Healing Hearts (Book 3 Series 2)

Chapter 11 Hailey

We walk through the quiet streets, the cool night air providing a pleasant chill.  We arrive at the diner, the warm light from the windows creating a cozy contrast to the dark night outside. We walk in, taking in the familiar aroma of diner food and the low hum of conversations between other customers.

"welcome. the table at the end." We walk inside, greeted by the waitress. She guides us to a table at the far end of the diner, away from other patrons. I take a seat, sinking into the comfortable booth, grateful to be off my feet after the long walk here. I watch as Theo walks out of the bathroom, a girl in tow. I catch a glimpse of them before I quickly duck my head down, trying to stay out of sight.  I watch in surprise as a group of paparazzi enter the diner, immediately honing in on Theo once they spot him. One of them starts asking questions about the girl he's with, bringing up his recent dating history. I listen intently as the paparazzi press Theo for answers, one of them asking if the girl is his girlfriend. I can see him trying to play it cool, casually shrugging and avoiding a direct answer.

"No she isn't, just a quick one you know." As Theo casually deflects their question, claiming that the girl he's with is just a quick hookup, I can feel a pang of frustration.  The paparazzi and Theo leave the diner, leaving us alone once again.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just... the way he talks about girls. It's like they're just disposable to him, you know?"

"Usual Theo." He nods. "what's wrong?"

"It's just... it bothers me, how he treats girls like they're disposable. Like they're just toys to play with and then discard. It doesn't seem fair, you know?"

"you didn't do that before?"

 "It's not the same. I was never that careless with girls' feelings. I actually cared about them."

"What can I get for you?" The waiter asks. 

 "Uh, I'll have a cheeseburger and fries, thanks." Cameron says. 

"I'll have the same."  The waiter nods and takes our orders before leaving to put them in. Cameron looks over at me. 

He leans forward, resting his  arms on the table. "So, other than your brother Theo picking up girls, what's been going on with you lately?"

"The usual, work and family, you know." He leans forward a bit more, resting his chin on his hand. "You know, we spent a lot of time talking about me earlier. How about we focus on you for a bit? What do you like to do for fun when you're not working or hanging out with your family?"

"Why are you acting like this is the first time you meet me? I mean, we used to date." I chuckle

"Right, sorry. Old habits die hard, I guess. You're right, we used to dated."

"We did, but I like to read."

"Read, huh? Very classy. I never pegged you as a bookworm."

"I always read?"

"Hey, I'm just saying, you don't look the part of a bookworm. But hey, I respect it. Reading is good for the brain."

"Oh yeah definitely." He leans forward a bit, still smiling slightly.

"Any favourite authors or genres you like to read?"

"for authors, I like all of them, for genre romance." He fakes a gasp, pretending like this is new to him.  

"Romance, really? Are you sure you're not secretly a hopeless romantic at heart?"

"Maybe I am."

He smiles slyly, enjoying the back-and-forth banter with me. "Interesting. And what exactly is it about romance that you like so much, hmm?"

"Just romance, the usual." He leans in closer, a hint of playful curiosity in his voice.

"Come on, don't be shy. You can be more specific than 'just romance.' Are we talking love at first sight? Slow-burn attraction? Forbidden love? There's so many different types."

"all of them, enemies to lovers, slow burn, spicy. All that."

"All of the above, huh? You're not holding back, are you?" He pauses for a moment, a slightly teasing smile forming on his face. "Wait, 'spicy'? You like the steamy stuff?" I feel a blush forming on my face, so I stay silent. He leans back in the booth, his tone slightly mocking but playful.

"Aww, look at you. Blushing just from the mention of something 'spicy.' I had no idea you were such a little romance enthusiast."

"very funny." I mock.

"Hey, no judgment here. I'm just teasing you a bit. I actually think it's kind of cute that you get all flustered talking about this stuff." I smile.  He smiles back, enjoying the moment of easy banter. He takes a sip of water, watching me.

"You know, you're pretty cute when you smile like that."

"Thank you." The waiter interrupts our moment, sliding our food onto the table. I look down at the burger and fries in front of me, my stomach growling in anticipation.

Cameron looks up at me, the moment of flirtation from before momentarily broken by the arrival of our food. "Looks good." 

"it really does." He grabs a French fry and pops it into his mouth,  He closes his eyes for a moment, nodding in agreement.

"You know, it really does taste good. I don't know why diner food always hits the spot like this." I take a sip of my water. He takes a bite of his burger. "So, since we're on the topic of romance..."He pauses and chews his food before continuing. "Any particular romance novels or movies that you'd recommend? You seem to be an expert on the subject."

"the chestnut spring series, the twisted series, the boys of Tommen series, the windy city series. Those are my favourites."

"Damn, you sure know your stuff. I think you've read more romance novels than I've read books in general."

"you read?"

"Well, not as much as you apparently. But yeah, I do read. Just not usually the romance stuff."

"of course not. What do you read?"

"Mostly nonfiction stuff. Biographies, history, that kind of thing. Sometimes I'll read a thriller or a mystery novel. Nothing too exciting, really."

"reading is reading, so at least you read."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. I'll never be as well-versed in romance as you, but at least I'm not illiterate."