before we see each other again.”
I smile. “Of course.”
I type my number in his phone, and he texts me instantly.
He pulls me into a hug. “It was really, really good to see you again, Ellie.”
“You too.”
He holds the door open for me as I climb into the driver’s seat, then closes it.
I start the engine, and he leans down and motions for me to roll down the window.
“Lock the doors,” he says.
I smile and press the button. “Done.”
“Text me when you get to your place so I know you made it there okay.”
That warm, tingly feeling is back. “Okay.”
As I drive off, I’m smiling so hard, my cheeks are aching. And just like that, even though I know better, my childhood crush on Camden Connors is back in full swing.