❃𝙺𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚊❃
"Cameron Stone!"
My psycho of a son cackles evilly as my doll is pushed off the tower. I gasp when he shoves her kingdom of blocks down with her, sealing the fate of the princess and her people. "I win!" He declares triumphantly, throwing his fists up in the air with a wild grin, showing off that new gap in his front teeth.
My eyes narrow. "You're going to your dad's." I bitterly grumble as I reach over to dig my princess out of the rubble of her fallen kingdom.
His grin widens impossibly. "Yay!"
I scowl, watching him turn to run over to his little backpack in the corner, just waiting to be picked up. He likes to keep it mostly packed up for when he's told he's going to his dad's. "Hey, come clean up first." I order in a huff as I struggle a little to stand up. I groan at the immediate ache in my back.
Cameron watches me with a slightly scrunched nose and a curled lip as I start massaging my own back to try and get rid of that ache. He widens his eyes a little as he drifts his gaze away and walks back over to start cleaning.
"Shut up."
He shrugs. "I didn't say anything." He points out as he gets down on the ground to start making a pile out of the blocks scattered about the floor. I grumble in response as I walk around him, letting him clean up the mess I assisted in making. Just for that freakin' face he made, he gets to do it all by his lonesome.
It was already the plan for him to go to Noah's today. I just wanted to play a little before I dropped him off since I won't see him all weekend. Noah texted just yesterday saying he'd like to be able to have Cameron all weekend instead of just the one day we usually have him do. I couldn't say no to letting Cameron go over there longer, especially since Noah hasn't been back over since last weekend. He's been sure to keep talking to Cam over their walkie talkies and picked Cameron up from school on Wednesday but hasn't really been over. Not for long, at least. I hardly even had a chance to really talk to him before he was out the door.
He usually stays for dinner when he brings Cameron home after school. It was weird when he said he had to leave, but I couldn't argue at the time when he mentioned having to go over and check on Aaliyah and Elaina while Alex works a bit of a late night. I haven't really talked with him since beyond the text he sent about seeing Cameron. Even then, when I tried to update him on a drama situation at work, his response was a little basic which ultimately led to the end of our conversation. If you could even call it that.
I'm a little concerned that he's being weird because of what happened the last we were left alone here. We still haven't talked about it. He hasn't mentioned it, and I'm a little afraid to since the last I heard, he had feelings for me and wanted to take me out to dinner. I'm starting to think it'll end up just sitting on the backburner for a while just like that kiss he stole before he left to see Wyatt did. We never really stopped to talk about that one either. Maybe there's no talk to have.
I can't tell if I'm relieved or not that there hasn't been a talk. My instinct tells me it's good. It tells me it's good that he doesn't think anything of it, and it's for the best that we just move along as if it never happened. But my instincts tend to ignore how I feel. My instincts help me to survive, unapologetic about whatever feelings get crushed in the process. My feelings being the ones that beg me to do that one thing in cheesy romcoms where one of them shows up to the other's house in the rain to dramatically confess their love for the other.
My feelings have always been a little too strong when it comes to romance. My instincts, of course, keep them in line. Because you know what confessing your love to a guy in the rain ends with? It ends with a broken heart, three empty wine bottles on the counter, and a whole lotta humiliation—enough to last a lifetime.
So, no. I guess Noah and I won't be talking about it. Or about anything other than our son, apparently. I don't know how long that's going to last, but I hope it ends soon. I miss our meaningless text conversations more than I care to admit.
"Mom," Cameron calls from his room. He's already on his way down the hall though, so I don't have to leave my room to answer him.
I scoff when he throws the door open just as I'm tugging my shirt over my belly. "Cameron, knock next time!" I scold.
His face contorts in disgust even though I'm fully clothed now. And I'm sure he didn't even see my stomach when he walked in. He sucks in a deep breath before groaning a very long "Ewww," at me.
I stare, unamused. "What did you call me for?"
"I'm ready to go." He announces with a scrunched nose.
I sigh. "Okay," I acknowledge as I turn my back to him to step into a pair of sneakers. We're only going to Noah's, so I don't really bother with getting fully dressed, just changing into a pair of black pajama pants and a purple tank. "You're sure you have everything packed? Taffy? Your toothbrush?"
"I don't need one." He proudly declares.
My nose scrunches in disgust. "Yes, you do."
"I have one at Dad's!"
"Really? So, if I text him and ask him if you have a toothbrush over there, he's going to say you do?"
His chin raises with smugness. "Yes." He confirms confidently. I squint skeptically, but ultimately decide to believe him. It's not so unbelievable that Noah got him a toothbrush to keep there since they're already decorating Cameron's room. If it turns out to be a lie though, it won't be my problem. It'll be Noah's by then.
__________
Nothing has changed since one of the first times me and Cam visited Noah's place. Cameron still runs down the hall loudly, and Noah throws the door open just seconds after Cameron knocks. They both find it pretty amusing, but I swear I can just feel his neighbor's scowling at us through the peepholes behind their doors.
Luckily, Noah lets us come in immediately so we're not out in the hall where angry neighbors can scold us. He leans down to scoop Cam up in his arms like he always does. I think it'll go on for as long as it takes for Cameron to decide he doesn't want to be lifted up off the ground anymore. Whenever that will be. Knowing him and his dad, they'll make a stupid joke out of it and giggle like schoolgirls about it, pretending it's a completely normal thing to do just to confuse others.
Noah gives me a brief smile that looks a bit forced when I shut the door behind me. "Hi, Kiara." He greets me with the same phrase as he normally does, but for some reason it feels more...distant. Not cold or rude, just not the way his tone normally is.
I almost frown. "Hi."
Cameron's smile is still wide as his eyes dart between us, as if he's expecting more. Neither of us have much to say though. It leaves us in a long stretch of silence that feels like it goes on forever. Really though, it's probably about five or so seconds.
Eventually, I take pity on the room and suck in a deep breath. "Okay, don't forget you have an appointment with Kinsley tomorrow." My eyes dart between them, reminding them both. Cameron starts to frown, and Noah's little smile fades into a more serious expression as he nods. I nod too and step a little closer to Noah, but just for Cam. "I'll see you Monday after school." I hum as I lean in to kiss his temple. He's a few inches taller than me when he's in his dad's arms. "Love you." I tell him with a gentle smile as I step away and back towards the door.
For some reason, he looks a little confused. He looks between us some more before answering me. "Love you." He returns quietly. I smile to myself and reach for the door to open it and step back out. "Wait," Cameron calls.
I pause and look back at him, expecting more of a dramatic goodbye. "What?" I coax with a widening smile.
"What about Dad?"
I did say my son was a smart boy. He knows when something's a little off. He might not understand why or exactly what it is, but from our short interaction alone, he knows something's off between his parents. Naturally, he does the one thing he knows to do. He uses his power from being a cute kid to force us to tell each other we love each other like he wants. He got me to do it once. Never has gotten his dad to give in though.
Noah likes to get out of doing shit he doesn't want to do by 'misunderstanding' what Cameron's saying. Surprisingly, it has an eighty-five percent success rate just because half the time, it catches Cameron off guard long enough for him to escape.
"Yeah. Dad loves you too."
He blinks at that. I take my chance and slip out the door. I earn a chuckle from Noah before I shut the door, and weirdly enough, it feels a little like a flashlight. A glimmer of hope for our meaningless text conversations.
As soon as I shut the door behind me though, I pause and quickly realize I'm on my own all weekend. Like, completely this time. Noah's not going to pop up out of nowhere, and my only friend told me she's supposed to be on bed rest for the next couple of weeks.
I don't know if I like my alone time anymore.