AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We were two drinks deep and an hour and a half in when the high of the moment and the buzz of the drinks melted together and I just couldn’t stop looking at Cameron, thinking there could never exist a more beautiful person in the world, and she grinned at me when the current song ended, and she took my hand, tugging me towards the stage.
“C’mon, babe. I’m getting you to sing before the night’s out.”
“Oh—uh—I can’t sing,” I said, but I let her lead me. She laughed.
“You think I can? You think anyone up on that stage can sing? I said come with me.”
And one thing was right—I couldn’t sing. Neither could she. And that was the fun of it all, because the whole crowd full of people who couldn’t sing sang along with us too as the music filled the space and the buzz of the alcohol and the high I got from Cameron filled my head, and when she locked eyes with me towards the end of the song, I couldn’t look away. We’d barely finished the song, microphones still in our hands, before she stepped forward and kissed me, right there on the stage, and I didn’t give a damn about the world or anything other than me and her right now. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her back, quick but passionate, and I only heard the cheering from the crowd as a distant hum.
I landed at Cameron’s place that night, where I was finding I knew the layout of the place as if it were my own home. Cameron served up some food from her fridge, simple stuff just to make sure we weren’t waking up hungover the next morning, and we sat at her bar counter by the window with the view of the Miami Beach skyline glittering at night, laughing over silly little nothings, as we ate.
“Thanks for tonight,” she said, standing up and taking my hand, pulling me up out of my stool with her. “I had a lot of fun.”
The lights were all off except the small one over the stove, and the faint glow of the city lights through the window cast us in gentle shadows where it felt like we were hidden away, a world just for the two of us. A little secret. As if there was anything secret about this anymore. I stopped in front of her, my hand on her hip, just… looking at her. The faint bit of green in her eyes. I thought I’d never get bored of it, and I wanted to put that to the test. “Glad it wasn’t too lowbrow for you.”
“Fancy dresses start to get uncomfortable after a while. Even with good tailoring. And people at the opera frown upon jumping on the stage and kissing your girlfriend.”
I stopped, my heart jumping a beat at the world. I think Cameron only realized she’d said it when I paused, and she looked away, frustration lacing her features.
“Ah… slip of the tongue.”
“I mean, I’ve put it out there what I want.”
“So you have.” She looked at me with a brilliant smile, eyes gleaming in the light through the window. “Just for my sake? Just because I laid into you in my office that time?”
I looked out the window. “Mostly it was that you were right…”
“Comparing you to Kevin was uncalled for, though. I wasn’t in the best place, and I’d been making so many excuses for him…” She settled against me, lowering her head and resting her forehead against my lips. “I was just scared to admit you were right, too.”
I laughed lightly, trailing a hand up and down her back. “I admit it stung. But you were right about that, too. And I guess I just want to… try living openly. See where it gets me.”
She twirled one finger in my hair, lacing through my loose curls. “Sure you wouldn’t rather be in Vegas?”
I didn’t hesitate. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be than this.”
Even with her head ducked low, I saw a smile dance over her lips. “Even with the rain?”
“It can pour down. Some things are worth the rain.”
“Stop it,” she laughed, her voice thick, cupping her hand on my jaw. The soft, delicate intimacy of the moment made my heart pound, but that unspoken weight in her voice tugged at me. “It’s not really fair to make me feel this way.”
“I’ve never been one for playing fair…”
She laughed, pressing a gentle kiss on my shoulder. She sank deeper against me, and I held her close, breathing in the sweet, subtle scent of that perfume that had become my whole world. “Have to feed the cat, and all that.”
“Mm. Something like that.”
She sighed. “What am I supposed to do with you, London?”
I shrugged. “Go on dates with me to seaside restaurants, the opera, karaoke dive bars, and wherever else our hearts decide on?”
“Would if it were that simple. You know the problem.”
I squeezed her. “Then let’s face it together. If there’s anything I can do, I want to do it. If we can’t be together right now, then I can wait for you.”
“London…” Her voice was thicker now. I gave her a playful squeeze.
“You’ve ruined me, you know. Keep making me feel things I didn’t know I could feel. Even if I dated anyone else, I’d only ever be thinking of you… that’d hardly be fair to the other girl.”
