She smiles and shakes her head. “I know I’ve told you I’m not so innocent.”
Without thinking, I step closer to her, tongue darting out and wetting my bottom lip as I do. “Believe me, I didn’t forget that.”
“Cameron…” she says breathily, and I know exactly what that means.
This is too much, and I need to back off.
“Sorry,” I mutter quickly, taking several steps backward. “I just, uh…”
“You didn’t do anything,” Zhuri shrugs nonchalantly. “We were just… talking.”
“Right.”
She smiles at me softly. “I think I will take some of those pancakes now.”
I grab plates for both of us, and we load them up with pancakes and syrup while Del Water Gap plays through my Bluetooth speaker.
One of my favorite songs starts playing, and I take a hard swallow, trying to shove my fantasies from my mind.
But it doesn’t work because just like the words in the song, I’m picturing Zhuri right now in nothing but her perfume.
I’m so fucked.
twenty-six
Cameron
Thepastweekhasbeen way too damn quiet.
That’s partially because I’ve ignored every call that’s come through from my dad. I’m sure that means he’ll show up unannounced soon, but I’ll deal with that then.
But it’s also because Zhuri seems to have pulled back.
Outside of practice, I haven’t seen her since she left my place after breakfast.
I think I crossed a line, and it fucking sucks because I already miss my friend.
I’ll have to figure out how to make that up to her soon. Our Axis photoshoot is after practice on Friday, and I don’t want things to be awkward.
“Why are you so fucking slow today?” Bodhi asks, coming to a stop about twenty feet ahead of me on the trail in City Park.
“Fuck off, Bode,” I huff, picking up my pace to catch up to him.
We stop for the moment, and my brother’s face turns more serious. “Did you talk to Ivor again?”
I shake my head. “No. I’ve been ignoring him, actually.”
Bodhi tips his head to the side, looking at me curiously as he wipes sweat from his brow. “Then why do you seem like you’re in your head?”
Because I am.
“Don’t know,” I shrug, playing it off. “Just didn’t sleep well, I guess.”
“Why?”
Because I can’t get the one person who shouldn’t be there off my mind.
“No reason.”
