Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
KAMILA
T hree hours later, I’m in Cameron’s dorm with a bag of supplies in each hand. Luckily, I’m free of all work and social things today. Even so, I debated dropping the stuff off and leaving, fearing that this would make it seem like something it’s not. Then I remembered all the times Em, Levi, Jake, and I have taken care of each other while sick. Meaning that I’d do this for any other friend of mine, so why should I treat him any differently?
After the third time I knock, Cam opens the door looking half asleep in a t-shirt and sweatpants.
“Move, Kahlo.” I lightly shove him out of the way and hear him mumble a curse in annoyance. I bite the inside of my cheek, trying not to laugh. His room is still pretty neat for a guy who’s sick.
“You really came,” he says surprised and lies down on the bed.
“I wouldn’t lie about something like that to a friend.” I wink at him while taking out my supplies.
His mouth twitches, and I know his bitchy side is fighting with his likable one.
“Do you usually take care of your friends like this? ”
“Yep. Always have when it comes to friends and family. It’s not something I talk about often, but I like making people feel better.” Quickly glancing his way, I notice he’s paying very close attention to what I’m saying. “I think I would’ve made a decent doctor if I didn’t hate blood and science so much. So here I am, studying public relations.”
“I remember you taking care of your mom whenever she got sick, although the details are a little fuzzy.”
“Yeah, ‘cause Ana wasn’t around, and you were with her,” I mumble.
“What was that?” he asks.
“Did you take the Advil and eat a snack?”
He nods.
“Good.” Making my way to his bed, I stick my hand out. “Open your mouth and lift up your tongue.”
He looks at the thermometer like it’s a foreign object, but manages to follow my directions. We wait until it beeps, and when I check it, I’m happy to see it’s at normal temperature.
“Is it high?” he asks with a hint of worry.
“No. If you had a fever before, it’s gone for now.”
He sighs. “Great. So that means that you can leave now, right?”
My head rears back. “Are you kicking me out?” I don’t let him respond. “I swear you act like nobody has ever helped you when you’ve been sick.”
“Only my mom. Besides, I haven’t been sick in years.” He shrugs.
Laying a hand on my hip, I debate whether or not to come clean about my little secret. It’s time I take credit for what I did all those years ago.
“There’s something you should know, something I never told you back in high school.”
“Uh-oh. Sounds serious,” he says, looking worried.
“Nothing bad, just a tiny secret I kept from you.” My index finger and thumb are high up, showing how small it is .
Cam shifts uncomfortably. “Okay?”
Slumping down in his chair, I recall the memory. “Remember when you had to miss classes for a week because you had the flu?”
He takes a moment and grimaces. “Yeah, that was bad. What about it?”
Sitting and placing one leg over the other, I rub some hand sanitizer over my palms.
“Remember the chicken soup Ana sent you?”
He snaps his fingers. “Yes. She came to drop it off every day till I got better.”
“That wasn’t Ana, it was me.”
His eyes widen slightly while his mouth opens and closes again and again. I’m shocked that he never noticed sooner or even at the time. Ana hates being anywhere near people who are sick.
“I knew you’d be stuck in your room upstairs the entire time because of your bitchy attitude, so I only ever saw your mom. I asked her to please tell you it was Ana who was coming by. She did tag along once or twice because I forced her to that way when you texted her to say thanks for the soup, she wouldn’t be confused or jealous of me.”
His facial features soften. “Why didn’t you tell me it was you?”
I shrug while tying my hair up into a high pony. “It seemed like something your girlfriend should’ve been doing, not me.” His mom knew why I’d asked her to lie. Elizabeth was always so kind to me, but I don’t think she ever liked Ana, in all honesty.
“Did you have a crush on me back then?” Cameron blurts out.
A loud snort escapes me. “No.” I open one of the three containers of soup I brought over from Astor Café. “I mean, I thought you were hot, everyone did. The first day we met, I kind of believed maybe there could’ve been something there, but I really needed a friend at the time.” My eyes spot his. “When Ana and you got together, all those thoughts evaporated and stayed that way. Until a couple of months ago when, well, you know.” Cameron responds with a nod, looking absently at the wall.
“Aren’t you going to ask me if I had a crush on you ?” he says from the bed.
Carefully, I carry the heated soup over and sit next to him while he straightens. “I’m pretty sure I know what the answer is going to be.” My hands reach out to him, offering the container and he shakes his head. “Stop being a fucking baby and eat the damn soup.”
“I don’t like soup,” he says like a bratty child.
I huff out a breath. “Did you like the one I would bring you in high school?”
He dips his chin.
“Then you’ll like this one. Here.” I shove it closer to him without spilling the contents.
He smells it, takes a spoonful and lets out a satisfied sound once he’s swallowed. I can’t help the roll of my eyes. “Told you it was good.”
“Did you make this?” he asks with a full mouth.
“No, I got it from the café. I just added a couple of seasonings, hot sauce, and lime to it. I don’t like soup either so whenever I’m sick or hungover, I throw some things into it to make it taste better.”
He stops mid-chew and seems to contemplate what he’s about to say.
