28. Nico
NICO
Once the crowds cleared and everything had been cleaned up from the street, I moved the van with all my possessions into an actual parking space. When I walked back to Frosty’s, Cameron was leaning against the door with an eggnog soft serve cone.
“What’s this?” I asked when he handed it to me.
“Your free cone,” he said. “You earned it.”
I tongued the tip of the ice cream and enjoyed the way he lost himself staring at my mouth. Letting out a small moan, I interlaced the fingers of my free hand with his. “How did I do that?”
“You came back.”
Cameron gave me the softest kiss on my cheek. We walked down to the square hand in hand, the chill of the evening sinking around us. Cameron pulled off his flannel and threw it over my shoulder when I shivered.
“Ooo, another one for my collection.” I couldn’t help my giddy smile.
He leaned up to lick a bit of ice cream off the corner of my mouth. “I’m going to have to start charging rent if my boyfriend keeps stealing my flannels.”
“You gave this one to me fair and square.” I wrapped my arms around him from behind as we stood in front of the town Christmas tree.
Cameron smiled softly, turning his head so he could kiss me over his shoulder. “So, you’re cool with the boyfriend thing?”
“I moved my whole life from Boston to be with you,” I teased. “I am so good with the boyfriend thing.”
“We can start working on your studio as early as next week. I’ve already talked to Felix about it.”
Felix worked with the construction company in town alongside his brothers and father, and I looked forward to catching one of his drag performances at Sleigh Queen now that I was sticking around.
“We have all the time in the world,” I said. “No rush.”
Cameron shivered as my breath tickled his ear.
“I just want everything to work out.” His voice was still unsure, unsteady, and I didn’t want him to have any doubts.
I turned Cam in my arms so I could see his face. “Trust me. I’ve made careless decisions in the past, but I’m not being impulsive when it comes to you. Being here is exactly what I need. I’ll figure out the money thing, even if I have to convince the ice cream shop owner to pay me to sling cones.”
“I’m not sure I can afford you.” A small smile pulled at his lips as I ran my fingers through the scruff on his chin.
We kissed, and even though there were so many pieces of this plan still up in the air, I had Cameron with me.
For the first time in my life, I was home.
The End