Page 8 of Hitched at Randy’s (Diner Days)
Eight
Evan
“ W hat have you been up to?” I ask Ash, trying to change the subject.
“Oh, you know, just rescheduling my travel plans since someone canceled their wedding. Was this really the plan all along? Have you two secretly been dating and decided to run off to Vegas for a quick wedding?” she jokes.
Cam balls up his napkin and tosses it at Ash. “You know it’s nothing like that,” he tells her.
I guess it’s not a completely outlandish theory. After all, Cam and I have always been close.
“We’re meeting up with a lawyer to figure out this thing,” I say, pushing around the food on my plate with my fork.
“Is that really what you want?” Ash asks, focusing her gaze on me. “If you really wanted to marry Viola, why was the wedding called off?”
“You know why, she got a part in a play.” The words leave my mouth feeling almost shallow. I don’t want to admit she has a point. Vi would rather leave and take a job than stay and get married to me. No one has to say it because I’m already thinking it. I can tell from the smug look on Ash’s face that she isn’t buying it.
“All we came to talk about was to see who else knows,” Cam says, taking a drink of his coffee.
“I don’t know,” Ash says. “But if Mom finds out you came home and didn’t come to see her right away, then we’ll both be in trouble. If you want to see who knows, you’re better off asking them yourself.” She spears a big piece of her pancakes, loading it on her fork and raising it to her mouth. She’s probably right. I need to see Mom.
“Well, thanks,” I say, jabbing a biscuit with my fork.
“Where are you staying while you’re here?” she asks.
“With Cam,” I answer. Ash doesn’t say anything to that, but there’s a smug look on her face. “I’ll tell Mom and Dad I’m home. All of this is just temporary, though. I’m only here to sort through all of this and file the divorce papers.”
“Cam!” His name is called from the other side of the room, and I turn to see a woman waving. “Oh, is this him?” she asks as she approaches us. “I can’t believe you kept this a secret from all of us. No one knew you were serious about some guy, then the next thing we know there’s pictures of the two of you saying you’re married.”
“Aria, now really isn’t the time.” Cam tries to tell her, but she’s not having it.
“Well, you’ll at least bring him to game night, right? Everyone is going to be talking about it. Who knew quiet Cam could surprise us all with a runaway Vegas wedding?” She laughs to herself as she walks to a table to join a group.
“Who was that?” I ask.
“Aria, one of the people that I game with.”
Ash laughs, taking a final drink of her coffee before she wipes her face with her napkin. “Well, this has been great. I’m looking forward to seeing you two at the parents’.” She pulls her wallet out from her purse, dropping a bill on the table to cover her meal. “I’ve got to get going.”
Left with just Cam, I notice he’s barely touched his food. “Not hungry?” I ask.
“Huh?” He looks at his plate, only now seeming to realize how much food is left. “Oh, just got a lot on my mind.” He shakes his head and takes a big bite of his breakfast.
“We can take it to go, if you want,” I offer. Cam gives me a sheepish smile with his mouth full of French toast, and I wave down the server to get the check and a to-go box. Cam still seems lost in thought as we make our way out to his car, and I can’t help moving closer, wrapping my arm around his shoulders. He looks at me, his eyes filling with surprise. “We’re going to figure this out,” I tell him.
Cam’s lips open then close, and for a moment I almost think he’s going to lean in and kiss me, then he pulls back. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?” he asks. “Come on.” He starts the engine and drives us back to his apartment. “I’ve got a commission to work on, but feel free to make yourself comfortable. You can watch a show, or there are some video games.” He waves me off as he goes into the other bedroom to work. Left to my own devices, I go through Cam’s stack of games, finding mostly vintage systems. I slide a clunky cartridge into the N64 and fire it up.
I’m so entranced in playing the system, I don’t even check the caller ID when my phone rings. “Hello?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you’re in town?” Mom asks. “I had to find out from your sister.”
“Oh, uh,” my attention caught between the game and wondering if Mom knows.
