CHAPTER 3 #4
“Well, I’m glad you’re alright.” I rubbed the back of my burning neck. I’d nearly forgot what I came here to ask him and said, “I just wanted to know if you, uh, like hot stuff.” His lips quirked so I clarified, “Spicy stuff. Food. Not me. Not that I think I’m hot but-”
“I do,” Cam interrupted.
That didn’t exactly answer my question, but I was far too flustered at this point to beg him to explain.
“Mhm,” I hummed distractedly. “Perfect. Great, so just, uh... come out when you’re done. To eat. Food.”
I then turned and, forgetting the bathroom door had drifted closed, slammed my face straight into the wood. The solid thud was comedically loud as pain burst across my nose and forehead. I rubbed both and released an awkward squawk of laughter before full-on fleeing the room.
Well, wasn’t this just going swimmingly?
***
“You have a ghost.”
My spoon clinked against my bowl as I scooped up another heaping bite of chili.
I was doing my best to pretend that the whole hilariously awkward encounter in the bathroom hadn’t occurred.
I’d cast those healing spells on Cam in embarrassed silence after he’d come out refreshed and – to my complicated mix of relief and disappointment – fully dressed.
After the stretch of silence, I was glad Cam spoke up first. I shoved the food gracelessly into my mouth with a muttered,
“Knew it.”
Once I swallowed, I added, “Suspected it for a while. Could never prove it, though. But when I came downstairs at three in the morning one night shortly after moving in to find the sixties’ sitcom Bewitched playing, I just knew.”
Cam chuckled, “She’s very shy.”
“Wait, she? You’ve seen her?” I was utterly flabbergasted. “How?”
Afterall, I’d lived in this house for over a year now. But Cam had been here for less than a day and she’d already shown herself to him? Rude.
He shrugged, smiling to himself before taking another bite.
I internally cringed at the many rather inappropriate things she’d likely been witness to. Not just my experiments and other shenanigans, but like... the three-day boner session or my drawers of dildos or... Shit, had she seen...? No, no way.
I shook the thoughts away as we finished our food.
We talked casually about this and that, and Cam asked me little things like what I did for work and about Alice at the morgue.
He seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say, which was...
really nice. He was a good listener, but I didn’t want to only talk about myself.
However, he still couldn’t remember much from his previous life so any questions I had for him that he couldn’t quite answer yet, I tabled for another time.
After putting the leftover chili away, Cam stood at my side as we cleaned up the dishes.
I washed while he dried, and all awkwardness from earlier had melted away as we worked in companionable silence.
Chewing on my lip, I scrubbed the last bowl, suddenly filled with anxious nerves knowing what I needed to bring up next.
Do it, just ask, I lectured myself. Rip the band aid off, scaredy cat.
“So, Cam... Um,” I began, able to see him watching me from the corner of my eye. “Did you maybe... want to go on a… date?” Then, more specifically in case I wasn’t being clear, “With me. You and me. Together. Ya know,” I handed the clean bowl to him and scratched at my burning ear. “As a date.”
I released a long breath, my face on fire.
Nailed it.
“A... date?” Cam echoed, setting the dry bowl down onto the counter.
I nodded.
“With me?” He added as he pointed to himself. He was wearing the most shocked and adorably bewildered expression, eyes wide and head slightly tilted.
Then the inner panic struck.
Oh, unholy shit, what if he wasn’t into men? The thought hadn’t even occurred to me when I’d decided that he was Mr. Right. What if he wasn’t, and his not-gayness was still ingrained in him even after being brought back?
I was torn between the need to barf and wanting to be anywhere but here facing imminent rejection.
The panic must have been evident on my face, either that or the fact that I was seconds from bolting, because a pair of strong hands were suddenly gripping my shoulders, turning me to face him.
I jolted and stared up to meet Cam’s unsteady gaze.
Nervous but not... Not uncomfortable. Not disgusted or appalled, just a shy, slightly flustered quirk to his lips.
Then he smiled. Full and bright. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
For some reason, it made me think of the moon.
The ever-quiet, stunning glow that shined through even the darkest of nights.
While many might have seen it as a cold, distant, unfeeling thing, to me it was warm and gentle. Comforting.
Wow, who knew a crush could turn me into a poet?
My chest grew unbearably tight, so I rubbed at my sternum to soothe away the ache.
My breath whooshed out of me, and I swore I saw a flash of color shine through the milky film of his eyes. I couldn’t catch which hue though as he said,
“Yeah. I’d love to.”