Work Text:
May 2006
“Well, it’s finally all over with Jess.”
Josh Groban looked up as his buddy, Chris Evans, slid onto the bench opposite his in one of the back booths at the diner he, Cam, Gia, and Chris frequented whenever they were all in New York City at the same time.
“Geez, that didn’t take long, did it?” Josh said, sarcasm dripping from every word.
Chris shrugged. “In theory, it’s been over for a long time now. I guess neither one of us knew how to make the break formal…and permanent. But it’s done and I’m really ready to put it behind me. On to bigger and better things.”
“Amen to that!” Josh said as he saluted Chris with his glass of iced tea. “So, you ready for tonight?”
“Yeah, I guess. I mean, from the way you guys describe these parties, they are quite the event.” Chris was going to his very first Kennedy family party that evening. According to Josh and Gia, they were usually pretty huge affairs – Cameron had a lot of family in the tri-state area. Even the relatives that lived up in the Boston area came down for these things. The parties were always held at the club in the Meat Packing District that was owned by Cameron’s father and uncle and Gia’s father. “So what’s the occasion tonight?”
Josh pulled his nose out of the menu and grinned at Josh. “Cam’s cousin Rachel is finally getting engaged.”
“What do you mean, finally?”
“Rachel’s been with this guy since she was sixteen. She’s now twenty-five. Her mother was beginning to think this was never going to happen.” Rachel was not just Cam’s cousin but also one of her closest friends. She occasionally hung out with the “Core Four,” as Gia had taken to calling Cam, Josh, Chris, and herself, which was why Josh knew so much about her. Even though he was a part of Cam’s inner circle, Chris was still the newbie and had not yet gotten to know everyone. Cam and Gia had been friends since they were seven or eight, thanks to their fathers being friends and business partners, and Josh had been around Cam since she was twelve. “Rachel’s mom was so worried that things weren’t going to go anywhere with Miguel that she started asking Cam’s mother about me.” Josh laughed. “Rachel’s a looker but I’ve known her almost as long as I’ve known Cam and, well, she just doesn’t do it for me. She’s great, don’t get me wrong, but she’s got a little too much party girl in her. Miguel might be able to handle that sort of thing but it’s not my cup of tea. I sometimes wonder how Cam’s put up with Rachel’s antics for so long, given how fundamentally different they are. Cam loves a good party but she’s more reserved, more ‘good girl’ than Rachel could ever be. Again, no disrespect towards Rachel but she and Cam are really opposites.”
“Maybe that’s what makes them work as friends,” Chris remarked as he decided on his lunch order.
“Yeah, probably, but you’ll see what I mean tonight. Trust me.” Josh laid his menu aside and signaled for the waitress. “Got your suit and tie ready for the festivities?”
“Yeah,” Chris answered with a chuckle. “Cam dragged me to Barney’s yesterday and insisted on buying me a new suit. ‘An early birthday present,’ she said. Got me a shirt and tie too. She would have bought me shoes too, but I put my foot down. No pun intended.”
Josh laughed. “She does get a little carried away, our girl does, but you gotta love her for it.”
I’m really beginning to, Chris thought. To Josh he said, “What about you? You got your suit ready?”
“Yep, I’m wearing the one Cam insisted on buying me last week. ‘Belated birthday present,’ she said.”
Chris let out one of the boisterous laughs that Cameron loved so much. “She’s too much!”
“And then some,” Josh said with a wide grin.
“CAMERON!” Josh bellowed up the stairs of her 1845 Greenwich Village townhouse. “What the hell? You usually beat me downstairs, woman!”
“Keep your very expensive shirt on, Groban,” Cameron’s voice floated down. “I’m ready. I’m just waiting for Rachel to finish getting her shit together.”
“Oh, God,” Josh grumbled to Chris, who was leaning against the balustrade, “we could be here for another hour!”
“Well, it is Rachel’s big night.”
Josh rolled his eyes. “And she will never let you forget it.” He sighed. “Miguel must have seen this coming. He elected to meet her there.”
“Seriously?” Chris asked, incredulous. “He’s going to meet his fiancée at their own engagement party?”
Josh put his hands up in a gesture of defeat. “Don’t ask, dude. Just don’t.” Chris snickered. They both looked up when they heard footsteps on the stairs. Rachel was coming down, looking very…slinky, the only word Chris could put to the red satin dress she was wearing. She smiled at them, clearly waiting for them to compliment her. Josh threw Chris a loaded glance then looked back up at Rachel with a shit-eating grin. “You look amazing, Rach.”
