Chapter 38 Cam
38 Cam
I find myself whistling as I clean the kitchen and vacuum the apartment, even though vacuuming is my least favorite chore. It’s not just because I had sex three times in the last twenty-four hours, though it had been a very long time since that happened. But spending so much time with Noelle Tom is just a lot of fun, and I can’t help but be in a great mood afterward.
Noelle doesn’t have what you’d call a bold personality. She’s not the sort of person who commands attention the moment she walks into the room. In fact, I think she’d hate it if that happened. She’s milder—but with a lot of depth.
And watching her enjoy herself is my new favorite thing.
When she goes out, she favors crisp dress shirts and nice sweaters, but the image of her with damp hair, wearing one of my T-shirts and enjoying a cinnamon bun at my kitchen table…
I don’t know why that was so erotic, but it was. I love seeing her when she’s relaxed. It felt like a treat, just for me.
And since it’s my day off, I decide to have another treat in the afternoon. I open a can of the Junction—our imperial stout, named after the last dry neighborhood in Toronto—and enjoy it with some dark chocolate as I watch a movie. It’s a good winter beer, as is the Retaliator Doppelbock, a collaboration we did with another brewery. They’re both seasonal offerings.
By the time Justin gets home, the movie is almost over and I’m slightly tipsy. When a beer is over 10 percent ABV, a tall can is a good amount.
“How was it?” he asks. “Have a good night?”
“Couldn’t make the curry, but yeah, it was fun.”
The credits are starting, so I pick up my phone to see if she’s texted. Justin knows exactly what I’m doing, and he rolls his eyes as he sits down on a recliner. I toss a pillow at him, careful to ensure there’s no danger of it hitting my nearly empty snifter. I don’t really care about his reaction, though. I’m in a great mood, and he can roll his eyes all he wants; it doesn’t bother me.
“ Very good, I see.” He smirks. “When did she leave?”
“Around one.”
“And you’re ready to text her and say that you miss her?”
“Hm. Good idea.”
I say that mainly to make him laugh—and it works—but I might as well message her. I do miss Noelle, even if we’ve only been apart for a few hours, and I wish I could watch another movie—this time, with her. There are so many things I haven’t done with her yet that I’m looking forward to doing.
ME: When can I see you again? Tomorrow?
NOELLE: Sure!
I didn’t expect her to actually agree to that—I thought she’d have a rule about being responsible on a Monday night—but I’m sure as hell not complaining.
“You are so gone for this woman.” Justin shakes his head.
“Yeah, I am.”
I think back to the night of Justin’s first date with his boyfriend, the way he tried not to grin when he came home. Unlike him, I don’t play it down, but my smile dims as I think of finding her in the middle of the night. Was something else up, other than what she told me?
Sometimes, I have the oddest feelings when it comes to Noelle. Like a prickle at the edge of my consciousness, but I can’t quite get there.
Perhaps there’s something she’s not telling me, or perhaps it’s just my imagination. We had a good morning together, after all.
I decide I won’t worry about it.
On Monday, Noelle comes over after work while the curry—the one I was supposed to make on Saturday—is simmering on the stove. Justin won’t be back for a few hours, so it’s just the two of us.
“It smells great in here,” she says as I hang up her jacket. “No bear incidents today?”
“Nope, nothing to interfere with my cooking plans.”
I pull her in for a kiss, eventually dragging myself away to tend to the food.
“Dinner will be ready in a few minutes,” I say. “Do you want a beer? We could split a can if you don’t want to drink a lot, or I could make you some tea.”
“Beer sounds good.” She smiles at me, and for a moment, I think it really is too bad that we need to have dinner, even if I enjoy watching her eat.
Some people would serve an IPA with this meal, but I have a hunch she doesn’t like those, so I select a crisp lager instead. It’s not one of ours; it’s from a different Toronto brewery.
“What’s the difference between a lager and an ale?” she asks. “I know I read about it once, but I forget.” She’s blushing a little, and I have no idea why. When I don’t immediately answer, she says, “I, uh, did some research about beer before we went on our first date.”
“You wanted to impress me?”
“No! I mean… well, I just wanted to know more about you, that’s all.” She sips the lager. She’s still blushing, and I take the glass out of her hand and kiss her again, because I can’t seem to do otherwise.
After dinner, she insists on helping me clean up before we retreat to the bedroom, where I coax more moans out of her. While she did seem to enjoy my food, I think she enjoys this even more.
And after, I get to lazily hold her. I feel like my mouth is hurting from smiling, yet I don’t want to stop. I trace the freckles on her cheeks with my finger, then dip my hand to her chest—she’s still naked.
My phone rings on my bedside table.
“Crap,” I mutter, looking at the screen. “It’s my mom.”
“You can get it,” she says.
I do, but I’m determined to make it fast.
“Hello,” I say into the phone.
Mom clucks her tongue. “Why did it take you so long to answer?”
“Sorry, I was cleaning up after dinner, and my phone was in the other room.”
Beside me, Noelle covers her mouth, failing at hiding her laughter. She pulls the sheet over her chest, as though being naked while I’m on the phone is a faux pas.
“You’re still coming for dinner on Saturday, yes?” Mom says. “I’m calling early in the week to make sure there won’t be any brewing emergencies to prevent you from coming.”
The thing about emergencies is that you don’t know about them in advance, but…
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there.”
“You know, it has been a long time since you brought a girlfriend to meet us. I was thinking about that the other day. Are you seeing anyone? Tell her to come on Saturday.”
Good thing she can’t see my face right now.
Since I intend to keep Noelle in my life for a long, long time, I say, “I am, but it’s too early for you to meet her.” I speak this as firmly as possible, but I know that won’t matter.
Beside me, Noelle’s eyes widen slightly.
Over the phone, my mom starts asking a barrage of questions. She doesn’t give me a chance to answer before insisting that I bring Noelle to dinner, and I do my best to get her off the phone as quickly as possible, which isn’t quite as quickly as I’d like.
Then I set my phone aside and take Noelle into my arms again.
“I can’t believe you told her about me,” she says.
“She asked if I was seeing someone, and I didn’t want to lie. Is that okay? I promise, you don’t need to meet my family anytime soon. I can deal with… that.” I gesture to my phone to encompass all the questions I will receive in the near future. In fact, I half expect my phone to start ringing again a minute later, but fortunately, it doesn’t.
“It’s fine,” she says, smiling to reassure me.
And before I can ask if she’s sure, she pounces on me.