Page 9

Chapter Eight

Cameron

Being in love with your straight best friend really fucking blows.

“Remind me why I’m here again,” I mutter as we walk up the front steps to the restaurant where we’re meeting Austen’s and Savannah’s family.

“Because you’re my best friend and you love me.” More than you know. “And you’re the best man, so you need to know the plan.”

“I trust you to tell me the plan.”

He frowns at me as he pulls the door open.

“Please don’t make me do this alone. You know Savannah’s family doesn’t like me.”

“Which is just another reason not to marry her.” His frown deepens and I see the hurt in his eyes. “Sorry,” I apologize. “That was mean.”

He’s aware I don’t agree with his marriage to Savannah. It has nothing to do with my secret feelings and everything to do with her not being right for him. If he can’t be with me, he should at least be with someone who is good for him, and especially good to him. She is neither. Never has been. Honestly, I don’t know what he sees in her at all. I can’t even say it’s her good looks and willingness to fuck, because he’s not into that shit.

I step inside and he walks in after me, making his way to the podium to give the hostess his name so she can lead us to where the rest of the party is.

Everyone else is already here, it seems, and there is only one open chair, right beside Savannah.

“You didn’t tell them I was coming,” I growl from the corner of my mouth as everyone around the table stares at me like I’ve got an arm sprouting from the top of my head.

“Uh, no…” he says sheepishly, giving a little shrug.

“I really hate you sometimes.”

“Cameron, I didn’t know you’d be here,” Austen’s mother says, carefully running her fingers over her hair to make sure it’s still in place. There’s enough product in it that it would withstand a nuclear bomb.

“Surprise,” I say with a wide grin, ignoring the scowl his father is throwing my way.

They don’t like me because they think my family is trashy and I’m only friends with Austen for charity. That I refuse everything he gives me isn’t proof enough that I’m not. But they’re one of those people that will never be satisfied no matter what, so I try to ignore them. Had I known they didn’t know I would be here, I wouldn’t have come. It’s best if they have ample time to process beforehand. They don’t do surprises, especially in the form of me.

“Why are you here, Cameron?” Savannah asks, batting her lashes as Austen sits down beside her.

“He’s the best man, babe. He should know the plans for the wedding.”

“And you could have relayed them.”

I said the same thing.

I want to say it out loud to give Austen shit, but I don’t want anyone to know that Savannah and I have anything in common, even if it’s something as simple as an obvious thought.

“Excuse me, can we have another chair and table setting brought, please?” Austen says to a waiter as they walk by.

“Certainly, sir.”

A few moments later, I’m shoved at the corner of the table between Savannah and her father, who is sitting at the head of the table. Austen is on her side, while his father is at the other head.

The waiter returns, taking our drink and food orders with a promise to be back shortly.

“Cameron, will you be paying for yourself this evening, or is my son covering it for you?” Austen’s mother asks in that hoity-toity tone of hers.

Kill me now.

“Never again, Austen. Never fucking again,” I grumble as I slam the car door closed.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “It’s not my fault they’re like that.”

“I know that,” I huff. “But they aren’t my family. I don’t have to deal with them.”

He puts his hand on my thigh. “But it’s so much easier when you’re there.”

I stare down at where he’s touching me, wishing it meant more than it does. I shift and he pulls his hand away as I thank my dick for not responding.

“Just get me home.”

I close my eyes and rest my head back for the duration of the ride. I must fall asleep because before I know it, the car is stopped and Austen is shaking me awake. When I open my eyes, I’m met with his blue ones, filled with apology.

“Sorry,” I mutter, running a hand down my face. “I didn’t mean to pass out on you.”

“Don’t be,” he answers. “I get it.”

“Yeah, but I shouldn’t make you feel worse about all of it. It’s just me.” It falls silent for a moment, and I can’t help but cave. I hate to see him upset, and even worse, I hate to be the reason for it. So, I say, “You wanna come up for a bit? We can watch a movie or something.”

“It’s late,” he says. I glance at the clock.

“Shit, you’re right. Didn’t realize the time. I’ll see you later?”

He nods as I push open the door and get out. I’m halfway up the steps to my building when he calls my name. I turn to face him.

“Change of plan. Wait for me!”

I huff out a laugh, shaking my head as I watch him pull off to find a parking spot. He jogs over to me a moment later, giving me a what can I say? smile and shrug. I throw my arm around his shoulder, shaking him as we head inside and make our way up to my room—that I thankfully have to myself.

The person I was rooming with dropped out a week in and they haven’t needed to fill it yet. Not mad about this one bit. I like the privacy.

“What are we going to watch?” Austen asks, making himself comfortable as I lock the door and toss my wallet and phone onto the nightstand by my twin-sized bed that isn’t made.

“Indiana Jones.”

He frowns. “Are you serious?”

“Well, I was , but not after that look.” I shove him out of the way and look down at my stack of DVDs. The Wi-Fi here sucks, and I don’t have money to afford a streaming subscription. Austen said he’d let me use his log in, but I’m not a charity case so I won’t take it. Especially after Savannah made a snarky comment about why I have my own profile on the account, as if it matters. I have my own because we watch TV together enough—well, we used to in high school—and I always felt bad for screwing up his things you may like section when I watch stuff he doesn’t.

Like Indiana Jones.

“Oh, this one,” I say with a laugh, pulling it from the very bottom and showing it to him. He barks out a laugh.

“I can’t believe you still have that.”

“Of course I still have it. It’s only my favorite.”

“You get that started, I’m ordering pizza,” he answers with an eye roll.

“We just got back from dinner…”

He narrows his eyes at me, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Don’t act like that salad and miniscule serving of steak tips and carrots filled you up.”

I don’t give him an answer because I don’t want to sound ungrateful. So I just let him order pizza while I pull the Mighty Ducks disc out of its case.

We’ve watched this movie a hundred times, mostly when we were kids. Though I’m not much of a sports guy, it is a good movie—and was always a favorite. Haven’t seen it in a few years now, which is the perfect reason to watch it.

The pizza takes way too long to get here, and I’m already falling asleep when they call to say they’re outside. I offer to run down to get it to wake up a bit.

Austen and I get comfortable on my bed, both sitting against the wall, so close our legs touch. I put the pizza box down in front of us and he presses play.

He glances at me, his smile both sexy and endearing. It’s not hard to see why everyone loves him. Not with a smile like that. Not with a heart like that. But it’s not his grin that makes my insides feel like molten lava. It’s the way he’s looking at me.

“What?” I ask, pulling open the lid of the pizza. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just miss this, is all,” he says, leaning forward to grab a slice. The motion makes his dirty blond hair rustle just the slightest.

My chest warms. “Yeah, me too.”

Emilio Estevez’s voice echoes in the room, but it’s white noise. I offer him a genuine smile of my own, and then he speaks.

“Why did we have to grow up?” he asks, letting out a sigh.

I want to tell him that things don’t have to change just because we grew up, that’s just what he chose to do. But I don’t want to make my best friend feel bad for his life choices. They’re his and he can do what he wants. It just sucks that they don’t really include me. But I’ll be here in any way he’ll have me, because I can’t imagine living a life without him.