This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.
In Love With My Best Friend All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Sheena Binkley v2.0
This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
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Chapter 1
Camille
H
ow did my life get so complicated? One minute, I, Camille Anderson, was living a pretty normal life in which nothing ever happened to me, and the next I’m practically being hauled away from the premier wedding venue in Houston, The Corinthian, by security because of my sudden outburst to the groom.
I should have known I was setting myself up for disaster, but I had to do it. I had to tell my best friend that I’d been in love with him since I was thirteen.
I really didn’t expect the scene to unfold the way it did, especially while Trevor was getting married, but I couldn’t hold my feelings in much longer. I felt he was making a terrible mistake, because he was marrying the wrong woman. He should have been marrying me.
I guess I should backtrack to when Trevor and I first met. It was seventeen years ago, when the Williams family first moved into the house next to ours. I was outside waiting for my friend Tia Simmons to come by when I first noticed Trevor. He was absolutely gorgeous as he stepped out of his family’s SUV. He had that “boy next door” look, with wavy black hair and smooth ivory skin. He looked over at me and gave me a huge grin, which I greatly returned.
After that day, not only did we become friends, but our parents became great friends as well. We always went by each other’s homes for dinner or for game night (until we were too old to appreciate hanging out with our parents on a Friday night).
We were practically inseparable during our high school years, and many of our friends thought we would eventually get married and have lots of kids. When anyone mentioned that to Trevor, he would shrug it off and say, “We’re just friends, and it will stay that way until the day we die.” Usually those words would tug at my heartstrings, but being the shy person I am, I never let my feelings show.
As we went to college, Trevor and I went into the same major, public relations. That was when he met Chelsea Parker, who was also my roommate. At first I liked Chelsea because she was basically a sweet person, but when she set her sights on Trevor, I quickly disliked her. Not because she took Trevor away from me, but because she became a different person.
If only I could go back to four weeks ago, or even seventeen years ago, I would be with the man I loved…
z
Four weeks ago…
“I don’t know why you dragged me to this,” I said as I looked at my friend Tia. The two of us were inside the Aventine Ballroom of Hotel Icon waiting for our friend Trevor and his fiancée, Chelsea, to arrive for their engagement and welcome home party. The two had announced their engagement to everyone a while back when Trevor was visiting his parents before going back to Dallas. Not only did he announce his engagement, but he also said that he had accepted a new position at a prestigious PR firm and was moving back to Houston. Although I was happy that my best friend was moving back, I was not thrilled that he was getting married.
“For once, why can’t you be happy for Tre? He and Chelsea are finally getting married.”
I gave Tia an evil stare as I looked toward the revolving door to the ballroom.
“You know how I feel about Trevor and Chelsea getting married.”
“Oh please, Cam, when are you going to get past the fact that Trevor found someone? I told you to admit your feelings to him, but being the person you are, you decided not to.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You felt you would have been rejected if you told Trevor your true feelings.”
“If I remember correctly, in high school when Charles asked him why we never hooked up, he said, and I quote, ‘We’re just friends.’” Tia rolled her eyes at me and started to stare at the door as well. This was not the first time we’d had this conversation about my feelings for Trevor, so I’m pretty sure Tia was tired of hearing it.
Tia was my other best friend and the complete opposite of me. While I was quiet and reserved, Tia was wild and carefree. She always did what she wanted and didn’t care about the consequences. People always thought we were sisters, with our caramel-colored complexion and long, dark-brown hair. But that was where the similarities ended. I looked down at my black sequin dress that went above my knees, wondering if I was dressed appropriately for the occasion; but as I looked at the hot-pink dress Tia was sporting, I figured my outfit was perfect.
“So how are things between you and Eric?”
“Finished; I broke up with him a couple of days ago.”
“I’m assuming because he’s not Trevor? Cam, you have got to move on.”
I sighed as I noticed two figures coming through the door. I started to breathe slowly as I watched my friend walk in with his fiancée. Trevor always was attractive, but tonight he looked really handsome in a dark blue suit, white shirt, and blue and white striped tie. His black, wavy hair was cut short, bringing out his beautiful brown eyes. He walked hand in hand with Chelsea, the woman I wish I’d never met, who was positively glowing in an ivory-colored empire dress. Her reddish brown hair was pulled into a tight ponytail and her makeup was flawless. Although I was completely jealous of Chelsea, I had to admit the two made a stunning couple.
Tia gave me a frown. “You OK?”
“I’m cool. Let’s just get this over with.”
While the crowd of family and friends were clapping and whistling for the happy couple, all I could do was just stand in my place, looking at Trevor as if he was the only person in the room. He gave me a smile that showed the deep dimples on each of his cheeks. As he went to greet a couple of his family members, I took a deep breath to control any tears from flowing.
