Fuck!

In less than an hour, my whole life had gone to shit. Fucking Sara! Oh how I wish I had never met her. I was currently tossing everything into my duffle bag and praying I wasn’t too late to catch up to Cami. She wouldn’t really take the bus home, would she? Fuck!

My eyes darted around the lobby in search of my girl. My chest tightened when I realized I couldn’t keep thinking about her like that. She wasn't mine. She never was, but she could’ve been. Shit, I knew she wanted to be mine. I crushed her when I turned her down last night.

Now I may never get the chance again.

“Are you okay?”

I glanced up to find Coy staring at me, his concern was obvious. “What the hell happened?”

I shook my head. “I just need to find Cami,” I panted, feeling more desperate than ever.

“I saw her,” Coy replied, nodding his head toward the door where Jesse stood. “There she is.”

Just then Jesse turned to reveal Cami, her face streaked with tears. Jesse didn’t look too happy with me either. I turned in my keycards and checked out of the hotel, only to find that Cami had left. I rushed toward the doors, seeing that Jesse was waiting for me. “Just let her go, man,” he advised as I brushed past him.

“Stay out of it,” I shot back, not even stopping.

Jesse gripped my bicep, yanking me back towards him. I shoved his chest, Coy jumping between us shortly after. “What are you doing?” Coy grumbled at both of us.

“I can’t just let her go without explaining what happened,” I told them. “And if I don’t catch up to her, she’s gonna take the bus home. Do you want that?”

Coy and Jesse looked at each other, emotions conveyed through their eyes. Jesse sighed and reached for my hand. “I truly hope she’s wrong about what she saw and you guys work things out.”

I shook hands with each of them, muttering a quick thank you before rushing out to the valet stand. I passed the young man my ticket as I saw Cami at the curb. As a car pulled up and she opened the rear passenger door, I leaned in the front passenger window and spoke to the driver. She scowled at me when I shut the door and sent the driver away.

“Why the hell did you do that?”

I produced her wallet from my back pocket and smirked. “I just told the Uber driver that you had no money. It’s not my fault he left.”

She reached for her wallet, that I was now holding high over her head. “Give me that!” she demanded, getting up on her tiptoes to stretch over my head. With her breasts crushed to my chest, I could barely think straight. 

I wrapped an arm around her waist and held her tightly against me. “You want this?”

She lowered her gaze, peering into my eyes and most likely realizing that my question wasn’t entirely innocent. Suddenly flustered by my close proximity, Cami shoved my chest and stalked off with her luggage rolling behind her. My car appeared just then, so I rushed up behind her, snatching up her luggage as the valet handed me my keys. “Let’s go,” I directed.

Cami stood there glaring as I placed her bag in the trunk and then rounded the car to open the door for her. “Time to hit the road, doll.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“I’m sorry, Cami. Can we please go now?”

She huffed once and held her hand out for her wallet before finally getting in the car with me. When I got in the driver’s seat, she pouted out the window and I decided then to leave her alone until she was really ready to listen to me.

I just hoped she could forgive me.

A few hours later, we were cruising along. Cami had fallen asleep leaning against the window. I reached for her, fully expecting her to smack me for waking her up. But she stayed asleep, so I eased her down beside me, gently pushing a hoodie under her head for a pillow. I listened to her little sighs and puffs of air as she slept. Absently my hand drifted to her hair, fingers sifting through her waves and massaging her scalp. 

We were nearly an hour from home and I was considering a pit stop when Cami began to stir. She was breathing heavily, rolling around a bit when she finally sat up and screamed, “Stop!”

I pulled the car over, easing into a parking space at the rest stop. Cami threw her arms around my neck, burying her face in my chest. I could feel her heart pounding as I pushed my seat back and pulled her across my lap. I cuddled her close to me, afraid to speak first because I had a feeling that once her fear subsided and she heard my voice, she would remember that she hated me.

I could tell by the way her shoulders shook, she was crying quietly. I wanted her to confide in me, but that required trust and I had ruined that.

“I’m sorry,” Cami whispered, lifting her head slowly.

I pushed the hair away from her face, my hand lingering on her cheek. “You’ve got a pretty good sized goose egg on the back of your head. Are you sure I shouldn’t be taking you to the hospital?” I asked gently.

Cami pulled my hand from her face and held it in between her hands for a moment. “I’m fine,” she replied stiffly.

When she climbed out of my lap, there was nothing I could do but let her. I leaned over and pushed up her short sleeve, revealing a handprint bruise that wrapped all the way around. “These bruises on your arms say otherwise.”

Cami shrugged and glanced away. “It’s nothing you need to worry about, Chance.” I tried to hide my smile when she said my name. “I took care of him.”

I furrowed my brow in confusion. “Him who? Tell me who did this.”

“It doesn't matter,” she sighed. She looked up at the building and turned to me. “Are we stopping here for a bit? Can I go in?”

“Of course,” I told her, forcing a smile. I reached for her hand as she exited the car and she looked back at me. “You know you can trust me, right? You can tell me anything.”

Cami gave me a pointed look and then she scowled. “No, Chance. I used to be able to trust you...but not now.”

