A Thief in the Night

7 | Friends

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"I'm just lookin' for some real friends. All they ever do is let me down. Every time I let somebody in, then I find out what they're all about"

~ Real Friends (CAMILA)

After breakfast, James and I lounged around his living room talking nonstop in a conversation that seemed to flow easily. I learned everything from his favorite color to the last time he tried a new cuisine and whether or not he liked it. Apparently, he tried pho and did not like it.

"What?" I almost screeched.

He chuckled, looking at me oddly. "I didn't like it."

"Did you only try it once?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because it likely means the restaurant didn't make it correctly. You have to try it again," I said matter-of-factly.

He grinned. "Do I, now?"

"You do."

"I went to a top-notch restaurant in LA. They're known for their pho," he argued, watching me intently.

I shook my head at him. "That doesn't mean anything. There is a restaurant back home in Colorado that makes killer pho. I hated it at first, too, but not after I tried theirs. You should try it the next time you're in Colorado. I can get you the address."

He blinked. "Well, there's no reason why you can't join me."

I chuckled and a cheeky response was on the tip of my tongue when I was interrupted by James' phone beginning to ring.

He picked it up from the coffee table, his eyebrow furrowing when he looked at the caller ID. "Hey, what's up?" He listened quietly for a moment, before asking, "right now?" As he listened to their response, his weary eyes wandered to me, watching me closely. Letting out a sigh, he then said, "All right, I'll be there in a few."

Then he hung up and turned to me fully.

"Is everything okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, my friends are waiting for me downtown. I totally forgot I was meeting them today."

"Oh." The fact that our time alone was being cut short was disheartening, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. So, I pushed forward. "Yeah, that's fine. I should be going anyway. I have things to do before my shift tonight."

Listening to me, he frowned. "You have another night shift?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm covering for another nurse. I'll be working the night shift for the next week."

"I'm sorry to cut today short. I know I promised to stay with you until you felt better."

I waved him off. "No, don't worry about me. I already feel better, see?" I pointed to my exaggerated wide smile.

That made him laugh and he shook his head at me. "You don't have to lie, you know?"

"I'm not lying. I just needed not to be alone and wanted to take my mind off of reality for a while. You did both for me and I'm grateful," I expressed sincerely.

There was a gentle look in his eyes. "Don't mention it. I'm glad I could do something for you after what you've done for me."

The way he spoke struck all the wrong cords in my head. Did he see me today because he felt like he owed me? Oh my God. I thought he'd been happy to see me because he enjoyed my company like I enjoyed his. My heart practically plummeted at the realization. "Well, consider the debt paid off, James." The small smile I tried to give him bore my true emotions, even though I wanted to hide them.