Chapter Eleven. Wasted #2
“Cam, my restaurant is filled with tourists and college kids. You’d break out in hives if you knew everything I overheard.”
“I don’t know if that’s true. My dad calls me a chismosa.” When he smiled at her, she smiled back. But the longer she stared into those dark brown eyes, the faster she remembered their agreement. “So … what did you want to know about me and Cory?”
“I wanna know what actually happened. One minute, we’re having a blast in Tulum, and the next, you’re crying in the hotel lobby. The only explanation I got was you two grew apart.”
“That’s a valid reason to break up.”
“But was that the actual reason?” he asked. “I can’t help feeling like everyone knows except me.”
He was probably right. Morgan knew every detail, and it was safe to assume Drew did, too.
“When we finished junior year,” she said, “I was so excited about our future together.
My only request was we move to the West Coast. I was ready for something new, and Cory was receptive to the idea.
All senior year, I sent him travel vlogs and articles about LA, San Francisco, Seattle …
The cities I was applying for jobs in. But then his interviews started, and the jobs were all in New York.
“He accepted his job offer right before spring break. He couldn’t understand why I was upset. He insisted I knew New York was where he wanted to be. For investment banking, to be close to his family upstate. I kept wondering … had he not listened to me, or did he just not care?”
“You want everyone to make decisions for you, and then you get mad when you don’t like the outcome.” Cory’s voice flitted through her ears, his shoulders tight as he folded a T-shirt. “What do you want, C?”
“But maybe I was the one who didn’t listen, who didn’t care.
” She hugged her knees. “I thought … if New York makes him happy, I’ll go.
And then it was time for Tulum. I wanted to push aside all our graduation woes and just have fun with our best friends.
But he spent half our trip doing grunt intern work.
Everyone took off from their spring internships. Cory didn’t even try.”
“Is this what my future looks like?” she cried, throwing open her suitcase. “My boyfriend working every minute of every day? You missed dinner, Cory! Our last dinner here. When we get back, it’s finals, then graduation, then—”
“Cam?” Danny touched her back. “You okay?”
She swallowed, nodding quickly. “I felt like I made a huge concession by agreeing to New York,” she continued, “and he couldn’t even put me first on that trip.
I wasn’t even heartbroken. I was just … mad.
Because I knew we’d been on different wavelengths for months.
We were hanging out less. Talking less. Even the check-in text messages stopped. We were growing apart.”
“Why are we even doing this?” Cory asked. “Are we still together because we want to be, or because we’re trying to keep the peace with”—he waved to their shut door, their friends somewhere on the other side—“them? Because I’m not dating them. I’m supposed to be dating you.”
She cleared her throat, ignoring the tears stinging the backs of her eyes. “You were right. I am consumed with worry. I was worried about being alone and I was worried about blowing up our friend group.”
“What are you saying?” Her movements stilled, a damp swimsuit clutched in her fist. “If you’re going to start something, Cory, then finish it.”
Laughing, she lay back, so she could stare at the night sky.
“The last thing I wanted was for our breakup to happen in Tulum. But you remember how horrible that final day was. The issues with our shuttle to the cenotes, Morgan and Drew not talking, the heat wave. Cory ditching our last dinner to work was the final straw. The worst part was, the fight was so … pointless.”
“Pointless?” Danny echoed. He sat cross-legged, watching her. “What do you mean?”
“The only purpose fighting serves is to change someone’s mind. We both knew what we wanted. We both had for a long time.”
“Let’s not make this harder than it needs to be,” Cory said, sitting at the foot of the bed, his head between his knees. “If there’s a time to do this, it’s now. I care about you, Cam. I always will. But this isn’t love. Not anymore. You know that. I know that.”
“I’m sorry,” Danny offered, his words hushed. “For then and … now.”
“Don’t apologize. I should thank you for comforting me. Because that night, Morgan and Drew were MIA. You were the one there for me. You didn’t even need the specifics. You saw me crying and jumped right in.”
“That’s what friends do.”
“Are we still going to be friends?” she whispered, sitting beside Cory. “Or is this the end?”
“We can try, C,” Cory replied, staring ahead. “But it’s never going to be the same.”
Cam took a deep breath, shaking off the memories. The silence between her and Danny was comfortable, fitting after their heavy conversation. But it didn’t last long. Her stomach growled, and he threw his head back, laughing.
“I think that’s our cue to go,” he said, jumping to his feet. “Let’s get you something to nosh on.” He helped her up, and as they crossed the sand, he asked, “You in the mood for anything?”
“Pizza and … candy. Sour gummy worms, specifically. Does that make me sound like an eight-year-old boy?”
“Maybe. If you want candy, I have some weed gummies at home. Does that make me sound like a degenerate stoner?” When she laughed, he added, “A dispensary opened by Axel’s tattoo shop. So, if you’d like to take the burnout thing seriously, we can swing by sometime.”
“I could be convinced to try edibles. Since I don’t smoke.”
“You don’t smoke?” he repeated. “Says the Camille arrested for failing to light a cigarette.”
“Exactly!” she cried. “I don’t smoke. Hence my failure. And that’s not why I was arrested!”
Danny smirked. “Look at us. You’ve got the record, and I’ve got the goods.”
“Talk about a pair of burnouts.”