A Nice Change
Her soft lips messaging his. Her small warm hands resting against his neck. The sweet taste of her mouth matched the delicious scent of her almond-honey perfume. Everything seemed to be perfect in that moment. . .
Until she pulled away.
She looked up at him with wide eyes as her chest heaved, desperate for the breath he stole from her. He stared at her, unable to move from his spot on the bed. Her brown eyes casted downward, her interest peaked by her bare feet. A look of confusion passed her features as she furrowed her brows. Justin suddenly took in his surroundings, and the realization of what occurred hit him all at once.
"Oh my god. . ." Justin breathed as images of Cameron flashed through his mind, "What did I just do?" His eyes searched around the room, as if it would give him answers. His heart pounded in his chest as his eyes welled up with tears. Alonsha looked up at him with sorrowful eyes.
"It's okay, Justin-"
"It's not okay!" Justin cried, "I just- Oh god. . ." His hands ran over his face and his mouth felt dry. Seeing his panic overwhelm him, Alonsha began to think about a way to soothe his pain. She needed an excuse. Something to assure Justin that things were alright.
"You didn't mean to do it," Alonsha explained, "It's a psychological thing. Finding a form of comfort in the mist of a complicated situation." Justin looked up at her immediately and raised a questioning brow.
"A psychological thing?" His tone was that of disbelief and Alonsha sighed as she struggled to explain.
"Well, yeah," she said dumbly, "You were overwhelmed with emotions. In confusion and desperation, you seeked a temporary escape from your tragic reality." Justin slowly nodded as he took in her words.
"Okay. . ." he whispered with uncertainty.
"Plus," Alonsha added, "You've been drinking, right? Alcohol impairs your judgement." Justin nodded again with a bit more confidence.
"You're right," he said.
"Of couse I'm right," Alonsha smiled softly, "What happened wasn't intentional, okay?" Justin took in a deep breath and nodded again.
"Okay." Alonsha gave him a small pat on the arm and stood.
"Alright then," she told him, "Get some rest and just. . . forget about it." Not knowing what else to say or do, Justin simply nodded again before Alonsha quickly scampered out of the room. After hearing her door shut upstairs, Justin stood and walked over to his door. He pushed the door shut gently and leaned his forehead against it. A heavy sigh fell from his mouth. His tongue quickly ran over his lips and he could still taste her. He closed his eyes and guiltily wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Just go to bed, Justin," he mumbled to himself, "Things will be fine in the morning." He took his own advice, removing his jeans from his slender hips. The bed creaked as he crawled across the mattress. His body sunk into the softness of his sheets and reached over to turn off the lamp. He turned on his side before flipping back onto his back. In a matter of minutes, he was on his stomach. He sighed as he flipped back to face the ceiling. His mind was racing with confusion and fear. His heart refused to settle down and the air in the room seemed to thick to breathe.
How was he going to tell Cameron? Should he even tell her? He knew for a fact that she wasn't going to take things well. Hopefully, she'll understand if he explains things the way Alonsha did.
Hopefully.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
"He kissed you!?!" I pulled the phone from my ear as Tiffany screeched in disbelief.
"Oh my god," Allison breathed from her end, "That's-"
"Terrible?" I questioned rhetorically, "I know." I pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and sat down tiredly. It was eleven in the morning and I hadn't slept a wink last night.
"Or not," Tiffany argued. Allison and I groaned simutaneously.
"Don't even start, Tiff," Ally sighed.
"What?" she asked innocently, "All I'm saying is that this could be another step in fate's master plan."
"Does this plan include a therapist for you?" Allison quipped.
"Don't be a smartass," Tiffany mumbled, "Honestly, Lonnie, look at things. Step one: Adam ends up being. . . you know, so and him call it quits. Step two: Justin ends up in a tragic situation. Step three: The first person he talks to in a week is you and he begs you to come see him-"
"Tiffany, I know how the story goes," I interrupted, "It's not a master plan, okay? His grandmother passed away, he felt terrible about Cameron, and he was looking for comfort."
"Did you kiss him back?" Allison asked suddenly. Damn her. Damn her. Damn her. Do I really want to answer that? No.
"Well. . ." I trailed off as guilt washed over me, "For like a split second." Allison groaned disappointedly and Tiffany squealed with delight.
"Why did you do that for?" Allison asked.
"I don't know," I said honestly, "I just. . ." I found myself at a loss for words, but Tiffany couldn't shut up.
