More Than Forever
Page 47
My shoulders sag with my sigh. I close my eyes and set my hands, palms up, on my lap. I hear the unfolding of paper, one of my favorite sounds in the world. And then he places it on my hands.
Ever since we got to college he'd been sketching more. Not just lines and floor plans, but actual drawings.
"Okay," he says warily. "Open."
I peer down at the sketch. It's of me sitting in the beanbag reading. His work has gotten so much better since he started taking the right classes in college. I've told him that I want to wallpaper my room with them, but he doesn't want anyone seeing them. He says he's uncomfortable with it, and he doesn't think it's good enough to share. But he's wrong. They're beyond amazing. He doesn't do it often, so when he does it's like a major reward for me. But the best part—or maybe the worst—is that he only ever draws me. I'm his art, so he says.
"I love it," I tell him, picking it up to examine it closer.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, babe. It's one of the best so far."
"I need to work on my rendering," he says.
"It looks perfect to me."
"That's because my source is perfect."
I drop my chin to my chest to hide my smile. Five years on and his words still have the ability to make me blush. To make me fall in a new type of love, every single day.
***
I wake up to his face only inches from mine. His eyes are shut, peacefully sleeping.
I rub my nose against his chest and sniff.
His body shakes with his quiet laughter. "Did you just sniff me?"
I lean up and sniff his neck. "Mmm, you smell different when you're awake."
He kisses the top of my head. "That's not creepy at all."
"Hey! You watch me when I sleep."
"Yeah, but that's because I feel like I don't see you enough lately. I have to take as much of you in as I can."
Rose scoffs from her bed. "You guys are sick. Like, legit sick. You make me wanna puke."
I laugh into his chest.
"Don't be jealous," Cam says, his voice crackly from sleep. "We make you want to settle down and fall in love." He smiles down at me, his brown eyes searching mine.
Rose makes a puking sound effect. "I'm gonna shower. You guys have ten minutes to make babies but I'm not sending warning signals before I come back out."
We don't make babies while she's gone. We stay in the exact same position. Holding each other close, and we talk. Because it's not just about sex with us. It's about life. He's my life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
-CAMERON- "Psst."
I glance up to see Roxy looking over my cubical.
"Is it just me or do all the people that work here have a bus sized rod stuck up their ass?" she whispers.
I chuckle and shake my head. "Nope. It's true."
"And you have to work here for free?"
Sighing, I drop my pen on the desk and lean back in my chair, linking my fingers behind my head. "All part of my scholarship, remember?"
"That must suck."
I shrug. "At least I'm here, right?" I dramatically wave my arms in the air. "Living the dream."
She snorts, and then leans in closer. "What are you doing after work? You wanna grab a bite?"
"Can't. Going out for a friend’s birthday."
She smiles and nods. "The infamous, and ever elusive, sugary sweet Lucy going with you? Will I get to meet her one day?"
I'm taken aback by her description for a moment, but only for a moment before I decide that I don't care. "You should. She's picking me up, five-thirty on the dot."
She fake claps with eyes wide and feigned excitement. "I can't wait."
***
Lucy's leaning against her car just outside the office doors when Roxy and I finally make it down. We got held back for a meeting and then the stupid elevator was broken so we hoofed it down the stairwell. Roxy had to take her stupidly high heels off so she didn't break an ankle or some shit.
I see Lucy's eyes widen slightly when she sees us but she recovers quickly. "Hey," she says cautiously, her eyes darting to Roxy.
"Hey babe, sorry I'm late, we got held back and the elevator's broken." I lean down and kiss her quickly.
"So that explains the no shoes?" she says, pointing at Roxy.
Roxy laughs. "Yup, I didn't want your boy here to carry me down eighteen flights of stairs."
Luce smiles, but it's tight.
"I'm Roxy." She sticks her hand out for Lucy. "You must be Lucy. C-money's told me a lot about you."
