Always Be My Baby

by Mary Ting

  “Don’t check out my ass, Cams, just because I checked out yours.”

  Shit! How did he know?

  Scooting lower and raising the blanket closer to my neck, my face burned. I was in so much trouble.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Back To Work

  Cammy

  “Welcome back, stranger.” Gus seemed to be in a good mood from the sound of his tone. “How are you feeling?”

  Leah had called Gus to let him know I had the flu.

  “I’m feeling better. Thanks for asking.”

  Rushing to my spot, I surveyed the lunch crowd. After a long morning listening to a lecture, I felt overwhelmed. Then I remembered I hadn’t eaten anything that morning because I got up late. I badly needed a coffee or to eat something. If only I could just go across the court to the bakery and get a drink.

  I cringed at the sight of Lucas’s frat brothers and shrunk a little lower when Lucas saw me. Shifting my attention, I rung up the customer and then another, aware of his presence and his eyes on me as he strode my way and... Crap! So was Grayson from the other side, but he was closer, all smiles and dimples and not aware of Lucas. I stiffened.

  “Hey, Cams.” Grayson grinned. “What are you—”

  “Do you mind, Grayson,” Lucas sneered beside him, cutting him off. “I would like to talk to my girl, whom you’ve been trying to steal.”

  He didn’t ask how I was feeling? Not a single word about my well-being.

  “He isn’t doing anything,” I spat.

  Grayson took a step back like a perfect gentleman, shaking his head.

  “Do you mind, Lucas?” Gus appeared beside me. “If you want to talk to Cammy, get in line and buy something. You’re holding the line.” Gus only scolded Lucas and grinned at Grayson.

  I took care of the customer who glanced at all four of us, looking uncomfortable, and then turned to Lucas. “I’m at work. Let’s talk later.”

  His nostrils flared, and his tone dipped lower. “You were willing to talk to that guy behind me, but you won’t talk to me? Okay, I see.”

  “Stop it, Lucas. You’re wrong.” I shook my head. “He’s not making a scene, but you are.”

  He threw up his hands. “I can’t deal with this shit anymore, Cammy. Either we make it work or we’re done.”

  My jaw dropped. How dare he? My eyes burned and heat flared in my body. “I’m not talking to you right now. Go away and cool down.” I was already exhausted, but seeing Lucas drained me.

  Lucas’s eyes diverted to Grayson with daggers. His expression told me I was not in the wrong. Lucas shouldn’t have shown up and demanded like that, especially at work. Unprofessional. Again, he thought of only himself and what he wanted.

  Lucas stormed away, and Grayson retreated, taking small, backward steps, examining me as if silently asking if I was okay.

  After I finished with the customer who had to witness the bickering, Grayson came over.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to get him upset. I didn’t know he was here,” Grayson went on.

  “Stop, Grayson.” I almost reached out to him. “It’s not your fault and please don’t apologize. Lucas thinks he has the right to demand my attention whenever he wants. Did you have a question?”

  He rubbed at his temple. “Oh. Here.” He placed a paper mug on the counter. “It’s for you.” His eyes set on my face as if he could read through me. “You looked exhausted when I came in, so I thought you might need some coffee.”

  Tears pooled in my eyes, and I lowered my gaze. I had let Lucas’s words slice through my heart, and here was Grayson, being so sweet and giving me what I wished for, like my angel mending it back up.

  “I really need this, Grayson. You’ve saved my day. You’re my hero. Thank you so much.” I offered a warm smile and I savored the first hot sip.

  Grayson’s dimples answered my gratitude. “There’s one condition.”

  I took another sip, moaning softly with my eyes closed, breathing in a deep breath. “What’s the condition?” I asked, opening my eyes.

  Grayson ran his hand ever so slowly down his face. “Actually, there are two now. First, you have to watch Mission Impossible with me tonight, or tomorrow, or this weekend, as friends of course. You choose. And second”—he leaned closer to whisper in my ear—“don’t make that sound. You give me naughty thoughts, Cams. Friend or no friend, you have that kind of power over me.”