“Er, yes, Rachel, you look…wonderful.” Chris avoided looking at Josh, who had snorted softly at Chris’ slight hesitation.
“Why, thank you, gentlemen. I feel wonderful! I can’t wait until Miguel gets a load of this,” Rachel said as she came down the rest of the steps. As she walked past them, Josh gave Chris another look then rolled his eyes.
A moment later, footsteps on the stairs signaled Cameron’s arrival. Both men looked up and stopped cold. Cameron was wearing a form-fitting sleeveless purple dress overlaid with lace that featured a sweetheart neckline and a hemline that stopped a couple of inches above her knees. On her feet she wore matching purple pumps with a fairly demure three inch heel, a far cry from the stilettos Rachel was wearing. She wore her ebony hair loose and wavy, held back from her temples by a pair of pearl combs. Josh smiled and extended his hand to help Cameron down the remaining steps while Chris fought to keep from blatantly staring at her. Cam was definitely one of the most beautiful women he’d ever laid eyes on, but since the premiere party where they’d met, he rarely saw her in anything more formal than a business suit. That night last July, she wore a floral print sundress, also form-fitting but at the same time fairly demure and totally classy, not like Jess, who’d opted to look like a flapper from the 1920s. It wasn’t a look he’d been crazy about but he had learned long ago to not comment too much on Jess’ wardrobe choices.
“Cameron, you look stunning,” Josh said softly so Rachel wouldn’t hear him. Cam grinned, knowing full well why Josh was keeping his voice down. God forbid Rachel should not be the belle of the ball, even if she did look at bit trashy, in Cam’s humble opinion. She’d tried to talk her cousin out of wearing that dress, offering to loan her any one of her own dresses, given that they were just about the same size, but Rachel had stubbornly stuck to her guns and gone with the flash and trash. Rachel’s mother was going to throw an apoplectic fit when she got a load of her daughter tonight.
“Thank you, Josh. So sweet, as always.”
“Cam, wow,” Chris said, also keeping his voice down. “You look gorgeous.”
Cam felt his softly uttered words all the way down to her toes. She was always flattered when Josh complimented her, which he did quite often, but there was something about the things Chris said and the way he said them that always got a rise out of her. She refused to analyze her reactions to Chris at that moment and simply smiled at him and said, “Thank you, Chris. I could say the same about you. That whole outfit totally works for you.” She turned to Josh. “You, too, Josh. You both look amazing. The girls are gonna go wild tonight. Brace yourselves, boys; it’s gonna be like bringing fresh meat to the cattle market.”
“Nice imagery, Kennedy,” Josh groused as he fought to keep a grin off his face. She laughed as she patted his cheek and walked past him and Chris to meet up with Rachel in the parlor.
“Well,” Josh said to Chris the moment Cameron was out of earshot, “I thought you were going to lose your shit when you saw Cam coming down the stairs. Warm for her form much, Evans?”
Chris grimaced. Over the past year, as his relationship with Jessica circled the drain, he realized that his feelings towards Cameron were becoming a little more than friendly. Of course, he would never have approached her about it – he was loyal to Jess until the bitter end and, besides, he knew Cam would never entertain an overture from him so long as he was with someone else. She couldn’t abide cheaters and had said so a number of times since they’d met. He knew her remarks were never directed at him but they hit home every time. So, the last thing he wanted was for his budding feelings to be noticeable to anyone, least of all her. But, since they met last August, he and Josh had become as close as brothers and Josh was able to read him like a book. “Christ, was I being that obvious?”
“Not really, no, but you know I know how to read you.”
Chris grunted. “Yeah, that’s actually kind of spooky, Groban.”
Josh shrugged then gave Chris a big grin. “What can I say? It’s a gift. I do it to Cameron all the time.”
“I know, but you’ve known her almost ten years. You’ve only known me for a little less than one.”
“Like I said, it’s a gift.”
“Hey, fellas? Get your shit together, we’re about to blow this popsicle stand,” Cam said as she returned from the parlor, dragging a flushed Rachel behind her. She stopped in front of the boys, made a disgusted face then turned to her cousin. “I really wish you’d waited until we got to the party to start hitting the booze, Rach. Your mother is going to have a fucking cow when she sees how tipsy you are already. I don’t even want to think about what Miguel is going to say.” She heaved a frustrated sigh. “We’ll stop at a Dunkin’ Donuts and pour some coffee down you and hope for the best.” She looked around then sighed again. “Shit. I left my purse up in my room. Rachel, where’s your purse?”
