The Men Next Door

Ch 21 - Campbell

"I don't know how I ever survived without you," I told Addy over brunch on Sunday.

I was being dramatic—she gave me her fork when I dropped mine on the ground—but I really did mean it. She was kind and funny and devoted, and even when we didn't talk every day, we could always fall back into friendship like no time had passed at all. It was a welcome change after everything that happened with Vera.

"Me either," she answered. She took a sip of her mimosa and peered at me over the rim of the glass. "Seriously. It's been a long time since I clicked with someone as well as we do. I was starting to think I'd never make a good friend in the city." Her eyes widened as she looked at something over my shoulder. "Oh, shit. Don't look now, but..."

"What?"

"That blonde girl from the Halloween party? Noah's fling?"

"Yeah?"

"She just walked in. I think she works here, based on the outfit."

I glanced over my shoulder despite Addy's warning not to look. Luckily, the blonde was occupied and didn't see me scoping her out. Less luckily, I was the first to spot Walker coming through the door behind her.

"Addy?" I asked, turning back in her direction. Her head was buried in her phone, searching for something. A social media profile, by the looks of it. "Is Walker supposed to meet us here?"

"No," she said. "Why would he—" she finally looked up again, seeing what I had seen a few moments earlier. "Oh my God. There's no fucking way."

With that, she got up from the table and marched up to the front of the restaurant. Our waiter dropped off the paid receipt as I began to gather my things, and I tucked away Addy's credit card before scribbling down my best approximation of her signature. By the time I had slung my purse over my shoulder and stood to join her, she was dragging Walker back to our booth.

"It was Noah's phone charger, alright?" he was saying. "He left it at our apartment. I was already headed this way. It was easier to pass it off to Cassidy than to head to his place."

"Right after she clocked in, Walker?" Addy argued in a hushed voice. "That's awfully convenient, don't you think?"

They both sat down, Addy clumsily pushing Walker into the booth first so that he was trapped beside her.

"Hi, Campground," he said casually.

"Um...hi, Crosswalk," I answered, trying my best to match his tone. I usually didn't have a problem with the guy, but his timing was awfully convenient—and Addy wasn't letting him off the hook that easily.

"Weren't you working today, anyway?" she asked curtly.

"Client canceled at the last second," Walker explained with a shrug. "I was already headed this way to meet them. Like I said."

Addy took a deep breath and looked to the sky as if she was going to find her Zen hiding somewhere on the ceiling. "When's your next one lined up?"

"Two weeks from now."

She shook her head tensely. "I already signed our lease renewal, Walker. We're locked in. Price goes up in March."

"I told you not to, Addy," he countered. "We could have found something cheaper, somewhere else. And I'm working on it anyway. You know I am." He shook his head, then turned to me and frowned. "Sorry, Campground. Didn't mean to ruin your girls' day."

I gave him a tight-lipped smile, because whether he'd intended to or not, he had put a damper on things. And if the phone charger really was Noah's, they saw each other often enough that all the drama could've easily been avoided.

Just like Walker managed to avoid the spotlight with his next question.

"Fill me in, though," he said, seeing that I wasn't going to respond to his apology. "I haven't seen you in a minute. How are you? What's going on with the men next door?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't already know?"

"My dear Adelaide has been withholding crucial information from me," he replied, giving her a playful nudge. Her lips tipped up at the corners despite her declining mood. "Apparently, I said too much at the Halloween party and could no longer be trusted."

I laughed, because he was a bit of a loose cannon that night. And then, I couldn't help but think of the way that Brooks had kissed me. How, right after Walker had drunkenly goaded him about Luca, he tugged at my hair to control my movement. How he had made me feel like we were the only two in the room.

"Well?" Walker asked, pulling me away from the memory. "What's been happening? Do we have a winner?"

"No. No...winner. No boyfriend." I shrugged. "Not much has changed since then, to be honest."

"Still have both of them on the line, huh?"

"Oh, come on, Walker," Addy cut in. "She's dating just like any other twenty-something in the city." She turned to me. "The only reason it feels like an issue is because they're both your neighbors."

"I think you're forgetting the part where they're best friends," I told her, fiddling with the edge of the blue-checked tablecloth. "They both pretend everything is fine, but this whole situation has definitely put a strain on their relationship."

"And I think you're forgetting the part where you let loose and have fun," she shot back. "They're big boys; they can handle their own feelings."

I let out an amused breath through my nose. "If anything, I'm having too much fun." What else could you call the endless orgasms I'd had since I moved to the city?

"And getting too loose?" she asked, wagging her eyebrows up and down suggestively.

Walker high-fived her, and for a second, everything seemed normal between them. I almost forgot that he showed up unexpectedly—and that seeing Cassidy was enough to send Addy into a tailspin before he had even walked in.

"You're the one who told me to get some dick," I reminded her, filing the rest of my thoughts away for later.

"And I stand by that." She reached across the table and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. "I mean, how many people can say they have two could've-been-models fighting for their attention? Live in the moment. Enjoy it while it lasts. And for the love of God, Campbell, stop being so hard on yourself."

I gave her a soft smile. "Easier said than done."

"All the best things are," Walker chimed in.

"What's made it work for you two?" I asked them. "Even when things aren't easy?"

Addy looked at Walker, her features finally relaxing into something closer to admiration than irritation. "It sounds cheesy, but it really all comes down to love."

"Love," Walker agreed. "And a whole lot of history. It's hard not to love someone you've known since you were a kid." He shook his head. "I mean, how can you give that up when you have it? Someone who knows you inside and out?" He gave a fake shiver. "Starting over would be terrifying."

"He's right." Addy sighed. "Time does help. But I guess you can't replicate that with your men."

"And I've never been in love," I admitted. Not really. Not in a way that lasted. "So how do I know what that's supposed to feel like?"

Walker scratched his chin thoughtfully. Addy gazed off into the distance like she was searching for a distant memory.

"It's supposed to feel safe," she said finally. "Like you never have to look over your shoulder when they're around."

That was the truth. I knew it deep down in my soul.

But how can anyone accept safety when all they've ever known is chaos?