  I flushed with warmth and pressed my lips together from laughing. “Okay. Since you saved my day, I’ll watch Mission Impossible with you. I’ve been wanting to watch it for some time. But I have to warn you. I get a bit jumpy at the suspenseful parts.”

  Grayson twitched his lips and his eyes twinkled with amusement. “Such a baby. But don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re safe. Besides cooking, I have a special talent. I’m good at giving comfort.”

  “Are you now?” I snorted. “Good to know. Next time an alien comes to hunt me, I’ll make sure to let you know.”

  His eyes lit up brighter. “You saw Independence Day?”

  “Heck yeah. My family and I went on the day it came out.”

  “I think I love you even more. I mean as friends,” he corrected.

  A pause. The room seemed quieter. “Anyway, I should go. You’re working, and I’ve taken enough of your time. Gus keeps looking at me. He’s smiling, but I think he’s trying to tell me to get going.”

  I smiled. Little did Grayson know Gus had a crush on him. “Thanks again for my coffee.” I raised the paper mug to him.

  “My pleasure to take care of you, Cams.” He winked and left.

  “Not only does he smell divine, girl, he’s got it bad for you.” Gus lightly bumped his hip to mine. A drop of coffee spilled on my hand. “Sorry.”

  I sucked it up. “No worries. And he does not. We’re friends.”

  Gus furrowed his brow. “There is no such thing as friends. A guy doesn’t just bring a friend coffee or ask her to go see a movie as friends.”

  I shrugged, dismissing Gus’s words. He had no idea what went on between Grayson and me.

  I nudged his shoulder. “What do you know? You just want to take him to bed.”

  He gave a wicked smile. “You bet I do.”

  I snorted and got back to work when a customer came by.

  Caroline. Shit!

  I played it cool and held my chin high, but my heart pounded hard against my rib cage. She met my eyes once and diverted her attention to something else.

  “Eleven,” I said flatly.

  A ten and a five landed on the counter. I took it and placed four bills on the same spot. I had no intention of our hands brushing. She cleared her throat. When I didn’t pay attention to her, she cleared her throat again. I peered under my eyelashes and finally met her eyes.

  “I’m sorry.” Her index finger nervously tapped on the tray. “I was a bit tipsy. It didn’t mean anything.”

  Why does everyone want to talk to me at work?

  Thankfully, Gus went to the back room so I had a little time to talk. I didn’t know what to say. It felt so awkward to be confronted, and I didn’t like conflicts, but I was beyond enraged. Hurt and anger boiled inside me, stronger than before. And I had a fervent urge to say my piece.

  “I don’t know what you want me to say. Did Lucas put you up to this?”

  She stiffened. “No. I just want to make it clear that I’m not a slut and I’m not a boyfriend stealer.”

  I crossed my arms, and with a sassy tone, I sputtered, “Don’t give yourself too much credit, you haven’t stolen him. He told me you meant nothing to him. He’s begging for me to take him back. I think I’ll make him grovel a bit more.”

  Her eyes shot wide and she kept quiet for only a heartbeat. “I’m not talking to you because I’m trying to break you two up, but you don’t know Lucas well. I think you trust him way too much. You don’t know what he’s like at the social gatherings.”

  I growled under my breath. How dare she tell me things I didn�
�t need to hear to confuse me. “I think I know my own boyfriend, whom I’ve known longer than you.”

  Caroline took the change and picked up her tray. “All I’m saying is that you seem like a really nice person. He doesn’t deserve you. You really need to start asking questions about his loyalty toward you.” With that, she walked away.

  My blood pressure spiked. I couldn’t breathe. Lucas went to plenty of Greek social events. I knew he drank, but I trusted him. I had to. I never questioned his faithfulness. But if he had cheated on me during the events, his brothers would never tell.

  I began to wonder about the year we’d been together. If what Caroline said were true … Had I been that blind?

  Maybe I had closed my eyes, not wanting to see the truth. Leah thought Lucas wasn’t good enough for me. Did she suspect, or had she actually seen things?

  I shivered, noting the time. Feeling sick to my stomach at the revelation unfolding, I wanted to vomit right then and there. Five minutes until someone else would take over my shift.