She glances at me quickly, before shaking Roxy's hand. "C-money?"
Roxy laughs. "Just a dumb name I gave him." Her eyes move from me to Lucy, and then she purses her lips and rolls on her heels. "Anyway, you kids have a good night. I've got a bus to catch."
"Wait. What?" I pipe up. "You're catching a bus? Where's your car?"
"It's shot. It's at the shop. Blew a flux capacitor."
My head throws back in laughter. "Dude, you totally referenced my favorite movie."
"Yeah? Who the hell doesn't love Back to the Future, right?"
"Where do you live? We can give you a ride." I turn to Lucy, but her gaze is cast downwards, staring at the ground. "Right babe?"
She looks up. "Huh?"
"We can give Roxy a ride home?"
She smiles and looks between Roxy and I. "Of course."
***
Roxy directs us a good twenty minutes out of our way. Lucy stays quiet the entire time while Roxy and I reel off quotes from Back to the Future. She leads us to a street with run down single story, semi-detached houses, and points to one on our right. "This is me."
"I always thought you lived on campus," I tell her.
"You've been thinking about me?"
I see Lucy's grip on the steering wheel tighten.
Saving my ass, I choose not to answer.
"No, C-money, I'm local enough." She opens the door and hops out of the car. "Thanks for the ride, Lucy. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome," Lucy says quietly.
I wait for the door to close before settling my hand on her leg. "Are you okay?"
She nods, but never looks at me.
I don't know what to say so I keep my mouth shut.
We're halfway home before she decides to speak. "So you and Roxy get along well?"
"I guess."
"She seems nice."
"I guess."
"She has a nickname for you."
"I guess."
"She can quote your favorite movie."
"So can a lot of people."
"You spend a lot of time together?"
"We work and have a few classes together, so yeah, I guess."
"Do you guess that she's attractive?"
"What?"
Finally, she glances at me. "She's pretty. You never told me she was pretty. Or sexy. Or, like, a version of you but with a vagina. I bet her vagina's pretty, too," her voice breaks, like she's about to cry.
Ever since we got to college he'd been sketching more. Not just lines and floor plans, but actual drawings.
"Okay," he says warily. "Open."
I peer down at the sketch. It's of me sitting in the beanbag reading. His work has gotten so much better since he started taking the right classes in college. I've told him that I want to wallpaper my room with them, but he doesn't want anyone seeing them. He says he's uncomfortable with it, and he doesn't think it's good enough to share. But he's wrong. They're beyond amazing. He doesn't do it often, so when he does it's like a major reward for me. But the best part—or maybe the worst—is that he only ever draws me. I'm his art, so he says.
"I love it," I tell him, picking it up to examine it closer.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, babe. It's one of the best so far."
"I need to work on my rendering," he says.
"It looks perfect to me."
"That's because my source is perfect."
I drop my chin to my chest to hide my smile. Five years on and his words still have the ability to make me blush. To make me fall in a new type of love, every single day.
***
I wake up to his face only inches from mine. His eyes are shut, peacefully sleeping.
I rub my nose against his chest and sniff.
His body shakes with his quiet laughter. "Did you just sniff me?"
I lean up and sniff his neck. "Mmm, you smell different when you're awake."
He kisses the top of my head. "That's not creepy at all."
"Hey! You watch me when I sleep."
"Yeah, but that's because I feel like I don't see you enough lately. I have to take as much of you in as I can."
Rose scoffs from her bed. "You guys are sick. Like, legit sick. You make me wanna puke."
I laugh into his chest.
"Don't be jealous," Cam says, his voice crackly from sleep. "We make you want to settle down and fall in love." He smiles down at me, his brown eyes searching mine.
Rose makes a puking sound effect. "I'm gonna shower. You guys have ten minutes to make babies but I'm not sending warning signals before I come back out."