"Because she wants him," she sang into the phone, "Oh, this is great."
"No it's not!" I argued, "Do you know how awkward this is? I had to practically run out of the room after it happened. I don't even know how today's going to go."
"Why?" Tiffany teased, "Because you can't stop thinking about his delicious lips?" She chuckled to herself, but I felt my stomach knot uncomfortably.
"Shut up," I cried childishly, "I don't know why I bother talking to ya'll."
"Ya'll?" Allison asked in disbelief, "She's the one teasing you."
"Fine," I relented, "Tiffany, I don't know why I bother with you."
"Whatever, you love me," she dismissed, "Anyways, I wonder how Miss. Diaz is going to take this." Holy shit. I didn't even think about her. If I thought she hated me before, I don't even want to know how she's going to act after she hears about this.
"Jesus Christ. . ." I mumbled before the kitchen door swung open and Justin stood before me. I stared up at him from my spot on the table and he looked down at me, scratching the back of his head nervously.
"Mornin'" he greeted softly.
"Good morning," I responded in the same quiet manner.
"Oh my god, is he in the room?" Tiffany asked excitedly.
"Yeah," I answered, finally tearing my eyes away from his tired form.
"Awkward much?" Allison asked sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and heard the clatter of dishes. I glanced over at the sink and watched as Justin washed a bowl.
"Yeah, it is," I said, not trying to seem obvious as I turned my focus to the table.
"Well, if you're going to talk all monotone and whatnot, it's no fun," Tiffany told me, "Besides, Karen has some sketches I need to look at."
"That reminds me, I have to go pick up Farah's cough medicine," Allison said. I felt myself pout as I desperately spoke into the phone.
"Can't all that wait?" I whispered. I didn't want to have to face Justin. I don't know how to go about things.
"Nope," Tiffany said. Her amused tone didn't go unnoticed, and I found myself glaring at nothing in particular.
"I'm sorry, sweetie, but Farah needs her medicine." Allison sympathetic tone softened me.
"Fine," I groaned, "Abandon me."
"We're not," Ally assured, "Everything will be fine. The kiss didn't mean anything, so you have nothing to worry about."
"It didn't mean anything, right?" Tiffany asked anxiously.
"Right," I agreed quickly, "Goodbye." I could hear Tiffany suck her teeth.
"Bye." Her end clicked and I was left with Allison on the line.
"I hate to leave you, babe," she said sorrowfully, "But, like I said, since it was nothing, things should be fine," she assured, "It did mean nothing, right?"
"Right," I stressed, "Nothing. Nada. Zip zero."
"Okay then," Ally told me, "I'll be talking to you later. I want to know how things go."
"Alright," I sighed, "I'll talk to you later, Al."
"Bye, Lon."
"Bye." I slowly pressed down on the 'end' button on Lynn's cordless phone and stayed seated. My attention was caught by the sound of pouring cereal. I turned and stared at Justin's back as he expertly fixed himself a heaping bowl of Froot Loops. The grey sweats he was wearing were way oversized, and the black t-shirt he wore hugged his body. I looked away when he shifted over to the fridge next to him and grabbed a gallon of milk out of it.
Sitting here waiting for the beginning of an awkward conversation didn't seem like a good idea, so I got up from the table, pushing in the chair, and walked over to the phone base by Justin. I decided to not look at him and just try to discreetly slip out of the kitchen, but I, of course, couldn't manage to do such a simple task.
"Look, we should probably try to stop this whole awkward vibe we've got going before it gets worse," Justin said in one breath, "I don't want the rest of this week to consist of shy good morning's and goodbye's." I inwardly groaned before looking up at him. He popped a red loop into his mouth and chewed, looking at me expectantly.
"It shouldn't even be awkward," I smiled softly, "It was nothing." Justin nodded in agreement.
"Well, yeah," he agreed, "But the awkwardness comes from the fact that it happened, you know?" I nodded.
"So, what now?" I asked, "How do we make things. . . not awkward?"
"Beats the hell out of me," Justin smiled, "But avoiding each other and playing dumb isn't going to help any."
"I agree," I told him, taking a blue loop from his bowl, "I guess you're telling Cameron, right?" I see his hesitation. He shrugs and looks down at his cereal.
"I. . .um. . . I don't know," he stuttered, "I called her last night though."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah, we talked for a little bit," he informed me, glancing up to see my reaction, "She's coming here tomorrow. I told her not to rush, but she wanted to come see me."
