Trying to live #Wattys2024

Chapter 34 (Edited)

Cameron Avilla was kissing me.

I placed my hands on his chest, intending to push him away, but within mere seconds, I found myself wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. I opened up to him, letting him in, and allowed myself to taste the moment.

When was the last time I was kissed? When was the last time I let go?

I kissed him back.

He tasted of strawberries and new beginnings. He tasted of all the possibilities I had thrown away when I made a decision that upended my life. His lips on mine were a bittersweet reminder of everything I had lost and what could have been.

Cam's hands rested on my waist, strong and steady, as if anchoring me to this moment. One hand wandered up, tangling in my hair, and he gently fisted it, sending a shiver down my spine.

I gasped, and he took that as an invitation to deepen the kiss.

I wasn't complaining. I would never admit it out loud, but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the feeling of someone touching me like this again, of someone's hands exploring my body, of being wanted.

My hands found their way into Cam's black hair, soft and familiar, reminding me too much of someone else's. My heart clenched at the thought, and I forced myself to push it away. I didn't want to think about Henry. Not now. Not when I was finally letting myself feel something.

I closed my eyes, hoping to savor the moment.

But it was the wrong thing to do.

As soon as my eyes shut, the fantasy shattered. In the darkness behind my eyelids, it wasn't Cam I imagined kissing me. It was someone else. Someone with green eyes and black hair. Someone who had left a permanent mark on my soul.

How fucked up was I?

I pushed Cam away with all the strength I could muster. He stumbled back, confusion etched on his face, while I stood there, breathing heavily, unable to meet his eyes.

"Em?" he called softly, but my mind was too jumbled to respond.

Heat flushed through my body, not just from the kiss but from the embarrassment that followed. I quickly rounded the car, grateful that Cam had already unlocked the doors. The last thing I needed was to stand there awkwardly waiting for him to open it while I wished to vanish into thin air.

Once inside, I leaned back against the seat and touched my lips, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

Cam liked me—more than a friend. The realization was as startling as it was unexpected. I wasn't sure if I felt the same way, but I knew I felt something when he was close to me. The warmth of his body, the safety in his touch—those were things I craved, things I hadn't allowed myself to enjoy in a long time.

But how did Henry come between us? How, in that moment when I should have been lost in Cam's kiss, did I end up thinking about someone else?

The driver's door opened, and Cam slid into the seat beside me. "Em, are you okay?"

I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, the silent demand for an answer, but I didn't know what to say. I felt terrible for thinking of his cousin while he kissed me, and the rhythmic tapping of his fingers on the steering wheel only made it harder to think clearly.

Cam waited, patient but persistent. The car remained parked in the diner's lot, the neon sign flickering in the corner of my vision. Inside, the few remaining customers and Mary, the waitress, were probably still gawking at the spectacle that had unfolded outside.