Page 39 of The Fallacy of True Love
I rolled my eyes. “So you won’t feel threatened.” Though now that she’d mentioned it, the memory of her ass in her board shorts popped into the forefront of my brain.
“Manila, you’re as threatening as a golden retriever.”
“Hey. I prefer to think of myself as a husky. Maybe a lab.”
“Why am I not surprised?” she muttered as she picked up speed.
Swinging my plastic bag of clothes, I matched my steps with hers. “Your friends are great. Did you get along from the beginning?”
She side-eyed me. “Just because we’re walking in the same direction doesn’t mean we need to talk.”
“Right.”
For a few minutes, we walked in silence, both staring straight ahead.
“Do they have a thing?” I couldn’t resist asking. “Because I sensed major chemistry there.”
No answer.
“My friend Miggy has this theory that guys and girls can’t just be friends. He says someone’s bound to catch feelings for the other person. I can imagine for a trio, it might be awkward?—”
“Can you shut up?” she snapped.
I grinned. “Sure. When I get my answers. So, do you agree with Miggy’s theory? And did I call it right about Eric and Nikki?”
“That’s none of your business. I’m not gossiping about my friends.”
“Fair enough. I’m sorry.”
“I could have walked by myself, you know,” Cam griped. “I do it all the time.”
“Yeah, but we’re heading the same way. Besides, it’s my last night here. You should enjoy my company while it lasts.”
“You read my mind. That was exactly what I wanted.”
“I do have good intuition.”
“Do you?” She scoffed. “It doesn’t seem like it to me.”
I halted as her meaning sank in. “Seriously? I tell you something personal, and you’re using it against me?”
She pulled to a stop and turned to me. The street lamps cast her face in shadows, but I saw the surprise in her expression…and the regret. “Shit. I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to say that. I was annoyed and I spoke without thinking. It was a dick move.”
I stared at her, at a loss for words.
“You can insult me if you want.”
Laughter stuttered out of me. “Are you for real?” How did she go from hitting me below the belt to apologizing and telling me to hit back?
“You get one free pass, so use it wisely.” Folding her arms across her chest, she looked me straight in the eye.
“I’m not going to insult you, Cam.”
“The offer’s expiring in thirty seconds. I won’t warn you again.”
“You are something else.”
She tilted her head to the side. “That’s it? Impressive.” Then she flicked a condescending look down my body and started walking again.
