Pieces of Love

Chapter 5 - Friendship

All five sit on and around the couch with bowls of cereal, eating quietly in the early morning light, the sun streaming in from the window behind the tv. Maddy sits propped up against Lia, her spoon barely making it to her mouth as her bleary eyes struggle to focus on anything. She had a paper run to do, but she was having a bit of a slow morning which could be credited to the amount of movies the five had run through last night.

"So, uh," Brandon clears his throat. "I'm going to an interview today."

Maddy drops her spoon and Lia swears as milk splashes onto her pyjama pants.

"Since when?" Oliver frowns.

"Since... I applied for it? I was going to tell you all sooner, but..."

Cameron could feel the stillness in the air and the pairs of eyes that quickly dart to him before looking away as if they weren't all thinking the exact same thing.

"Well, congrats!" Cameron pipes up with an overly enthusiastic smile.

Brandon smiles in return, his shoulders dropping as the tension leaves them. "Thanks. I have to dress up nice too. Does anyone have a belt I can borrow? My buckle's broken."

Oliver shakes his head no, Maddy shrugs, and Lia ignores him, knowing not to bother. Nothing in her closet would fit the tall and broad-shouldered man.

"I might have one. If you drop me home on the way I can have a look. What time's the interview?"

Brandon takes another bite of his rice pops. "It's not for another two hours, so we have plenty of time to look around."

Oliver lifts his owl to his lips, draining the last bit of sweet cereal milk. "Saves me from taking you home. I've got errands to run."

Cameron smiles, quickly finishing his bowl before moving back into Maddy's room to grab a spare change of clothes. Funnily enough, he fit into her jeans, and could easily swipe a hoodie from Brandon to replace his crumpled t-shirt.

"Cameron! Time to go," Brandon calls from the main room, his keys clinking.

The two make their way out of the apartment, each with a kiss on the cheek from Lia before she sends them off, wishing Brandon good luck and Cameron a good day. The sentiment stung a little, but Cameron was quick to brush it aside. He didn't want to end up sulking and pouting about being jobless on Brandon's big day.

The drive to Cameron's place is quiet, the soft hum of the radio keeping both of them company as Brandon focuses on driving, and Cameron watches the city fly by. Brandon was already prepared in a dress shirt and ironed pants, a dark purple tie knotted perfectly at his throat, and his hair brushed neatly. He was even wearing the cologne Lia gave him last Christmas; the one that he only wore on special occasions.

"Are you nervous?"

Brandon glances to the side briefly before focusing back on the road, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

"I suppose I am."

Cameron frowns. "I guess that's understandable, but I don't think you have anything to worry about."

His friend sighs, his shoulders sagging slightly. "It's just— this job's more important. It pays more and there's more expected of me. I'm not sure if I'm cut out for it."

Brandon was a hard worker for sure, it was obvious he threw himself into his work no matter what it was. He was also one of the smartest people Cameron knew, aside from Oliver. It was about time he left his stocking boy job to work in a more professional place. Cam knew he was working to be a physiotherapist, but Brandon also had a certificate that allowed him to work as an office clerk.

"You deserve this job, Brandy. I'm positive that they'll see that."

"Maybe I should just stay working at –"

"No," Cameron interrupts, "You're not going to keep overworking yourself for a dickhead in jeans. You're going to ace this interview and work at... wherever you're working, where you'll impress the boss with your skills until he promotes you to manager."

Brandon smiles, turning into the driveway of the small townhouse.

"Thanks."

Cameron leans over and presses a kiss to his check. "You're very welcome. Now come help me look for that belt."

It doesn't take the two long to find the belt, and Cameron wishes his friend good luck as he watches him drive away to his interview. Although he was happy for Brandon, there was a little bit inside of him that was stinging with hurt. If Brandon was going to an interview today, he knew about it for at least a week, and if he knew about it for a week, he applied for the clerk job a while ago. So why didn't he tell him about it? Why didn't he say anything to any of them?

Usually Lia would know something, Brandon tended to tell her things first, but at breakfast, it didn't seem like she knew anything about it. Did Brandon suspect something wasn't right with Cameron and his work for a while now, and that's why he kept his mouth shut?

"Overthinking?"

Cameron looks up from his glass of water as he stands in his kitchen. One of their roommates, Tommy, stands on the other side of the bench dressed in baggy pants and a hoodie despite the warm weather.

"Yeah, something like that."

Tommy rolls his eyes, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You look like a kicked puppy. Come play some video games with us. It'll keep you from sulking."

"I wasn't sulking." Cameron follows him into the loungeroom overcrowded with lounges and cabinets filled with DVDs and video games.

Michael and Rob both sit in the sunken chairs, console remotes in hand as they mash buttons, eyes glued to the screen.

"Next round, Cammy here is playing."

The emphasis on his name makes Cameron frown. That nickname was only used around his friends, and he didn't need Tommy mocking him about it.

"It's okay, I'm happy to just watch."

Tommy takes a seat beside Cameron, raising an eyebrow. "Since when are you one to turn down a round of killing zombies?"

He shrugs a shoulder, not really sure how to answer without saying something that would make his roommate ask questions or tease him relentlessly. If he told the house that he lost his job... well, who knows what would happen. Rob would get touchy about it and ask him about rent money. Michael would probably give him a slap on the upside of his head, hands flying around as he asks what he did to get himself fired.

"It's nothin'. Just a bit of a long night last night."

Michael 'oo's' loudly, eyebrows wiggling as he snickers along with Rob before blasting his roommate's body to pieces with a grenade.

"Not like that!" Cameron's face turns red with embarrassment. "We stayed up watching movies. The whole group."

"Who's to say they didn't all join in?"

Cameron scrunches up his nose, the red on his cheeks burning up to his ears. He honestly had no words, his brain scrambled by the heat of embarrassment as he turns his face down so that he can stare at his hands rather than the smirking faces of his roommates.

"I—I think I'm going to go to my room instead." He goes to stand, but Tommy pulls him back down.

"Ah, come on, Cam. We're just messing with you! Stay, play a little before your guard dog comes home."

He grimaces at the side comment aimed at Oliver but keeps his mouth shut and decides to do just that. Sit and wait for either Michael or Rob to die for the third time before the remote can be passed to him.

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