Ava: Fine, I guess. Bored as hell already. How’s the cabin?
Elijah: You’ll never believe who’s here with me.
Ava: Barack Obama?
I snort. She’s obsessed with the Obama family. He’s why she decided to study politics in college.
Elijah: Cameron St. James. I didn’t know she was coming, and she didn’t know I was either. We both just showed up.
Ava: Oh my God. Did she freak out? I bet she did.
Elijah: You could say that. Demanded I leave. Haha.
Ava: Of course. I’d expect nothing less from her.
She sends an eye-roll emoji, and I laugh.
Elijah: We’re getting along if you can picture that.
Ava: That’s because you’re in love with her.
Elijah: I can’t even deny it.
I send her a shrugging emoji. My feelings for Cami have always been more than just infatuation. Being here with her has made me truly realize how much she means to me. There’s no hiding that.
Ava: Well, I hope you survive the quarantine with the fashion princess. Looks like we’ll be locked inside for a while.
Elijah: There goes your dating life. HAHA!
Ava: Don’t be a dick! I didn’t have a dating life before this.
Elijah: Good. Guys are idiots. Stay away from them.
Ava: Says the idiot.
Elijah: Yeah, yeah. I’m going to bed. Good luck with your online classes. Stay safe!
After tossing and turning for two hours, I give up trying to sleep and decide to work out in the basement. I want to stay positive during this whole situation, especially since Ryan’s on the front lines, and I need to be strong for Cami, knowing she’s worried about him. But the truth is, it’s been keeping me up at night. Everything is so surreal that I can hardly wrap my mind around it.
There are so many people who I love and want to stay safe, which only adds to my stress. I worry about my grandparents who are both in nursing homes. My mother is still cleaning houses to pay the bills. Then my sister staying with friends in the city. And of course, for my best friend. Without him, I’d be stuck in Brooklyn with three dumbass roommates who think this is a hoax. I’m not sure how long this lockdown will be, but I know I don’t want to go back there.
Being with Cami is the only thing keeping me sane, even when she’s the one driving me crazy. Crushing on her from afar was one thing, but having her here, literally on top of me, is testing my willpower. I don’t want to be her “quarantine hookup” or a rebound if that’s all she’s looking for.
I’d give her forever if she’d let me.
Chapter Nine
CAMERON
DAY 5
Before I open my eyes, I know it’s going to be a miserable day.
Between my head pounding and my stomach rumbling, I’m not sure I can even get out of bed.
I pull the blankets over my head and groan. Last night, I tried to make a move on Eli, and he shot me down.
Rejected.
In retrospect, it was one of the most humiliating things I’ve done in a long time. Not to mention, it involves the one person who already thinks I’m an uptight royal princess.
He’ll never let me live this down.
Sinking further under the sheets, I want the mattress to swallow me whole. Knowing Eli, he’s shirtless in the kitchen wearing a smug smirk and waiting for me to grace him with my presence. One part of me wants to get this over with, but the other part hopes I can hide in here and he’ll forget my existence.
After a few minutes, the throbbing in my head worsens. I debate whether to suffer through it or search for some medicine. Then an annoying beeping starts.
God. I’m already at this stage of the hangover.
The beeping continues.
Sitting up in bed with my hair in disarray, I look around and notice Chanel’s staring at me.
“Do you hear that, too?” I ask, but she blinks at me, then starts licking her paws.
The annoying sound grows louder.
“What the fuck is that?” I grumble, deciding to get out of bed. Wrapping a blanket around my shoulders, I walk across the room and listen for it again.
Opening my bedroom door, I’m convinced it’s coming from downstairs.
The fuck?
Dragging my sorry ass to the staircase, I brace myself for Eli’s inevitable gloating. He’s going to have a field day teasing the shit outta me.
Sure enough, Elijah’s in the kitchen with his hair looking sexy and perfectly messy. I imagine running my finger through his dark strands, then remember the embarrassment I felt just moments ago.
“Good morning, sunshine.” His deep voice echoes against the walls, causing a shiver to run down my body.
“Please tell me you hear that noise…” I plop down on the stool behind the breakfast bar.
He spins around and looks at me—the smirk I knew was coming planted firmly on his chiseled face. “What noise?” He furrows his brows, studying my face. “Feeling okay?”
“Not really.” I rest my arms on the counter and lower my head. “I swear, something is beeping in this house.”
“Here…” I hear him walk closer. “Drink this.”
I blink, and a glass of orange juice is in front of me. “I can’t. I might puke.”
“Nah, it’ll help. Go slow. I’ll make you some waffles to soak up the alcohol.”
He shuffles around, and I try to focus on not throwing up, but the high-pitched squeal is driving me insane. I get up to walk around the dining area and living room, searching for where it’s coming from.
“Are you sure you don’t hear it?” I drag my blanket with me. I know I’m not imagining it.
Moving back to the kitchen, I see his shoulders shake, and soon, he’s full-on laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
He smirks. “You.”
“Are you enjoying my pain?”
Eli arches a brow. “What pain?”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I inhale sharply. “Can we pretend last night didn’t happen? Pretty please, for the love of God, don’t gloat about what I did either. It’s embarrassing, and this fucking beeping in my head is going to make me lose it! Not to mention, I have a headache.”
“You mean, the part where you crawled into my lap and begged me to fuck you?”
“Okay, I know I didn’t do that…you’ve lost your damn mind. I tried to kiss you, not bang you.”
“I remember it differently…” He beams. “You were grinding against me, trying to get my dick all excited.”
I hang my head, knowing my cheeks are burning bright red. “I hate you. Shut up. Go away. I’m leaving now.”
“Wait, wait, wait…” He grabs my arm and pulls me back, tightening the blanket around me.