We don't make babies while she's gone. We stay in the exact same position. Holding each other close, and we talk. Because it's not just about sex with us. It's about life. He's my life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
-CAMERON- "Psst."
I glance up to see Roxy looking over my cubical.
"Is it just me or do all the people that work here have a bus sized rod stuck up their ass?" she whispers.
I chuckle and shake my head. "Nope. It's true."
"And you have to work here for free?"
Sighing, I drop my pen on the desk and lean back in my chair, linking my fingers behind my head. "All part of my scholarship, remember?"
"That must suck."
I shrug. "At least I'm here, right?" I dramatically wave my arms in the air. "Living the dream."
She snorts, and then leans in closer. "What are you doing after work? You wanna grab a bite?"
"Can't. Going out for a friend’s birthday."
She smiles and nods. "The infamous, and ever elusive, sugary sweet Lucy going with you? Will I get to meet her one day?"
I'm taken aback by her description for a moment, but only for a moment before I decide that I don't care. "You should. She's picking me up, five-thirty on the dot."
She fake claps with eyes wide and feigned excitement. "I can't wait."
***
Lucy's leaning against her car just outside the office doors when Roxy and I finally make it down. We got held back for a meeting and then the stupid elevator was broken so we hoofed it down the stairwell. Roxy had to take her stupidly high heels off so she didn't break an ankle or some shit.
I see Lucy's eyes widen slightly when she sees us but she recovers quickly. "Hey," she says cautiously, her eyes darting to Roxy.
"Hey babe, sorry I'm late, we got held back and the elevator's broken." I lean down and kiss her quickly.
"So that explains the no shoes?" she says, pointing at Roxy.
Roxy laughs. "Yup, I didn't want your boy here to carry me down eighteen flights of stairs."
Luce smiles, but it's tight.
"I'm Roxy." She sticks her hand out for Lucy. "You must be Lucy. C-money's told me a lot about you."
She glances at me quickly, before shaking Roxy's hand. "C-money?"
Roxy laughs. "Just a dumb name I gave him." Her eyes move from me to Lucy, and then she purses her lips and rolls on her heels. "Anyway, you kids have a good night. I've got a bus to catch."
"Wait. What?" I pipe up. "You're catching a bus? Where's your car?"
"It's shot. It's at the shop. Blew a flux capacitor."
My head throws back in laughter. "Dude, you totally referenced my favorite movie."
"Yeah? Who the hell doesn't love Back to the Future, right?"
"Where do you live? We can give you a ride." I turn to Lucy, but her gaze is cast downwards, staring at the ground. "Right babe?"
She looks up. "Huh?"
"We can give Roxy a ride home?"
She smiles and looks between Roxy and I. "Of course."
***
Roxy directs us a good twenty minutes out of our way. Lucy stays quiet the entire time while Roxy and I reel off quotes from Back to the Future. She leads us to a street with run down single story, semi-detached houses, and points to one on our right. "This is me."
"I always thought you lived on campus," I tell her.
"You've been thinking about me?"
I see Lucy's grip on the steering wheel tighten.
Saving my ass, I choose not to answer.
"No, C-money, I'm local enough." She opens the door and hops out of the car. "Thanks for the ride, Lucy. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome," Lucy says quietly.
I wait for the door to close before settling my hand on her leg. "Are you okay?"
She nods, but never looks at me.
I don't know what to say so I keep my mouth shut.
We're halfway home before she decides to speak. "So you and Roxy get along well?"
"I guess."
"She seems nice."
"I guess."
"She has a nickname for you."
"I guess."
"She can quote your favorite movie."
"So can a lot of people."
"You spend a lot of time together?"
"We work and have a few classes together, so yeah, I guess."
"Do you guess that she's attractive?"
"What?"
Finally, she glances at me. "She's pretty. You never told me she was pretty. Or sexy. Or, like, a version of you but with a vagina. I bet her vagina's pretty, too," her voice breaks, like she's about to cry.