“The first day we met, I was looking at you for at least five minutes while you were reading some mystery book. And in those five minutes all I could think about was how I had to know you. Somehow, just by looking at you, I knew we would get along.” He glances down at the now nearly empty container and gives me a shy smile. A kind of smile I haven’t seen in years. “I also thought you were one of the most beautiful girls I’d ever seen.” My eyes widen at the last comment, and I feel like my breathing has ceased all together. Those were not even remotely close to the words I was expecting.
“But I needed a friend more than anything as well, and like you said, once Ana came into the picture, all those feelings disappeared. Until a couple of months ago when, well, you know,” he repeats my own words from moments ago.
For a while, I stare at him, not knowing what to say. It’s all too much.
“But don’t worry. I’ve seen a lot more girls over the years, Kamila. I’ve gotten a lay of the land. I’m not a little boy anymore who’s caught off guard by a good-looking woman; I’m all man.” I know he means it as a joke, a terrible one, still it hits a little too close to home. Especially since we’ve slept with each other.
“Are you saying that you don’t think I’m beautiful anymore?”
His cocky tone doesn’t falter at my mocking one when he responds. “I’m just merely repeating what you said about me. I’m hot, everyone thinks so, and I’m no saint.”
I smack him. “Asshole, that is not what I said.”
He laughs. “It was close enough.”
He finishes the soup in silence. Once he’s done, I hand him a box of tissues and he looks surprised that I brought something other than just soup and a thermometer.
“Shit, my sinuses are clearer.”
“That’s the hot sauce and ginger I snuck in there.” I walk towards the bags.
“I hate ginger.”
Face steamer in hand, I grin. “Why do you think I didn’t mention it?”
Forty minutes later Cam and I are a quarter of the way through his playlist, mostly consisting of 2000’s and 2010’s emo music.
I take a bite out of a granola bar Cam gave me. “I can’t believe your taste in music hasn’t changed. ”
“‘Cause it’s great, and I’m not ashamed of it.” His voice is much clearer than it was earlier.
“Well, there is one thing that’s changed when it comes to your taste in music.”
He tilts his head. “What?”
“I never really asked you that night at King’s Wolf, but where and when did you learn how to dance?” I take the final bite of my snack.
Cam stands as soon as the question escapes my lips. “Can we please watch something and take a break from all this?”
“Hey, don’t ignore my question.” I throw a pillow at him and he catches it with ease. He turns his side lamp on and main lights off. It’s dark since the sun has already gone down, but I can still see his silhouette moving.
“Why won’t you answer my question?” I cross my arms even though he probably can’t see.
“It’s not something I want to talk about right now.”
My confusion only grows. “Why?”
He sits back down on the bed with a sigh. “Please, for once, let it go.”
Even though it comes out as a plea, it’s final. I lay my back against the wall next to him, keeping some distance between us. “Fine.” There’s no point in arguing about it.
“Movie or show?”
I’m surprised he asked for my opinion. I point to myself. “You askin’ me?”
His eyes roam around the room. “I don’t see anyone else here.”
My fingers tap against my thigh. “Interesting. I remember having to beg you to watch my types of movies.”
He rubs a hand through his hair. “Don’t get used to it, but it’s the least I can do after today.”
“It’s no problem, really.”
A hand sneaks up under my chin that gently moves me to meet his big brown eyes that are no longer red rimmed .
“Thank you, Kami,” he says in all sincerity.
“You’re welcome,” I whisper. Cameron looks down to my lips, back up to my eyes and then back down before he rubs the bottom one with his thumb. I open my mouth like I used to every time he did this, as if though my body has an instinctual reaction to it now. I’m tempted to lick his finger or suck it into my mouth but I stop my impulses, no matter how difficult it is.
Fuck I really wanna kiss him and he really wants to kiss me, I can tell.
No, just friends.
I slowly remove his hand. “Just friends, remember?"
His pupils are dilated, and I can see that he’s hard through his sweatpants. He shakes his head and manages to quickly sober up.
“Right, sorry. My mind is a little fuzzy right now.” He smiles and adjusts himself in his pants.
My attempt at not laughing fails when a loud snort leaves me.
Cameron laughs. “Don’t blame my dick’s natural reaction to those lips.”
I snort again. “Let’s just pick out a movie.”
“We can do Men in Black if you still like the trilogy.”
“Shit!” I sit up excitedly. “I don’t think I’ve seen them since senior year. Hell yeah, pull them up.”
He gives me a sad smile that I don’t question and we both get comfortable as the screen lights up. Cam and I make some comments here and there about the movie, laughing and making fun of some outdated references. It feels like it did the first time we watched all three movies, but this time, I catch myself glancing at him a handful of times, wanting to see his reaction. He seems to be doing the same thing if the look from the corner of my eyes is any indication.
Cameron and I pause the movie halfway through so he can put some Vicks rub on his neck and chest. I keep my eyes on the tea I’m making while he does it because even while sick, Cameron Kahlo’s long torso with a six-pack, is sexy as hell.
My phone buzzes, which is currently on the bed next to Cam. Shit. He glances at the screen.