I let her go and she walked away from me. I wanted to scream, because this was all my fault. I had no one else to blame.

When she exited the restroom a short while later, she approached me as I stood in front of the coffee vending machine. “Tired?” she asked as she walked behind me. 

“We got another hour to go. I just wanna keep my energy up.”

I watched as she perused the other snack machines and made her choice. We climbed back into my car and started off toward the highway. Cami was quiet for a while, sipping her sports drink and munching on the bag of almonds she bought. “It was Greg,” she announced quietly, breaking the silence between us.

I listened as she explained how Greg had grabbed her and shoved her into the laundry room. She stared down at her hands while she talked and I was nothing short of grateful that she was finally opening up to me. “He is still pissed that I got him fired. But I was just trying to save myself. He was squeezing my throat so hard I thought I’d pass out.”

I gripped the steering tightly and focused on the road in front of me. I shook my head when I thought about how differently it could have ended.  Suddenly a disgusting thought entered my mind. Maybe it was the way Cami had clung to me after her dream or maybe it was because of how hard she was shaking, but either way, I had to know.

“I know he hurt you, but did he…” I could barely make myself say the words. “Did he force you to...you know?”

Cami glanced in my direction and for a moment I saw the care and softness in her eyes like from before. For a moment, it was like I hadn't screwed this whole thing up. “No, he didn’t,” she finally said. “I got him to let up on squeezing my throat by lying and saying I’d give him another chance.”

I nearly choked when she said that. “He believed it?”

“Yeah,” she chuckled. “So when he leaned in to kiss me, I headbutted his nose. I think I broke it.” Cami smiled, wrapping her arms around herself.

I nodded and sighed deeply, still angry that Greg had the nerve to come after her again. “Maybe you should call the police when we get home or at least get a restraining order against him? I don’t like how obsessed this guy is with you.”

“I’m fine now,” she replied quickly with a sweet smile that quickly fell away when she reached over and touched my forearm softly. When she pulled away, I captured her hand in mine, lacing our fingers together.

“I mean it, baby. You can’t let this guy get away with it. He could’ve killed you.”

“Believe me. I got the last word in. When he was bent over bitching about his nose, I gave him a knee to the balls.”

“Seriously?” I scoffed. She nodded and beamed, obviously proud of herself. Cami pulled her hand from mine and gazed out the window wistfully. 

We pulled onto the off ramp that led us home and as we paused to merge, I reached for the back of her neck. I pulled her face close to mine. “I’m so fucking proud of you. Do you have any idea how amazing you are?”

“Chance,” she sighed, her lips just a whisper away from mine.

The car behind me honked and Cami leaned away. “Can I explain to you now what happened with Sara? Please?”

“You don’t have to,” Cami replied quickly. “We aren’t a couple, so you don’t owe me anything.”

I gripped the steering wheel tightly again and growled. “I know I never said the word, but dammit, Cami. You know you’re my girl, right?”

“It didn’t seem like that when Sara was sucking your dick.”

Her words hung in the air for a moment until she whimpered, “Why? Why didn’t you want me like that? I would’ve done anything you wanted.”

“I didn’t want her at all!”

“Yeah right. She was all over you, you were holding her arms and she had her head buried in your lap. What the fuck am I supposed to think?”

We pulled into the parking lot of our apartment building and I faced her. “I know that looked bad, but I fucking swear to you that she didn't do anything. I didn’t let her touch me. She put her head in my lap and begged me but I shoved her away.”

Cami narrowed her eyes and cocked her head at me. “You had this look on your face. One that I had never seen before and I guess I just wondered if that's the face you make when you’re turned on.”

I scoffed and pulled her close to me. “That was me being pissed off and fed up with someone who continues to hit on me when I have repeatedly told her I am not interested.”

"And you've seen the face I make when I'm turned on." I gripped her hip and leaned my body toward hers. "It's the face I made last night in the hot tub when I watched you come on my fingers. It's the face I made when I saw you in that dress you wore on our date. It's the face I made the first time you were naked in front of me."

I hooked my fingers behind her knee, pulling her body over mine so she could straddle me. I wrapped my hands around her narrow waist, gazing up at her with desire. "It's the face I made when I watched you make yourself come in the shower at the gym. It's the face I made on your first day of work and I saw you in that dress."
 
"Fuck, Cami. I know I never said it, but I was always turned on by you. And I can't just let you go over one misunderstanding. I have to find a way to fix this."

Cami sighed and nodded, her eyes showing me it wasn't easy for her to keep her distance from me. I slipped my thumbs under her t-shirt and rubbed them over the bare skin on her ribs. "Give me another chance, baby. Let me convince you that you are the one I've always wanted."

I held my breath when Cami held my jaw in her hands and lowered her forehead to touch mine. "I just wish I could get that image out of my head. I think...I think I just need time."

Before I could say another word, my car door jerked open and there stood Shayne. "Hey, guys!"

I groaned when Cami climbed off of me and gave our roommate an excited hug. Shayne shot me a regretful look when I glared at her, but the damage was done. The moment was over.

