Against All Odds

CHAPTER - 45

ELLE

Cam and I walked back towards my house, the world around us felt lighter. The weight of all the misunderstandings, the drama, and the uncertainty—it was all gone. It felt like we were kids again, laughing and goofing around. I had my arm loosely linked with his, and every now and then, he'd poke me in the side, making me jump and giggle. I couldn't remember the last time I'd laughed this much. The evening was perfect, and even though it was late, I didn't care. We were finally in a good place.

"Remember when you tripped over that crack in the sidewalk earlier?" I teased, nudging him playfully.

He grinned. "Hey! That crack came out of nowhere," he said with a chuckle. "I'm just glad you didn't get it on camera."

"Oh, trust me, if I'd had my phone out, I would've recorded every second." I laughed.

As we approached the front door, my laughter started to fade when I noticed the lights on inside. My stomach dropped a little as I realized that it was well past the time I was supposed to be home for dinner. I glanced at my watch. Over an hour late. Crap. Mom and Dad were definitely waiting for me.

Just as we stepped up to the door, it swung open, and there they were—Mom and Dad, standing side by side, clearly waiting for me. Their expressions were a mix of worry and impatience. Mom's arms were crossed over her chest, and Dad had his hands on his hips, but the moment their eyes landed on Cam, their faces shifted to something else entirely. Shock.

"Who is this?" Mom asked, her tone clipped but curious.

I took a deep breath, my heart racing. "Mom, Dad, this is Cameron."

As soon as I said his name, their eyes widened. I could see the gears turning in their heads as they pieced it together. Cameron, the guy Liam had been at odds with for ages. The guy they probably thought was long gone after all the drama. Dad's eyes darted toward Liam, who was standing in the hallway, leaning casually against the wall, watching the whole scene unfold. His expression was unreadable, but there was no tension in his posture, which felt like a good sign.

Before anyone could say anything, I launched myself into my mom's arms, hugging her tightly. "Mom! It's over! All the misunderstandings, everything—it's done. Liam and Cameron...they're friends now."

Both of my parents blinked in disbelief, exchanging a bewildered look. Then, Mom slowly returned my hug, patting my back gently.

"Oh... well, that's a surprise." She said, her voice filled with a mix of confusion and relief.

Dad, clearly still processing everything. "Well, look at that... Elle finally brought home the captain." He smiled awkwardly.

No one laughed.

Mom quickly brushed past the moment of awkwardness and ushered us all inside. "Alright, everyone, come in. Let's get to the dinner table."

The moment we stepped inside, I could smell my favorite dish—pumpkin pasta. Mom had promised she'd make it tonight, and even though we were late, she had clearly kept her promise. My heart swelled with appreciation. Despite everything, this was still home, and Mom and Dad were trying to keep things normal, even though this was anything but.

We all shuffled into the dining room, and for the first few minutes, it was... well, awkward. The pasta was served, and everyone was just kind of sitting there, silently eating. I glanced over at Cam, who gave me a small, reassuring smile. I could tell he was just as nervous as I was, but having him here, sitting at this table with my family, felt like a huge step forward.

Mom was the first to break the silence. "So," she began, glancing between Liam, Cam, and me, "everything patched up now?"

I nodded, setting my fork down. "Yeah, everything's sorted. Liam actually invited Cam over so we could talk and clear everything up. It was really unexpected, but we worked everything out."