The Heartless Persona

8

Keri gently knocked on Cam's bedroom door. He shouted a "come in" before she entered. He was only wearing shorts and while he put something back in his luggage.

"Hey," Keri said, her eyes on his bare chest. She realized where she was staring and moved her eyes to his. Heat had reached the surface of her skin, warming her entire body. "Wanna grab something to eat?"

"Yeah, sure. Mason's in the shower, but I think he's almost done."

"Oh," her eyes lowered. "I meant just the two of us. Maybe we could...I don't know, catch up?" She started to nibble on her lip. Her heart pounded faster as she waited on a response.

What if he thought this was something more than it actually was? What if it turned out to be more than Keri wanted it to be?

No. This was just lunch. Two old friends going out to lunch.

It was normal.

Cam stopped what he was doing and stared at her. His eyes trailed down her body. This was so odd of Keri. After years of not speaking to him, she was actually acting like one of his friends again. He was a little frightened that this was a set up and he was just going to get hurt. Again.

"Okay," he finally agreed.

Keri's face lit up as her eyes broke away from the floor. "Good. I'll go tell our parents," she grinned.

Their parents seemed exuberant that only Cam and Keri were going to hang out. They had even given them a load of money for the meal, telling them to order whatever they'd like. They probably thought that they were going to become insta-bestfriends again.

Keri rolled her eyes. Like that would ever happen. She was only doing this to be friendly. That was it. This meant nothing. Nada. Zip.

It was just a meal between two people.

That was all.

They had decided to walk because the restaurant wasn't too far away. And besides, at least Keri could soak up the sun. Once they arrived, they were seated immediately.

"So how long have Mason and his girlfriend been together?" Keri asked before taking a sip of her drink. She and Cam were sitting outside at a restaurant, being stalked by birds, who tried to steal their food.

"I dunno, about two months, I think," Cam said. "They should just break up, though. They're both cheating on each other."

"Ah, is that why he was so persistent on trying to hook up with me?" Her eyebrows rose a little. Nonchalantly, she began to twirl with a strand of hair. Her stomach had tightened at the word "cheating" and tried to make the feeling vanish.

"Yeah, and because he thinks you're pretty."

Keri smiled a little. She was glad that even though she was on vacation, she could still charm boys like she did back home.

On the other hand, duh he found her attractive. Keri knew how beautiful she looked. She used her looks to manipulate so many people, especially boys.

But for some reason, Cam was the only boy who wasn't under her spell.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" She lightly batted her eyelashes that were coated with mascara. Her mouth twisted into a smirk as she stared at him with a seductive gaze.

He shrugged one of his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess."

Yeah, I guess?

Yeah, I guess!

Keri's stomach dropped a little. What was that supposed to mean? That just made her feel stupid and worthless.

Every guy was supposed to like her. Why didn't Cam like her? She was perfect for crying out loud!

"Why do you care what I think anyways?" He asked her, noticing her fallen expression.

"I don't," she shot back. Her lips were pressed together and her expression became harder. Then a devious thought popped up in the back of her mind.

Maybe she should hook up with Mason. Just to get under Cam's skin. But knowing Cam, he wouldn't even blink an eye.

It didn't matter anyways. Mason wasn't the one she wanted to hook up with.