Page 136 of Not That Into You

I grab my coffee and follow, arriving just in time to hear Cameron introduce himself as my boyfriend. I choke on a piece of pretzel and start coughing. Without thinking, I take a drink of coffee and scorch my tongue, then stick it out of my mouth, fanning it in a futile attempt to provide relief.

I finally glance at both men, who are staring at me.

“I burned my tongue,” I say, my words distorted because my tongue is still hanging out of my mouth.

My dad stands up. “You okay, butterbean?”

I wave my hand in dismissal. “Yeah.”

He frowns before turning to Cameron and shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

I can’t believe this is happening. It’s as if I’ve stepped into an alternate universe. A part of me wants to yell that Cameron isn’t my boyfriend, but that’ll just sound juvenile—and, given my recent behavior, slightly unhinged.

Rearranging my lips in a facsimile of a smile, I turn to Cameron. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

He grins. “Of course.”

I grab his arm and pull him to the side, out of earshot of my father.

“What are you doing here?”

He clasps my hand, but I yank it out of his grip. “Cameron.”

He sighs. “I know you’re worried about your mother’s surgery, and I wanted to be here for you.”

My face scrunches in confusion. “What?”

He grabs my hand again, but I’m too flustered to pull it back. “I want to be here to support you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re my girlfriend.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No. I’m not.” I pull my hand free. “You made that clear when you brought Vanessa to the Coronet Society Dinner.”

“Monica...”

I can’t handle his excuses right now. “Speaking of which, don’t you have your interview today?” I glance at my watch. “Like right now?”

“I rescheduled.”

I take a startled step back. “What?”

“It was more important to be here with you.”

My eyes widen as I suck in a breath. He rescheduled his interview for me? My face heats, and for a moment, all I can hear is the rhythmic thumping of my heart.

It’s too much. Cameron standing in front of me while my mom is in surgery is too much.

Closing my eyes, I drop my head and rub my forehead. “Cameron, I can’t do this right now.”

Swallowing, he says, “I know,” in a quiet voice. “Let’s go sit back down.”

“Cameron...”

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