Let Love In

Once pulling away, he realized what he had just done. He took a step back, stuttering as he tried to speak to me. “I-I’m so sorry, Emma. I was just so caught up,” he explained. I wasn’t surprised at what he said. It didn’t sting as much as I thought it would and he had a girlfriend, anyway. I wasn’t hurt by his words. All I hoped for was that things wouldn’t become awkward.

“Cameron, its fine. I understand what you’re saying, just relax.” He ran a hand through his brown curls and sighed heavily. It was obvious he was freaking out.

He looked down at the water beneath our feet and back at me. “Please don’t tell, Jenna.”

“I won’t,” I said while nodding my head. We were silent for a while, admiring the fireworks that were still going off. I couldn’t help but feel the atmosphere become awkward, something I didn’t want to happen but knew it would happen.

“We should probably start heading back,” he said abruptly. He took his phone out and called the guys to find out where they were. The awkward silence wouldn’t leave us and it killed me. I needed to talk to someone, anyone.

Once we found them, they each carried a bunch of food along with them. Typical.

“Where were you guys?” Nathan asked, stuffing a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

“We went around the amusement park and then went to the boardwalk to watch the fireworks.” Cameron kept a safe distance between us, but not too far that it was obvious something had happened.

“So, what did you guys do?” I asked, stealing a handful of popcorn from Nathan.

Michael began to list all the things they did, one after another. “We rode the rollercoaster again, got food, went on another ride, played a few games, got food, and did I mention we got food?”

“Oh and we tried to win you something, but we obviously suck at playing games,” Zach added.

“You guys didn’t need to win me anything,” I said sheepishly.

“Yes, we do.” Nathan pointed to a booth that had bottles stacked, ready for someone to knock it over. “We can win you something right now.”

Nathan slapped a few bills onto the counter, picked up the ball and positioned himself, preparing to knock all 3 bottles in one hit. As soon as he threw the ball, the bottles tumbled off the stand and onto the ground. He threw his hands up in victory and gave each of us a high five, but when he received his prize, you could tell he wasn’t satisfied considering it was just a small plush toy.

“Um, what will it take for me to get that huge bear over there?”

“You’ll need to knock down the rest of the bottles,” the man behind the counter answered. There were 3 more stands with bottles stacked, one for each of the guys.

“It’s all up to you now, boys,” Nathan stepped back, waiting for someone to step up to the plate. Michael was the first to go and picked up the ball. He perfectly aligned himself, eying the stack of bottles and threw it as hard he could. Just like Nathan, the bottles tumbled and rolled to the ground. He did his victory dance, giving each of us a high and stood beside Nathan. Next up was Zach. He tossed the ball in his hand a couple of times before positioning himself and throwing it. The bottles landed with a clunk sound as it came in contact with the ground. The last to go was Cameron.

“It’s all up to you, buddy.” Zach patted his shoulder. “If you screw this up, it’s all your fault. No pressure.”

“Gee, thanks,” Cameron said sarcastically. He picked up the ball and breathed out heavily. He lined himself up with the last stack of bottles and brought his arm up, preparing to throw it like a baseball pitcher. As soon as the ball left his hand, it hit the bottles smack dab in the middle, causing it to fall off its stand. We all cheered, causing a scene and catching the attention of others. The man behind the counter lifted the large, plush bear and handed it to me. I grinned from ear to ear, holding it tightly in my arms.

“Thank you so much, guys. You’re too kind.”

“It’s no problem, really,” Michael said sheepishly.

We walked out of the amusement park and made our way back to the hotel. The distance between Cameron and I was awkward, but thankfully the guys hadn’t noticed. The scene refused to leave my mind. It constantly played in my head, over and over like someone kept it on repeat. I knew I needed to tell someone. Something like this can’t be kept.

When we got back to the hotel, we stayed in Michael and Zach’s room and watched TV for a while. Cameron was off in his own little world, thinking and looking at his phone every once and a while. When it rang, he quickly picked it up and left the room. This opened my chance to talk to the guys about what happened.

“Can I tell you guys something?” I interrupted.

Zach pushed the mute button on the remote and everyone turned their attention to me. I sat there in silence, gathering all my thoughts before I spoke.

“While Cameron and I were at the boardwalk, something happened...” I stopped, wanting them to wait in anticipation. They eyed me, waiting for me to continue. “Nothing bad happened, just something awkward. He…he kissed me,” I proclaimed, trying to say the last bit as quick as possible.

Eyebrows were raised, jaws were dropped and eyes were bugged out. I sat there, twiddling my thumbs and making zero eye contact. Nathan was the first to break the silence.

“Wow, I didn’t see that one coming,” Nathan leaned back on the couch.

“How could you not see that coming? I understand that he has a girlfriend and all and that they’re just friends, but they’re pretty close to each other,” Zach stated.

“To be honest, I’m not surprised he hasn’t dumped Jenna for you. The bond between you two is completely different than the bond he has with other girls,” Michael commented.

I thought of Cameron and I as a couple. Us a couple? Nah, that couldn’t happen. Cameron is just a friend that happens to be the one I’m closest to. There’s nothing wrong with that.

“Things are awkward between us now and it’s kind of bothering me.”

“You should talk to him,” Zach said simply while gulping down his bottle of water.

“Talking things out is always good. Just talk to him about it and how you just want to forget about it,” Nathan added.

“Wait,” Michael interrupted. “Did you kiss him back?”

They waited anxiously for my answer, moving closer and closer every second. I prepared myself for the reaction, knowing they’d probably get the wrong idea after. “Yes,” I whispered, hanging my head low. The guys went ballistic and continuously said “oh my god” every 2 seconds.

“You like him, don’t you?” Nathan grinned.

“No, no, no, Cameron’s just one of my best friends,” I tried to convince them.

“Lies, you do like him,” Michael said.

“I was just being nice,” I lied.

“Just being nice? Really?”

“Guys, guys, Emma could be telling the truth. If she says he’s just a friend then I believe her,” Zach defended me, sticking by my side.

“Alright, whatever you say, Emma,” Michael went along with it.

I got up from the couch and headed for the door. I said my goodbyes and walked out. While walking to me and Cameron’s room, I saw a familiar face pass me. I stopped to turn around and captured a glance from the man. He gave me devious smile and continued his walk. It was Jonathan.