By the time I cleaned the trash out of my car and carried all our luggage upstairs, Shayne and Cami were huddled on the couch with a bottle of wine. I tried not to notice when all conversation ceased the moment I entered the apartment. "I'll put your bag in your room, Cami," I called out as I walked down the hall.

I let Cami have her moment to vent about me to Shayne, but this wasn't over. I wasn't giving up on us just yet. I needed more time with her to make her see that we were good together and we had something we could build on. I wasn't letting her go.

After making a few phone calls and taking a hot shower, I walked through the living room in nothing but a pair of sweatpants. I grabbed myself a beer and joined the girls on the couch. "Having fun talking about me?" I teased them.

They giggled. Of course they did because they had started on a second bottle of wine. Shayne kept glancing at me until I finally said, "Is there something you wanted to ask me?"

She shook her head. "I don't understand how you turned Cami down but you let your boss suck your dick."

I took a big swig of my beer and let my head fall back on the cushions. "I'm sure you're enjoying this, Shayne. But as I explained to Cami, I didn't do anything wrong."

"I just don't know how you can work for someone like that," Shayne sighed, pouring herself a little more wine. 

"I don't."

"Don't what?" Cami asked.

I cocked my head at her and shrugged. "I don't work for Sara anymore."

"She fired you?" Shayne gasped. 

"I quit."

Cami blinked at me. "I'm so sorry, Chance. I didn't know."

"Well Shayne is right. I can't work for someone who treats me like that. And I also took your advice, Cami."

She shook her head in confusion. "What advice?"

"I contacted the security office and asked for the footage from the conference room we were in."

Her eyes were as big as saucers. "Why would you do that?"

I turned my body in her direction and looked her directly in the eye. "I wanted to have proof about what happened in case she tries to pull some shit later. But that wasn't the only reason."

"What was the other reason?"

I scrubbed my hand over my face and handed her my phone. "I know you don't believe I rejected her, so here's the proof. They emailed me the footage."

She looked down at my phone and then up at me. "I don't know what to say."

I shrugged.  "Don't say anything. Just watch it. There's no audio but you can clearly see what happened."

"Chance," Cami sighed. "This is totally not necessary."

"But it is," I argued. "You don't trust me now, because of what you saw. If this helps you trust me again, then I want you to watch it."

Cami held my phone for another few moments before handing it back to me. I gave her a confused look as she stood up and walked in front of me with her wine glass in hand. "I don't need to watch it."

I grabbed her hand and pleaded. "Why are you so sure I'm gulity?"

She smiled and shook her head. "That's not why I'm not watching it."

"Then why not?"

"Because I just realized I believe you. I don't need any proof."

I watched as she walked away from me, but somehow didn't feel any better about my future with Cami.

….

"Can't sleep?"

I glanced over at Cami as she stood at the sliding glass door. I was stretched out on the chaise lounge on the balcony, still drinking a beer. "I haven't been to bed yet."

Cami nodded and sauntered over to the railing before turning to face me. She had on a tank top and pajama pants, with a little sliver of skin on her stomach showing. Fuck. It felt like she was teasing me with what I couldn't have. I watched her eyes scan over my bare chest and all I wanted was to feel her body against mine.

"You just don't usually stay up this late," she observed softly as she moved to sit near my feet.

"I don't have a job to get ready for so what the hell, right?" I raised my beer and forced a tight smile.

We sat in silence for a few moments before I finally said, "I guess I'm wallowing in self-pity tonight."

Her eyes roamed my face and her concern was evident. "Why?"

Bitterly I replied, "Because 24 hours ago, I had everything I ever wanted. And now it's gone."

"I'm sorry about your job. I know you loved it."

"I wasn't talking about my job."

Cami sighed and stood, my heart sinking when I realized she was about to walk away from me once more. When she climbed onto the chaise with me, nestling on her side with her ear pressed to my chest, I felt like I could finally breathe again. 

"I couldn't sleep without you," she whispered, tickling my chest with her warm breath.

I kept my hands off of her, feeling completely uncertain about what to do. She wrapped her arms around my waist and held me so tightly, I was afraid to move.

"What happened this morning...what I thought I saw. I didn't like the way it made me feel," she admitted.

"I hate that. I never wanted you to feel that way."

"It scared me, Chance. The ache in my heart when I thought you had rejected me for her. That you wanted her and not me. I can't even describe it."

"It's the same way I feel when I see you talking to any other man. Pure jealousy."

"I felt like my heart was breaking. And I don't know why. We aren't dating. And you're not my boyfriend. But I couldn't stand it."

"I don't know how else to reassure you. I only want you," I murmured into her hair, finally closing my arms around her and pulling her close. She felt perfect there snuggled against me. It was the only place I wanted her to be. Suddenly I released a deep breath because everything felt right again.

But then she said…

 "Maybe we should see other people."

.....

A/N: 😬😬😬 agree with Cami? Or is she crazy? Does Chance deserve another chance?? Was Cami nuts not to watch the footage? Would you have watched it?

Lots of love to everyone of you who reads this, even if you never comment, I appreciate you so much!