Meeting Adam
Her soft lips traced the skin along his neckline, passed his jaw, and rested against his ear as her teeth gently nipped on the area. As her hands traveled down his body, she licked the spot behind his earlobe. The tips of her fingers ran over his groin, but her actions were brought to an abrupt stop when his hands gripped her wrist, preventing her from grabbing him through his jeans.
Cameron let out an annoyed groan and climbed off of Justin, sitting down with her arms crossed and bottom lip protruded. She blew a piece of hair out of her face and turned to face him. Justin remained in the same spot he was in before, acting as though she had no effect on him. His eyes stared intently at the television screen in front of him, but Cameron highly doubted he was watching the Jane Pauley Show. She knew for a fact he was ignoring her. He has been for over a week now.
"Are you ever going to talk to me?" she asked, breaking the silence momentarily. Justin didn't answer. He simply flipped through the channels of the t.v. Cameron glared at him, but bit her lip while setting her pride aside. Her hand gently rested her hand on his cheek and she tried to turn his head to face her. But he fought her, stubbornly locking his neck in a straightforward position.
"Justin, please," Cameron pleaded, "If you love me, you'll look at me while I'm speaking to you." Justin rolled his eyes and looked over at her. Cameron smiled softly and placed her hand over his. Justin yanked it away from her grasp.
"You don't have to touch me," he quipped, "That wasn't part of the deal."
"Why are you so mad?" Cameron asked curiously, "I didn't even do anything."
"Except treat one of my closest friends like crap and then threaten to never talk to me unless I stopped speaking to her." Cameron rolled her eyes and leaned against the armrest of the sofa.
"Closest friends?" Cameron scoffed, "She got on a plane and left you, what kind of friend is that?"
"She had to leave, Cam," Justin explained, "She had stuff to deal with."
"Stuff?" Cameron screeched critically, "She could've handled her stuff at home. But no, she got a plane to. . ."
"Rhode Island," Justin inserted. Cameron let out a laugh and rolled her eyes.
"Rhode Island?" she questioned, "What kind of shit is that?"
"What does it matter where she went?" Justin asked, "All that matters is that she got the help she needed."
"Damn straight she needed help," Cameron giggled, "You can't be sane if you're going to run away to Rhode fuckin' Island." As she continued to laugh by herself, Justin rose from the sofa and walked into the kitchen. Cameron called after him, cracking up the whole time.
"Justin, I'm sorry, okay?" she cooed, "I forgot how sensitive you are."
"It's not that I'm sensitive," Justin snapped as he stalked over to the fridge, "It's the fact that you have no idea what she went through, yet you find it hilarious that she needed help."
"It's her going to Rhode Island that's funny," Cameron explained, her laughter flattering, "Well, why don't you tell me what was so bad that she had to leave for three years." Justin glared at her and grabbed a beer. They stood in silence as he popped open the cap and brought the bottle to his mouth.
"Now you wanna know?" Justin asked after his long swig, "I thought you didn't care to hear her crap."
"I don't," Cameron assured, "But I could use a good laugh." Justin rolled his eyes and hopped up on the center counter. Cameron sat on the stool directly in front of him, leaning her arms on his open legs as she stared up at him.
"This is serious stuff," Justin informed, "Nothing I say should be taken lightly." Cameron nodded and smiled.
"Yes, sir," she said, saluting him playfully, "I'm all ears." Justin cleared his throat and placed his beer down next to him, only to have it stolen from Cameron. She drank the remaining liquid and licked her lips, placing it back on the counter.
"Okay," Justin began, "Alonsha headed down to Rhode Island to register for this rehabilitation camp. It was more of a spiritual cleansing thing though." Cameron raised a brow and opened her mouth to speak. Justin shot her a warning glance and she smiled up at him innocently.
"Continue," she encouraged.
"Well, anyway, she went to this for about a year. She got all confident and happy again. Her issues with her self-esteem and father had seemed to disappear. So, being free-spirited and all, she came home to Inglewood to confront her father."
"What did her dad do?" Cameron asked curiously. Justin shrugged, not really knowing if he should share the personal things Alonsha shared with him.
"He was abusive. Both verbally and physically." Cameron's face softened and she suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
"Oh," she said, "Okay, so she goes to see her dad. . ."