  The floor began to spin. No air. No air. No air. Gripping the counter, I inhaled deep breaths. Then a gentle hand rested on my shoulder. Gus’s hand.

  “Cammy. Go home. You’ve had a long day.”

  I agreed and went home.

  “What’s wrong, Cammy?” Leah asked when I entered. She took a step into her bedroom, but she came out and sat on the sofa instead.

  I slammed the door behind me, plopped next to her, and told her everything.

  “Do you believe her?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” I answered softly.

  “The only way you’ll know for sure is by talking to Lucas. Except I doubt he would tell you the truth.”

  I leaned back into the sofa and stretched my legs on top of the coffee table. “Are we still on for girls’ night out tomorrow?”

  Leah’s eyes lit up. “We sure are. It’s been so long. I can’t wait.”

  “Me too.”

  Leaning my head onto her shoulder, I thought about calling Lucas but decided to wait until after tomorrow. Maybe I knew it would be our last conversation and I was stalling.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Party With Friends

  Cammy

  “Here’s to us.” Tiffany raised her beer bottle, her green eyes beaming. “We’re on the last stretch to graduation.

  “Four years flew by so fast. I’m going to miss our girls’ nights out.” Julie frowned, her upraised arm holding a bottle next to Tiffany’s.

  “Here’s to the future,” Vanessa said.

  “I’m so happy and thankful for our friendship that got us through breakups, heartaches, and everything that was terrible,” Valerie added.

  “We’ve all been through ups and downs the past four years, but our friendship stayed strong,” Leah said last.

  I finished our toast by saying, “Congrats to Tiffany for getting into one of the best optometry graduate schools. I’m coming to see you when I need glasses.” I snorted. “Congrats to Julie for getting into Harvard Law School. I hope I don’t have to ask you for your services. Congrats to Vanessa on her new job as a human resources assistant. And to my bestie, my roommate, I’m so happy we’ll be continuing to live together and see where life takes us.”

  Tiffany narrowed her eyes at me. “And congrats Cammy for getting into the teaching program. I don’t know why you would want to work with kids.”

  We shared a good laugh and clinked our glasses. The six of us met our freshman year during orientation. Living in the same dorm had helped nurture our friendship, and we’d been best friends since then.

  Julie leaned into me and spoke over the music. “Have you dumped his sorry ass yet?”

  “No talking secrets. I want to hear all the gossip.” Tiffany waved a hand, her face slightly flushing from the alcohol.

  After dinner, we decided to hang out at Jo Jo’s Bar and Grill across from campus. One of the bartenders had seemed to take an interest in Leah, and I believe she did him, though she wouldn’t admit it. Sometimes, he would give us a round of free drinks. But he wasn’t working today.

  “I wanted to know if Cammy dumped Lucas,” Julie said.

  “Dump him and get a new one that can keep his mouth to himself.” Tiffany shrugged. “You deserve someone who treats you like he can’t live without you.”

  “We all do.” Valerie tapped her bottle.

  My mind went silent and heartache began to build. “But how do you let go?”

  Julie murmured, “You just do it. You just say goodbye and don’t look back and know that there is someone else meant for you out there waiting for you, too.” Julie had recently broken up with her boyfriend of two years. She knew my pain.

  “That’s why you date around, like me.” Valerie bumped her shoulder to mine. “After the honeymoon stage is over is when you really get to know the person. Sometimes you match, and sometimes it’s time to say see ya later.”

  “Do you want to see my glamour shot? I had them done a week ago.” Tiffany took out a picture of her.

  I leaned closer. “You look beautiful.”

  “Gorgeous.” Valerie winked. “I should do one.”

  Tiffany shrugged. “You should. We all should.”

  Leah lightly tapped her shoe to mine under the table and gestured to the entrance. Blood drained out of me as my friends and I observed. Lucas and his buddies strode in like they owned the place, right to a table of girls opposite our spot.

  Lucas hadn’t seen me yet. We were in the corner under the dim light. I tried to hide, letting my hair cascade down my face, but I peeked through the layers.

