“Yes.” My lips tingled, along with various other parts of my body. “See you then.”
When I turned back to my friends, both of them stared at me like I just flashed them my goods. Bending down, I picked up my bag. “Okay, before both of you start yelling at me, it just happened, like yesterday and I hadn’t had the time to say anything.”
Brit folded her arms. “You haven’t had a second to call, or I don’t know, send a text message?”
“We sort of hung out all day yesterday, went to dinner and then—”
“Did you guys have sex?” Jacob grasped my shoulders, giving me a little shake. “Oh my God, girl, details—I needed details. What is the size of his—?”
“We didn’t have sex.” I smacked his hands away. “Geez, we just got together yesterday. Give me some time for that.”
“I would’ve been screwing him since August,” Jacob advised.
I shot him a bland look.
They drilled me on what happened as we headed in to Whitehall and through the beginning of class. By the time I left them to wait for Cam outside, I was sure I’d smoothed over my friend fail.
I stood just outside of the awning, leaning against one of the pillars. I probably looked weird, because of the beaming smile plastered across my face, but I hadn’t really stopped smiling since yesterday morning.
My smile slipped an inch when I saw Cam coming out of the doors, Steph attached to his side. The only thing that kept me from acting like a tiger and pouncing on her was the fact that Cam didn’t look too thrilled.
Steph tossed her glossy mane of hair over one shoulder as they approached me. “Hi,” she said with I thought was a whole butt load of false cheer.
“Hey,” I replied, holding her gaze.
Cam slipped up to my side, threading his fingers through mine. “Your class let out early?”
I nodded. “Just a few minutes ago.”
Steph was glaring daggers through our joined hands. “Are you going to be at Jase’s party next Saturday, Cam?”
There was a party? As stupid as it was, I so did not like the idea of Cam going to a party where Steph would be. Wrong. Wrong. But an ugly feeling snaked through me whenever I thought of those two hooking up in the past.
“I don’t know yet.” Cam squeezed my hand. “Depends on if Avery wants to go.”
Her perfect mouth dropped open, and I think I loved Cam. “If Avery wants to…? Whatever.” She stalked off, joining the girl I’d seen her with at the Halloween party.
I looked up at Cam. “Well, she didn’t seem too happy about that.”
He shrugged.
We started up the hill, toward Knutti. “So you guys weren’t more than just friends with benefits?”
Cam sent me a sidelong glance. “We hooked up every once in a while, but like I told you this weekend, I haven’t been with anyone since I met you.”
“I know. It just seems like she wanted more.”
“Wouldn’t you?”
“Geez, we really need to work on your confidence.”
Cam chuckled as he pulled me to his side. We huddled against the wind whipping down the hill. “I can think of a few other things we can work on.”
“Perv,” I mumbled even though my mind was right there with him.
He pressed his lips to my temple. “Guilty as charged, sweetheart.”
#
Cam didn’t go to the party at Jase’s Saturday night. He hadn’t even brought it up and I wasn’t sure if I should have. I felt a little guilty about him not going, because I didn’t want to interfere with his friends, but he didn’t seemed bothered by the fact that he was missing out on an epic game of beer pong.
We went out to dinner in a nearby town and then came back to my place. If I had any doubts about the seriousness of our relationship, there were vanquished that evening.
Cam had brought Raphael over to my apartment.
Nothing got more serious than allowing a tortoise to crawl across your kitchen floor.
“He needs to get his exercise,” Cam said, sitting in front of my fridge, legs spread. “If not, he just gets fat and lazy, sitting in his shell.”
“Poor Raphael.” I picked him up and turned him back around, so he was heading toward Cam. “It has to be boring in the aquarium.”
“It’s a terrarium,” Cam corrected. “And he has a rocking terrarium. Got him a new one for his birthday.”
“You know when his birthday is?”
“Yep. July 26th.” He paused, eyeing me. “When is your birthday?”
I crossed my ankles. “Uh, you have a while until you have to worry about that. When’s yours?”
“June 15th. When is yours, Avery?”
This was about to get awkward. “It was January 2nd.”
Cam leaned forward, his brow raising. Several seconds passed as he stared at me. “I missed your birthday.”
“It’s not a big deal,” I said, waving it off. “I went to the Smithsonian and then I got sick, so it’s probably a good thing you weren’t around.”
His expression tensed. “Aw, man, that’s why you said you wanted to go there on the second. You were alone? Shit. I so feel—”