"Yeah, well, things didn't exactly go as well as she hoped," Justin explained, "In fact, her dad basically told her to go screw herself when she asked for an explanation for the terrible things she went through growing up. He even claimed she deserved it all."
"That's terrible!" Cameron gasped, "I can't imagine how she must've felt."
"Apparently not so good," Justin continued, "She turned to alcohol as a form of comfort and everything kinda went downhill from there."
"She was an alcoholic?" Cameron's cyan eyes widened, "Is that why she wasn't drinking at dinner?"
"Yeah," Justin answered, "She's given it all up. And I'm proud of her, Cameron. I really am." Cameron smiled, but was frowning on the inside. He never said he was proud of her before.
"Well you should be," Cameron agreed, "Especially if she came out on top after all of that."
"Yeah, I know. . ." Justin sighed, "She's so strong. I kinda envy that."
"You know what?" Cameron said, "You and her should start hanging out again." Justin rolled his eyes.
"The time when you want that is the time it won't happen," He pouted, "She's been hanging out with Adam."
"Who's that?" Cameron asked.
"Her new lover boy," Justin smirked, "Apparently he's a stud muffin." Cameron laughed lightly before jumping up in excitement.
"We should double-date!" she suggested, "It would be fun!" Justin widened his eyes and mockingly hopped off the counter in excitement.
"Oh my God!" he screamed, "That's the worst idea I've ever heard!" Cameron smacked his arm and placed her hands on her hips.
"I don't appreciate you making fun of me," Justin laughed, "I think it's a great idea. I can apologize and meet this stud muffin of hers."
"I guess," Justin mumbled, "But I think I still need a little more break time. It's only been a week."
"Correction, eight days," Cameron smartly responded, "Besides, what's the big deal about time, anyway? I thought you wanted to work things out."
"I do," Justin explained, "I just need some quality me time, ya know? Clear this big ol' melon of mine." Cameron laughed and nodded as she moved up toward his frame, wrapping her arms around his slim waist.
"Fine, clear that beach ball you call a head and I'll plan dinner at Chi." Justin smiled as her hands caressed his hair.
"Sounds like a plan," Justin grinned, his hands slithering up Cameron's side, "But since we're technically not fighting anymore, by the laws of romance we're required to makeup." Cameron bit her bottom lip, her hands gripping the hem of his vintage t-shirt.
"We wouldn't want to break any laws now, would we?"
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
As I pranced around my apartment, giddy as a school girl, the memory of last night's date with Adam enters my mind and a board smile spreads across my face.
We kissed.
And it was. . . amazing. I don't know if it was the fact that he just leaned in and kissed me while I absentmindedly strolled along next to him or if was the fact that his kiss was just. . . amazing. It wasn't planned or anything, just our fifth outing in four weeks, which wasn't counting the time we spent chatting up in the center. We never really did anything. Just walked, ate ice cream, and talked. There was nothing extravagant, just the simple pleasure of each other's company.
But the priceless thing was his face when he realized that in the heat of the moment, he forgot that my ice cream was in my hand. It ended of squashed between us, soaking out shirts with a mixture of chocolate and vanilla. I thought it was funny, but Adam had been mortified. He called himself a klutz and apologized about a million times. I had to kiss him again to get him to shut up, not that I minded.
As I giggled to myself, Bosco barked and wagged his tail happily. He always knew when I was having a good day. I bent down and rubbed his bellow, causing him to roll on his back.
"Mama's happy! Yes I am! Yes I am!" I cooed before laughing at my silliness. Suddenly, the sound of Hollaback Girl filled the room. I stood and walked over to my purse that was laying on the coffee table. I shuffled through its contents until I found my ringing cell phone. A block number memo came across the screen and I flipped it open.
"Hello?" I asked timidly.
"Hey, Alonsha, it's Justin." I smiled and made my way over to my sofa, plopping down on its plush cushions.
"What's up, Justin?" I asked, "Long time, no talk." About a month to be specific. The same amount of time Adam and I have been dating.
"Nothin' much," he answered, "Just been thinking about stuff."
"Stuff involving us, I presume."
