The Heartless Persona

13

"Morning," Cam drew a half smile onto his face as he eyed Keri, who entered the house. He raised his mug and took a sip of the coffee.

"Morning," she bashfully smiled. It seemed that they were the only people awake at the moment.

"I made you coffee if you wanted it." There was a mug on the counter. "French Vanilla with a dash of cream. Just the way you like it."

"Thanks," she couldn't stop the warm feeling in her cheeks. Walking over to the counter, she grabbed the mug, sat in a stool, and took small sips in the silence.

Her eyes wandered off to Cam. She could practically see his muscles underneath his tight fitting shirt.

Had he been working out on top of the sports he played? She had seen him at the gym one time. And he did seem bulkier than a few months ago.

Keri hated to admit it, but she would occassionally sneak glances at him when she walked through the hallways at school.

Wait.

She snapped out of her thoughts and quickly shifted her attention to the tiling on the floor.

What was she doing?

She couldn't notice if Cam was gaining muscle or not. That would mean she actually paid attention to him. More than she should have been.

So what if she was on vacation? That didn't mean she had to become this vulnerable girl again. Whatever feelings she was experiencing needed to go away. Fast.

There was absolutely no way that she should have been acting like that. It was completely unacceptable and inappropriate.

Her eyes looked back over to Cam. He smirked at her and gave her a playful wink.

That warm feeling appeared again and a sheepish smile spread across her lips.

There were footsteps that approached them. Turning around, Keri discovered Jack and his mom.

"Good morning," she smiled after picking Jack up and putting him in the stool at the counter. He was too short to get up on his own.

"Morning," Keri smiled before taking another drink of her coffee.

"What do you guys want for breakfast? Do pancakes sound fine?" Mrs. Walker asked as she started pulling mix from the refrigerator.

Keri wasn't used to a home cooked meal on the regular bases. Her parents were always working. Always.

When she woke up, they were gone. When she went to sleep, they were either just coming home or still at work. She was basically living alone and fending for herself.

"Oh, um, yeah. That sounds great," Keri couldn't hide the shocked tone in her voice.

Cam noticed her behavior and stared at the floor. He wanted to say something, but he was unsure of what to say. Perhaps he wanted to invite her over for breakfast one day, but on the other hand how would they interact once this trip was over?

"Me and your mom were talking about us girls going to the spa today," Mrs. Walker explained.

"Oh," Keri's eyebrows rose a little. Her mom actually wanted to do something with her?

"I think it'll be nice. We can have some time without these rowdy boys," she laughed as she began to pour the batter onto the pan.

"Hey!" Cam exclaimed, trying his best not to show signs of a concealed smile.

Keri let out a small laugh as she stared at him. His eyes met hers and he could no longer hide his grin. Her face went warmer than usual as she tried to break away her gaze, but couldn't.

"Mommy, I have to pee," Jack said, snapping both Keri and Cam out of their trance.

But a moment later, their eyes met again.

Later that day, the Walker's and the Hastings' split into two groups: the boys and the girls.

The girls went to a spa nearby and the guys went ziplining.

"This is so nice," Mrs. Walker said as they all got facials.

"Absolutely," Mrs. Hastings agreed. Keri kind of didn't want to split into two groups for the day. She wanted to hang around Cam.

They were getting along so well lately and although she wasn't on her normal behavior, she didn't really mind. Cam had become more charming and different since they stopped being friends. Keri didn't realize how much she missed talking to him and being near him.

"Are you having fun, sweetie?" Keri's mother asked.

"Mhm," Keri replied. "We should take more trips together."

"I completely agree."