The Real(24)

Cameron would like to Facetime.

“Oh shit,” I screeched as I pulled my comforter up to cover myself. My finger hovered before I decided to hell with it and unlocked the screen to answer it. Cameron appeared in what looked like his kitchen.

“Hey, beautiful, how are you feeling?”

“Like shit,” I said truthfully. “I’m sorry I didn’t answer last night. Those pills knocked me out.”

He gave a sharp nod. “It’s fine. I was sure they would.”

I quickly ran my hands through my hair. I knew I must’ve looked like a mess. “I probably look terrible.”

“Not at all, you look comfortable,” he said as his eyes scoured me, making my heart dance.

“So, that’s your place?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m home. I was just about to head out to meet Max and school him on the court.”

“So, he’s no competition?”

I felt disgusting from sleeping so long. I needed a shower and a toothbrush. Still, I did my best to seem casual, though the invasion of his face while I lay in my bed had me a little hot under the sheets. The man was chiseled glory, and I couldn’t wait for my real first kiss. I was like a giddy teenager who got the call from the boy she’d been waiting for.

Except this was no boy. He was six-foot plus perfection.

“None. I ruin Max every time I win. I live to piss him off.”

“I want to meet him one day,” I said with a grin. “He’ll give me the dirt on you.”

“You’ll never meet him now,” he said playfully.

“Show me your place?” I asked, curious. I imagined Cameron’s home to be a real bachelor pad of a grown-up nature. He had impeccable taste in clothing, so I assumed he had the same taste in furnishings.

And I was right. He had a large, open floor plan condo with a distant view of the park, which meant he only lived blocks away. I’d never asked him specifically where he lived. But seeing was believing, and, somehow, it made him seem more real to me. To my surprise, his place was scarcely furnished, but what I did see was a mix of dark wood and leather. There were a few boxes scattered around.

“When did you move in?” I asked.

“Too long ago to still have packed boxes. I just wasn’t sure if I was staying here.”

“Really? Why?”

He shrugged. “I just wasn’t sure where I wanted to call home.”

“And now?”

One side of his mouth lifted. “Now, I’ve got an incentive to stick around.”

“You flatter me.”

“You fucking floor me.”

I sighed happily, no longer afraid to stretch in my bed as I snuggled deeper into the comfort of it and his words. He’d managed to touch me from the other side of the screen.

He nudged his chin toward me. “Show me your place. I want to see what you did to it.”

“I’m not decent. I feel gross, I need a shower, and I’m too lazy at the moment.”

He perked up. “You know we can continue Facetime while you’re in the shower. It wouldn’t bother me.”

I laughed and then winced.

He stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. “Maybe when you’re feeling better.”

“You make me feel better.”

His smile lit up my closed curtain bedroom.

“Thanks for yesterday. I haven’t had anyone but Bree and my mother look out for me in a while.”

“I didn’t do anything,” he dismissed.

I wanted to reach through the screen. I was itching to run my fingers through his mussed up, dark locks. He was wearing a hoodie, and I hated I couldn’t see more.

“You were there for me, and you gave a damn. That’s more than enough. I’ll return the favor sometime.”

Something dark crossed his features as he spoke. “It’s such a basic thing, isn’t it? Just wanting someone to be there through the growing pains. So many people have it and take it for granted.”

I wanted to ask how long he’d been single, to ask what he’d been through that put that hint of sadness in his eyes. But asking meant telling.

“We won’t take it for granted,” I assured.

“No, we won’t,” he agreed.

It was surreal talking to him, seeing him in his element. I was sure he was thinking the same thing.

“I’ll let you get to the court.”

“I’d much rather be hanging out with you,” he assured. “I’ll call you tonight?”

I nodded. “Please.”





Snow crested on the wind like clumps of airy cotton as I made my way toward the café. My smile widened as the ground crunched beneath me. Chicago weather could be brutal. Case and point, it wasn’t even a month into fall and Old Man Winter had already shown up to the party. But on rare days when the cold didn’t have too harsh of a bite and the snow came down on the city like a soft blanket . . . well, I loved those days.

Excitement thrummed through my every limb at the thought of what was to come. Warmth spread as I got closer to the café, to Cameron. I hadn’t seen him in over a week due to our conflicting schedules.

Over the weekend, I’d traveled for an interview for a job based in Milwaukee that would start after my contract at Preston Corp ended. The commission was the only reason I hadn’t passed on the job, but I’d made it a point to find something with limited travel. Because, for the first time in what felt like forever, I had someone else to share my time with, and I didn’t want to miss a minute.