All right, I can work with that.
I’ll know what to say then.
Tomorrow.
But Cam isn’tnext to me like he said he would be the next morning.
Okay, so he didn’t say he’d be right here, but he said we’d talk in the morning.
Well, it’s only nine fucking a.m. and he’s not here.
Did he wake up at the ass crack of dawn to avoid me?
That really doesn’t seem like him, not the Cam I’ve known for years and years.
I throw the covers off and stalk to the bathroom. I have a big day to get ready for, and hopefully I’ll find Cam in time to have a conversation about that kiss.
I know what I have to say now.
But I don’t find him anywhere when I go downstairs, and Rosa isn’t in either. I see a note stuck to the fridge that says she went hiking with her friends and will be back by two.
Only then do I think of checking my damn phone, and at least I know Cam hasn’t completely forgotten about me because there’s a message that he sent about an hour ago.
Cam:
Caden texted earlier and we went out for breakfast.
Decided to check out the campus tour too.
Meet at the gym before the game at ten thirty-ish?
Well, that all sounds friendly enough, but I know better. At least, I have a gut feeling that’s telling me Cam was all too happy to take Caden up on his invitation and is suddenly super interested in seeing the changes to his school because he wants to pretend the kiss never happened.
I might not be the sharpest tool, but I know Cam hates messy things, and this, us, that kiss... it’s very messy.
Well, too bad.
I need to talk it through with him no matter how messy it gets.
But when I reread the messages, I remember why we’re here, and I have to sigh. We can have a conversation about that kiss once we’re back home. Today and tonight my focus can’t be on that, it has to be on Cam.
Camand his friends are all in uniform outside the gym when I get to the school, and I put on my media smile and greet them like nothing is wrong. I do give Caden an extra long hug because I think this is probably not going to be the easiest thing for him, and then I hold Cam’s hand as if it’s not awkward, and stare lovingly at him as if I don’t want to snap at him for... everything.
The game is the current varsity team against the formerone, and I gotta say, the kids look good while they’re warming up, but not nearly as smooth and confident as Cam, Caden, Shane, Dale, and Ray. There are other dudes courtside when we walk into the gym too, ones I haven’t been introduced to.
“Good luck,” I murmur to Cam, then go up on my tippy toes to smack a kiss to his cheek. Then I race off before he can say anything and run up the bleachers to the cheering section and start getting into the chants.
I’m watching Cam all the time, and only take my eyes off him for one second, and when I do it’s to see fucking Soren talking to Caden.
I can’t hear anything all the way from over here, obviously, and I stand, ready to go down there and defend Cam and my friend from this asshole, but the ref jogs over to them and Soren leaves after a moment.
I have no clue who the ref actually is until I see the way Caden looks at him. It’s gotta be Theo, and I’m glad they both have smiles on their faces when they pull apart to go stretch and to center court respectively.
Hopefully this weekend will do Caden some good—someone should have a good time at this thing.
The game is fast and close.
Caden doesn’t play for long, and when he taps out and high fives his substitute, I cheer louder than anyone in this place. I’m happy when a few cheerleaders follow my suit, and even happier when they start a chant I can follow.
