18. Cameron
Cameron
Wes is sprawled out on my couch like this is his place, one arm draped over the back, the other shoveling a box of sweet tarts into his mouth like he hasn’t eaten in days, and the game’s on.
“You’re quiet,” Wes says, not looking away from the screen. “That’s concerning.”
I huff out a laugh, stretching my legs out in front of me. “I’m literally sitting here watching the game.”
“Yeah, but I can see you thinking too hard from over here, and it’s hurting me.” He looks over, narrowing his eyes. “What’s going on in that underdeveloped brain of yours?”
I shake my head, laughing in disbelief. “First…rude, and second, if you must know what I’m thinking about, I took your advice…I’m taking Gabrielle out on a date tomorrow.”
Wes perks up, tossing a sweet tart at me. “Ahh, there it is. Well, look at you. Finally growing a pair and making a serious move.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s not like that. I mean, it kind of is, but she doesn’t really know it’s a date yet.”
Silence.
Then Wes turns to me slowly, blinking. “You’re kidding, right?”
I frown. “What?”
“What?” He throws his hands up a little. “You’re taking a girl on a date without actually telling her it’s a date? How dumb can you be?”
I shrug. “I figured I’d ease her into it.”
Wes stares at me like I just told him I’m one of those people who think the Earth is flat. “Ease her into it? Cam. Bud. My guy. You do not just casually take a woman you’re into on a date and hope she figures it out.”
“It’s not that big of a deal.”
“It is a big deal,” he argues, pointing at me.
“Because if she doesn’t know it’s a date, then you’re just out here taking her on a friendship outing while you’re secretly making heart eyes at her.
And that’s weird, Cam. Not romantic…a little odd, honestly.
We’re trying to keep this one, your words, remember? ”
I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. “She knows I’m interested.”
Wes scoffs. “Yeah? Does she? Or are you just getting too comfortable in the flirting and being obsessed with each other stage without having to make it anything real zone?”
I don’t answer. Mostly because…I don’t know.
Gabrielle and I have fallen into this weird in-between place, where we talk like we used to, flirt like we never stopped, but keep pretending like nothing more is happening.
I don’t want to push her, but the invisible string tying us together is getting shorter every day, and all I want to do is snap it and make her fully mine again.
Wes shakes his head, annoyed with me. “Make it clear, or you’ll be in the ‘just friends’ zone for life. And let me tell you, that’s a dark place to be, my friend. You don’t come back from that.”
I laugh, grabbing the remote to turn up the game when Wes suddenly grabs my wrist.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he says, eyes narrowing. “What the hell happened to your arm?”
I glance down and see what he’s looking at. Dark bruises, scattered along my forearm like I ran into something.
“I dunno,” I say, pulling my arm back and flexing my fingers and holding up my arm to look at it. “Must’ve hit something.”
Wes gives me a look. “Hit what, a steel bat? Dude, those look bad.”
“It’s nothing,” I say, brushing it off. “Probably just from the gym.”
Wes isn’t convinced. “Uh-huh. Or sleepwalking into a wall, maybe? Looks like someone has been kicking your ass, man.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m fine.”
He doesn’t look like he believes me, but turns his attention mostly back to the screen.
“You need to get that checked out. Seriously, you know the signs.”
“I know what to watch out for, Wes. Stop overreacting.”
The game picks back up, and I try to focus my attention back on the TV.
Only for Wes to immediately start running his mouth.
“Your team is trash,” he says, shaking his head. “I don’t even know why you put yourself through this.”
I snort. “Trash? Bro, your team’s barely holding the lead.”
“Yeah, well, at least we have the lead.”
“That’s not gonna last.”
“Big talk from the guy whose team hasn’t won a championship in, what? A decade?”
“Alright, now you’re just being disrespectful.”
He smirks. “Hey, I didn’t make them suck.”
The game goes on, the trash talk continues, and I let my brain take a break from everything else.