Listening to Empty Spaces: A Lost and Found Novel

Chapter Six: Living on a Prayer

    I was still staring at that silly overstuffed panda bear. And every time I did it brought a smile to my face. He looked great. If not better than when he was gifted to me.
    I'd invited Cam over to revel in my victory. Also to have a buffer between Amber, and the rest of the guys. The door bell rings and I'm racing down the stairs. "I'll get it, I've got it!" I yank the door open and there he is, in all his gorgeous glory. He gives me a megawatt smile and I do I best NOT to melt to the floor like some stupid fan girl.
"Hey gorgeous."
I blush at the endearment and usher him in. He takes everything in but doesn't seem as wonderstruck as I had been when I first arrived. Did he live in a mansion like this one. Hmmm did all rich people live in mansions like this one in California. Probably so.
"Sooo get ready to lose our bet," I say with glee.
"Oooohhhh really." Cam takes my hand in his and that's the moment Fitz walks in and zero's in on our clasped hands.
"When did this," he waves his hand between the two of us, "happen?"
I'm struggling for words when Cam smiles and goes over to shake Fitz's hand. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Hemshaw. I've admired your work for some time now. Your daughter is sweet, kind, beautiful and talented and I couldn't help myself. I've been taking this time to court her."
Court me? What on God's green earth he talking about? He hasn't been courting me. Fitz seems to eat it up through.
"You're the Cross boy? Georgina and Ben's son?"
"I am."
"Good people." Fitz nods and says to me, "the door stays open."
Oh my God, how embarrassing. "Yes dad..." I say and then slap a hand over my mouth because I realize I just called him 'dad' instead of Fitz. My dad's eye's fill with moisture and I grab Camden and pull him the staircase.  We reach my room and only then does Cam show any emotion.  His eyes open wide so does his mouth and he doubles over laughing.  "I'm a Barbie girl in a Barbie world..." He begins to sing and I swat his shoulder as if that does anything but hurt my hand.
   "THIS is you room?" He asks.
   "Amber chose the decor."
   "Whose Amber?"
   "Fitz's fiancé.  She's vapid and brings nothing to the Union except probably good sex." I say straight laced.
   Fitz stared at me blinked a few times and then bust out laughing again.  "Wow you certainly say it as it is don't you City girl."
   "There's no point is mincing words."  I bring Cam over to where the Panda sits like the royal King he is in one of the pinker than pink chairs.  Cam inspects the panda and shakes his head.
   "How did you do it?  How did you manage to keep him so pristine."  Cam shakes his head.  "Every single one of these toys I've seen fall apart in less than a week.  And yours looks like it has spent the last week at the spa."
   "I told you." It gave me a little tingle of joy to say that to him.
   "You did, indeed." Cam spreads his arms out wide.  "You have me for the next four weeks, now what would you like to do with me?" He spreads out on his side on my bed and bats his eyelashes at me.
   "Stop it, you flirt," feeling my face warm up.
   "Just giving you the full Cam experience."
   "Well stop it, and get off my bed."
   "But..."
   "NOW!"
   "All right, all right, no need to be grumpy gorgeous.  We can resume another time." He laughs when I swat him with a pillow.  "Now don't start things you can't finish, gorgeous.  I am great at pillow fight wars.
   "Bring it." I narrow my eyes and begin to swing as hard as I can catching him several good times before he proves his words correct and completely trounces me.
   We're both laughing.  I'm laughing on my back on the ground, he's on top of me holding a pillow.  Suddenly I'm very aware of the position we're in and I bite my lower lip nervously.
   "Oh gorgeous, don't do that, you know what that does to me." Cam says right before he gives me my first kiss.  At first I'm so nervous all I can think of is if I'm doing it right.  Or if he likes it.  But Cam's groan takes care of that question and when he slips his tongue into my mouth I follow his motions and find my entire body warming up.
   "Hey everything going well up there?" Fitz yells.
   We jump apart.  "Yes, yes Fitz.  Cam was just helping me redecorate my room a bit." I said with a twinkle in my eyes, there's a similar twinkle in Cam's eyes.
   Suddenly Fitz is at the door and looking at the pillow fluff surrounding us.  "What the devil..." he says.
   "Uhmmm like I said a little redecoration."
   Fitz ignores the mess entirely and turns to me.  "Do you not like your room, Havenlee?"
    Oh boy, what to say, what to say?  Try for the truth.  "It might be a perfect room for a three year old, but I'm seventeen and this over the top pink thing going on kinda makes me want to barf."
   "Why didn't you say something earlier? I told Amber I thought it was obnoxious but she insisted that every girl would want a room like this, so I gave into her whims.  But you should have said something."
   "Don't rock the boat," I say quietly.
   "What?"
   "I said, don't rock the boat.  Be polite and calm and never, ever rude." I shrug.  "I felt telling Amber or you that the room didn't suit me was rude.  So I didn't say anything."
   Fitz scrubs his hands across his face and sighs.  "We've got a lot to catch up on kiddo.  Okay I'll have someone work on this room immediately just tell the designer what you have in mind.  In the meantime you can sleep in the guest room."
   "That seems too much."
   "You're my daughter.  When it comes to you, nothing is too much." And with that he exits the room.
   "Did you really mean that, Havenlee?"
   "Mean what."
   "What you said to your dad.  About being polite and calm and never ruffling feathers or being rude."
   I cock my head to one side.  "It's how I was raised." Well that and a lot more.  But we wouldn't get into that and ruin the afternoon.
   "Sometimes it's okay to ruffle some feathers.  Heck the guys and I ruffle feathers all the time."
   I laugh dryly.  "But you are you, and I am me."
   "What the hell does that even mean?  And are we going to talk about the fact that we just kissed on your bedroom floor and it was good, really really good...in fact fantastic."
   I blush.  "I'd rather not talk about that."  Cam takes both of my hands in his and I stiffen momentarily.  He leads me over to the French Bay windows and sits down, and shocking me, sits me in his lap.
   "Was that your first kiss Havenlee?"
  I sputter, "That's none of your business."
   "Was it?"
   He was persistent if nothing else.  I turn my face away from his so I don't need to see the stupid smirk on his face when I speak.  "Fine, yes, that was my first kiss."
   Cam gently holds my chin and turns my head to face him.  "I'm honored gorgeous.  And just you believe we'll be doing that again, many many time."
   This time it's my turn for my mouth to drop open in surprise.  "Why would you...I mean it's not appropriate....it would be unseemly to..."
   "Gorgeous, if this girlfriend boyfriend thing is going to work, we have to look like a totally besotted couple.  You have to bat those pretty lashes at me, I get to put my arm around you, carry your books when I can, and be the doting boyfriend....which means kisses."
   "We can do this without kisses."
   Cam laughs.  "But what fun would that be.  Plus the quickest way to convince people we're dating and it's 'for real' to to give them shows of affection."
   He did have a point.  "Okay but you can't just sneak attack.  I need some warning."
   "No can do, gorgeous.  It looks more natural when I catch you by surprise and you just go all gooey."
   I'm incensed, "I do not go all gooey."
   "Hmmmm....whatever you say gorgeous."

