The next morning, he was walking in with the breakfast tray when she awoke.
"Hey!" His voice was cheerful, trying to hide the uncertainty of what was to happen next. "I told Mom to make breakfast in bed for you."
"Thanks, B," her sleepy eyes followed him as he set the tray beside her.
After breakfast was done and she had changed into a fresh set of clothes, she asked, "Why didn't you sleep on the bed yesterday?"
He stiffened, sensing the conversation going into dangerous territories.
"Uh..oh wait, let me just take the tray back downstairs. Mom might be wondering about it."
Coward.
"No, I can do that myself," she replied, looking at him with something akin to disappointment.
When she moved towards the door, he sighed. "Wait, Cam." He walked towards her and put his hands on her shoulder. "You okay?"
She knew he didn't mean the hangover, so she nodded and gave him a small smile.
Hesitating slightly, he pressed a small kiss to her temple, not being able to resist himself.
"You know what, this is it!" he heard her say, before she marched to the bed and put the tray down.
Then she walked back purposefully, pulled him in and kissed him.
This time, he couldn't find any reason not to respond. Following his instinct, he pulled her close and kissed her back like there was no tomorrow. He stripped away his inhibitions and engrossed himself in her. He felt ecstatic, on top of the world. It felt so much better than anything he could have ever imagined; her familiarity almost made him cry.
They parted for air, taking a moment to take each other in, before diving right back in. He knew she felt the intensity of the kiss, of how he was trying to convey to her all he felt.
When they finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against her, arms still encircling her waist, eyes tightly shut. He breathed in deeply, trying to prolong this wonderful moment. He didn't want to open his eyes, didn't want reality to come crashing back in.
"B," she called softly.
With great reluctance, he pulled away and slowly opened his eyes.
She gasped: his eyes were dilated and he looked high. She didn't expect to have such a huge effect on him. He was looking at her so shyly that she wanted to smother him with more kisses. God, he was adorable!
Instead, she grinned at him. "Well, you are not a bad kisser."
"Shut up." His cheeks had gone a deep shade of red and he avoided her eyes.
Wanting to feel him, she took his hands in hers and stared at him earnestly.
He decided to address the elephant in the room. "So, where are we? What are we?"
She chose her words carefully, "Does that really matter?"
His heart sank at her words. "Oh. Um." He was trying to find words to describe how he felt but failed miserably. "The kiss meant something to me, even if it didn't to you. I'm sorry I don't think I can do this."
This was the moment he was trying so hard to avoid. But here it was, laughing at him. Why did he have to lose his best friend to his feelings?! Why couldn't he have just hidden them better?
Stupid stupid stupid.
"Because you are in love with me?" She asked boldly.
He froze yet again. "Wha -" he tried, but just couldn't.
Cam smiled. "I have been noticing it for some time now. You're my best friend; I know when something is up with you. To your credit, you didn't make it obvious. Many times I thought I was imagining stuff. But I decided to test out the theory."
He was almost too afraid to ask, "And?"
"B, I'm not sure about my feelings for you if that's what you are asking. I have started to notice you more lately and I do think we can go somewhere. I'm so confused right now, with everything that's happened, but I really want to give us a chance. I want to try it out. With you."
He couldn't believe his ears. No, this was too good to be true. "I don't want to be your rebound," he stated cautiously.
She shook her head impatiently. "You're not. The breakup was coming for some time. But his cheating was what set off the whole crying fiasco of yesterday's. Also, you're my best friend. I wouldn't do that to you. And that kiss you gave me? No one has ever kissed me like that. Ever. All I ask is to be patient with me and to be by me as we explore this. Please?"
Dazed, he replied, "Cam, that's never been an option. I will always be by you even if you don't choose me in the end."
This whole thing was way lesser than what he wanted, but he was willing to do it if Cam was there with him. He was willing to wait until she either realized he was or wasn't the person she wanted. He was willing to give his all to win her.
They stared at each other for a few long seconds.
"Now, will you let me kiss you or what, genius?"
His grin was all the answer she needed.
***
