“It is,” he says. “I swear nothing brings people together more than gluttonous amounts of food.”
“On the topic of food,” I chide, “you could have warned me about Nico’s allergy. Or that Addison is vegan, and Lev has an extreme aversion to mushrooms.”
Cameron rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry about that. I honestly didn’t think about it.”
“At least I know for the future.”
“Speaking of the future.” Cameron turns to face me. “Would you rather be able to read minds or see into the future?”
“Hmm,” I hum, giving it some serious thought. “I feel like they both have their downsides, but I’d probably pick seeing the future. Then I could try to stop bad things from happening because I’d know how to prevent them.”
“No,” he replies emphatically. “Have you seenFinal Destination?If Death wants someone, they’ll get them.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “That’s a movie, Cameron. It’s not real.”
He throws his hands up in surrender. “You do whatever you want. Me? I’m not tempting fate.”
I shake my head. “Would you rather be an unknown superhero or a famous villain?”
“Unknown hero,” he answers immediately. “I’d never want to be known as a villain.”
Cameron is yet again giving me another glimpse at parts of him I’ve never seen. The man IthoughtI met at eighteen wanted everyone to know his name and didn’t care about what anyone thought of him.
I’m learning now that that’s not actually who he is, though. Below the surface, there is so much more to Cameron Kovacic than I think really anybody knows.
I like getting to see these parts of him, and I’m hoping he’ll keep sharing them with me.
I think I’d like him to be comfortable enough with me to do that.
fifteen
Cameron
“Ourteammatesarefuckinganimals,” Sidney groans, flopping down onto my sofa.
He stayed behind with Zhuri and Elisabet after everyone else left to help clean up everything. Now it doesn’t look like a damn bomb went off in my penthouse.
“How often do you do these?” Bet asks. “I don’t think I can tolerate them weekly.”
“Whenever we can,” I answer before sinking into my plush chair. “We usually aim for a couple a month, but it all depends on our schedule during the season. We’ve gone months without one during our long away stretches.”
“Didn’t realize I’d end up liking away stretches so much,” Zhuri chuckles.
I sigh. “Let’s just be happy our team is acting like a team.”
“Mostly,” Sid adds. “I don’t think Michael even acknowledged the girls tonight.”
“Fucker can get over it,” Bet huffs. “We’re not going anywhere.”
“Nope,” Zhuri concurs. “I’m sure he just needs time. It is a major change, after all.”
Elisabet smiles softly. “Z with her positivity, just like usual.”
“Someone needs to stay optimistic,” she shrugs. “Life is better when you try to look at the bright side of things.”
I can’t imagine what that’s like, pretending everything will always just work out and be okay. That every situation has a positive side for us to find.
Maybe that’s true for Zhuri, but the darkness I live in is impenetrable. The brightness doesn’t find me.
