He nodded. “She’s traveled all over and spent the summer at the Joffrey School of Ballet on a scholarship.”
“Holy shit,” I gasped, my eyes widening. “She must be damn good.”
Cam smiled proudly. “She is.”
Envy grew like a cancer, deep and invasive. That could’ve been me dancing at one of the most well-known training centers in the world. It should’ve been me, but it wasn’t and I needed to just deal with that.
Conversation sort of just fell apart after that, at least for me. Cam chatted with Brit and Jacob while I was lost in my own thoughts until it was time to go to class. I made plans for another study session and then said my goodbyes.
Cam followed me out in the bright sunlight and the steady, cool breeze that warned that colder weather was well on its way. He didn’t say anything as we walked over to Knutti Hall. Sometimes he did that, and I never knew or could begin to speculate on what he could be thinking during those quiet moments.
It was in that moment, as we crossed the congested street and he waved at a group standing in front of the Byrd Center, that I realized how different he was than when I saw him with the two girls earlier. It bothered me and it didn’t know why I even cared.
“Are you okay?” he asked when we stopped by the benches in front of Knutti Hall.
I squinted up at him. “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you?”
He gave me a tight-lipped smile and nodded. “We still on for tomorrow night?”
“Tomorrow night? Oh! The astronomy assignment.” As part of our mid-term grade, Drage was making us partner up to use the Observation Center. We’d have to turn in our images the following Wednesday. “Yeah, it works for me.”
“Good.” Cam backed away. “See you then.”
I started to turn, but stopped as something occurred to me. “Cam?”
“Yeah?”
“What were you doing in the Den? Don’t you have normally have class, like right now?”
His lips curved up at the corner and that damn dimple appeared. When he smiled liked that, it felt like a balloon had suddenly inflated in my chest. “Yeah, I normally have class right now,” he said, eyes a startling azure in the sun. “But I wanted to see you.”
Words left me as I watched him pivot around and hit the road, heading in the opposite direction of my building. I stood there for a moment and then turned. There was no stopping the smile that split my lips and it remained.
Chapter 9
“Are you sure you know how to use this thing?” I asked, staring at the telescope.
Cam shot me a look over his shoulder. “What? You don’t?”
“Nope.”
“Weren’t you paying attention in class when Drage went over this and the imaging cameras?”
I crossed my arms. “You were drawing the cast of Duck Dynasty when he was going over that.”
He laughed as he turned back to the telescope and started adjusting the knobs and buttons and other things I couldn’t remember. “I was listening.”
“Uh-huh.” I inched closer, using his body as a shield against the cool wind whipping across the roof of the Byrd Center. “You’re actually a pretty good artist.”
“I know.”
I rolled my eyes, but he really was. The sketches were disturbingly life-like, right down to the beards.
He bent over, moving a lever. “I’ve used a telescope a time or two in my life.”
“That’s random.”
“Okay. I used it when I had the class previously,” he corrected, sending me a quick grin as he straightened. Tipping his head back, he checked out the dark sky. “Man, I don’t know if we’re going to be able to get anything before those clouds roll in.”
Following his gaze, I winced. Intense, tumultuous clouds were obscuring most of the night sky. There was a wet feel to the air, a smell of rain. “Well, you better hurry then.”
“Bossy,” he murmured.
I grinned.
“Come over here and I’ll show you how to use this.” He stepped back, and with a sigh, I took his place. “Are you going to pay attention?”
“Not really,” I admitted.
“At least you’re honest.” Cam leaned around me, putting his fingers on the telescope. His arm brushed mine, and I didn’t mind. He was really blocking the wind now. “This is a Philips ToUcam Pro II.” He pointed at a silver thing that reminded me of a webcam. “It hooks to the telescope. At these settings, you should be able to get a clear image of Saturn. Press this and it will capture an image.”
“Okay.” I brushed my hair back. “I don’t think we’re supposed to be getting an image of Saturn.”
“Huh.” He paused. “Hey.”
“Hey what?”
“Go out with me.”
“Shut up.” Grinning, I leaned forward, pressing my eye to the telescope. And all I saw was pitch black. Astronomy hated me. “I don’t see anything.”
“That’s because I haven’t taken the lens off.” Cam laughed.