Jessica's Fate

Chapter 113

I hadn't really given myself a chance to be homesick, you know? I kept busy. I was working at the patisserie or spending time with Cam and Eiffel, so I just didn't let myself slow down or be alone. I'd even been on a few more dates in the past six weeks.

Well...

No, they were dates.

First dates.

I had managed about one a week and if Cam wasn't such an awesome roommate, I'd probably start getting a complex about being the awkward, geeky teen again.

Because the first dates were great! I usually met them at the restaurant or bar that was selected, enjoyed dinner and a glass of wine or two and generally had a good time.

Was I kissed?

Does on the cheek or back of the hand count? Because to be honest, that was what I was comfortable with at this point in time.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I wasn't always this reserved. I'd not been shy about kissing my boyfriends on the first date. For the most part, however, I'd had days and weeks of texting and talking to them on the phone before we had our first date. Josh was the only exception to that since I had met him the night, we went out the first time. But we'd also only kissed each other on the cheek so that was perfectly fine first date etiquette.

It was just a strange sort of circumstances. I didn't really understand it. We'd have a good time and make plans for an evening out in a few days. I'd gotten super smart, by the way. Date two almost always involved a show of some sort before or after dinner or dessert. I'd share my address; he'd agree to pick me up at six... I'd be finishing up with my make up or hair ...

Poof.

Like magic... in to thin air.

I'd come out, slipping my shoes on and find Cam holding a note or flowers or chocolates. There was a bottle of wine once, that was nice. But he didn't have much of an explanation either.

In fact, the time I tried to press him about what had been said, he was quite upset at the idea that I thought he was chasing my dates away. But come on! Who does this as an adult?

Seriously!

I was starting to think that I just might need to decide to never date again.

But I've now realized that maybe it wasn't Cam's fault at all that my dates were shoving gifts at him and leaving in a hurry.

The wine was nice. As were the chocolates and on a couple of occasions, we were left with show tickets and Cam was nice enough to change his clothes, put on a tie and go out with me to see the show that I'd wanted to see. Other times though, he just resigned himself to not getting to watch his movies or game with his friends back home because he let me watch what I wanted to instead in an effort to cheer me up.

See... Cam had a date. I mean, he was supposed to go out tonight.

I'm not sure why he was having his date meet him at our place, to be honest. I suppose, to be fair, it could be due to the fact that we live closer to the restaurant and show he was taking her to. It just seemed a little odd to me.

But hey, not my date.

He was finishing up in the bathroom when the doorbell rang.

So being a nice roomie, I answered it. "Hi." I greeted his guest. "He's almost ready, you can come in if you want to." I opened the door wider.

Her blue eyes narrowed at me and I felt instantly like a bucket of ice had been poured over me. "Who are you?" she bit out. "Why in the world are you letting your man trick women into thinking he's a great catch and single?" Her gaze swept my body from the messy bun on the top of my head to the cobalt blue polish on my toenails. "Then again, I don't blame him for looking outside the home when you greet him like this."