Page 4 of Just Like This
“It’s so good to meet you, Garrett,” she said. I closed my eyes and inhaled her scent.Jasmine. My eyes popped open, and I backed away, mentally repeatingbro code, bro code, bro code.
“I’m glad to finally meet you, Cami. Palmer talks about you all the time.” Cami’s cheeks reddened, and she hid her face behind her hands.
“Oh my god, that’s so awful!” She playfully punched Palmer in the shoulder before turning her attention back to me. “I’m so sorry you had to listen to all of that.”
Now that I had seen Cami in the flesh, I wasn’t sorry at all. She was absolutely stunning. Between mental reminders about the bro code, my only thoughts weremine, mine, mine.Never in my entire life had I desired what someone else had.
For the rest of the night, I watched Palmer and Cami flirt with one another. They seemed a natural fit and were easy and comfortable with each other and around all of the guests. Why weren’t they together? I remained just out of sight, far enough away from the crowds but still close enough to be seen. I was here for my friend; my own hang-ups could wait.
“I think I’m going to head back to my room,” I told Palmer when my anxiety started to overwhelm me.
“Are you serious? The great Garrett Hammond is leaving a party early?”
“Fuck off, man.”
“Are you really that unhappy for me? You can’t stand that I’m getting out while you’re still in, can you?” There was an unmistakable glassiness to his eyes and a slight slur to his speech. I took his harsh questions with a grain of salt because while there might be some truth to what he asked, Palmer also wasn’t thinking clearly.
“What I can’t stand is being in a room full of strangers, wondering who might try to blow me up, okay? This has nothing to do with you.”
I left before he could say another word. I was an asshole, shitting all over a celebration in his honor. This party was to welcome him home, but I made it about me and my issues. A pair of blue eyes and the scent of jasmine drove me away too. No woman had ever made me look twice before, but Cami was off-limits. Palmer wanted her, and I had to respect that.