“You’re coming to dinner tonight, right?” she asks.
My mind flashes back to this morning at the diner and luckily I have an answer for that. “I would, but Cam and I already have plans. We’re meeting up with friends of his.”
“Tomorrow then, and bring him with you. It feels like forever since I’ve seen either of you. You’re not getting out of this, Evan,” she says in her no-nonsense tone. I should’ve known better.
“Okay Mom, we’ll be there,” I agree. “Was there anything else?”
“Nope, I’ll see you at five,” she says cheerfully.
I sigh as we say our goodbyes, but now my gaming mood is shot. I turn off the system and wander into Cam’s kitchen. It’s no surprise that things in here are disorganized; in my search for a cup, I open five cabinets before I find the right one. Tupperware sits side by side with canned goods and, without really thinking about it, I abandon my quest for a drink and start a mental list of how to reorganize Cam’s cabinets.
I don’t realize how much time has passed until Cam’s office door opens again. “I can’t believe you have retro systems,” I call out.
“What do you mean retro?” he asks. I turn to look at him only to see Cam in a ratty old shirt with splotches of paint in random spots. “Those were the best systems.”
“Your newest console is a Wii. That thing came out in 2006,” I tell him.
“Ow, why are you trying to make me feel old?” Cam places his hand on his heart. “And what are you doing to my pantry?” He walks in the kitchen, grabbing a box of cereal from the counter and sticking his hand in to grab some.
“Sorry, I just organize when I’m worked up. My mom called,” I explain. “We’re invited to dinner tomorrow.”
“Ah, well, don’t let me stop you.” He pops a few pieces of cereal in his mouth before setting the box down again.
“You sure? I can put everything back where I found it,” I look around the kitchen, but half the cabinets are currently empty and on the counters.
“Evan, it’s fine. Looks like you’re organizing it better than I would anyway. Please feel free to finish, just, you know, maybe ask first next time. I was thinking, actually, and I know you said you’d go with me to meet up with my friends, but would it be terrible to hold off on telling them we didn’t mean to get married? Can we let them think we did it on purpose?” Cam toys with the hem of his shirt as he talks, and when I take a step closer, his eyes go to mine. “Nevermind, I’m being silly, just …” he shakes his head, not finishing his sentence.
“It’s not silly, and I’m not saying no, but why? You want people to think we’re married?” I ask.
Cam laughs, “We are married,” he points out. “It’d just be nice to skip over the humiliation of saying it was an accident, and we were drunk off our asses.”
“They’re your friends,” I say, and Cam’s face falls. Maybe that’s why I say it. “If you don’t want to tell them we were drunk, I’ll follow your lead, but you’ll have to tell them eventually, you know.”
“Eventually isn’t tonight,” he moves closer to me and before I know what’s happening, his lips press against my cheek. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You still have to go with me to my parents.”
“Your parents love me.” Cam looks up at me, a soft smile on his lips, and I’m tempted to kiss him. It’s not even the first time I’ve had that thought about my husband. Of course I have feelings for Cam. He’s my best friend. Suddenly the idea of pretending this is real feels wrong in a very different way. Because what would Viola think if she knew? Me playing house with Cam and acting like we’re happily married isn’t much different from her pretending on stage, but the only people who know it’s fake are Cam and me. Maybe I should call Vi and explain the whole thing, but why freak her out when we’re already planning on annulling the whole thing? I can get through an evening of being Cam’s husband. My hands grab the next can on the counter, and I shift it to go with the other vegetables on the shelf. Maybe if I distract myself by reorganizing Cam’s pantry, I won’t have time to overthink what we’re doing.
Cam glances at his watch, noticing a spot of paint on his forearm in the process. “Uh, I guess I should clean up before we meet up with the others. I’m gonna take a quick shower.”
It’s best if I don’t let myself think about joining him , I think as the sound of the water hitting the tiles washes over the apartment. Maybe Cam and I never hooked up, but now isn’t the time to change that. I absolutely shouldn’t be thinking about having sex with my husband.