When I finally pulled away, Zach pressed his forehead against mine.
"I love you", he whispered.
Every cell in my brain was yelling at me not to say what I was about to, but I ignored them. "I love you too", I whispered back.
- - -
He was running...
I turned around and saw Cameron approach me, he was only wearing his sweatpants. Granted, I was just wearing a long shirt.
"Good morning", I said with a cheery smile. "Coffee's in the pot and eggs are in the pan."
I was sitting at the same bar stool that I sat on the day before the two-day finale event. It was the end of July, which marked the last few weeks of summer. Cameron and I have spent most of summer together, trying to get my mind off of losing. His parents were off in their summer house by the ocean, so I've been crashing with Cameron for awhile.
Cameron walked into the kitchen, and looked over at the breakfast that I had made before he looked back at me. He smiled and leaned over the other side of the counter.
"When did you become so resourceful?" he asked.
I shrugged and went back to coddling the eggs, bacon, and toast that I have been nibbling on for the past thirty minutes. Cameron titled my chin up and planted a soft kiss on my lips.
"What was that for?" I asked.
Cameron smiled, "nothing, you're just perfect".
I should probably explain, Cameron and I have gotten very intimate over the summer. He still has feelings for me, but I told him that I was not interested in something serious. Around one month ago, he agreed to my terms and now... well I'm not sure what we are. Can you have a fling with your ex? Or more specifically, can your ex also be a rebound? Probably not, but Cameron's personality and charm is just so addicting.
Cameron began to fix himself a plate, when suddenly he frowned. It was not early in the morning, so I do not know why Cameron is suddenly upset.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
He nudged my plate to the side and revealed what had been keeping me up late at night, and what had kept my mind busy all morning. I sighed in defeat, I guess there's no avoiding it now. Cameron gave me a disapproving look- the one where he crosses his arms and tilts his head to the side. There was a slight frown present upon his lips.
"What is this?" he asked.
With another heavy sigh, I pulled the magazine out from under my plate and faced it with full transparency. Together, we both stared at the front page.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"This isn't the first cover page that they've made all summer. We've seen red carpet looks, street looks, and even that one photo of them getting intimate in a hot tub... but none of them have bothered you before", Cameron pointed out.
"But this is the first one where she's wearing a diamond ring on her finger!" I exclaimed with worry.
Cameron sat down next to me and placed one hand on my shoulder. "Just because she's wearing a ring—that might not even be from him—doesn't mean anything."
"Yeah, that's because you're a guy! We all know that diamonds are reserved for marriages and serious relationships."
"Penelope, we've come so far this summer... you're not about to backtrack just because of one photo in one gossip tabloid."
I sighed and refused to make eye contact. Deep down, I knew he was right, but I also haven't seen Zach in two months so who knows at this point. There's a 99% chance that everything I've seen is fake, but it's the 1% that worries me.
"C'mon, you don't need this", Cameron said as he stood up. "It's the end of summer, let's go out and have fun today".
Reluctantly, I began to finish eating, I guess I could get out of the house.
"There's a boat party tonight for a friend of mine, we're going", Cameron continued.
I wanted to disagree, but he did not give me the chance to. "I'll have to go shopping for a new bathing suit then."
"Fine, but just finish eating and go take a shower. I have some errands to run, but I'll be back", he approached me, "you're stronger than this". Cameron kissed the top of my forehead before he took the magazine and dropped it into the trash can.
Part of me wanted to pick up the magazine and contemplate the front cover again, but I knew he shouldn't mean this much to me. We were over, and I accepted that a long time ago.
"Screw you Tatianna Brown", I mumbled to myself as I placed my dirty plate in the sink.
It was then that I did something irrational, but my soul needed it. I pulled out a lighter from a drawer and set the magazine on fire in the metal trash can, which was really stupid of me considering that I set the fire alarm off. Cameron had to fix it and it became a whole issue BUT I felt better (10/10 would not recommend though). After my exciting morning, I got ready and left the house. Next stop: Body & Sol swimwear.
- - -
I decided to get a Dylan one piece in black and a floral kimono. As I was paying, I saw someone who I have not seen in a long time across the street. He looked different, sadder. I finished paying and walked over to him, knowing I should not have. Something inside of me called out to him, it longed to be held in his arms once again.
"Zach?" I asked, I tried to hide my sadness from my tone.
He turned around, and though he did not say anything, you could see it all in his face. Regret, pain, and a deep sense of longing reflected in his brown eyes. He looked truly miserable, and my heart yearned to help him. Suddenly, Zach forcefully pulled me into a hug. His arms wrapped around my neck as my body tensed, due to the sudden nature of his hug. But as soon as I smelled his cologne, I melted into his arms. I probably could have cried, right then and there. He smelt like home to me... my home.
We both heard the sound of a picture being taken, and we turned around to see the paparazzi taking pictures. Zach immediately withdrew from our hug, and I felt alone once again.
"C'mon", he said as he took my hand and led me down the street.
I didn't know where we were going, but I didn't care. Zach could lead me right off the edge of a cliff and I wouldn't care. All that mattered was that he was here, with me, and I didn't ever want to leave. ___________________________ A/N: Guess who's back? School is officially out, so expect more content from me and kdizzlebaby . This was a short chapter because I wanted to write something quick. I hope y'all appreciate my mediocre photoshopping skills with that magazine cover. Anyways, does anyone have any exciting summer plans? And how do y'all feel about Cameron and Penelope having a "thing" once again?
