Chapter Three. The Ocean State #2
Morgan and Cory had always shared a special connection, thanks to their academic ambition and competitive career goals. And while Cam knew they still spoke regularly—as Cory did with the guys—the friendship was sometimes hard to process.
“When I saw him in Stockholm,” Morgan continued, “he was showing me this insane glitch that happened whenever he—”
“What?” Cam interrupted, sitting up so quickly her blanket dropped to the floor. “You saw Cory in Stockholm?”
“Yeah? You know I went to Sweden last month. Cory was there on a business trip, so I saw him. I thought I told you that?”
“You didn’t. We had an entire conversation about your trip, in which you mentioned eating Swedish meatballs and nearly losing your passport. There was nothing about seeing Cory.”
“Oh.” Morgan sighed, tucking loose blonde hair behind her ear. “Sometimes … I edit him out of stories for your sake. I still don’t know how comfortable you are hearing about him. Half the time, you seem totally okay and even ask about him. The other half, you check out.”
Cam grabbed the blanket from the floor and began to neatly fold it. “I have no problem hearing about Cory,” she said. “We’re … friends. Yeah, it’s weird sometimes. And it’s not like it was before but … all I’ve ever wanted is for the five us to go back to how things were.”
Morgan smiled sadly. “I want that too but … dating friends is messy, and the only thing messier is breaking up with friends.”
As with every time the breakup was mentioned, Cam wilted with guilt. She hugged the folded blanket to her chest, and desperate for a change in conversation, asked, “Didn’t you have a date last night? With the Italian girl?”
“Marta was last week. Last night was Margarita. She’s from Spain.”
“Marta, Margarita … how can you keep track?”
“Because Margarita came home with me,” Morgan teased, “and Marta did not.” Pensive, she added, “Actually, maybe that’s how I broke my phone.”
“Well, phone issues aside, that sounds like a lucky Friday night. Much luckier than mine.”
Morgan laughed. “You can change your luck. You’re in a new place. You don’t have a job to stress out about.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Maybe it’s time to get under some sexy surfer boy.”
The suggestion drew her focus back to the beach view. A scattering of people lounged on the sand. No surfers in the water, but one ambitious kid dragged a boogie board towards incoming waves. “I’m not sure how that would work,” Cam replied, “since I’m sleeping on Danny’s sofa bed.”
“You can accomplish anything with a bit of creativity. But do me a favor—don’t shack up with Danny, okay? I’m all for you getting under someone, but let’s leave fucking friends in the past.”
Cam straightened, glaring at Morgan through the small screen. “Why would you say that?” she snapped, keeping her voice low. “Danny is wonderful, but he’s…”
Unpredictable. Impulsive.
Driven by debaucheries and dreams.
In a group of overachieving, academically minded rule-followers, Danny was the dissenter.
Back in college, he waited until the last minute to finish projects, took the easy way out of schoolwork, and prioritized partying and his part-time job over studying.
He spearheaded their weekends, demanding drunken fun at house parties and local bars.
He was the driving force behind their fake IDs, the gateway to the guys smoking weed, the carefree campaigner for letting loose and going wild.
He was the glaring outlier in a group of friends with their sights set on distant horizons.
Morgan was determined to launch herself into the world of international business, stacking her every semester with internships based at global firms in Boston.
Cory was the most academically driven of them all, spending hours in the campus libraries in hopes of eventually getting his MBA at an Ivy.
Drew was their sweet-talking charmer, managing to schmooze his way through every interview and career opportunity, an entrepreneur in the making.
And because Cam followed the status quo, she threw herself into the rat race like the rest of them. She went to the job fairs, did the internships, joined the business clubs and mentorship programs …
But not Danny. When graduation was within reach, instead of sharing the panic the other four had as they applied to jobs, he shrugged and planned six months of travel through Southeast Asia.
Cam had nothing against gap years, but unlike their other classmates who took them, Danny didn’t have a trust fund, a job lined up, or any direction for his future career aside from a degree.
He was a kindhearted and generous friend, but his rebellious, nonchalant spirit rattled Cam the same way horseback riding did. She understood the fascination. She saw the appeal.
But there was no way she was climbing onto an animal and risking a broken back.
“—hot. He’s hot,” Morgan said. “I’m a lesbian, but I’m not ignorant to what makes a man attractive. So, do me a favor, and stick to the surfer boys, okay?”
Growing tired of the conversation, Cam grabbed a towel, mentally in a much-needed shower. “Okay, I’m going now.”
As Morgan yelled, “Keep me updated,” Cam ended the call.
Like a caged animal, she circled the room, even if it hurt her blistered feet.
She knew Morgan was playing around, but the comment about shacking up with Danny stung.
Shaking off yet another round of self-loathing, Cam took off for the bathroom.
Hopefully a hot shower would clear her head.