Cam pushes off the fridge, brushing past me and making his way back to the couch. But he staggers along the way there, and it makes me realize that he's drunker than I had initially thought.
I eye the bottle on the counter and see that there's about a quarter of the liquid left, but that doesn't necessarily mean he drank the rest of it tonight, does it? Shit. I would've stopped the kiss earlier if I had known how drunk he was. I guess it's a good thing that he did it when he did.It still doesn't make me feel that much better, though.
Sighing, I walk out of the kitchen and go retrieve my bag from next to the couch. As much as my mind is telling me to stay and make sure he's okay, the other part is telling me that I need to get out of here. Plus, hetoldme to go. I'm not going to hang around after that dismissal.
“Text me when you get home,” he says to my back as I walk over to the door. “So I know you made it safely.”
I step into my shoes, then look incredulously over my shoulder to see if he's actually serious. But the look on his face as he leans against the couch tells me he is, which is just plain confusing. One second he's telling me to leave, and the next, he's telling me to text him.
“Sure,” I tell him as I reach for the door handle and then walk through without another glance back.
But when I end up getting home, dropping down onto my couch, and flopping my head back, I decide that maybe it's for the best if I just cut ties.I'm not sure if a friendship with him is a good idea, especially after tonight. Itwas a weird friendship to begin with, and he had only invited me over tonight to say thank you for taking care of him, nothing more. He only kissed me because of the alcohol, and I really shouldn't have kissed him back.
So, instead of sending him a text and telling him that I'm home, I plug my phone in, wash my face, and get into bed.
CHAPTER 17
JASMINE
“Okay, call me tomorrow when Travis is sleeping.”
“I will,” Tanisha says over the sound of him crying. “Hopefully, he won't be as cranky and will stay asleep.”
“I hope so, too. For your sake. Alright, I've got to start work.”
“Bye, hon.”
I slip my phone into my pocket, take a quick look in the little mirror attached to my visor and then get out of my car and start walking.
“Hey, Jasmine,” someone calls. “Wait up.” I pause my steps and turn to see Ash jogging up to me from the parking lot.
“Hi.” I greet him with a smile.
“Hey, you just starting your shift?”
We fall into step, walking toward the entrance of the hospital. “Yeah. You too?”
He nods. “Yeah, long shift today. Don't finish ‘till midnight.”
“Well, I have it a little better. Ten o'clock for me.”
He hums an acknowledgment, and then we fall into a silence that has my mind wandering again.
I'm not generally bad at small talk or continuing a conversation, but I've been distracted the last couple of days, ever since I left Cam's apartment. It hasn't affected my work, but even Walter said that I seemed like I was somewhere else. He understands why, though, because I told him about the kiss and what happened, everything butwhyCam was upset. That's not my place to tell.
That kiss has replayed in my mind several times, and each time it does, I feel the softness of his lips on mine, the possessiveness of his grip, the rumbles from his chest, and the hardness of his erection pressed against me. But it always ends the same way, with him pushing me away, wiping his mouth, and telling me he can't. Sometimes instead of telling me that he can't, he says that he doesn't see me that way or that I'm not his type.
Apart from the kiss, I keep thinking about what he told me about his friend. He holds himself responsible for everything that happened even though he really shouldn't. There's no telling what would have happened even if hehadgone that night. Besides that, there's a point at which you just need to accept things the way they are and try to move on.
But unfortunately, I don't think he will.
It makes my heart hurt.
“Jasmine?”
“I'm sorry, what?” I ask, turning my attention back to Ash.
“I asked if you wanted to have lunch together today. Would be nice not eating alone every break.”
