26. Nico
NICO
When I woke the next morning, I reached over in search of Cameron, only to find that the bed beside me was empty. I was no longer at the farm under Cameron’s cozy quilt. Instead, I was twisted in the sheets on the mattress on the floor of my temporary Boston apartment.
When I’d escaped the gallery, I hadn’t wanted to turn my phone on again, lest I be bombarded by calls or texts from Gus. I hadn’t been able to find the charger in my bag last night anyway.
The light filtered through the blinds and warmed the room until I couldn’t stay in bed any longer. I found my roommate’s charger on the kitchen counter and plugged my phone in there while I showered away the remnants of an emotionally charged week.
My phone buzzed on the counter with the expected messages from Gus, but Cameron’s name popped up on my screen too, and my heart raced when I clicked play.
As I listened to his message, I could envision him pacing back and forth. There was a breeze in the background, and cows too, so he must have been at the farm. He’d been wearing another of those snug, branded T-shirts when I left yesterday, and I pictured the way it stretched across his chest.
The longer I listened, the less I could believe it. I replayed it three times before throwing everything I owned into the three duffel bags I’d moved in with, grabbing my keys, and running out the door.
Cameron was mine.
And he was waiting for me.
I hopped in my car and drove right back to Sleighbell Springs.
The bell jingled above the door as I pushed my way into Frosty’s. The familiar chill of the air conditioning wasn’t responsible for the goose bumps on the back of my neck. Every conversation in the crowded dining area seemed to stop.
I stared at Gwen with wide eyes, and she stuck her arm straight out, pointing to the kitchen with a shit-eating grin on her face. Ignoring the fact that everyone in the whole place seemed to be watching me, I pushed my way into the back room. I knew where I needed to be.
Cameron had his back to me and a pair of headphones over his ears. I took a breath, a moment to watch the muscles in his back move as he worked.
My whole life, I’d been chasing the feeling that overwhelmed me now, in this commercial kitchen.
My parents had moved me from small town to small town to small town, never keeping us in one place long enough to figure out what home was.
Sleighbell Springs was where we’d stayed the longest, but I still wanted home to be a place I chose.
Which is why I had to leave then and why I came back.
I finally found what I was looking for.
Stepping forward slowly, I leaned my hip against the metal worktable. Cameron glanced in my direction, then did a double-take and pulled off his headphones.
“Nico?”
I slipped between him and the table and wrapped my arms around his waist. “What’s the matter, sugar? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“You’re supposed to be in Boston.”
His forehead got that furrow between his brows, and I reached up to smooth it with my thumb. Pulling his cap off and putting it backward onto my head, I grinned at him.
“Do you want me to be in Boston?”
He finally broke into a smile as his arms wrapped around me. “No.”
“Me neither,” I murmured against his lips.
Our kiss was a bit frantic at first, clashing and pulling.
He tasted like vanilla and mint gum. My fingers dug into his biceps as he held me tight against his hips.
I moaned when Cam bit my lower lip and tugged.
He whispered shhh into my mouth as our tongues tangled, softening into the kind of lazy, indulgent kiss you gave your lover while lying in the sun on a summer afternoon. I wanted a lifetime of those kisses.
When we parted, I tucked my face into his neck, breathing him in.
“I can’t believe I almost drove away from this again,” I said.
“I wouldn’t have let you.”
“Did you really mean what you said in that voicemail?”
Cameron grunted and squeezed his arms tighter around me. “You listened to it, huh?”
I kissed his temple. “Three times, and I’m not going to let you be embarrassed about it.”
He hummed, pulling away, and my body chased his. Cam grabbed my hand and led me to a back closet I had barely noticed before. When he opened it, there were stairs leading upward. I followed him up the narrow, dark stairs. It was a good thing I was reasonably sure Cameron wasn’t the murdering type.
Once we made it to the top of the stairs, though, my mouth dropped open. The space was packed with storage shelves and back stock, but it had lots of windows, and the beat-up wooden floors gave it plenty of character. Dusty, but we could work with it.
“You weren’t kidding about this storage space,” I said, my voice wobbling slightly.
“I meant everything I said.” He came up behind me and snuggled up to my back. “We’ll have to do some organizing, but I think we could make enough room up here if you wanted a place to work when you visit.”
“I’m not visiting,” I said, and I felt him tense behind me.
“I’m staying.”
“How?” He turned me in his arms, his face tentative but hopeful.
“Well, I’ll have to go back to Boston to sort things out with my rented room and the storage unit, but I want to relocate here permanently.
I thought I had to be in the city to have the kind of career I wanted, but I can make art wherever I am.
Lots of artists are reclusive people, right? If I book a gallery, I’ll just travel.”
Now that the truth was spilling from me, there was no holding back. I cupped Cam’s face. “To be honest, my work isn’t exciting me anymore. I feel pretty burned out. I’ve been grinding so hard for these accolades from professional gatekeepers that I kind of lost the magic of painting.”
“You’re serious.” Cameron looked dazed, eyes darting over my face like he couldn’t believe I was real.
“So serious,” I said. “I figured I can draw caricatures during the holidays or paint cheesy postcards of the town to sell to the tourists, to tide me over until I figure out what I want to do next. I’ll have some savings thanks to the gallery sales, and if Mark is ok letting me crash in the guest room for a bit longer—”
Cameron grunted. “No. You’re staying with me.”
“Oh?” I waggled my eyebrows. But then… “You don’t think it would be weird for Mark?”
“It might be.” Cam shrugged. “But he’s going to have to get used to it. I’m sure he’d rather not have to hear you fuck me through the thin walls in that farmhouse, though.”
I laughed, throwing my head back until Cameron’s hat tumbled off my head and hit the floor. He swooped down to pick it up and replaced it on his head. Then, he took in what I was wearing.
“Hey, is that my flannel?”
“Maybe.” A wide grin split my face. “Any second thoughts about sharing a closet with me?”
Cameron chuckled, shaking his head. He slid his hands beneath the shirt and dipped his fingers below the waistband of my athletic shorts. “You look ridiculous.”
“I feel like yours,” I said, leaning forward to kiss him.
It was too soon to call this love—we’d only reconnected a week ago—but it was more than I’d ever felt with anyone else. The seed, the tiny little roots of love.
I wanted to turn over the jaded soil of my heart and let them grow, for once.
Kissing turned to desperate touches until we were coming apart in each other’s hands. By the time we were finished, I could barely stand.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” he said, breaking our breathy silence. “I’m scared.”
My face softened, and I entwined our fingers. “Me too. But we’ll figure it out together.”
When we made it back downstairs, all of the creamsicles had melted in their molds on the work table.
“Sorry about that.” I cringed.
He sighed as he picked everything up and moved it to the sink. Then he tossed me a sponge. “You’re on dishwashing duty, babe.”