"Yeah," he agreed, "Which brings me to the reason for the call."
"Okay," I encourage, "Go on."
"Well, despite the fact that I've been indecisive about our friendship, I think I've come to a conclusion." My heart picked up speed at the thought of our relationship ending.
"What did you come up with?" I asked.
"I decided that I want you in my life, Alonsha," I smiled widely, "I know that it's going to be a while before we actually reach that level of comfort that we had before, but I know it's well worth the wait."
"I'm glad you feel that way," I told him, "I really want this friendship to last, Justin."
"Surprisingly, so does Cameron," I wanted to vomit as soon as he mentioned her name, but then the words hit me.
"What?" I asked, completely astonished.
"Well I told her about what you went through," Justin answered quietly, "She said that she was amazed and said that she supported our friendship since your departure was justified."
"Wow. That’s what I'm talking about!" I laughed, as did Justin, "I'm glad we all can be on the same page here."
"So am I," Justin professed, "And to seal the deal, we're having a double date."
"Adam and I, you and Cam?" I questioned.
"Yeah, unless you and Adam aren't dating any more."
"Oh, we're definitely dating," I assured, "He's my boyfriend." I waited as there was a slight pause on the other end.
"That's great," Justin said, "I'm glad ya'll are working out." I smiled and licked my lips.
"He's amazing, Justin," I gushed, "When we have dinner, you'll get to know him better. You'll love him."
"That's funny 'cause I told you the same thing about Cameron," He chuckled lightly, "But he doesn't have a reason to be mean to me."
"Exactly," I said, "Besides, Adam's too nice a guy to be mean. He's so sweet."
"We'll see," Justin said, "But are you free tonight?"
"Yeah, I'm free," I answered, "The dinner's tonight?"
"Yeah because we can get in whenever we want. I co-own Chi." I didn't know that.
"Really?" I asked, "I always saw it on Sunset, but never went in. It looks hot though."
"It is!" Justin raved, "It's an Asian restaurant. They make the best orange chicken."
I laughed at his enthusiasm, "Well, I love orange chicken. I can't wait for tonight."
"Same here. We'll pick ya'll up at your apartment tonight at eight."
"Alright," I told him, "But I have to make sure Adam's free first."
"Cool," Justin said, "You call up lover boy and call me later to fill me in."
"Okay," I switched the phone to my other ear, "Thanks again for the invite."
"No problem," Justin replied, "I'm glad that you've been so understanding. Besides, I can't wait to meet Adam."
"I can't wait for you to meet him," I said, "You'll love him. I guarantee it."
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Justin hated him.
Here he was, sitting next his girlfriend, across from Alonsha, a smile plastered across his face as Adam continues to ramble about his hilarious surfing adventure. Justin didn't think it was funny. In fact, it was annoying, especially with all the sound effects he was making as his arms jumped all over the place. He looked ridiculous.
"But the worst part was," Adam carried on, "When I fell off the board, the guys thought it would be hilarious to sail the boat off, leaving me right in the middle of the freakin' ocean." Alonsha and Cameron laughed as Justin smiled even harder.
"Aw, you poor thing," Cameron sympathized, "I thought breaking my nose was bad."
"You broke your nose?" Adam asked, moving in to examine her face, "You couldn't tell. All that gorgeous is covering it up." All that gorgeous? Justin thought, mentally rolling his eyes.
"You are too sweet," Cameron said, trying to conceal her blush. Justin looked at her through the corner of his eyes and wanted to vomit. Since when does she blush when someone calls her gorgeous? She hears it all the time.
"You know what?" Alonsha announced, "I think I'm gonna go freshen up. Care to join me, Cameron?"
"Sure," she said, sliding out of her seat, "We’ll be right back." Justin began to panic as the walked away together, leaving him alone with Adam.
"So," Adam began awkwardly, "Cameron's really nice."
"Only when she wants to be," Justin quipped.
"What does that mean?" Adam asked.
"She can be feisty," Justin explained, picking up a fortune cookie from the center of the table, "So can Alonsha." Adam laughed and nodded.
"Don't I know it." Justin didn't like his tone. It was covered in sexual innuendo. Oh my goodness, what if they're having sex? Justin thought.
