Page 66 of What Should Have Been Ours

“I mean, we’ll both probably be bringing dates.” I take another sip of my water, watching William’s jaw tighten. He tries to play it cool, though, flashing an small forced smirk.

“Well, that’s…great. Glad to hear it.”

His girlfriend shifts beside him, looking even more uncomfortable now.

Kinsley hums with pure amusement. “Yeah. Should be a really fun night.”

William nods stiffly, clearing his throat. “Well, we should, uh—get back.”

“Yeah, you do that,” Kinsley says, snarling her nose up at them like a child.

They shuffle out quickly, and the second the door swings shut, Kinsley bursts out laughing. “Well, that was fun.” She tilts her head. “Remind me again why you ever dated him?”

I exhale dramatically. “Bad decisions, low self-worth, I don’t know—”

“Tragic,” she replies.

Eventually, Kinsley and I wrap up our conversation, and I check my schedule for the rest of the day. “I’ve got a couple more appointments left, then I’m catching the train home. I’ll call you later tonight, okay?”

She waves me off, still grinning. “Yeah, yeah. Love ya.”

* * *

The second I get out at my stop, I dial Cam’s number and put it on speaker as I walk towards my apartment. He picks up after two rings, and I can hear the hospital background noise immediately.

“Hey, trouble,” he says, his voice warm.

“If you’re busy, you can call me back,” I say quickly. “I didn’t mean to bother you at work. Just wanted to check in and see how you were feeling.”

Cam chuckles. “Gabrielle, I always want to hear from you. I don’t care what I’m doing.”

I smile. “So? How are you?”

“Better,” he says. “Got some actual sleep yesterday, so I’ve had a lot more energy today. Focusing better for sure.”

“That’s good,” I say, relief washing over me.

“I like it when you worry about me,” he adds, smugly.

I scoff. “You would.”

He laughs, and it’s easily becoming my favorite sound again.

After a beat, he asks, “So, do I get to see my girl soon?”

I could just melt right here on the sidewalk.

I hesitate for half a second before teasing him, “Oh, so I’m your girl now?”

Cam doesn’t even miss a beat. “You are.”

I can’t to stop my smile right now even if I tried. “I mean…we never really put a label on this.”

“If you want one, that’s what you are.” His voice is softer now. “But you should know it’s the simplest term for what you are to me, Gabrielle. I’ll call you anything you want me to if it means I get to keep you to myself and not have to share you.”

My stomach is full of stupid butterflies now, and it’s annoying how he does that.

I clear my throat, trying to act normal. “So…there’s this fundraiser event the clinic is having in a couple of weeks—”