“Upstairs, too, I think.”
“Great,” Cam muttered as she started up the stairs. Midway up, she stopped and turned. “Why don’t you guys head out to the car? Nigel is already out front with the limo.” She turned back and continued her trek up the stairs.
“Come on, Joshie, let’s go bug Nigel,” Rachel said with a boozy giggle. She grabbed onto Josh’s arm and started tugging him towards the front door. Josh sent Chris a martyred look over his shoulder and said, “You coming, Evans?”
“Um, I think I’ll wait for Cam to come back down.”
“Of course you will,” Josh said with an evil grin as he let himself be pulled along by Rachel.
A few moments later, Cameron came clattering down the stairs with her purse and Rachel’s in her hands. She stopped short when she saw Chris right where she’d left him. “Oh, hey. I thought you were gonna go out to the car.”
“Ah, no, I thought I’d wait for you so we could walk out together.”
Cam smiled. “That was sweet of you. Rachel attach herself to Groban like a barnacle?”
Chris chuckled. “That she did.”
Cam came the rest of the way down the stairs. “I know Rachel really loves Miguel. They’ve been together for years but I honestly think if Josh had given even the slightest indication, Rach would have been all over his shit. She’s always had a huge crush on him. But she is totally not Josh’s cup of tea.”
“Yeah, Groban’s more of the cute, nerdy girl type.”
“Got it in one, Chris. Josh would not begin to know what to do with Rachel. Truth be told, on the off chance there had been even the tiniest sliver of interest on Josh’s part towards Rachel, Gia, me, and my parents would have staged an intervention.”
Chris let out one of his loud laughs, making Cameron smile. “That’s hilarious.” He chuckled some more then asked, “How is it that you and Rachel get along so well when you two are like night and day?”
Cameron dug her keys out of her little purse then looked up at Chris. “She’s four years older than me. Due to my monster IQ, I skipped a lot of grades when I was a kid but one semester, she and I were in the same class. She took it upon herself to be my protector. She was thirteen and a freshman in high school and here comes her nine year old cousin, toddling behind her from class to class. The other kids thought it would be funny to torment the little nerd but Rachel was having none of it. She kicked a couple of asses that semester and would have gotten in trouble for it if I hadn’t pleaded her case to the principal. I was the golden child, you see. The principal was all about boasting to anyone who would listen that she counted among her students a world famous musical prodigy and genuine genius with an IQ of 192. If I’d told her to jump into an elephant dung heap at the Bronx Zoo, she would have done it with a smile.” Cameron shook her head at the memory and smiled. “Rachel and I became closer that semester than we had ever been and we’ve been close ever since. I mean, she’s no Gia – Gia is my sister from another mother – but she’s pretty up there in the rankings, you know?”
Chris nodded. “I suddenly have a whole new appreciation for Rachel Kennedy.”
“Oh, Jesus, don’t let her hear you say that, especially not in the state she’s in. I think, if given the slightest chance, she would have tried to hit that once or twice,” Cam said as she waved her hand in Chris’ direction. “She has almost as fine an appreciation for a hunk such as yourself as I do.” She laughed as she watched Chris’ mouth drop open. “I’m far from blind, Evans. You are a gorgeous example of the male of the species and I have spent a few minutes here and there admiring you. I’d have to be without a pulse not to.”
“Oh, well, back at you, Kennedy,” Chris managed to get out. Cameron laughed again and slipped her hand into his. “Let’s get out of here, Evans, and pray that we don’t find Rachel doing unspeakable things to Josh in the back of that limo.”
By the time they rolled up to the club, Rachel was stone cold sober. Cameron hadn’t given her much of a choice in that regard. True to her word, she made her driver/butler/bodyguard, Nigel, stop at the Dunkin’ Donuts closest to her townhouse and got out herself to order a medium black coffee, heavy on the sugar, a plain donut, and a small iced coffee in French Vanilla. Chris went in with her while Josh dealt with the ever more unruly Rachel in the back of the limousine. After leaving the awestruck staff at the coffee shop a three hundred dollar tip, Cam and Chris headed back to the car. Once settled, Josh and Chris watched with equal parts awe and amusement as Cameron forced Rachel into her seat, buckled her in, and told her Nigel wouldn’t move the car until Rachel had drunk the black coffee. “Drink it, woman, or I’ll force it down your throat!” Cam said. Rachel took one look at the steely determination in her cousin’s eyes and choked down the coffee. The minute she was done, Cameron unceremoniously shoved the donut into Rachel’s mouth. She waved the iced coffee, Rachel’s favorite, in front of her face and said, “Eat the donut like the good little lush that you are, and I’ll give you this treat. Deal?” Rachel nodded and ate the donut. Cameron handed over the iced coffee then settled back in her own seat. She met Josh and Chris’ amused looks with an arched eyebrow. “Can I help you?” she asked haughtily.