"You and Alonsha seem really into each other," Justin observed, "You must really like each other."
Adam nodded, "She's great. She's smart, funny, and beautiful. Sometimes I wonder why she's with me."
So do I. "She thinks you're really sweet and funny. Not to mention cute. I couldn't get her to shut up about you." Justin angrily broke the cookie, placing it inside his mouth before discarding the message, only to have Adam pick it up.
"Your heart knows the path to happiness," Adam read before looking over at Justin, "That's neat."
"Yeah, it is pretty neat," Justin mocked, "I love it when I get a neat little message from a fortune cookie."
"So do I," Adam smiled, "They give you something to smile about." What a dork. It's a freakin' fortune cookie, but he's acting like it's a passage from the Bible.
"It sure does," Justin agreed, "But anyway, Alonsha was telling me you were from Philadelphia?"
"Yeah, that's where we first met, actually," Adam explained, "Well, not in Philadelphia, but on a plane from Philadelphia."
"Yeah, I know," Justin told him, "She said you connected over Lord of the Rings." Adam laughed.
"The troll scene," he chuckled to himself, "She made my DVD skip from playing it so much."
"She loves that scene," Justin smiled, "But she loves Orlando Bloom more."
"I know!" Adam smiled, "She is infatuated, but won't admit it."
"She's in the denial process, but she'll get there." Adam laughed again, "So, besides Lord of the Rings, what are you into?"
"Video games, man," Adam answered, "I love my X-Box with a passion."
"Really?" Justin asked, "I have the seven-foot arcade version at home." Adam's eyes widened.
"Dude, there's only like two of those!" Justin laughed at his excitement.
"I know," he stated arrogantly, "The other one's in some New York arcade room."
"That's impressive," Adam acknowledged, "Maybe we can hangout and have an intense match of Halo."
"Definitely, man," Justin agreed, "But sports-wise, what are you into? Basketball, baseball, golf. . ."
"Basketball and baseball I can get with, but golf? Never. That shouldn't even be considered a sport." Justin furrowed his brows angrily.
"Why not?" he asked as calmly as possible.
"Because it's just a game of luck. You pray that the wind isn't blowing a certain way and smack a ball with a skinny stick. Wow." His dried description of golf only added to the reasons why Justin couldn't stand him.
"It's a sport of precision and concentration. You have to have a sense of direction and skill. It's not about luck." Justin corrected.
"I take it you're a golf fan," Adam pointed out awkwardly.
"I love golf. I even had a private course on my house down in Florida before I sold it."
"Whoa, that's. . .wow." Adam began to play with his fingers nervously as Justin stared at him with an annoyed expression.
"Sorry we took so long," Cameron's voice suddenly interrupted the awkward silence of the table, "These women were in there, hogging all the stalls."
"Did you guys have fun while we were gone?" Alonsha asked, looking at Justin then Adam.
"Yeah, we had a conversation on sports." Justin answered.
"Yeah, I found out Justin loves golf," Adam smiled, "And he found I hate it."
"That's cool though, right?" Cameron said, "Opinions may vary."
"Exactly, Cam," Alonsha agreed, "Besides, I'm sure ya'll connect on some other level."
"Yeah, video games," Adam smiled, "Justin has a monster X-Box."
"And Adam and I are going to play some intense games of Halo." Justin added.
"Well, that's great," Cameron said, "But I'm stuff with shrimp and broccoli."
"Same here," Alonsha smiled, "I think I had too much orange chicken."
"So, I guess that means ya'll are ready to leave?" Justin asked. Everybody nodded and stood. Justin took Cameron's hand in his and they led everybody out. Before they exited the restaurant, their hands fell apart. The doors swung open and the flashes went off. Everybody began to pick up their pace of walking as the paparazzi began to surround them. Justin unlocked the doors to his Yukon with his remote and everybody hopped in. He wasted no time pushing his foot against the gas and whizzing off.
As they rode up Sunset, the car was laced with a comfortable silence. Justin glanced into his rearview mirror and saw Adam wrapping his arm around Alonsha, bringing her to his chest. Justin's stomach knotted and he returned his eyes to the road.
"Dinner was nice, huh?" Cameron said, sparking some conversation, "Did you guys have a good time?" She craned her neck to look at Adam and Alonsha in the backseat.
