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“Mark...Mark tried to keep you away from me?” My jaw worked silently, but I could find no words for what I was feeling. I felt betrayed. My brother had sabotaged what could have been the beginning of something special with Cam. I couldn't imagine why he would do such a thing.
I wanted to strangle him.
“You...you didn't know?” Cam looked at me with wide eyes. “I'm so sorry. I thought maybe you'd told him to dodge my calls. That you didn't want to talk to me, after what happened.”
I had so many questions, but I didn't know where to begin. I sat there in silence for a few minutes, playing with my napkin and tearing little strips off of it. The waitress brought our food, but my appetite had disappeared.
Eventually, Cam reached across the table, placing his hand atop mine. I looked up at him. There was a look of deep concern in his eyes. He squeezed my hand.
I smiled.
“I thought...” I looked away, picking up my fork and poking at my salad. “I thought maybe you had gotten what you wanted. Like, once it was done, you didn't want anything more to do with me.”
“Oh, God no.” Cam's eyes widened. “Ami, I wanted you. I mean, you. Not just sex. God, I'd had a crush on you for so long...”
“You did?” My eyebrows shot up.
“Of course. You were always so sweet, and so beautiful. I wanted to ask you out in high school, but I didn't think Mark would ever let me.”
“Mark...” I sighed. My brother and I were going to have words one day soon.
“He was so mad when he found us together at the party,” Cam said. “He accused me of getting you drunk and taking advantage of you. I never meant for it to be like that...”
I thought back to that night. Yes, I'd been drunk. We both had been. And sure, maybe my judgment had been compromised. But I'd wanted Cam. Wanted him more than anything. I didn't think he'd taken advantage of me. If anything, I'd just needed a little something to loosen up my inhibitions, so that I wouldn't chicken out. In the end, I'd done exactly what I'd wanted to do.
I reached for Cam's hand, letting my fingers brush against his. “You didn't do anything wrong, Cam.”
“You sure?” he asked.
I nodded.
He sighed in relief. “That makes me feel a lot better. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“I know you didn't.”
We spent the rest of dinner catching up. It felt so nice, to be able to just chat with Cam and catch up with him. It felt like reconnecting with an old friend. Or maybe more than a friend.
It almost made me forget, at least for a while, about being homeless. And the real reason I'd called Cam.
As he was paying the check, he asked, “So, I hope we can get together again? It was really nice getting a chance to see you again. I don't want to miss out on this again, not after losing so much time.”
“Yeah, I'd like that,” I said, folding my hands in my lap. I lowered my eyes, unable to meet his gaze. “Funny thing, about that...”
“Huh?” He gave me a concerned frown.
“I'm actually kind of...looking for a place to stay.”
“Oh. Wait, really?”
“Yeah.” I shrugged, giving him a sheepish look. “I kinda lost my apartment. I don't really know anyone else in town. I hope you don't think that means I was just trying to mooch off you or something. I mean, I'm really glad we got to talk, and I'm so happy to find out that what happened was just a big misunderstanding. It's just...” I raised my hands to either side, then let them fall. I didn't know what else to say.
The concern on his face slowly faded, replaced with a gentle look that radiated warmth. “Ami, you know I would never let anything happen to you. If you need a place to stay, I'd be happy to help.”
“You sure?” I asked. I felt like I was imposing on him. I didn't want him to get the wrong idea.
“Of course.” He chuckled. “It's good timing, actually. My roommate just moved out, so I've got an extra room and everything.”
“Really? That's perfect!” I practically bounced in my seat. “Umm, I might have to...owe you on the rent. Until I find a job.”
“Don't worry about it.” He waved a dismissive hand. “It's no problem.”
“I'll pay you back,” I said. “I promise.”
He tried to protest, but I insisted. I wouldn't be a freeloader.
We discussed the details, then Cam agreed to drive me to the storage place to pick up my stuff. I felt foolish having dropped it off for only a few hours. The clerk at the desk gave me a funny look when I turned in the key.
“Thanks for this, Cam,” I said as I climbed into his car. He started driving us to his place. “You have no idea how much it means to me.”