“You’re a pisser, Cameron,” Chris said with a laugh.
“Humph. Don’t think for one minute I wouldn’t have the balls to do the same to you, Evans, if you were ever in that condition. You, too, Groban.”
Josh put his hands up in surrender. “If I remember correctly, you already have, at least once or twice.”
“Four times over the past eight years, but who’s counting?” She gave Josh a wink and a small smile.
When they arrived at the club, Nigel got out and came around to open the door for his employer and her guests. “Shall I park the limo, Dr. Kennedy, or do you need me to pick up anyone else first?”
“Nope, park this thing then come on in. Two drink limit, right, Nige?”
“Of course, Dr. Kennedy.” He smiled fondly at his boss.
“Super. See you on the inside.”
As they approached the front door of the club, Chris leaned towards Cameron and said, “Nigel calls you Dr. Kennedy?”
Cam laughed. “When he’s feeling particularly formal, yeah. My father hired Nigel to work for me when I moved into the townhouse two years ago. He’s a classically trained English butler so, despite the fact that we get on like a house on fire, he either calls me Miss Cameron, Miss Kennedy, or, as you just heard, Dr. Kennedy. His training won’t let him do otherwise. I got my Ph.D. not long after he moved in and I can’t honestly say who was prouder, my parents or him. He kind of gets his jollies by calling me Doctor from time to time. It’s quirky but it’s cute.”
“I keep forgetting that you have a Ph.D. already. Anyone ever tell you you’re super smart?” Chris asked with a smirk.
“Funny, Evans,” Cam said as she slipped her arm through his. In front of them, Josh was happily relinquishing Rachel into the arms of her tall, dark, and handsome fiancée. He hung back until Chris and Cam caught up to him. “Package delivered, finally. Does Miguel really know what he’s getting himself into?”
Chris snickered as Cam grinned and said, “He knows. Despite her wild and crazy ways, she is totally gone over Miguel. I don’t think she would ever deliberately set out to hurt him, even though she’s been particularly tempted by the likes of you two. Can’t say I blame her, though. You two are absolutely delicious, especially tonight.” She let go of Chris’ arm and sauntered past them to go greet Miguel Mendoza, Rachel’s fiancé who, at that moment, was looking a bit perturbed at his lady love’s choice of outfit.
“She really needs to stop doing that,” Chris muttered, feeling Cam’s words wrap themselves around his heart.
“Cam’s a bit of a flirt, Chris, you know that.” Josh regarded his friend with thoughtful eyes. “Although it’s probably getting to you more now since you’re a completely free man. Have you told her the break from Jess is a done deal?”
Chris shook his head. “No, not yet. Haven’t had the opportunity.”
“You should tell her tonight. Who knows? Maybe something will come of it.” Josh clapped a hand on Chris’ shoulder. “Well, let’s do this, buddy. It’s going to be a crazy night. Did you see Miguel’s reaction to that piece of cloth Rachel calls a dress?”
Chris laughed. “Ten bucks says Miguel gives her his jacket to cover her up within the first hour.”
“Twenty says she’s going to sidestep every effort he makes to get her to wear it!”
“You’re on!” The two friends laughed and followed Cameron into the club.
True to Cameron’s prediction, Josh and Chris, absolutely gorgeous in their brand new suits, did not lack for female companionship that night. The minute they stepped into the club and all eyes turned on them, it was easy to see the reactions of the ladies in attendance. “Told you,” Cam sing-songed as they walked towards their table.
“Jesus, could they be any more predatory,” Josh remarked, more uncomfortable than usual at the attention.
Cam giggled. “This from the man who is greeted by screaming fans wherever he goes?”
“She’s got a point there, Josh,” Chris chuckled.
“They’re usually behind barricades,” Josh muttered.
