The Opportunity Has Just Begun

“Hey Cam,” Oksana smiled as Adam cracked a beer for me and handed it over.
“I will be in the lounge room come find me when your done,” Brandon whispered in my ear before disappearing.
“Hi,” I smiled walking over to them, “how are you guys?”
“Good, you like party?” Geno gestured to everything going on around us.
“Yeah it's nice, but I haven't seen Flower. I need to thank him.”
“He is in lounge room,” Geno tilted his beer in the direction that Brandon just disappeared.
“Ok cool, I will be back later,” I waved before disappearing as fast as I could.

For some reason I could deal with Oksana on her own, but when I saw her with Geno my jealousy went through the roof. I wanted nothing more than to be in her situation, I wanted to be with him, I wanted him to feel the same way I felt about him but that wasn't going to happen. But nothing I did was going to help, drowning myself in thoughts of Adam didn't help, thinking about the possibility of Sid actually liking me didn't help because I had feeling for Geno and nothing I did was going to stop that.

I wasn't actually planning on finding Flower but he was a good excuse to get out of there. I just wanted to be with anyone who wasn't one of those three.

“So what is this whole thing with Adam?” Brandon slung his arm around my shoulders as we sat on the sofa with everyone around.
“I don't know,” I shrugged, “it's nothing.”
“Really?” he smiled tipping his drink back.
“Really, we're just messing around... yeah.”
“And what does captain think about it?” he bumped his head into mine.
“Sid doesn't know and he isn't going to find out,” I stated before he could say anymore.
“My lips are sealed,” he held his hands up surrendering.
“Good, they better be,” I poked him in the chest so he got the picture I wasn't messing around.

“Alright who wants to play landmines?” Brandon moved forward.
“Yeah!”
“Yes!”
“Fuck yeah!”
“Nealsy is in!”
“Cam?” he turned back to face me, “you want to play?”
“Um but I don't know how.”
“Don't worry, Sid can show you,” he pointed to the captain who appeared almost out of nowhere.
“It's fine, I will just watch,” I put my hands in my lap.
“No you are the birthday girl you have to play, here Sid sit,” Brandon shuffled over with a teasing smile on his face.

“They never gave me any chance to say no to this game either, it's the only reason I know how to play,” Sid smiled as he sat down.
“I don't want to though,” I pouted folding my arms.
“Come on,” he grabbed my hands, “I don't want to either but we have no option now.”
“Ok, ok,” I moved with him letting him put his arm around my waist.

I started off in complete control of myself but after a few rounds of the stupid coin game I was feeling it.
“You know you guys suck,” I pointed to Flower who was laughing at me as he planted another landmine in front of me.
“Birthday girl always gets picked on,” he justified.

“I don't want to play anymore,” I sat back and buried my face into Sid's back.
“Yeah you do,” Brandon grabbed my arm and pulled me back up, “you have to finish your drink first.”
“I don't want to, it's gross,” I stared at it like it was the devil.
“American honey isn't gross, come on Cam,” he slapped my back, “one more drink and you will be done.”
“Fine,” I grumbled snatching the coin and polished off the rest of my drink.
“Hey! And now you have another landmine.”

I got up feeling a little unsteady and not in the mood for the game anymore. I hadn't planned on drinking much but I had down more in the last hour than I thought I would have in the whole night.

“Cam come back,” Sid got up and chased me into the kitchen.
“No,” I laughed as he grabbed me around the waist.
“What's so funny?” he chuckled.
“I am ticklish,” I admitted.

It was in those next few seconds that I realized I shouldn't have told him that. Sid had never been this ok with touching before and I had never been this ok with somebody else touching me. If there was one thing I knew from me getting drunk with my brother and his friends was that I got very cuddly.

“Sid!” I screamed as he tripped me letting me stumble to the ground, “how could you drop me?” I slapped his arm as he stood over the top of me still laughing.
“I am sorry Cam, let me,” he grabbed me and pulled me back up.

“Woah,” he steadied me as I wobbled on my feet, “do you want to sit down?”
“Ok,” I sunk down back onto the tiled floor.
“No Cam,” he laughed, “not in here.”
“It's nice,” I admitted, “come on,” I patted the floor next to me.

“What are you two doing?” Vero smiled as she walked through the room to the fridge to get more drinks out.
“It's hot and the floor is nice and cool,” I slurred falling into Sid's side.
“Really? You guys want one while I am here,” she held out two beers.
“Ok,” Sid accepted the drinks and put them on the floor in front of him.

