Page 138 of Not That Into You

I hold up a hand to stop him. “Did you introduce her as your girlfriend?”

His eyes widen. “No.”

“But you wanted people to assume she was.”

“No.” He shakes his head. “It wasn’t like that.”

“Really? Because that’s how it looked. I know what I saw. If you’d brought Hayley rather than Vanessa, would your body language have been the same?”

Cameron presses his lips together and then looks down at his feet. I’m both relieved and heartbroken he’s not denying he would have behaved differently if Vanessa had been Hayley and accompanied him as a genuine friend.

“Whose idea was it to go together?”

He looks back up and something I can’t decipher flashes across his face. “She initially asked me to go with her.”

A knot in my chest releases. At least it wasn’t his idea. “When?”

“The other day. Monday, I think.”

My eyes go wide. “Monday?” I suck in a breath. “Wow. Was that the same day your dad told you to stop pursuing the CMO position?”

He runs a hand through his hair. “Yeah.”

I nod. “The same day you were super quiet when I came over for dinner. Right. Now it makes sense. You certainly had a lot on your mind.”

“I didn’t agree to go with her when I saw her on Monday. I wasn’t planning on going with her.”

Wait. I take a step back. “You saw her?” I know Cameron and I were keeping things casual, but it’s still a punch to the gut he didn’t mention he saw Vanessa—had actually seen her in person—and that she wanted to go to the dinner with him. “So what changed your mind? I said no, and you decided to go with her after all?”

He frowns. “Not at first.”

“When?”

His jaw clenches. “Look, Monica, it doesn’t matter. I should’ve gone alone like I said I was going to do.” He reaches a hand out but then drops it. “I’m sorry.”

I study his face. He seems genuinely remorseful, but I still feel as if there’s something I’m not getting. “When did you decide to go with Vanessa?”

He sighs. “On Wednesday.”

The day I was supposed to be flying back to Ohio. “You got in touch with her?”

“Yes.”

“Why the change of heart?”

His chest deflates. “It made sense at the time.”

“Right.” I take a deep breath, suddenly exhausted. I’m not sure how I feel, but I know I’m not going to figure anything out while standing in front of him in a waiting room. “Well, I need to go find my parents.”

“Monica...”

“Have a good flight, Cameron.” I turn and start walking away.

“Monica.”

I stop and briefly close my eyes before turning around. “What?”

“Please...” He steps toward me. “I love you.”

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