"Good," I said supportively, "Ya'll can talk and have some quality time together."
"I know," Justin smiled, "I didn't realize how much I missed her until we talked. She was a little disappointed that I didn't tell her about Nana, but other than that, things are cool."
"She didn't have a heart attack when you told her I was here?" I asked jokingly. Justin turned his gaze to the floor and his bottom lip protruded. "You didn't tell her?" I questioned in disbelief.
"I might've failed to have mentioned that."
"Are you kidding me?" He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, "Oh, that's great. Now she'll hate me even more when she walks through the door and realizes I've been here for a freakin' week."
"It's not going to matter-"
"Then why didn't you tell her?" I interrupted.
"Because. . ." he trailed off and shrugged, "What's the big deal? She can't make you leave anyway."
"I thought you wanted to avoid awkwardness," I told him, "You're creating it."
"I wanted her to come down with less stress than what she already has," Justin explained, "Besides, if she doesn't know you're here, she can't plot your death on the plane ride here." If he was trying to 'make light' of the situation, it sure as hell wasn't working.
"This is going to blow up in both our faces," I warned, "She'll kill us when she sees me."
"No-" We were both interrupted by the sound of the doorbell and Justin rolled his blue eyes, "I'll be back." He jogged out of the kitchen door and I crossed my arms over my chest. How dare he not tell her. Doesn't he know that my head on a silver platter would make her day? At least have until tomorrow to prepare for my demise. . .
"I would've came down here sooner, but this was the earliest flight I could get." My heart jerked in my chest when her voice echoed in my ears.
"Cameron, why don't you take your bags upstairs?" Justin pleaded, "I'll help." Yes. Go upstairs.
"I'm starving," Cameron whined, "I'll eat and unpack later." I panicked and searched for an exit. I finally realized the back stairs were calling me and I made a beeline for it. Before I even got my foot on the step, Stephen came running down, blocking my path.
"Hey, Alonsha!" he greeted cheerfully just as the kitchen door swung open. With nowhere to go I smiled down at him and patted his hair.
"Hey," I replied with a lot less enthusiasm. He brushed past me and his face crinkled at the sight of Cameron.
"Hi." His dry tone caused me to crack a smile. I turned around to the couple and Justin gave me a sympathetic look behind Cameron's back.
"What are you doing here?" Cameron asked, arms crossed over what little chest she had. I raised a brow and looked over at Justin.
"He asked me to come down here," I told her honestly. Justin rolled his eyes as Cameron turned to face him.
"You what?" Justin licked his lips gestured toward the living room.
"We need to talk," he told her. Cameron huffed and glared over at me before stomping out of the kitchen. Justin followed her out and Stephen walked over to the fridge.
"She's mean," he commented, "That's why I don't like her."
"Same here," I agreed with a small smile, "Where's John?"
"Sleeping," he answered quickly, "Where's mama?"
"She went over to gramps'" I told him, "She'll be back soon." He nods and takes a can of Coke out of the fridge. I watch as he struggles with the pin before finally getting it open.
"How long is she staying?" I shrugged and walked over to the table, taking a seat.
"Hopefully, not too long," I told him honestly. He smiled and nodded.
"That makes two of us."
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Justin sighed in content as he walked into the living room of his parents' home. Two days have come and gone, but Cameron and Alonsha have been getting along quite well. They haven't been arguing, anyway. Their conversations were brief and revolved solely around Justin. All eye contact was kept to a minimum and they avoided each other as much as possible.
But they weren't fighting.
"Where'd everybody go?" Justin asked his mother as he walked into the dining room. She didn't bother looking up for the notepad in front of her as she spoke.
"Alonsha's getting ready to go grocery shopping with me, Cameron took the boys back home and you father's over at gramps'" She wrote something down and quietly began counting.
"Okay," Justin said quietly. He took a seat across from his mother and tapped his fingers against the cherry wood table, "So, whatcha buyin'?" Lynn smiled up at her son and shrugged.
"Just food," she answered vaguely, "Is there something you want?"
"Cereal."
"Got it."
"Skillet Sensations?" Justin asked hopefully. Lynn sighed and rolled her eyes playfully.
"You should really stop living off of that stuff," she laughed.
