Waiting for Eleven

Cam Crawls Back

The crowd was sparse but noisy as we trailed to the expansive beach area. It was early, nine, and Gemma had to haul me out from my private nook underneath my cotton sheets. I was still groggy and weary, so I stumbled aimlessly, attempting to rub sleep from my dropping, sheepish eyelids.

The sky was clear and crystal blue with fluffy, shocking white clouds dotting the horizon. The sun was already high and blazing, so I had to squint against the bright glare. The sand was soft and gathering between my toes, and I shook my foot in annoyance. I was clad in a small bikini that Gemma had insisted I should wear. I felt bare and self conscious as my gleaming bronzed skin stole the gazes of lean and muscular teenage boys. My cheeks turning three shades of pink before settling with tomato red, i glanced away from their ravenous stares and fixated my eyes on the vast ocean. It was meters away, but shrouded in mystery and beauty. The murky waves lapped hungrily at the shore. Seagulls called shrilly above, seeming to draw attention to the gentle waves.

A familiar pair of aqua eyes caught my attention and my heart sunk immediately. "Gemma," I hissed, clutching her bare arm in desperation. "Look over there. By the rocks. It's him." My eyes darted around nervously, refusing to make eye contact with the culprit.

"Who?" She wondered aloud, following my anxious eyes to a tall, tan boy, shirtless and clearly stalking towards us. "Oh. Which one is that again?"

"Cam Andory," I reminded her. cringing at the feel of his name escaping my lips. Cam. I remembered the moments we had had together. Like the date he took me on the day he dumped me...

It was growing nighttime, and the sky was transforming into an inviting lilac color. His arms were wrapped loosely around my torso, his breath hot and sweet in my ear. "Elise," his voice hushed and calm. "You look beautiful tonight."

I had snorted, for we were standing on top of an incredibly tall building, my hair whipping across my face conspicuously. "Don't joke around," I had replied, our eyes locking,

"I wouldn't joke with you." His voice was sincere and adoring.

I gave out a soft, delicate giggle, burying my hand in his blond mane of hair. My lips locked with his, and spark surged up my spine. So this is what it feels like to be in love, I had thought, inhaling the sweet scent of his cologne. I was wrapped up in the moment, and didn't even sense the click of stilettos across the pavement.

An angry, gorgeous girl had let out a squeak when she noticed our prescence. We immediately broke apart, to spot her fuming. Cam had seemed flustered, and smoothed his flannel down. "Jess, I can explain-"

She started swatting him with her leather purse. "You b*stard!" She shrieked, not even glancing in my direction. "You cheated on me, with some girl! I knew not to trust you." She dropped her purse, looking briefly at me. "Did you know that Cammie had another girlfriend?"

I was speechless, not even able to process her words. I thought it was unbelievable, and my fury was building up by the second. "No, I-"

Jess interjected, stealing the spotlight. "Exactly! Say he's a jerk, unknown girl." She slumped against a concrete wall, defeated.

I had trouble saying anything. "Sh-she's right. You are a cheating, lying, horrible, b*stard!" The words felt good slipping from my mouth. Jess gave a curt nod.

By then, Cam didn't seem upset or rattled by the situation. "You were bound to find out sonner or later. You both should know that I'm also dating Lizzie. Jess, Elise, you are now dumped." He disappeared down the elevator without another word.

I should've known then not to trust another guy ever again.

Gemma waved her palm across my face, waking me from my memory. She sent me a quizzical look. "What are you going to do?" she whispered, glancing at his inconspicuously.

"I don't know." I admitted, running my fingers through my brown locks. I had forgotten how gorgeous he was, with his lips curled into an egotistical smile. "I guess I'll wait for him to come up to me."

Gemma looked appalled. "What? That's not how to get a man!"

I sighed, glancing at the tempting, soothing water resting right over the sidewalk. "Gem, I don't want him back. It's just awkward seeing him again. Have you experienced anything like that?"

She thought about it for a moment, tilting her head to the sky. "Well, I did see John Abbot at Target once, but he was with his girlfriend, so it doesn't really count."

I frowned, tugging at my canvas tote bag. "You're no help."

She let out a nervous giggle, toying with a loose thread barely attached to her cotton shorts. "I try, thank you, Elise."

I rolled my eyes, returning them to Cam, surveying what I hadn't seen for a year-and-a half. "God, he's hot. I can hardly believe that I got upset with those captivating, cyan eyes."

Gemma clapped her hands, her eyes narrowed with irritation. "Don't start. You swore off guys, remember? Plus, he's on that list of jerks; those who you apparently hate. You can't fall in love with him again after what he did to you!"

I exhaled through clenched teeth, not taking my eyes off of him. "You're right," I agreed, but on the inside I was saying, you're wrong. He had shot up five inches since the last time I saw him, for sure.

Gemma didn't respond after that, so I was still intoxicated by the shag of Cam's  locks and the causality in his gait. Suddenly, he spotted my stares, sending me a sly, seductive smile. I blushed, yet again, turning away in a flourish. But the sounds of rubber flip flops clapping against the pavement warned me that he was headed straight towards the two of us. Why did I have to stare at him like a mental person?

He approached us, tapping me on the shoulder gently. Forging surprise, I twirled around, right into his open arms. I wanted to tear away, but his grasp was so firm and inviting. 

He smiled, flashing an array of shiny, white teeth. How I'd missed those teeth. "That was our greeting, remember?" Of course I remembered. What kind of nut would forget something as romantic as a signature greeting? I wasn't ready to be the first.

"Uh, yeah," I replied, stuttering and slurring a bit. "I remember, Cam."

He sighed, pausing to glance up at the crystal clear sky, adorned with light, pillowy clouds and chirping seagulls. "Elise, you might like to know that I broke up with Lizzie. God, I was such a jerk. Can you believe it?" He let out a nervous giggle, switching his gaze to a vacant ice cream shop. "I made a huge mistake breaking up with you. Can you forgive me?"

Gemma had been watching the two of us expectantly like a hawk, but quickly got bored of being excluded and abandoned me to settle on the warm sand.

Cam's eyes were soft and forgiving, but I willed myself not to tumble into his trap. "No, Cam, I can't," I admitted, and his gaze fell as if he had been punched in the stomach. "You cheated on me with two different girls. What's to say that you wouldn't do the same thing again?"

I began to trail away, but he held me back with his rough, firm grip. "Elise, please. I've changed; haven't you? I'm a different person than was before. I was selfish, cold, you, and stupid, but I'm much more sensible now. Don't give up, please."

His words rang sincerity in my ears, but my brain warned me silently. "No. I don't believe you. You can't say that you're different. I won't trust you. What we had... was something incredible. And you broke that bond."

I walked off, leaving him slack jaw. I didn't care if I hurt his feelings. He had broken my heart, which wasn't acceptable. With a spring in my step, I hoisted my tote bag farther up my shoulder. I spotted Gemma perched on a quaint spot of sand, so I joined her. While dumping my belongings out of my bag onto my pale pink beach towel, a minuscule piece of paper drifted out. Peering at the small scrawl, it read-

I MISS YOU, BABE. YOU DON'T NEED TO FORGIVE ME NOW, JUST THINK ABOUT IT.

000-000-000

CAM

My heart then ached for love.