  Lucas hugged some of the girls and he sat next to a brunette. Her hand slid down his arm, and the way he ogled her told me more than words could say. They were smiling at each other as if... Oh God. I felt nauseous.

  Was this the way Lucas acted when he went to his social functions without me? Did everyone see the way he was with other girls except for me? The picture seemed clear now. And after what I had seen, there was no chance in hell I would give him a second chance.

  My friends whirled away from Lucas, disgust boiling in their eyes, and spun to me with sympathetic expressions.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Leah raised her hand to get the waitress’s attention to get our bill.

  My friends agreed. I didn’t know what to say, but I didn’t want to be in the same vicinity with—I couldn’t say his name. I gave Leah a twenty from my wallet and didn’t glance back.

  If he truly was sorry and wanted us to have a second chance, he wouldn’t be friendly with any girl. Perhaps seeing me with Grayson, he thought he had no chance of getting me back. Or maybe his mask had finally been revealed after a year. It didn’t matter. After what I had just seen, I would never be able to trust him.

  “We should walk around them.” Leah stood up after counting the money. “I want to see the look on Lucas’s face when he sees us.”

  Tiffany stroked my arm. “Is this what you want to do, Cammy?”

  All eyes flashed to me.

  At first, I didn’t know. I wanted to hide when I saw him, and then I wanted to punch him a second later when he flirted with that girl. The insecure part of me wanted to run away. But a new me, one who’d had enough, one who finally opened her eyes rose out of her seat.

  “I have a score to settle.” I marched to Lucas, my friends behind me.

  Lucas spotted me. His eyes widened with shock. His hands lifted from the girl and he stood up, stiffening, and parted his mouth to speak.

  Grabbing a full glass of water, I dumped it in his face. “We’re done. I don’t ever want to see you again.” With that, I strode out the door with my head up, never looking back.

  Behind me, I could have sworn I heard snorts and curses from his friends.

  Chapter Seventeen

  First Kiss

  Cammy

  A Week Later

  “No, no, no. Don’t go in there,” I murmured into the palms of my hands, almost choking on popcorn I
had chewed. Thankfully, we sat in the farthest back row and only one other couple sat toward the front. The campus theater was never crowded, especially the last show and in the middle of the week.

  “This is the best part. Don’t close your eyes,” Grayson whispered into my ear.

  “Easy for you to say. You already know what happens.” I lightly smacked his arm, and then partially covered my eyes.

  My heart thudded as the bad guy snuck behind the hero. When he spun, they exchanged gunshots. I flinched and almost screamed. Instead, I ducked toward Grayson, my forehead touching the hard curve of his biceps.

  “He’s gone,” Grayson whispered. “Nothing to be afraid of.” He stroked my hair.

  I felt like an idiot. I was such a scaredy cat.

  When I peered up to meet his blue eyes, those eyes that sparkled with tenderness and everything that screamed what a man should be, I realized I didn’t want to lose him. He had been there for me as a friend, but most of all he waited patiently for me. To him, I was worth the wait, and that meant everything to me.

  There were two kinds of men in the world, mom had told me once. There was the kind that loved women so much that his eyes wandered and the kind that would love only one woman devotedly.

  I had thought Lucas was the latter, but apparently he wasn’t. And a deep part of me had known he wasn’t meant for me, but I couldn’t let him go. I was glad I did, for I realized the guy whose arms were around me, giving me comfort, was meant for me.

  Grayson had been in the shadows all along, and fate had brought us together at the right time. Though my heart still ached from Lucas’s betrayal, from the loss of love and what we had shared, I was ready to move on, but slowly.

  I could give Grayson a piece of my heart, small pieces of me at a time, but I couldn’t jump in and give it to him wholly. But without a doubt, whatever was happening with Grayson and me, it felt right.

  “Grayson.” Saying his name seemed a bit more intimate this time.

  “Yes.” He met my gaze with those bedroom, seductive eyes.

  Rising up to get a better angle, I bored my eyes into his with no guilt, and I kissed him. His lips tasted like popcorn and soda.