"They're so good," Justin said earnestly, "Alonsha knows the ones I like." As soon as her name left his mouth, his stomach knotted in guilt. He still hadn't told Cameron about their little kissing incident and she's been nothing but good to him since she arrived.
"What's wrong?" Lynn asked softly, seeing her son shift in his seat uncomfortably.
"Nothing," he lied.
"Justin," Lynn stated sternly, "Tell me." He sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Do I have to?" he whined.
"No, but I know you want to." His mother was right. He hadn't said a word to anyone besides Alonsha. Whenever he got the urge to call Trace or his mother, Cameron would come walking through the room, smiling and cooing at him sweetly.
"Okay," Justin breathed, "Now, don't get all crazy when I tell you this."
"I make no promises," Lynn told him.
"Mom. . ." Justin complained.
"Okay, okay," Lynn said, "Go on."
"Alright, do you remember when I woke up all crabby on Wednesday and acted really rude to you and Alonsha?" Lynn nodded as she followed, "Well, I went out to a. . .club with the guys and had a few drinks because I was pissed off at Cameron. Anyways, I get home and Alonsha waited up for me. I bitched for a little bit and told her about Cameron. I got all upset because Nana was brought up again and I cried- a lot- and Alonsha held me and whatever-"
"Aw," Lynn cooed, "Sorry, go ahead."
"Well, in the mist of my confusion and desperation for an escape from my tragic reality, I kissed her." Lynn made a sort of squeaking noise as she sat back in shock.
"Like, on the lips?" Lynn asked.
"Like, yeah," Justin mocked, "It wasn't intentional or nothin' like that."
"So, it didn't mean anything?" Lynn asked suspciously.
"Of course not," Justin assured, "I wasn't even thinking." The moment he spoke those words, his grandfather's advice rang through his ears.
"Well, you better start thinking about ways to tell Cameron," Lynn told him, "She's not going to take it well."
"Oh lordy," Justin breathed, "I could have a million ways to tell her and none of them would end well. But Alonsha explained things so well, so she'll understand."
"Yeah, she'll understand," Lynn assured, "Your honesty is what's important." Justin nodded in agreement.
"Exactly."
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
"What!?!" Cameron screeched.
"It was a psychological thing!" Justin cried out desperately. Somewhere between Wednesday and now, Alonsha's theory seemed a lot less sensible.
"Are you kidding me?" Cameron asked rhetorically, her eyes blazing with anger, "Who the hell told you that?"
"Alonsha explained how I was looking for comfort because of everything happening and-" Cameron raised her hand to silence him. They both stood in his bedroom, nobody making a noise. Cameron took a deep breath and tried to compose herself.
"Fine," she said simply.
"Fine?" Justin asked, surprised by her calm tone, "Everything's fine?" Cameron looked away from him for a moment before smiling up at him.
"This isn't your fault, baby," she told him, "You were in a bad place and vulnerable. I can't hold that against you." Justin was completely dumbfounded. He was semi-prepared for the screeching Cameron was dealt with in the beginning of the conversation. This quiet, understanding woman wasn't what he expected.
"Are you sure?" Justin asked. Cameron walked up to him and ran her thumb over his lips. She was hesistant to kiss him. The image of Alonsha tainting his mouth refused to leave her mind.
"I'm sure," she whispered, finally giving him a gentle peck.
"I'm so sorry," Justin apologized meekly, "I didn't mean to hurt you." Cameron nodded and kissed his cheek.
"I know," she smiled, "Why don't you go take your bath and I'll wait for you downstairs." She quickly ran her hand down his chest and turned to walk out of his room. Justin watched as her slender frame disappeared into the hall and he pouted. He knew she wasn't okay with things, but seemed sincere when she told him it wasn't his fault.
Knowing Cameron, this not being his fault doesn't necessarily mean there's nobody to blame.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
I groaned as I hugged the last grocery bag to my chest and placed it on top of the kitchen counter. Lynn needed to use the bathroom, so I offered to bring in the bags all by myself. I wish I wasn't so nice because my old ass just about died carrying all this crap. I put everything away everything I brought in a bag, so all I had to do was organize this crap.
I found a packet of fish and placed it to the side. Lynn said she wanted to cook it tonight, so there's no point in putting it away. I continued to dig through the bag, placing miscellaneous things in their assigned places. The house seemed really quiet and I was beginning to worry. I hated how big this house is.