“Hey, it’s about time you guys got here!” Gia DiLorenzo, Cameron’s best friend since childhood, swept towards them and grabbed Cam in a bear hug, which Cam enthusiastically returned. Over Cam’s shoulder, Gia eyed Josh and Chris and gave them a wolfish grin. “Well, hello there, boys. You two look good enough to feast on!” She let Cam go then stepped up to Josh and gave him a smacking kiss on the lips and a bear hug of his own. She did the same with Chris, whom she’d adored from the first moment she met him last August, at a barbecue at Cam’s parents’ brownstone on the Upper West Side. Upon arriving in New York from Dublin, where Liam Kennedy had been transferred a few years before for his former job as a banker, the Kennedys had been lucky enough to find a home in Manhattan with a nice little patch of land in the back where they were able to set up a barbecue and a play area for their kids. They frequently hosted parties and encouraged their kids to invite all their friends. Cameron, having grown up a bit isolated because she was so far advanced intellectually from the kids in the neighborhood and then even more so once her music career took off, didn’t have any friends her own age until she met Gia. The pretty little Italian girl was absolutely enchanted with Cameron’s then heavy Irish brogue and decided to adopt her as her new “sister.” Cam, thrilled to finally have a friend who loved her for her and didn’t just want to be friends because she was “Cameron Kennedy, baby superstar,” held on to Gia with both hands and they had indeed been close as sisters ever since.
At the barbecue last August, Gia had been helping Josh and Cam’s mother, Isabella, set up in the backyard when Cameron walked out of the house with Chris by her side. Gia had promptly dropped the paper plates she was holding. “Oh my God, who is that and why wasn’t I informed that one of the angels from heaven was making an appearance today? I would have found a nicer – and tighter – pair of jeans to wear.” Josh and Isabella both laughed as Cam approached them.
“Hey, Mam, Josh, Gia? I’d like you to meet my new friend, Chris Evans. We met at the movie premiere party I took Thing One and Thing Two to last month. Chris is one of the stars of that film.” She turned slightly to look at Chris. “This is my Mam, Isabella, and my best friends, Josh Groban – I think you may have heard of him – and Gia DiLorenzo. She’s the daughter of my da’s business partner.” Cam had stepped back and watched Chris charm her mother and best friends and, based on the look Gia had thrown her, knew from that moment on that he was in like Flynn. Of course, from that day on, Gia proceeded to ship Chris and Cam with a vengeance. And tonight wasn’t going to be any different.
“Christopher, my love, before any of these vultures tries to lay claim on you, perhaps you should make it known that you are here as Cameron’s date, yeah?”
“G!” Cam hissed. “Way to make the boy uncomfortable. He’s free to do whatever – or whomever – he wants, since I get the feeling things with Jessica are finally over and done with. Am I right, Chris?”
Chris looked at Cam, eyes wide. “How did you know?”
Cam shrugged. “There’s a lightness to you that I’ve never noticed before. Like a weight’s been lifted off your shoulders. I’m happy for you, Chris. This has been a long time coming.” She stepped up to Chris, leaned up and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek. She patted his chest as she pulled back then said to her trio of friends, “I’m getting the high sign from me mam. Excuse me a moment, would you?” They smiled as they heard Cameron’s brogue make an appearance and watched as she walked away.
“So, all done with the old ball and chain, Chris?” Gia asked. She’d taken an instant dislike to Jessica the first time they’d met. Josh nudged her with his elbow, an action Chris caught. He smiled.
“Yeah, it’s over and done with. Finally.”
“Si, finalmente!” Gia said in Italian. “So, when are you gonna go hit that?” she asked with a nod in Cameron’s direction. Now Josh actually shoved at Gia’s shoulder. “What? It’s not like the boy isn’t wearing his heart on his sleeve, no matter how hard Cameron’s trying to ignore it.”
Chris turned wide, horrified eyes to Josh. “I thought you said it wasn’t obvious, Josh!” he said accusingly.
“Don’t get mad at Joshua, cara,” Gia said with a delighted grin. She’d just taken a stab in the dark but was thrilled to see she wasn’t wrong about Chris’ feelings toward their beautiful friend. The DiLorenzos just had a sixth sense about these romantic type things. “It’s not that obvious, truly. But I think you and Cam would be perfect together. I know she’s just your type, despite what you’ve just spent five years of your life on.”
“Gia, for Christ’s sake,” Josh all but wailed.
“Um, I’m really not ready for this conversation,” Chris said, despite the grin on his face. “I’m gonna go get a drink. Come with, Josh?”
“Yes, please, before Gia starts trying to hook me up with someone.”
“Don’t think I haven’t been working on it, Groban!” Gia called after them as they walked away. Josh and Chris exchanged an amused look.
