Page 10 of Hitched at Randy’s (Diner Days)
Ten
Evan
C am is acting off. I’m not sure if it’s my family dinner that has him worried or something else. There are plenty of somethings to choose from. The way he moaned and humped my leg last night is at the top of the list. I regretted waking him up, but if I’d let it go on any longer, I’d have had an obvious problem of my own. Or maybe it’s how easy it was to pretend we were a happily married couple last night around his friends. It barely felt like we were faking it at all. The whole thing felt almost too easy until Vi called.
I glance at my phone but the messages I sent are still left on read.
Vi
Can we talk?
Me: Please, just let me explain.
Part of me isn’t even sure why I’m trying. Vi’s words of how she was gonna break up with me anyway felt like words said in anger to hurt me. I don’t think I’m trying to save the relationship, but I still want to tell her what really happened and clear the air. We owe each other that much.
At least with Vi calling the whole thing off, I don’t have to feel as guilty about Cam. We didn’t really cross the line, not yet, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about it. I’ve come close to kissing him a couple of times. There was just always something holding me back. That little voice in the back of my head that it wouldn’t be right. The niggling guilt that even though Vi ran off to take a job and called off the wedding, she hadn’t called off the relationship. I know Cam and I kissed when we got married. The recording showed the sloppy, drunken press of lips, but that doesn’t really count. Kissing Cam when both of us are sober feels like something more permanent, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that.
“So, what’s the plan?” Cam asks, flopping onto the couch beside me. He’s fresh out of the shower, and I can’t help but track a water droplet with my eyes as it dips below the collar of his shirt. Cam definitely isn’t the only one of us with pent up sexual tension. I’m almost glad he was humping my leg first. The last couple of nights waking up in his arms have been torture.
“We play it by ear?” I ask. “We don’t actually know if my parents saw the picture. They might just think I’m here to visit.”
“Okay, and worst-case scenario? What if they saw the picture?”
I’m tempted to go with Cam’s idea from the night before. Would it be terrible to pretend we aren’t headed to a divorce? “We tell the truth? It was a drunken spur of the moment thing …” I trail off, not sure what else to say. It’s hard to focus when Cam is looking at me with the barest hint of a smile as he watches me talk.
“Alright, sounds good. We should probably head out soon. Wouldn’t want to be late.” His hand fiddles with his keys in his pocket, and I fight the urge to place my hand on top of his.
“Right,” I say, shaking off the thought. I need to focus on getting through dinner with my parents, not my attraction to Cam. I follow him out to his car, climbing into the passenger seat. I don’t have to give him directions. Cam drives there without missing a turn, and it feels like it hasn’t been over ten years since we met up almost daily in high school. It’s almost easy to fall back into my old friendship with Cam, but it also feels like something more.
“Come on,” Cam says when he stops the car in front of my parents’ house. I take a deep breath, and open the door.
“Evan, Cam, it’s great to see you two,” Mom says, pulling me in for a hug before doing the same to Cam. “I wish you would have told us sooner. I could’ve gotten the guest room ready for you.”
“It’s fine, I’m staying with Cam,” the words blurt out of my mouth before I can overthink it. Would I rather be in a guest room at my parents’ or snuggled into Cam’s bed? It’s an easy choice.
“Oh, right. Well, Cam, I thank you for putting up with my son. I hope he’s not too much trouble.”
“Oh, no trouble at all, Mrs. Moore,” he tells her with a smile.
“Cam, please call me Tanya,” Mom tells him. “There’s no need for such formalities.”
Does it mean something that Cam doesn’t jump at the chance to get me out of his bed? No, focus, Evan. “Is Ashley here?” I ask. It’s better to ask now than have her popping out of the woodwork later.
“No, she had other plans,” Mom says with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Oh, but your brother should be coming.”
I’m not sure that’s any better. Patrick is more likely to have seen the picture than Mom and Dad, and I don’t know that he’ll keep his mouth shut. Cam looks at me, giving me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. We follow Mom to the living room, where Dad is sitting in his chair watching TV with a beer in his hand. Some things never change. “Boys,” he says with a nod in our direction. “Join me. Your mom is just finishing up dinner.”
We sit side by side on the couch, and Mom disappears into the kitchen. “Who’s playing?” I ask, looking at the basketball game on the screen.
The front door opens again as Dad answers and in walks my little brother. Patrick was a surprise baby several years younger than Ashley. He just turned twenty and still lives at home with the parents. There’s twelve years between us, and with that big of a gap we’ve never fully seen eye to eye. “Hey Cam, Evan, Dad,” he says our names with a nod as he walks through the living room.
“Patrick, we’re just about to have dinner,” Dad calls out.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” he calls back as he disappears into his room.
Dad mutters something under his breath that sounds like that boy, as he shakes his head and takes a sip of his beer. Mom calls out from the kitchen, letting us know that dinner is ready, and we all gather around the table. Cam sits next to me on one side and Dad on my other, at the head of the table. Patrick waits until we’re all seated to ask, “So, what happened with you and Viola? Is the wedding off?”
Mom gives him a disapproving look, but Dad looks at me like he’s curious about the answer too.
“Uh, it’s off for now,” I answer, then I feel Cam’s hand on my leg under the table. “Vi got a role she couldn’t pass up, so we postponed the wedding.” I can’t bring myself to tell them that she broke up with me over the phone when she found out I married Cam.
“How about you Cam? Are you seeing anyone?” Mom tries to relieve the tension by turning her attention to Cam, but his hand tightens on my leg.
“Nope,” Cam says. “Afraid not, I haven’t been on any dates in a while.”
Dad helps himself to some pasta, loading it up on his plate before passing it my way. “No rush,” he says. “You’re still young. There will be plenty of time for marriage and kids.” His blunt words seem meant for me more than Cam, but it’s almost ironic considering our current issue.
“What brings you home? I love seeing you, of course, but it seems rather sudden,” Mom says.
“You know, with Vi gone, I didn’t want to be alone all summer.”
“You ever think about moving back?” Dad asks. “You could just as easily teach at a school here.”
If he’d asked me that a week ago, I would’ve had an issue answering, but now everything is all muddled. I stay quiet, wondering if maybe it’s not a terrible idea. Vi wants me out, and I do miss being closer to my family and Cam. “I don’t know,” I answer.
“Don’t pressure him, Brad,” Mom says.
“How is your garden doing this year?” Cam asks, changing the topic to a safer one as Mom takes the opportunity to talk about the vegetable garden. I place my hand on top of Cam’s and squeeze it. From the way he smiles at me, I can tell he gets the message. The rest of the meal passes smoothly, and there’s no more talk about weddings or anything to make think they know about Cam and me. It almost feels too easy to omit those pesky details.
“Well, it’s been great having you boys,” Dad says, taking his spot in front of the TV again with the meal finished.
“You too, old man.” I lean in to give him a quick hug, but Dad’s arm tightens around me as he holds me there.
“You know, I heard something from your sister. You and Cam wouldn’t have something to tell us, would you?” He pitches his voice lower to keep from being overheard.
“That’s, uh, complicated,” I answer. “We’re working on getting it all figured out.”
“Well, don’t overthink it. Sometimes the best things in life start out as happy mistakes.” He gives me a wink as we break the hug, and I pull away. Cam is busy saying goodbye to my mom, but I’m busy double thinking everything. Would it be absolutely crazy to consider moving here and staying married to Cam? Would Cam even want that?