"You know something, Alonsha?" Cameron's agitated voice grabs my attention as I place the frozen vegetables into the freezer, "You've got a lot of nerve." I sighed, tired and annoyed with her presence.
"What are you talking about?" I whined as I balled up the paper bag and tossed it into a cabinet.
"Gee, I don't know," Cameron said sarcastically, "Maybe you kissing my boyfriend." Oh that. Well, I wish Justin would've told me he was going to expose our dirty little secret. I could've been semi-prepared for her attack.
"Look, Cameron-"
"Save it," she interrupted, "I don't need your bullshit excuses or explanations. Justin told me all I need to know."
"Then you should understand Justin was in a bad place-"
"And you took advantage of him," Cameron told me accusingly.
"I what?" I asked, rhetorically.
"I bet you couldn't believe your ears when Justin asked you to come down here. You were probably even more estatic when he told you were still fighting."
"Cameron-"
"Some friend you are," I wish she'd stop interrupting me, "If you really cared about Justin, you'd stop trying to ruin what we have."
"I'm not trying to ruin anything," I told her, "Justin's my friend and I want him happy-"
"So you kiss him?" Cameron raises her voice as she steps toward me.
"He kissed me," I argued.
"Well, you didn't put up much of a fight, did you?" Well, no, but still. . .
"I was in shock when he did it," Cameron rolled her cyan eyes, "It didn't mean anything."
"I knew I couldn't trust you," Cameron growled, "Not only do you force your way back into his life, but you try to take him away from me." Oh goodness.
"I'm not trying to take him away from anybody," I breathed, "And it's not me you're having trouble trusting."
"Don't even-"
"Why not?" I asked simply, "Because it's true? Why can't you admit it, Cameron? You think Justin kissed me because he wanted to, right? You're trying to drive me away because you think he might have feelings for me." She stood there silently and stared at me.
"You stay as far away from him when you leave," Cameron demanded, "I don't want you near him."
"Why? You don't trust him enough to allow us to be around each other?"
"No, I don't trust you," Cameron corrected.
"Why should I matter?" I asked, "If you trust Justin, no other woman should be a problem."
"Fuck you, okay?" Cameron cried, "Justin and I were perfectly fine before you came back."
"What do you want me to do? Apologize for coming home? For being Justin's friend?" To my surprise Cameron looked away from me, her eyes glazing over with tears. I furrowed my brows in confusion and I felt myself beginning to soften as she stared down at her hands.
"Alonsha, I really love him," Cameron whimpered out, "I scared of losing him to you."
"Why?" I asked, "I didn't do anything. I'm sorry about Wednesday, but-"
"It's not you. It's what you guys had," Cameron explained, "What you guys have."
"We don't have anything," I told her.
"You have friendship and understanding," Cameron pointed out, "You're a part of his family and he can rely on you for anything, regardless. Even though you guys were fighting, he still knew that he could call you up and have your support. He didn't trust our relationship enough to feel the same way." The more she talked, the more guilty I felt. I don't know why though. I couldn't help any of what she was saying.
"Then he kisses you," Cameron continued, "Not because he was completely wasted. Not because you kissed him first. But because he wanted comfort and he found that in you. It hurts. It really does." Why the hell is she being so open? I'm suppose to hate her. She's suppose to be a big bitch, but now I'm feeling sorry for her.
"I know you probably don't even care," Cameron mumbled as she wiped her tears away, "But I really want to make Justin and I work." She sniffled and I fought the urge to roll my eyes at my weakness.
"I care," I told her, "I understand where you're coming from now. You won't have to worry about me, I'll leave tomorrow, so you and Justin can have some time together."
"Really?" Cameron asked, surprised. I nodded and we stood there awkwardly, "Thank you," Cameron muttered. I was afraid she was going to reach out and hug me so I walked over to the cabinet and pulled out some pots and pans.
"Do you want to help out with dinner?" I asked gently. She smiled softly and took a pan from my hands.
"Sure," she said, "I don't know how to cook though."
"I can teach you," I said, grabbing a spoon from the drawer beside me, "First thing's first. This is a spoon." I held up the metal object and Cameorn looked over at me with a bored expression.
"I know what this stuff is," Cameron said with a smile, "I just don't know how to use it all."
"Well, that eliminates lessons one through twenty," I mumbled jokingly. Cameron giggled lightly and I found myself smirking. Things were still weird, but her being nice for a change was something I could get used to.
Story Tags: Be the first to add a tag to this story
