Page 42 of What Should Have Been Ours

He tilts his head like he’s weighing my words. “Mmm, debatable.”

I roll my eyes, nudging his leg with my foot. “And you’re not trying to make you fall in love with you.”

Cam hums, taking a sip of his drink before looking at me. “What if I am?”

The air in the room shifts. My heart jolts.

I let out a short, nervous laugh, playing it off. “Trying to make me fall in love with you?”

He doesn’t break eye contact, his voice softer now. “Maybe.”

I swallow, suddenly hyper-aware of the way his fingers are resting on my knee. “And why would you do that?”

His smirk deepens, but there’s a hesitation with it too. “Because, Gabrielle…” He leans in just slightly, voice low. “I don’t think I ever really stopped.”

I freeze, my pulse tripping over itself. My fingers tighten around the throw blanket in my lap as I force out a breathy laugh, trying to keep things light. “Stopped…what?”

His eyes flick between mine, searching. “Wanting you.”

The air between us feels thick.

I swallow, turning my attention back to the screen, pretending my heart isn’t hammering out of my chest. “You’re trouble, Hayes. You know that?”

Cam chuckles, leaning back slightly but not moving away. “Yeah?” His voice is warm and teasing. “I was hoping you still enjoyed getting into trouble like you used to.”

I don’t answer. I keep my eyes on the screen, but I can still feel him watching me.

After a beat, his voice softens. “Does that scare you?”

My fingers squeeze the pillow I’m holding. I finally turn to look at him, and his expression is unreadable now—a bit more careful.

“I don’t want to chase you away already, Gab,” he says quietly. “So if that came off too forward, I’m sorry. It’s just…easy. Falling back into this.”

Yeah. It is.

I swallow hard, my throat suddenly feeling extremely dry.

“It is,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper.

His eyes search mine like he’s waiting for me to say more—to either pull away or meet him in the middle here.

But I don’t know what to do with those feelings. There are so many unanswered questions that I don’t know how to ask yet.

Instead, I just give him a small smile, nudging his arm lightly. “You’re missing the movie, Hayes.”

His lips twitch, but he doesn’t push it anymore. He just nods, exhaling like he’s letting it go. “Wouldn’t want to miss any of the educational value.”

I let out a breathy laugh, grateful for the shift back into something safe.

But even as we both turn back to the screen, his words linger.

Because he’s right. It is easy, and maybe that’s what scares me the most, because nothing this easy can end well.

After the credits start to play, Cam pushes off the couch, stretching and giving me a perfect glimpse of his toned stomach under his shirt. I quickly look away, cheeks flaming.

He reaches his hand out for me to take, and I just stare in confusion for a beat.

“Come on, this night isn’t over yet. I have one more thing for us to do before you go running off and ghost me for good after today,” he says, chuckling.