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His legs are still tense when Braden spots him. The double-take would be hilarious if she didn’t immediately start walking over to him. At least no-one follows her. He’s not in the headspace to deal with a full reunion. He’s not in the headspace to deal with his ex, either, but she’s standing right in front of him.
‘Cameron Parker. I thought I saw you.’
Braden smiles with enough wattage to power a small vehicle, but Cameron doesn’t feel it. A vacuum like a black hole opens inside him, sucking in all his heat and breath.
‘Hi, Braden.’
‘I thought you lived in Canberra now?’
‘I’m here for the Australasian Publishers Conference.’
‘Oh, that’s right. I heard Matteo mention that.’ She tilts her head in an oh-so-familiar way. ‘Are you watching? Presenting?’
She waves her hand around as she speaks and her phone screen catches the sun. Cameron’s eyes glue to it like it’s a venomous spider. ‘Presenting tomorrow.’
‘I’ll have to swing by. What time?’
The conversation is so normal, but Cameron’s body is rioting. Talking with Braden used to be so easy, and now it feels like any avenue of conversation is fraught, layered with hidden meaning.
‘Cam. Time?’
His hands twitch by his sides. ‘Uh, eleven am.’
‘Perfect.’ She enters it into her phone. ‘Picture for old-times sake? My photo roll misses you.’
Cameron isn’t so panicked that he misses the subtext there. She’s telling him she misses him too.
He swallows but his throat is dry and all it accomplishes is making him cough enough that Braden reaches out a hand to pat his back.
‘No thank you.’ Cameron declines, shrugging her hand off.
‘Are you camera shy now? You used to love posing for photos.’
That was before she took those photos, fun things that he thought were for personal enjoyment, goofy dress-ups and sweaty post-run pics, and she plastered them all over social media in the name of marketing, no permission requested. It might not have stung so much if he didn’t hear her talking to her friends about it, how Cameron ‘wasn’t much of a brain, but his abs made up for it’. That the best marketing strategy he brought to the company was her posting photos of him reading their novels shirtless at the beach.
That ‘he wasn’t someone you get serious with, he was the fun one before you settle down’.
Cameron had broken up with her the next day. He was never opposed to relationships being about fun over long-term commitment, but not when that wasn’t made clear to both parties. Like what he and Jules have.
The weight in his chest morphs into a giant fist grinding into his spleen.
‘Not right now.’ Cameron rejects the offer.
‘No worries. I should catch the others up anyway, but I’ll be at your talk and hope to see you around. Maybe we can fit in a coffee at some point?’
He can’t tell if she means it euphemistically.
Goosebumps break out over his skin despite the sunshine. Cameron smiles and nods, not wanting to make a scene by asking her not to come to his presentation and requesting she never speak to him again. Would that get him the closure he needs? Distance hasn’t brought it, obviously, and if Braden is harbouring some hope that they’ll get back together, their relationship is clearly unresolved. At least on her end.
Fuck. Fucking fuck.
***
Cameron’s head is still spinning with thoughts of Braden when he gets back to the hotel. Honestly, he’d actually managed to forget she was at the conference for a peaceful 24 hours. Jules has been taking up his time and his thoughts, their fling a blessing on a level he didn’t realise until face to face with Braden today. Another reason he needs to make up for bailing on Jules this afternoon.
A noise from down the corridor pulls his attention.
Jules is crouched in front of her door, picking up her phone and key card from where they’ve dropped onto the floor.