                                                *****

    Walking into school the next morning was hell. To say that Cam and I were the center of attention was like saying Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's exit wasn't newsworthy. Everyone was staring at our hands, clasped tightly together. And the fact that Cam was carrying my backpack. It was a circus and I hated it. Where had my anonymity gone? Or had I every had some to begin with?
"When did this happen?" Masters sneers.
Oh right the guys hadn't been around when I'd made the bet with Camden.
"What does it matter? It happened. And we're happy, aren't we gorgeous?" And he twirled me around to smack a kiss on my surprised lips, one that I DID return.
"Whatever, just don't let some pussy mess everything up."
Before I knew it Cam had Masters up by his neck against the wall and was fuming. "Don't you ever talk about my girlfriend like that again or I'll make this look like nothing." He released Masters and Masters took some deep breaths.
"Jesus, fuck. She's already changing you."
"For the better, shitface, for the better."
"What's happening over here?"
Great another voice in the peanut gallery.
"Seriously you're getting a lot of unwanted attention and unfavorable gossip going about our girl." Weston says, a frown on his handsome face.
Gossip, attention, eeeew...nothing I needed...wait, did he say our girl? What was that supposed to mean?
"Let's get going, gorgeous. I need to get you to first period."
I waved lamely at the rest of the guys and followed Cam docilely.

                                            *****

P.O.V.—Masters

    I could just kill him. But, then, people looked unfavorably on murder, and it might hurt my girls feelings. I'm already regretting being a total ass this morning. I'd called her another piece of pussy.
I flinch.
    That was uncalled for, crude and so unnecessary. My only excuse was the green eyed monster that invaded me the moment I saw their hands clasped tightly together, and the soft looks they gave each other. I wanted to barf. But only because it wasn't me holding her hand, it wasn't me sharing soft looks with her.
What. The. Fuck? I had never felt this way about a girl before. I had girls throwing themselves at me ever since the raging bitch left my life. Why did one little transfer student instill this thawed warmth around my frozen heart.
    I needed her. I'd fight Cam for her. And Cam was like a brother to me. I'd never thought of fighting one of my brother's before. But for heavenly Havenlee I would.
    Might help if you stop being a raging asshole to her. I just had to remember the carnival and how I felt about her the moment she turned those gleaming violet eyes my way. No. I just needed to get over my fucking issues, and then I'd be fine. Easier said that done though. How did one outrun the past? Could we ever?

                                                ******

P.O.V.—Camden

"I like her, man." Weston says, dropping his head, face flaming. "I know you're with her now, but I...I....really like her."
"Yeah I like her too." I say.
"Not funny Cam, you've already got her."
I should just tell him about the four week deal but I don't, something stops me.
"So you like her, so what?"
"You're an asshole."
"No, no, I mean so what? If you like her, pursue her. She's pretty much the most perfect girl I've ever met. It's stands to reason my friends would like her too."
"So you don't mind if I....if....I...."
"Court her? Ask her out? I smile, "No I really don't. I trust you like brothers and I'm sure when Bray gets back from that shit show "vacation" with his dad he'll be saying the same thing. Did you see how he looked at her the first day of school."
"But how would this work?"
"Likely any other relationship except she'd date us all. I don't have to tell you I'm primary boyfriend in this situation do I?" I grin, "I mean she and I are actually dating, whereas you all are chasing your tails around."
"You really see this working?"
"I really do. I know she's attracted to all of you."
"How?" Weston scoffs.
"Trust me, she doesn't hide it well," And my grin only widens. Then it falls a little. "We may have to work on Masters a little bit. He's been less than friendly to our girl."
"Downright hostile." Weston says.
"Well he'll come around."
"And if he doesn't?"
I laugh, "Then I beat some sense into the lugg-headed ass."