Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
KAMILA
I t’s been two days since Cameron told me he wanted to be friends. Just friends.
“What do you mean just friends?” Cam’s words feel like cold water being poured over me. “You were inside of me less than twenty minutes ago. I still have your come all up in there.”
“We did this whole thing backward. If we wouldn’t have been so stubborn and left the past in the past, then we could’ve tried being friends. It’s not that I never want to have sex with you again, but I feel like right now, we need each other as friends over anything else. Let’s get to know each other again.” He frowns. “I don’t know why tonight was different. Maybe it was the short break we had that let us think things through, but I miss you, Kami. For fucks sake, you were my best friend, that type of feeling doesn’t just go away.”
Him admitting that he missed me as a friend was what really did it. Of course, there was some back and forth afterward. Still, it feels weird going into this without having a conversation about graduation night. Then again, I’d never have it without Ana present, and Cameron knows that. I’m confident that he isn’t ready to face the consequences of his actions yet, AKA, my sister. Even though I am convinced he’s changing and becoming the person I always thought he was before that night, which is a relief.
In the end I knew what he was proposing, although a dangerous game to play, is safer than the one we were never going to win. Now, we have a chance of trying to mend things, however that may look. We promised to take it one day and one conversation at a time.
The rest of the night was full of getting dressed, keeping our distance, making all kinds of jokes, laughing, and playing board games. I even brought out the case of snacks I keep hidden from Emma. It was a peace offering of my own. It was fun and different than how it is with other friends. I chalk it up to our history and new dynamic.
Walking into the class we share with my nose feeling frostbitten, I start peeling my extra layers off. It’s the coldest day of the year so far and I’m practically waddling like a penguin with the amount of clothes I have on. I love the holidays, but upstate winters are the worst, and we’re not even in the coldest part of the state.
Once I’m seated, I don’t take my hat or scarf off, still shivering from the wind coming through the doors. Notebook in hand, I take my pen and doodle mindlessly only focusing on the sounds of students around me.
The fight with Ana comes to mind. I took Cameron’s advice and haven’t texted her. I’ve wanted to, but I know I can’t give her that power over me, or she’ll continue to use it to her advantage. I’m always the one to try and fix things first, the one to compromise or apologize first, and I don’t want to be that person anymore. I’m confident when it comes to a lot of things and stubborn as hell, but Ana has always been my weakness.
My train of thought is interrupted as soon as Cameron sits down in his chair next to me.
“ Achoo! ” Cam covers his sneeze with a tissue.
“Bless you,” I say, startled by how loud it was.
“Thanks. ”
His voice sounds nasally and tired. I observe him while he takes his jacket off. His eyes are droopy, nose is red and stuffy, lips are a little chapped, skin is slightly flushed, and his hair is all messed up. Like he just got out of bed, changed, and walked straight over here.
Once he’s seated, I stick my hand out to press it against his forehead.
“Get your hand off of me, I’m contagious.” He flicks me away.
“Jesus, Cameron, you’re burning up. The last time I saw you, you were fine.”
He looks over at me. “Last night, I felt a little tickle in my throat and a slight stuffy nose, then when I woke up, everything had gotten ten times worse. Pretty sure it’s a head cold since I got the flu shot.”
Professor Mills comes in and I lower my voice. “Did you take your temperature? You can still have a fever with a head cold.”
His eyebrows furrow. “Do I look like someone who owns a thermometer?”
I roll my eyes. “Humor me, Kahlo. Why aren’t you in bed?”
“The health center would refuse to give me a note excusing me from class over a cold. They’d hand me some Tylenol, Vitamin C and kick me out,” he sniffs.
Unfortunately, he’s right.
“How many more classes do you have today?” I whisper now that the lecture has started.
“Two with a break in between, but it’s close to finals and I don’t want to miss them,” he sniffs again.
With a reluctant sigh, I turn to the board and try to pay as much attention as I can to the lecture.
An hour and fifteen minutes of torture later, we’re packing our bags to leave.
“Here.” I hand over my scarf to Cameron. He looks at it with a straight face.
“No thank you?” He stuffs it to my chest .
Stubborn ass.
“You have a fever and you’re only wearing a jacket and hat while it’s well below zero outside.” I stuff my scarf back into his chest. “Take the damn scarf.”
“I would rather not dirty your scarf. Also, red really isn’t my color, washes me out.” He smiles sarcastically, but it’s ruined with a loud and what sounds to be, painful cough. He straightens and puts his bag on his shoulder preparing to walk away. I narrow my eyes, and quickly hop on top of a chair, and wrap the scarf around his throat to pull him back. He makes a small choking noise and instinctively leans backward.
“Come on, I did not pull it that hard.”
“What the fuck?” He faces me with wide eyes, which gives me the opportunity to finish adjusting the scarf on his neck.
We’re almost at eye level with the help of the chair. I pat his chest, and my hand lingers while our eyes meet. Even with him being as sick as he is, the underlying tension between us that’s always present, triples.
Then he coughs on my face.
The spit and movement causes my eyes and mouth to close before any can get in.
“Shit, I’m so sorry,” he says between more coughs.
I take a tissue from my jacket pocket and wipe my face. “I’ll be fine.”
It’s odd how I’ve had so many bodily fluids of his all over me and inside of me, but this still grosses me out.
“At least now you’ll be all warm for the walk to your dorm.”
He looks at me like I’m crazy. “I don’t know what the hell was in your coffee this morning but I am not—” A loud sneeze that he thankfully covers, unlike the cough, spills out.
“You need to rest, and I’m sure once your other professors see you this way, they won’t want you anywhere near them.” I step down and grab my bag. “Have you skipped any of these classes this semester? ”
He side-eyes me while we make our way to the door. “Once at the beginning, when you punched me.”
I wince at his harsh tone and my cringe-worthy behavior. “Oops. Still friends, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, still friends.” A small smile forms before he concedes. “Fine. I’ll go talk to the first one in person and email the second.”
I nod my head and smile. “Good. I’ll see you in about two hours then.”
His head shifts to me. “Why?”
“Well, I can’t skip my next class because we have a quiz today, and I need time to get my emergency sick pack from my dorm room,” I state.
Cam doesn’t answer until we’re in front of the Liberal Arts building.
“You don’t have to take care of me, Kamila. I appreciate it but I don’t want to get you sick. And besides, I’m an adult and it’s just a cold. I’m sure it’ll be gone tomo—” Another loud sneeze.
“Yeah, I’m going to ignore everything you just said.” Stuffing my arm into my large bag, I scramble for the ibuprofen I usually use for cramps and give him the entire bottle. “Here. Eat a snack when you get back to your room, and take two of these. Once I get there, I’ll check your temperature because, unlike you, I own a thermometer.”
He yanks the medicine from my hand. “Thanks.”
“You’re still bitchy when you get sick, that hasn’t changed,” I say with narrowed eyes, remembering the few times he got sick in high school.
He scoffs. “Everyone’s bitchy when they’re sick.”
I purse my lips and raise my brows at him.
“Whatever.” He heads for the door.
“That’s what I’m talking about. I’m also skipping a class for you, asshole. So I’d be nicer to me if I were you. I’ll see you later,” I say loudly and turn.
“Why?” Cam asks from behind .
Spinning around, confused because I already told him why I’m going over, he specifies.
“Why are you doing all of this?”
Smiling, wondering why he even has to ask, I reply, “It’s what friends do.”
He grins and nods once before disappearing past the front doors.