I shouldn’t have come tonight.
z
Trevor
“W
hy did we plan a huge engagement party? Everyone knows we’re engaged,” I asked my fiancée, Chelsea, as we were walking hand in hand down the corridor inside Hotel Icon. “Sweetie, I just wanted everyone to celebrate in our happiness and what better way than a huge party?”
I sighed as I continued to walk, not realizing how frustrated I was becoming.
Chelsea was the love of my life. I instantly knew I wanted to marry her when I first laid eyes on her in Camille’s dorm room. The two were roommates their junior year at University of Houston, which was great for me, considering I was able to see my best friend and my girlfriend at the same time. Although Camille and I were really good friends, I got the sense that something had been bothering her since I’d been dating Chelsea. Call me crazy, but it seemed as if Camille was jealous of our relationship. I hope not, because Chelsea loves Camille and considers her a good friend.
As we walked into the ballroom, everyone from our family and our friends were clapping and cheering fo
r our arrival. We started to wave at everyone as we entered. Once I turned my head toward the center of the room, I had to stop and admire the person staring straight at me. My heart jolted several beats at the beauty who was giving me a dazzling smile. Camille Anderson had always been a beautiful woman, from her caramel-colored skin to her deep chocolate eyes; she definitely stood out in a crowd.
Just looking at her long hair flowing around her face and the black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places made me feel sort of embarrassed, because I shouldn’t have been looking at her in that way. I always considered her my best friend and nothing more, so why was I looking at her differently now?
Chelsea turned her attention to me, wondering what was wrong.
“Is everything OK?”
I suddenly realized I was staring a little too long as I turned to Chelsea.
“I’m fine,” I said as I squeezed her hand.
I gave Camille a huge grin as I walked over to talk to a nearby guest. I snuck another peek at her; she was talking to our friend Tia near the bar. I don’t know what was going on with me, but hopefully this feeling I was having about my best friend would go away soon.
That’s if I want it to.
Chapter 2
Camille
W
hile everyone was saying their congratulations to the happy couple, I decided to go outside for some fresh air. I propped my arms on the terrace and stared at the twinkling stars in front of me. Looking at the sky made me think about all the times Tre and I would go out to George Observatory to watch the stars. Although he wasn’t really interested in it, he did it because I loved it. We would sit outside for hours, trying to find the Big Dipper. We would even point out unknown stars and give them names.
I began to rub my shoulders, realizing I should have brought a shawl to wear, as I tried to warm myself up. Suddenly, a jacket was draped across my shoulders, unaware that anyone else was outside. I jumped as I spun around to see Trevor standing behind me. He gave me a tiny smile as he put his hands on my shoulders.
“I noticed you were outside when I was talking to my parents. I know how you get cold easily, so I came outside.”
“Is that the only reason? Could it be to get away from the madness?”
“Maybe so; I really didn’t want an engagement party, but you know how Chelsea is.”
“Yep; always wants to be the center of attention.”
“How are you? We didn’t get a chance to talk much after I made the announcement.”
“I’m good. I’m just glad my best friend is moving back. You know how much I missed you.”
“I have an idea. I missed you too.”
“When do you start working at P&G?”
“Next week. I still have to move a couple of things from Dallas, but I’m pretty much done.”
“That’s good. Is Chelsea glad to come home?”
“Sort of. She loves living in Dallas, but you know me, I missed being at home.”
“Well, hopefully we can hang out sometimes.”
“Of course! Who else can I go to a basketball game with since Chelsea hates sports.”
“Well, it’s a date.”
Trevor looked at me and smiled.
“Yeah, it is.”
I looked at Trevor’s lips, wondering why we never kissed. He had such kissable lips.
“How’s Eric?” he asked while giving me a blank expression.
I don’t think Trevor really liked Eric. I remember the day I introduced the two while visiting Dallas. The minute Trevor saw Eric, he immediately started to give him the cold shoulder. I don’t know if it was because he thought Eric was a jerk or the fact that I was involved with someone.
“We broke up. It didn’t work out.”
Trevor tried hard not to smile as he nodded his head.
“I can’t say I feel bad about that. The man was a jerk.”
“Why would you assume that? You only met him that one time in Dallas.”
“First impressions are everything, and he gave a pretty bad one. I knew right away that he wasn’t good enough for you.”
I looked at Trevor and smiled.
Trevor looked at me as he pushed a strand of hair from my face. Just the touch of his hand made me quiver.
As we continued to stare at each other, I decided to end the moment by handing Trevor back his jacket.