Please don’t be David. Please don’t. Be. David.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to look. Reflex. It’s from The Scooby Gang .” He flashes me a smirk.
Relieved, I wave him off. “Just the guys probably checking up on me.”
“It’s cool that you found your people here. How did you meet them?” Cameron puts both hands behind his head, excited for the long awaited stories.
Setting the teacup down, I cross my legs, getting comfortable on the bed.
“Emma was the first person I met. She was my roommate during our first semester here, and she was a lot. Don’t get me wrong, she still is, but there’s also a shy side to her. We got along really well and didn’t know many other people. The more we hung out, the more we realized we had in common.”
“That’s not as exciting as I’d thought it’d be,” he says, clearly disappointed.
“As for Jake,” I emphasize with a face that says wait for it . “Em’s parents had heard through the grapevine that the most important young member of the Greymoore family was going to Driscoll. They pressured her into going to some fancy event off campus and she insisted I come.” The long red satin gown Emma bought for me flashes through my mind. It was beautiful. “Her parents wanted them to date, and Em isn’t a fan of people telling her what to do,” I laugh. “We found him after ten minutes of looking around. It wasn’t hard since his face is everywhere online. So, she went up to him and interrupted his conversation with Oscar Roberts?—”
“Oscar Roberts?” Cameron interrupts.
I nod.
“As in the President of Driscoll University Oscar Roberts? ”
“Yes, Cameron. If you’re done fangirling now, may I continue?”
Cameron leans forward. “Please do. I really need to hear where the fuck this is going.”
I grin. “So, Em interrupts the conversation. In her defense, she didn’t see Oscar or his wife, Em was just there to introduce herself to Jake so that her parents would stop trying to play matchmaker. She tapped Jake’s shoulder, told him her name, and said, ‘ do me a favor and spread the word that the Greymoore and Haywood of this College have officially been introduced. And no, I’m not interested in dating you in case anyone else has told you otherwise. But I need my parents to back the hell off so that I can go back to being a regular college student, doing regular college student things. Drinking, dating, fake IDs’— And that’s when Oscar interrupted.”
Cameron’s eyes look like they’re going to fall out of their sockets. “What happened next?”
“Well, I made sure to keep enough distance to listen but not enough to look involved. I don’t have their types of statuses in society to get myself out of trouble. Anyways, it turns out Jake’s father and Oscar golf together. While Oscar’s wife and Emma’s mom have Sunday brunches every month.” I shake my head. “It’s the most cliché thing in the world, but it saved her ass that night. Oscar simply brushed it off by laughing after she apologized,” I sigh. “Jake liked her spunk and approached us a couple of minutes later. Turns out he wasn’t like most of the trust fund babies at this school. We spoke all night, and he started hanging out with us regularly after that.”
Cam releases a whistle. “The fact that some people at this school have such high connections is wild.”
Nodding, I don’t say anything in return because that’s a whole other mess I do not want to get into tonight.
He raises a brow. “And Levi?”
“That story is different.” I steal a lozenge from Cam, wanting it for the flavor alone. “We were all at a house party, drinking against the wall on one side of the living room, taking a break from dancing. Basically just socializing, and I see this guy less than five feet away from me looking extremely uncomfortable while this random girl is hitting on him. She was being extremely touchy.”
I put my hands up near my body and mimic the movements dramatically in the air. Cam’s face scrunches up in horror.
“Yeah, exactly, way too much. I felt bad for him, so I interrupted the conversation and pretended to be his girlfriend.”
Cameron smiles, clearly amused, probably remembering when Levi did the same thing for me at the Kappa party. “Did it work?”
“Oh yeah. I gave her the sarcastic smile and the get the hell away from my man look. Once she left, Levi thanked me and insisted on getting us pizza after the party.”
“He was trying to ask you out, wasn’t he?”
Shrugging, I smile at what could’ve turned out to be a friendly meet cute. “Kind of. I can’t say I wasn’t interested, you’ve seen the guy.”
Cam tilts his head. “Dude looks like a young, cooler version of Clark Kent.”
“Exactly.” I wave a hand. “I agreed to it as long as Em and Jake could tag along. I’m not one to ditch my friends for a guy.”
“I remember,” he simpers.
My cheeks heat. “The three of us stayed at the place till closing. We changed venues to Em and I’s room and ended up talking till seven in the morning. Levi and I had a conversation on the side before he left, agreeing that we found each other attractive, but the group dynamic worked so well, neither one of us wanted to ruin it.”
“So you guys never…you know?” Cam wiggles his brows.
I shake my head. “Never did and never will.”
“Have you ever felt more than just attraction towards anyone?” he asks with a straight face.
He already knows the answer to this question because of our conversation at the Old Brick Pub. I swallow audibly at the intensity behind his stare.
“I told you, I’ve never had a boyfriend before.”
He gives me a curt nod, and the awkward moment shifts when we decide to continue the movie.
Cam’s yawning next to me, causing me to do the same. Before I know it, I’m having a weird dream where the worms from the movie are attacking me and I’m waking up to the sound of “Dirty Little Secret” by The All-American Rejects.