Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Cam
H earing Jo’s laughter, I looked up from my laptop and watched her play with Eric and Milo by the shore. It was definitely a welcome sight after trying to decipher and refactor my client’s dirty code.
“There you are,” Nikki said from my right. “I was wondering how long it would take for you to snap out of work mode.”
I groaned. “Girl’s gotta hustle.” A glance at the time told me I’d been at this for almost two hours. Saving my progress, I put my laptop in its waterproof sleeve for the meantime. Then I stretched my neck and back.
Working cross-legged on a beach blanket wasn’t the ideal setup, but since it was a Saturday and Nikki had taken a break from the café, I wasn’t just going to stay at my desk. If I had to work on a weekend, I was going to do it on the sand.
“I’m so glad you booked that gig. Any news on your applications?” Nikki asked.
“Me too.” It was a one-time project, but at least it would cover a month’s worth of bills—handy, given that I’d spent a chunk of my savings on Inang’s meds despite her arguments. “No updates on the first job I interviewed with. For the other, I’m still waiting on that stupid document.”
If Alonzo actually pulled through for me. The photo he’d sent looked real enough and there was a tracking number, but?—
Nikki drilled her finger into my bicep. “Don’t tell me you still don’t believe him. He sent proof without you asking. It’s like he knows you or something.”
“I’ll believe it when I have the paper in my hands.” I brushed her finger off.
“You’re such a cynic. Seriously, Cam. Lonzo didn’t have to do it, especially after you went off on him just for asking a couple of questions. Of course he’s going to be curious. You never told him you studied at his school, and then you ask him to get paperwork for you. I’d ask questions too.”
“That’s different because you’re my friend. This guy’s a stranger.”
“A stranger you stayed next door to and made out with on the street.” She shook her head. “You couldn’t even wait until you got home.”
“First off, it was one night. And it was a good thing we didn’t make it to the house.”
Her eyebrows flew up. She nodded gravely. “Right. You wouldn’t have been able to stop if you were at home, huh?”
“That wasn’t what I meant.” I pinched her side.
She yelped and barked out a laugh. “I totally understand. He’s a hottie.”
“I hate you.”
“You could never.”
True. “I kind of wish I didn’t ask him to get it,” I admitted. “Because if he actually did, I’ll owe him.”
“I highly doubt he’s keeping track of that.”
“ I am.”
“I know.” She sighed. “One of these days, you’ll realize that some people do good things just because they’re good people. They’re not helping you out to get an IOU.”
In the corner of my mind, I recognized that what she was saying was true. But it was hard to get rid of my conditioning from years of being made to feel that other people had sacrificed so much for me. That I owed them something in return.
I’d sworn I could fend for myself. I would pay my debts, damn it. No matter what Nikki said, I’d find a way to repay Alonzo.
My phone rang with an unknown number. Normally, I rejected those calls because they often came from telemarketers trying to sell me things. This time, I took a chance and answered in case it was the mailing service.
Good thing I did because it was the courier calling to say he was at the house.
After telling him to slip the envelope under our front door, I jumped to my feet. “The envelope’s at home,” I said to Nikki.
“See.” She grinned. “Lonzo for the win.”
“Uh huh. I’ll go grab it and come back. Watch my stuff?”
“Of course. See you.”
I jogged home, and when I made it past the doorway, I was sweaty and out of breath. But that didn’t matter because the envelope was right there. I tore the flap open, and out slid two familiar-looking sheets of paper, along with the filled-out request form.
Going by instinct, I flipped the form over and found more of Alonzo’s handwriting.
Camaya—
Bet you didn’t think I’d get this done, did you?
Hope this helps you with whatever you need it for. See, I didn’t ask.
Get a good surf in for me. I can’t wait till I’m at the beach again (even if you probably wish I’d never go back lol).
If you need anything else, you know how to reach me.
Alonzo
PS: Nice name—and no, I’m not being sarcastic.
I bit my lip. How did this guy manage to amuse and annoy me in a span of a couple of sentences? I’d screwed up by giving him my full name—the name I tried my best to forget. Of course, he’d latched onto it.
Grabbing my phone, I pulled up our message thread. I’d left his last message unread because he had pissed me off by using that name. But Nikki was right—he’d helped me out when he didn’t have to, and saved me from a dreaded trip to the city.
So I finally texted him back.
Alonzo
“Can you believe Tommy just left?” Miggy said as we walked down the stairs after a particularly brutal class. Tommy stormed out after our professor gave him a verbal lashing for not reading the assigned chapters. One girl cried after being told to reconsider her career path.
And we were only a month into the semester.
“The question is, will he come back?” I said. “Better yet, will Santos let him?” Our crim law 2 professor had a reputation for being one of the best and also one of the toughest. He said you had to be the latter in order to be the former.
“Shit, you’re right. I’m going to study twice as hard for his class from now on. I don’t want to be singled out like that.” Miggy shuddered.
“Same.” My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I took it out.
Wouldn’t you know it—after three days stuck in the seen zone, I finally had a reply from Cam.
Cam
got it, thx. and yep, ur right
I had to chuckle because the response was typical Cam.
“What’s funny?” Miggy asked.
Glancing at him, I locked my phone and put it back in my pocket. “Just a text.”
“Yeah? Why do you look like you’re trying not to smile?” He halted. “Bro, don’t tell me that’s Dani.”
“What? No. I haven’t talked to her since we broke up.” She left our group chat the week after our meetup, and when I texted her that she didn’t have to leave, she left me unread. Both Miggy and Shar said she barely replied to their texts. Miggy had stopped trying.
“Then what’s with that face?” he asked as we continued down the hall. “You don’t look like that when you’re texting me.”
“And you’d know that how?”
He snorted. “You answering my question with another question is a giveaway. Who’s the girl?”
Damn. I had to work on my evasion tactics. “It’s Cam.” At his unspoken question, I added, “The girl from Juana.”
“The one you hooked up with?” His voice came out louder.
Other people looked our way, and I glared at Miggy. “Will you be quiet? It was just a kiss.”
“A kiss that obviously left an impression on you. Damn, you’re text mates now?”
“She asked me for a favor, and I helped her out. That’s it. I’m just laughing because she’s so grumpy.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It will when you meet her.”
He stopped walking and faced me fully. “ When , huh? So I’m meeting her now?”
“I meant if. Slip of the tongue.”
His laughter bounced off the wall. “Mistake or not, I think we should start planning a return trip. I’m going to need to check this girl out myself.”
“We’re focusing on school, remember?” I said, never mind that I’d already decided to go back the next chance I got.
“There’s always the next break. Who knows what’ll happen between now and then?”
Who knew indeed. Given how the past two months had gone, nothing could surprise me anymore.
While Miggy called Shar about our dinner plans, I replied to Cam.
Alonzo
Hi Camaya. Glad it’s there. Let me guess—I’m right about you not wanting me to go back?
Cam
yep. im not answering 2 that name again
Alonzo
Why not? I told you it’s nice. Were you born in Camaya Coast?
Just like that, I was back in the seen zone.