It was almost three hours before Chris was finally able to extricate himself from the gaggle of women that kept surrounding him and walk over to the table where Cameron, inexplicably, sat alone. “Hey, you,” he said as he pulled up a chair and sat facing her.
“Hey,” Cam said softly.
“You okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Just thought I’d take a moment to do some people watching. My family is nothing if not fiercely entertaining.”
Chris laughed. “That’s putting it mildly.”
Cam grinned. “So, your groupies finally get tired of following you around or did you tell ‘em all to just fuck off?”
“Cam!” Chris said, slightly scandalized although he shouldn’t have been since Cameron was capable of saying much worse. “I just figured I’d come over and keep my best friend company.”
“You’re such a sweetie.” She reached over and patted his knee then left her hand there. He covered it with his own and they sat in companionable silence for a little while, both watching the shenanigans going on around them. A slow song came on and Chris gathered up his courage.
“Hey, Cam, would you like to dance?”
She smiled at him. “I was wondering how long it was going to take you to ask. I was about to ask you myself.”
Chris grinned. “Great minds think alike.” He stood and held his hand out to her. She took it and let him pull her up. Hand in hand they walked out to the dance floor and turned into each other’s arms. Thanks to her heels, she was able to put her chin on his shoulder; she sighed softly as she felt his right arm slip around her waist while his left hand wrapped around her right and brought their joined hands to rest on his chest. He leaned his head against hers and breathed in the soft scent of her perfume. Vanilla. She always favored a light vanilla scent. He would never again be able to smell vanilla and not think of her.
They danced beautifully together; they fit against each other perfectly. Many an eye was drawn to them as they danced and speculation began if perhaps Cameron’s newest best friend might not end up being the man in her life. After a few quiet moments, Chris said softly, “I can’t believe you knew it was finally over between me and Jess without my having to say anything to you. Do you really know me that well?”
Cam turned her head slightly so she could speak directly into his ear. “I know we haven’t spent that much time together over the past year due to our work obligations and what not, but what time I have spent with you has given me a chance to really learn who you are and what makes you tick, Chris. You’re a very easy person to get to know…and to love. You already mean as much to me as Josh and Gia do. I can’t imagine not having you in my life. That thing with Jessica was really bringing you down and I could see it whenever we were together and hear it whenever I talked to you over the phone. Tonight’s the happiest I’ve seen you since we met. I figured that meant you’d finally cut all ties. Like I told you before, I’m happy for you.”
They danced for a few moments before Chris spoke again. He tightened his hold on her waist and said, “Cam, now that I am free, maybe you and I could, you know, go out some time, have dinner, see a show…”
“Chris,” she interrupted, her voice gentle. “Why don’t you give yourself a chance to enjoy your newfound freedom? Don’t complicate your life so quickly.”
“Cam, you would definitely not be a complication.”
She sighed softly. “Have you met me, Christopher? How would having me as more than your best friend not be a complication? We don’t see each other anywhere near as often as we’d like. I’m never really around. I’m always off on some appearance or tour or recording session. You have a movie career that is up and coming. And you’re just coming off a five year relationship where it was kind of the same thing – you guys weren’t around each other as much as you would have liked. Why do that to yourself again?”
“This is you, Cam. It would be different with you.”
Cameron pulled back in his arms enough so she could look at his exquisite face. “Chris, please, don’t think I’m trying to blow you off in any way, shape or form. And don’t think that I’m ruling out any possibility of there one day being a ‘you and me.’ It’s just not the right time. We both have so much we want to do with our careers and our lives. We won’t have the proper amount of time to devote to each other. I refuse to have a relationship with someone that takes place almost entirely via phone, text, and Skype. When I’m with you, I want to be with you. Don’t you want the same?”
Chris gazed into her eyes. He completely understood what she was saying, he really did, but he couldn’t deny that he saw the same longing and desire in her eyes that he knew were in his. He closed his eyes for a moment then opened them to look back into hers. “I do. If I’m with you, I want you there as much as possible. You’re right. I need time. We both have things we want to accomplish. But, maybe somewhere down the road…” He sighed and gave her a rueful smile. “I hope I haven’t fucked up what is one of the best friendships I’ve ever had, Cam.”
She smiled and shook her head. “That would be next to impossible. I’ve got you, buddy, I’m keeping you. I need you and Josh like I need Jeremy and Lucas. We’ll always be in each other’s lives, we’ll always be best friends. But, down the road a ways…”
He held her a little tighter. “Someday?” he asked, hope alive in his beautiful blue eyes.
She pressed a soft kiss to his jaw. “Someday, Chris. I promise.”