The Men Next Door

Ch 31 - Campbell

"Are you staying until August?" I joked as Addy folded yet another outfit and placed it neatly on the bed next to her suitcase.

It was the Friday before Christmas, and her flight back home to Connecticut was taking off in just a few hours, but she hadn't packed a single thing until I showed up at her apartment. Fast forward thirty minutes, and the definitely-not-going-to-count-as-a-carry-on bag was filled with enough clothes to cover an army in the tundra.

"Oh hush," she huffed, heading for her closet. "I need another nice outfit for pictures. Should I bring this dress"—she held up a flowing, satin fabric, followed by a velvety one that was nearly identical—"or this one?"

I scrunched up my nose. "I hate the feeling of velvet. Gives me chills, and not in a good way."

Addy shrugged. "It's warmer than the satin, so I think I'm going to bring it anyway." She pulled it off the hanger, then made it a whole three steps before she went back for the other one. "Actually, you know what? I'll just bring both."

"Why'd you even ask me if you already knew what you were going to do?" I laughed.

Addy paused with both dresses draped over her arm, and a thoughtful look crossed her face. She didn't say a word when she moved toward the bed again...or when she rolled up each dress with a delicate sort of precision...or when she leaned against the top of her suitcase to force it closed...and my chest tightened with dread as her unusual silence lingered in the air around us.

"Addy?" I asked carefully.

"I asked about the dresses because your opinion means a lot to me," she started, turning to face me. Her arms crossed protectively over her stomach while her shoulders raised with a deep inhale, and suddenly, my heart felt more like a mini kick drum than an organ. "And I know we haven't been friends for that long, but I really love spending time with you, and I hope we never lose that."

"Why would we lose it?" I asked, desperately trying to convince my anxiety that Addy wasn't Vera. That our friendship wasn't going to blow up, taking Brooks and Luca and Jenkins and the life I was finally starting to love again with it. That I just needed to take a breath, hear her out, and stay in the present. "Is everything okay?"

"Promise me you won't be mad."

"Addy..."

"Promise me you'll try. Please, Campbell."

"I can't promise that when I don't know what you're going to say," I warned, moving behind the U-shaped kitchen counter out of instinct. I didn't know what she was so worked up about, but considering she'd never seen me anywhere close to mad, it couldn't have been anything good. And with the way she filled me in on even the most mundane details of her days? I didn't know what she could possibly be hiding.

"I just...need to tell you something before I leave for the airport," she revealed, lifting her suitcase off the bed and wheeling it to the living room. I followed her into the open space like a needy toddler, and she turned to face me after propping her luggage against the front door. "Something I haven't been completely honest about. Something that might matter to you."

"That sounds...ominous," I observed.

She mumbled something like, "Amorous, maybe," looking toward the window, and my gut sank.

"Addy," I pressed. "What's going on?"

"Do you remember when I told you about Walker and Cassidy? And what happened the night we played strip poker?"

I nodded slowly.

"I left some parts out. Mainly, the fact that Luca was there too."

Was that what she was so worried about telling me? That her and Luca had stripped in front of each other? Sure, it was a little weird—especially with the tension between Walker and Noah already running hot—but I'd forgiven people for a hell of a lot worse. And besides, she'd invited me too. If I wasn't with Brooks, then...