‘I might be shooting my mouth off but I think you and Ros would make a great real-life couple.’
‘Ahh well you see the thing is—’
‘I know what the thing is. The thing is Gina, right?’
Cameron stared at his toes and let out a long slow breath. ‘Yep. That’s the th... I mean she’s the thing.’
‘Are you and Gina a big thing then?’ asked Darla, watching him closely for his reaction. His contorted facial expression was something to behold.
‘Me and Gina... it’s a very long story,’ said Cameron.
Darla glanced around the quiet bar. ‘I have time.’
Cameron leaned back against the bar top. ‘We’ve been going out off and on since we were kids and then we had a break when she went to uni.’
‘And now?’ Darla was keen to get things crystal clear.
Cameron scratched his head. ‘We’re not actually seeing each other but we’re not seeing other people either.’
‘Does that mean you’re single?’ Darla felt a spark of hope for Ros.
He looked sheepish. ‘At Christmas a couple of years ago I had a bit too much to drink and I went around to Gina’s parents’ place and did this whole big speech thing about me wanting to better myself and that I was going to ask her to marry me when I had got my degree.’
Darla spluttered out a laugh. ‘You’re not really going to do that are you?’
He ran his hands down his face, momentarily warping his features and reminding her of the Edvard Munch painting entitledThe Scream. ‘I meant it when I said it. I really did...’
‘And now?’ she asked, feeling apprehensive.
A tiny frown darted across his forehead. ‘I can’t go back on my word.’
‘You can. She’ll think you’re a bit of a shit but you can change your mind. That’s assuming you don’t love her anymore.’
‘That’s the thing. I do love Gina. I’ve always loved Gina. It’s just...’
Darla wasn’t the most patient person. ‘It’s just what?’ She waved a hand for him to finish the sentence.
‘No, it’s definitely Gina. It’s like it was mapped out for us long ago.’
‘Sure?’
Cameron scratched his head and sighed. ‘Yeah.’
Darla couldn’t help but feel disappointed for Ros, but she put on her best smile for Cameron because he was her friend too. ‘Then that’s grand and I’m very happy for you.’
‘Cheers,’ he said, giving her a brief hug.
‘I’m really sorry,’ repeated Darla for the umpteenth time. They were sitting on Ros’s sofa clutching empty mugs. She’d felt compelled to tell Ros about the Cameron and Gina situation because she didn’t want her harbouring any false hope, especially as she felt Ros had been putting off the break-up and enjoying playing house with Cameron a fraction too much.
‘It’s not your fault,’ said Ros looking sanguine. ‘It’s fine. I’m fine. It was always only a business arrangement and it would, quite frankly, be weird if we strayed outside of those boundaries.’
‘That’s a good way to look at it,’ said Darla. ‘Are you any closer to working out how you and Cameron are going to end things?’
‘No, it’s a bit of a tricky subject.’
‘Right,’ said Darla, rolling her sleeves up. ‘Get that flip chart out. I’ll break you two up.’
‘Thanks, I think,’ said Ros, drifting off to her bedroom.
