Starbird

Chapter 29

“Hey, what do you have there, Camille?” My head snapped up to meet Liam plopping down in the seat next to me. My heart picked up speed and I couldn’t find myself breathing. Cam, say something. Do something. You look like an idiot.

“Is this a new drawing you’re working on?” Liam asked again, pointing towards my sketchbook and I could barely nod, I was so mesmerized that he was sitting beside me and pretending nothing had happened.

“Let’s see it then.” He took it from my hands and they just fell limply in my lap. Why couldn’t I get a grip on myself? He was acting completely normal! Why wasn’t I? Get it together, Cam. Breathe in, breathe out. Calm down.

“It looks a little intense,” he noted, staring down my drawing.

I let out a shaky breath as I gathered every ounce of courage I had. “Yeah, it was just mindless. I was just… drawing,” I ended awkwardly. No duh you were drawing, you idiot.

“What have you been working on lately? Mind if I look?” He asked, about to flip through the last couple of pages.

“Oh no you don’t!” I urged, taking my sketchbook back and guarding it with my life. The last thing I needed him seeing was the aftereffects of the kiss. I did not want to discuss how he turned me into some disgusting, hormonal teenager who needed to draw their feelings because I couldn’t talk about them.

“Why? Something particular?” I wanted to slap him. Violent, maybe, but he was beginning to deserve it. Something particular? Seriously? Was he going to play this off like it was all my doing and he has amnesia or something?

“No, nothing at all,” I said, crossing my arms. “They just aren’t good.” 

Liam gave me a curious look as if he was wanting me to elaborate. Well too bad, mister, because you are acting like a butt.

“So,” he began after a long silence, “excited for Paris?”

“Oh, mais oui monsieur,” I agreed, throwing in my small knowledge of French. “I just hope it lives up to my expectations.”

“Like how?” He asked.

“Paris just has a romanticism about it. The lights, the food, the architecture, the whole ‘Paris is the city of love’ thing. All I want is to have that romanticism evident during my stay,” I explained and once the words left my mouth, I wanted to take it all back. Did I ever want that romance evident in Paris, but I was forgetting my vow to pretend Liam wasn’t anything more than a friend to me if he was going to pretend the kiss never happened. I am an idiot. I am an idiot. I am an idiot.

Liam was giving me a funny look again and I didn’t like it because I couldn’t tell what it meant. Was that a grimace because he thought it was a disgustingly girly thing to say or was he having an inner debate about what I was trying to tell him or –

“Come on, Hawthorne, it’s your scene with Nelson,” Liam turned to see the director waving him over and the other actor – Nelson, I’m guessing – waiting for him, dressed in a menacing looking suit. I still hadn’t figured out who was playing Mr. Z, but I’m guessing that was him. Liam turned back to me, offering a simple “see you later” before bounding off to go do his scene.

Well, okay, if that’s the way you want to go about this, then fine. Game on, Hawthorne.

“Hey Cam,” Ava said, taking the spot Liam was in.

“Hey Ava, I love your dress by the way.” She was dressed in a midnight blue cocktail dress and she looked faintly like Anastasia when they go to the opera.