We continued to talk about nothing of certainty; hockey, names for the cat and why Geno thought it was necessary to buy me a cat in the first place.
“Nemo,” he nodded.
“I can't just name my cat Nemo... what about Derek?” I sat up feeling happy with that choice.
“Derek?” he laughed, “it's a cat not a human.”
“But he is cute.”
“Nemo is cute too.”
“Maybe,” I sat back into his embrace.

I knew it was cruel of me to be acting this way with him. I did dumb things sometimes and this was definitely one of those times. I knew I was going to have to apologize for it later, I couldn't let Sid think this was me acting this way because I was flirting, it was me being drunk.

“Cam,” I heard Geno's thick Russian accent mumble into my ear, “Cam wake up,” he shook me lightly.
“Geno?” I cracked my eyes open, “Geno,” I found myself smiling.
“Come on,” he helped me to my feet.
“Where we going?” I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face into his neck.
“Home,” he slipped his arm around me.
“Why we going home? Where's Sid?”
“In the car.”

I never thought there would be a day in my life that Geno's English would be better than mine but apparently being drunk seemed to make it my second language.

“Where's Oksana?” I looked around in the car to see Sid passed out in the back but not Geno's girlfriend.
“She go home long ago,” he helped buckle me and shut the door.

I let my head rest up against the cool glass it making me feel a little more human for a while, at least until we got home.

“Now go sleep,” Geno helped me into bed.
“I don't feel well,” I pulled the blankets up around my neck trying to keep warm.
“You need check diabetes?” He pointed to the little kit on my bedside dresser.
“Yes,” I nodded but didn't move to do anything about it.
“Want help?” he picked it up.
“Yes,” I agreed which was something new, because I hated people helping me when it came to my diabetes.

I put my hand out for him and I watched as he placed it on his leg and carefully wiped my finger.
“Just here,” he ran his thumb over the spot where he was going to prick my finger.
“Mmm,” I groaned sleepily.
“Ok tell if do it wrong,” he said before pricking my finger.

Even if he did it in the wrong spot I wouldn't have felt it. I was numb and could barely feel anything.

“It's low,” he tisked me, “need eat something.”
“Ok,” but again I wasn't going to move.
“Cam,” he sighed, “want me get something?”
“Please,” I pulled my pillow up under me to hug it.

I stayed staring at the door waiting for Geno to come back. I don't know what was going on in my mind. I wanted nothing more than to curl up with him but I knew how wrong that was.

“Here,” he sat back down on the edge of the bed and handed over a bottle of juice, “nothing to eat, you need drink and some water,” he placed the other bottle down.
“Thanks,” I pulled myself up enough to be able to handle a drink without spilling it all over myself.

"Geno," I laid back down pulling the blankets up around my neck again.
"Yeah?" He put his hand on my side.
"Can we talk?"
"Ok," he flicked the bedside light off and moved to sit up against the headboard.

It was late and Geno probably should have been going home to Oksana but the fact that he was more than happy to stay here and look after me was comforting. 

"Why you not marry Oksana?" I looked up at him and even in the dark I could see his frozen features.
"She told me that you wanted to get married and have kids but she doesn't know what is stopping you."
"You talked to Oksana?" was all he could come back with.
"Yes... Why won't you?"
"Um," he grabbed a pillow and pulled it into his lap, "I not know if she who I want."
"Well who else could you possibly want? She's pretty and kind and..."
"And difficult, control me, not want that," he shook his head, "want something else."

I knew I shouldn't have been trying to pry into their life but I was feeling more alone than I ever had and talking about anything was enough to make me feel better, even just to know I had it better than someone else.

I stayed silent for awhile before I found myself blurting out something I didn't think I would.
"I slept with Adam."

The silence was almost painful and when he began shifting next to me to climb out of bed I knew I shouldn't have said it.
"Geno, where are you going?... Geno," I climbed out of bed on wobbly feet and followed him.

"Geno," I grabbed his arm, "what's wrong?"
"Just go sleep Cam," he pulled away and reached for the door.
"Geno please," I begged as he walked down the front steps, "is this about Sid? Do you think I did something wrong to let him down?"
"No Cam," he retraced his steps back up to me, "not wrong for Sid, but wrong. Go sleep," he lent forward and kissed my forehead before turning to leave without another word.

By now the alcohol buzz was gone and I was left drowning in my own thoughts. It was surely turning out to be the most messed up birthday yet.