"Yeah," Alonsha answered, "It was nice to be in good company."
"What she said." Adam yawned and Cameron laughed, sitting back up in her seat.
"Did you have a good time, babe?" Justin glanced over at her and smiled briefly.
"Yes, I did," he stated, "It was good to hang out with ya'll. Adam was good company."
"Right back at ya, Justin," Adam replied, "I was nice to actually get to know you myself rather than hearing Alonsha blab about you."
"Blab, huh?" Justin questioned, his confidence rising.
"I do not blab about him," Alonsha argued, "I just tell you about him." Everybody laughed.
"I can't blame you," Cam said, "Justin always gives you something to talk about." Cameron patted his knee and Justin smiled.
"Okay, enough about me, alright?" Justin interrupted, "I have a feeling this is going to turn into some embarrassing story I'll never live down."
"Fine," Cameron dropped the subject at hand, "But I wasn't going to say anything about that thing you did last month when we went skiing. . ."
"Shut up!" Justin laughed, "That was a mistake."
"You flirted with your mom's friend!" Cameron laughed, "You said she was a sunny bunny you wouldn't mind. . ."
"Moving on!" Justin interrupted, "Where am I dropping you guys off at?"
"My apartment," Alonsha answered. Justin nodded.
"Adam, am I dropping you off at your place then?" Justin asked. Cameron snickered as Adam cleared his throat nervously.
"I think Alonsha meant her and Adam were going to her place." Justin chuckled awkwardly.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, "I just assumed. . . Yeah, okay." He made a right and their journey continued in silence except for the sound of Dido's White Flag flowing from the speakers. About fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Alonsha's apartment complex. Justin double parked in front of the building. Adam jumped out of the car and hurried to Alonsha's side. He held the door open for her and took her hand to help her out. Alonsha walked up to the driver side and Justin rolled the window down.
"Thanks for dinner ya'll," she said, "And thanks for the ride." She stood on her tippy-toes and kissed Justin on the cheek, "It was nice talking to you Cameron. We have to hangout again." Cameron nodded and smiled.
"Definitely," she grinned, "You know what? Justin and I were going to go shopping on Sunday. You and Adam should come."
"You up for it, Adam?" Alonsha asked, turning to face him with a smile. He shrugged his shoulders.
"If you want to, I'm up for it," he answered.
"Good!" Cameron said excitedly, "We'll pick you guys up around three or something."
"Yeah, and wear comfortable shoes," Justin added, "You know how I am when I shop." Alonsha laughed and nodded.
"Okay," she smiled, "We'll see you Sunday." She gave them both a wave goodbye and walked over to Adam. Justin watched as their hands intertwined and they walked up to the door. He held it open for her and they made their way inside. When Justin saw they were safe, he began to drive off.
"Are you alright?" Cameron asked, "You were kinda quiet at dinner." Justin nodded and focused on the road.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered.
"I know how good you look, Justin," Cameron joked, "I was asking about how you were feeling." Justin shook his head and grinned.
"You are too weird, Cam." He chuckled to himself and glanced into his side mirror.
"What is this?" Cameron asked, "Is that a. . .a smile? Oh my goodness, it is! I haven't seen one of those all night."
"What are you talking about?" Justin asked, "I was smiling the whole time."
"Yeah, like a clown," Cameron teased, "It was a fake smile and you know it."
"Stop knowing me so well." She laughed.
"No can do," she informed him, "I love you too much."
"I love you too," Justin smiled, "I really do."
"I know," Cameron said as she reached over and rubbed his thigh in a comforting manner, "Are you sure you're alright?" Justin laughed and licked his lips.
"I'm fine," Justin whined, "Quit worrying."
"Stop making me worry," Cameron countered, "You were too quiet tonight."
"You complain when I talk, you complain when I'm quiet. Are you ever satisfied?" Justin laughed.
"I just want to make sure you're happy," Cameron said, her bottom lip forming a pout.
"Keep loving me and I'll always be happy." Cameron smiled at him, looking at his profile as he drove down the road.
"In that case, you'll never be sad again," she sincerely whispered, "I'll never stop loving you."
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