Precious Consequences(51)

Hannah rolls her eyes. “Are you f*cking kidding me? I hear about yours almost every night. It’s a good thing mom and dad aren’t at home that often, otherwise they’d think you’ve turned our house into a brothel. And for the love of my eardrums, stop screwing girls who scream like banshees or at least stuff a sock in their mouths. I can’t handle the sound of cats being strangled any longer.”

Noah stares at his sister, shocked. Cameron and I laugh at Hannah’s crass statement, not only because of Noah’s face, but also because it’s probably true.

“I’m not that bad,” Noah grumbles.

Hannah snorts. “No, you’re worse.”

For the first time since I met them, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them act this harshly towards one another. Something tells me there’s more to it than what they’re letting on and I resolve to find out from Hannah exactly what it is. But that can wait for now. We have a victory to celebrate.

I turn to look at Cam, smiling when I see his eyes have never left me. “Congratulations on your win, Cam. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you, buttercup.” His new nickname for me always makes me sigh. It’s corny, but it’s grown on me in the last few weeks. In fact, Cameron has grown on me. We’ve been inseparable for the most part, and he spends a little more time over at my grandmother’s house than I do at his. But he never complains. I made it clear that I didn’t want to do anything that would upset Ari’s routine, and me sleeping over at Cameron’s house would definitely do that.

“Okay, kids,” Taylor says, stepping up to our table. Her smile wavers when she sees Noah. He always makes her uncomfortable, and I don’t blame her. He’s a shameless flirt and can even charm the pants off a mannequin if he tried hard enough. Something about the way he looks at Taylor even makes me a little uncomfortable, like he’s eyeing his prey. “What can I get you?”

“Burger and fries, right here,” Cameron replies, rubbing his stomach.

“Same here,” Noah adds. “But with a side of you, sexy.”

Taylor rolls her eyes. I’m sure she’s been hit on by customers before, so it can’t be new to her. She turns her gaze to me and smiles expectantly.

“Uh, I’ll just have a plate of fries, please.”

“Me too,” Hannah pipes up.

Taylor grabs our menus and walks straight into the kitchen to place our orders. When she’s out of sight, I glower at Noah.

“What?” he asks, shrugging his shoulders.

“You’re a pig, that’s what,” Hannah snaps.

“Cam, c’mon, some help would be nice.” Noah looks at Cameron, his eyes pleading.

“Don’t look at me,” Cameron says, lifting his hands in defeat. “You’re on your own.”

Noah mutters, “Asshole,” under his breath and Hannah kicks him under the table, hard enough to make it rattle.

The mood has taken a turn for the worse and I’m even more anxious to know what happened between Hannah and her brother. Luckily, our food arrives, and before any more insults can be hurled across the table, we dig in.

“So,” Hannah says, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “I was thinking it would be awesome if we all did Christmas together this year.”

The idea thrills me and I immediately perk up. “I think that’s a great idea. I would love a big Christmas. We can do ‘Secret Santa’.” I clap my hands excitedly and hear Cameron chuckle next to me.

“We can do it at our house,” he suggests. “Mom will love it.”

“Can we invite Taylor and Macy?” I ask. “I don’t think they have anyone to spend it with, and I’d hate for them to be alone.”

Cameron just smiles and leans over to kiss my nose. “Of course, Angel. Anything you want.”

I grin happily, probably looking like a total goof ball, and finish my fries. After we’re all done, Cameron pays the bill, much to my annoyance because he never lets me pay, and we make our way outside.

“I’ll see you in a little bit,” Cameron says, walking me to my car.

I smile up at him. “Okay, but don’t stay away too long. This weather calls for some major snuggle time.”

He gives me a kiss and I fight my body’s natural desire to deepen it, prolong it. It’s always like that with us, a little bit is never enough. I watch him walk to his truck and climb in, saying his goodbyes to Hannah and Noah on his way out of the parking lot.

Hannah walks over to me and I notice that her eyes are wet, glistening with tears.

“Hey, are you okay, girly?” I ask. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen her so upset and it bothers me. Hannah is usually so strong and so outspoken. But now, she just looks defeated and hurt.

“Yeah,” she sniffles and wipes her nose with the back of her hand. “I’m just going to go home and crawl into bed with a book, I think.”

“Han, what happened between you and Noah? You guys have never been so nasty towards each other before.”

She shakes her head. “We had a fight earlier, at the swim meet, but I’ll tell you about it another time. Maybe we can do coffee tomorrow? Plan our Christmas day and all that?”

“Of course.” I hug her and she squeezes me a little harder than usual. “Call me tomorrow morning.”