Status: Done! :)
Unexpected
6
I decided that I had to ask as soon as possible. There was no way that question could go unanswered. After all, how was I supposed to go on again, after he was gone again? It was tough enough the first time.
Obviously, I couldn’t ask him during the movie. He was completely absorbed, not even blinking as he took in every second of the movie. There was just no getting in the way of his Harry Potter viewing.
It wasn’t until we got back to my apartment that I brought it up. “So, Cam, why did you come here?”
“For new opportunities after I dropped out of college,” he reminded me mechanically, throwing himself on my couch and putting his feet up on the coffee table.
“Is that why you haven’t even looked a job since you’ve been here?” The question itself was completely accusatory, so I tried my best to keep my tone light so it didn’t seem like an attack.
It didn’t work too well. “It’s only been a few days. Jesus, Layla. Not everyone wants to jump immediately into finding a job.”
“I was just wondering,” I defended, crossing my arms in front of my chest. “Why is it that you’re trying to spend every single day with me?”
“Because I haven’t seen you in years! Since when is it a crime to want to hang out with my best friend?”
“Even when we were in high school, we didn’t hang out every day.”
“We weren’t apart for years when we were in high school! We saw each other every day!”
Alright, so he had a point. But why was he yelling at me? Immediately, I felt badly for starting an argument.
I decided that it was time to pull out my main concern. “How long are you planning on staying in New York?”
“What?”
“You heard me.” My voice was only a whisper now, my eyes fixed on the ground.
I heard him take a deep breath before he let it out slowly. “A couple of weeks.”
My stomach dropped. It was what I feared most. “Why would you come out here, only to leave again? Do you like making me feel horrible every time you leave? What the hell was your motive?”
“I’m going into the army, Layla.”
The words crushed me like a bulldozer. The army? That was so rough…and who knew what would go on once he was over in Iraq? “I have a six month training program, and then I’m probably going to be sent overseas.”
“Why…why would you do that?”
“Because I couldn’t cut it in college,” he mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. I hadn’t even noticed that he’d gotten to his feet. “And I felt like I had to do something. The army sounded good.”
“Not to me,” I sniffled. “What if you don’t make it?”
“That’s why I’m here,” he admitted. “Because if I die, I wanted to know that I spent the last days before training with the person I cared most about.”
“What?” The breath whooshed out of my lungs, and I found myself gawking at him. Of course, he couldn’t have said what I thought he said. And even if he did, he didn’t mean it the same way I did.
I wondered for a second if I was delusional when he closed the space between us and pulled me close to him. Before I had the chance to ask him what he was doing, he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine softly.
It only lasted a few seconds, but it was still enough to get my heart pumping to heart-attack level.
“What was that?” I spoke as quietly as I could, trying not to let the neighbors know any more than they already did.
“It kind of felt right,” he chuckled, his warm breath blowing on my face. “How long have you liked me?”
“How did you know I did?”
“You kissed me back.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that answer. “Since high school,” I responded honestly. “How long have you liked me?”
“Since I realized how much I missed you when I moved away to college. That means you win.”
“Yeah, it does.”
My phone rang, so I held up a finger to Cam to wait for a second before I reached down to grab it. “Hello?”
“Hi! Sorry I’m giving you such a bad heads-up, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m sleeping over Jerry’s tonight. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”
“Okay! Have fun,” I added with a seductive voice.
She let out a loud laugh before saying goodbye. I threw my phone back on the couch and looked up at him.
“She not coming home tonight?” Cam questioned.
“Nope.”
He gave me a mischievous smile before leaning forward and kissing me, this time with more force. I understood immediately what he meant as I ran my fingers through his hair. Breaking the kiss for a second, I nodded toward my bedroom.
He grabbed my hand and led the way.
Obviously, I couldn’t ask him during the movie. He was completely absorbed, not even blinking as he took in every second of the movie. There was just no getting in the way of his Harry Potter viewing.
It wasn’t until we got back to my apartment that I brought it up. “So, Cam, why did you come here?”
“For new opportunities after I dropped out of college,” he reminded me mechanically, throwing himself on my couch and putting his feet up on the coffee table.
“Is that why you haven’t even looked a job since you’ve been here?” The question itself was completely accusatory, so I tried my best to keep my tone light so it didn’t seem like an attack.
It didn’t work too well. “It’s only been a few days. Jesus, Layla. Not everyone wants to jump immediately into finding a job.”
“I was just wondering,” I defended, crossing my arms in front of my chest. “Why is it that you’re trying to spend every single day with me?”
“Because I haven’t seen you in years! Since when is it a crime to want to hang out with my best friend?”
“Even when we were in high school, we didn’t hang out every day.”
“We weren’t apart for years when we were in high school! We saw each other every day!”
Alright, so he had a point. But why was he yelling at me? Immediately, I felt badly for starting an argument.
I decided that it was time to pull out my main concern. “How long are you planning on staying in New York?”
“What?”
“You heard me.” My voice was only a whisper now, my eyes fixed on the ground.
I heard him take a deep breath before he let it out slowly. “A couple of weeks.”
My stomach dropped. It was what I feared most. “Why would you come out here, only to leave again? Do you like making me feel horrible every time you leave? What the hell was your motive?”
“I’m going into the army, Layla.”
The words crushed me like a bulldozer. The army? That was so rough…and who knew what would go on once he was over in Iraq? “I have a six month training program, and then I’m probably going to be sent overseas.”
“Why…why would you do that?”
“Because I couldn’t cut it in college,” he mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. I hadn’t even noticed that he’d gotten to his feet. “And I felt like I had to do something. The army sounded good.”
“Not to me,” I sniffled. “What if you don’t make it?”
“That’s why I’m here,” he admitted. “Because if I die, I wanted to know that I spent the last days before training with the person I cared most about.”
“What?” The breath whooshed out of my lungs, and I found myself gawking at him. Of course, he couldn’t have said what I thought he said. And even if he did, he didn’t mean it the same way I did.
I wondered for a second if I was delusional when he closed the space between us and pulled me close to him. Before I had the chance to ask him what he was doing, he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine softly.
It only lasted a few seconds, but it was still enough to get my heart pumping to heart-attack level.
“What was that?” I spoke as quietly as I could, trying not to let the neighbors know any more than they already did.
“It kind of felt right,” he chuckled, his warm breath blowing on my face. “How long have you liked me?”
“How did you know I did?”
“You kissed me back.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that answer. “Since high school,” I responded honestly. “How long have you liked me?”
“Since I realized how much I missed you when I moved away to college. That means you win.”
“Yeah, it does.”
My phone rang, so I held up a finger to Cam to wait for a second before I reached down to grab it. “Hello?”
“Hi! Sorry I’m giving you such a bad heads-up, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m sleeping over Jerry’s tonight. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”
“Okay! Have fun,” I added with a seductive voice.
She let out a loud laugh before saying goodbye. I threw my phone back on the couch and looked up at him.
“She not coming home tonight?” Cam questioned.
“Nope.”
He gave me a mischievous smile before leaning forward and kissing me, this time with more force. I understood immediately what he meant as I ran my fingers through his hair. Breaking the kiss for a second, I nodded toward my bedroom.
He grabbed my hand and led the way.