Page 32 of SALT

Letting her walk away pissed is better than feeding into whatever we shared moments ago. Her hate destroys me as much as her devotion kills me. Both have consequences, and right now, I'm not sure which is better.

Chapter 14

Cameron

"Why didn't you tell me Lauren was your aunt?" I ask as I pass a shot to Stormy.

She shrugs. "I didn't know it mattered."

In the scheme of things, it doesn't. Stormy doesn't know her aunt is my newest obsession simply because she stands to steal Everett from me. I still can't believe that after all the trouble he caused me the other day when Parker drove me home, he turned around and specifically asked him to drive me home today. I was beyond livid. Not just because of the double standard but because of the reason. The last person I saw him with was Lauren. We shared a moment, there's no fucking way he didn't feel it. I know in the depth of my soul he sees and feels me, but he continues to push me away, and when he didn't come home tonight, I know it's because of her. He's probably with her now, trying to forget me because, in his eyes, we don't fit. We'll never fit.

"Thanks for staying late and keying in the last of the inventory while I rushed that uniform order."

"Not a problem. It's not like I had anything better to do. There is literally nothing to do in this Podunk town."

"That's probably why teen pregnancy is on the rise around here," I say as I toy with the rim of my cardboard coaster.

"You didn't just say that."

"I did. Today, when I was grabbing an energy drink from the concession stand, I heard that two seniors are pregnant this year. Do you want to know why? Because fucking is literally all there is to do."

Stormy rolls her eyes. "Two pregnancies is hardly a rise. You need to get out more. When was the last time you left this small town anyway?"

"How about we take this shot?" I say, raising my glass and dodging the question. "I didn't buy them for us to look at." She gives me a knowing look and lets it go. We all have things we keep close to our hearts. It doesn't mean we don't value the friendships we have just because we keep some things for ourselves.

"Hey, did you guys come here to sit on these stools all night or…" Parker chides before another one of the guys from the team walks around behind him, slapping his shoulder. His hand is still on my back, and I don't miss how Stormy's eyes latch on to it, making me wonder if something didn't go down between them after they dropped me off the other day. Parker isn't a kiss-and-tell kind of guy, and while I didn't get the vibe that Stormy was into him, I don't know her well enough to say that she's not. Either way, she's noticing his hand placement now, and that tells me something happened or she wants something to happen. Leaning in, Parker says, "Hey, I'll be right back," before squeezing my shoulder and walking off.

"Here's to forgetting the shit we came here to drink about!" I say as I hold my shot up high before downing the silver bullet.

"That's actually pretty good. I'm normally not a shot taker, but I could probably do another ten of those."

"I mean, your head would probably hate you later, but we're not here to worry about the consequences. Do you dance?" I ask as I hop off my stool.

"Do I look like I dance?"

Solid point. The girl wears overalls and chucks to work every day. I mean, it's cute; she rocks the bohemian skater look well. Tonight is the first night she's ditched the overalls, and I have to say I was surprised to see her showing her legs. She's still wearing chucks, but she paired them with black torn-up jean shorts and a baggy white tank with a black lacey bralette that plays peekaboo with the distressed armholes.

"Would another round of shots change your mind?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"I'll take that as a no," I quip sardonically as I reclaim my stool. "Sure, shoot."

"Are you and Parker screwing?"

"No," I answer immediately. "But we have kissed, and he has squeezed my ass on more than one occasion."

She nods. "So he wants to fuck you. Got it."

"Parker and I are just friends, that's it. If you're interested, trust me, I am not in the picture."

"So he's a bad kisser then?"

I laugh out loud before raising my hand to get the bartender's attention for another drink.

"No, he's not a bad kisser. I'm not interested in Parker that way and vice versa. The only reason we ever kissed was because he was doing me a favor. It wasn't romantic." I watch as she stirs her Long Island iced tea with a straw and try to get a read on her, but I get nothing. I can't tell if my words settled any reservations or if she was asking because she thought we were dating. I don't pry because I have my own question to ask if we're just going to be sitting here. "So, what's the story with your aunt?"

My question doesn't faze her in the least. She doesn't even look up from her glass to acknowledge that I've spoken.

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