“I’m going to head back inside, but thanks for keeping me warm.”
“No problem,” he said as he watched me walk away.
I turned around to give him another smile as I went inside.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think my best friend was checking me out, and I couldn’t be happier.
Chapter 3
Trevor
“I
hate moving!” I said as I put a box down onto the hardwood floor of my new condo. I took a quick inspection of the place and at the various boxes scattered throughout the large space. “It’s going to take more than a day to get this place together.”
“Well, if you need the help, I’ll be here,” my friend Charles Robinson said as he put another box near the sofa.
“Thanks, man. I need a break; you want anything?”
“Sure.”
I went over to the counter and grabbed two bottled waters. I threw one at Charles, which he caught before it hit the ground.
I went over to the couch and sat down, taking a swig of the cold beverage. As the water started to trickle down my throat, I started to think about Camille and the look she gave me before going back into the ballroom last night. Of all the years we’d been friends, I’d never seen her look that sexy, let alone flirt with me. I didn’t know whether I should mention anything to Charles about what I was feeling, because to be honest, I didn’t even know what I’m feeling. Charles noticed I had a serious look on my face. He took a box that was sitting in an armchair and put it on the floor. He sat down and gave me a stern look. “What’s on your mind? You look kind of serious.”
I took another sip of water and sighed.
“I don’t know if I should bring it up.”
“Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
“I guess between getting married, the new job, and the move, I’m starting to imagine things.”
“Like what?”
“Camille. I was getting some strange vibes from her last night. One minute I was thinking about the engagement and having a decent time at the party, but when I saw Camille, something in me just changed.”
“Trevor, you can’t deny that Camille is fine. She always has been. I’m surprised you never hit that.”
“Really, Charles? She’s like a sister to me.”
“Please! You’re trying to tell me of all the time you’ve known Camille, you never had one romantic or sexual thought about her?”
“I’m not blind, Charles. I always found Camille attractive; I just never wanted to cross that line with her.”
“Why are you bringing it up then if Camille is just a friend? Besides, aren’t you getting married to Chelsea; the woman you’ve been with since college?”
“I know; it was just something I noticed, that’s all.” “OK, enough about you and your best friend. Did Chelsea go back to Dallas?”
“Yeah, she had to tie up some loose ends with her job before returning. I know she didn’t want to leave, but with my new job, there was no way we could live apart for so long.”
“I understand. What is she going to do for a job?”
“She thought she could get a transfer, but unfortunately someone already has her title at the Houston office, so she has to look for another job.”
“That sucks. Tell her good luck.”
“She’ll be fine. She has some leads so far.”
The doorbell rang, causing me to wonder who was at the door.
“Who could that be?” I asked as I walked to the door.
I opened it to reveal Camille on the other side of the door. She flashed a sweet smile at me, which made my heart go pitter-
patter. Don’t know why because that had never happened before.
“Hey, I was in the area and wanted to stop by and see how everything was going. Hey, Charles,” she said as she noticed Charles sitting down.
“Hey, Cam. I have to say, you looked gorgeous last night.” He complimented her while giving me a smug look.
I shook my head at Charles as I tried to get any thoughts of how sexy my best friend looked last night out of my head.
“Thanks, Charles.”
“Where are my manners? Come in,” I said as I stepped out the entryway so Camille could walk in. She glanced at the boxes and smiled.
“I see you haven’t unpacked yet.”
“No, got a few more things to get before unpacking. If you’re not busy, maybe you could help me arrange some of the stuff in here.”
“I guess I could, but it’s going to have to cost you dinner.”
“Deal,” I said as I gave Camille a wide grin.
Camille suddenly became shy as she gave a tiny smile and looked toward the beige wall.
I observed Charles giving us a look that read “sure-you’re- just-friends” as he moved from the chair and toward the door.
“I’m going to go run an errand. Call me if you need me.”
“Will do. Thanks, Charles.”
“No problem. Bye, Cam.”
“Bye, Charles,” Camille said as Charles closed the door behind him.
As I went to the door to lock it, I turned around and stared at Camille.
“I guess we should get started.”
After two hours of unpacking various items and putting them in their appropriate spots, Camille and I decided to take a break. We were spread out on the floor eating Chinese food and watching a DVD. Since my cable wouldn’t be installed until the next day, we decided to watch Sleepless in Seattle, which was one of Camille’s favorite movies.
“After all the times I have watched this movie, it never gets old.”
“I’m sure. You even have me knowing majority of the lines.”
“Oh, come on. You know you like this movie.”
I glared at Camille with a small smile on my lips. “Maybe I do.”
In Love With My Best Friend Page 1
