Her warm, easy smile melts into me, and I remember again why I liked Cam; she was never overly dramatic like Jen or emotional like Carly. She gave everyone a fair break, which was more than she ever got. I never really had friends that were girls, but Cam was that girl that I considered worthy of the label. She really cares for people, like Vivian does, and she has a quality that makes you want her to be taken care of. I wish I could have kept in contact with her, but considering how things ended with Vivian in college, having contact with anyone from that time wouldn’t have been possible.
I stand up anyway, and reach out to give her hug. I always knew that she was the one that talked Viv into giving me a chance back in college, and even if she and I won’t be together anymore, I’m grateful for the brief time I had with Vivian, and I owe that to Campbell. The least I could do is show my appreciation.
She taps my back, barely returning my embrace. I forgot how uncomfortable she is with physical affection, so I give her one more squeeze and take my seat. “It’s good to see you, Cam,” I say while Lakin pulls out a chair for her. Yeah, I can see the wheels in his head turning–good luck with that, baby bro. I would eat my own foot if Cam ever agreed to date my brother. She gives him a look of appreciation, which only encourages my brother even more. I take a drink and roll my eyes; this is definitely not why I’m here.
She finally directs her attention back to me when Lakin sits down, pushing his chair closer to Campbell. “Have you figured out why you’re here yet, Brooks?” she asks, skipping over all introductory niceties.
“I don’t know what to think, Cam. At first, I thought I was invited here to receive the royal ass-chewing of a lifetime, and then I thought maybe you guys were going to help me win Vivian back. Now that even Lakin is in on this master plan, whatever it is, I have no fucking clue. But I would really like to be filled in; all of this is getting pretty damn old. Is Vivian here? Or did you girls plot to make me look like the prick that I already feel like I am?”
“She’s here, Brooks.” Those simple three words cause me to spring out of my chair, and I begin looking around for her. Vivian brought me here. Her girls were hurdles, and who the fuck knows if I passed, but if she brought me here, maybe that means she still wants me, could still love me. I feel myself begin to sweat and breathe heavily with anticipation and nervousness to see her. I’m so zoned-in on finding her that I completely tune out what Campbell is saying until I feel her grab my arm and pull me back to my chair.
“You won’t find her. She’s here, but I’m not quite ready for you to see her yet,” she says, reclining into the back of her chair and crossing her legs. I turn around but remain standing; if Vivian is here, I want to see her. I’m done with the bullshit games these women have put me through tonight.
“What do you mean you’re not ready for me to see her? Don’t you think that this is between Vivian and me? I’m not sure why all three of you have stepped in tonight like middle men. We are fucking grown adults, who should be working things out like adults.” I stand, shoulders squared and arms crossed, ready for the fight that I’ve been waiting for all night. I’m tired of playing nice; if Vivian is ready to talk to me, then she needs to get her ass out here and talk to me.
Campbell begins to laugh hysterically. She doubles over, placing her head on the table, and when she leans back up to gather air, she has to wipe tears from her eyes. I glance over to Lakin, and he looks as lost as I am. What the fuck is happening tonight? I have entered some kind of estrogen-induced twilight zone. Cam was my only chance of escaping and getting to Vivian, and now it looks as though she too has overdosed on the Kool-Aid.
“Sorry, Brooks,” she says, trying to catch her breath. “It’s just, you have absolutely no reason to get all worked up; in fact, you’re about to get everything you ever wanted. I just need you to calm the fuck down and answer a few questions for me.”
“Are you kidding me? You tell me Vivian is here, but you want me to play a round of twenty questions? This has to be a joke.”
“Look, Brooks, I like you; I always have. I know good people and bad people, and you’re good people. Jen and Carly don’t see it, but Vivian and I do. I want to help, but I won’t unless you answer a few questions first.”
I plop down in my seat in a huff, cross my arms once again, and give her the nod to ask away.
Cam takes a napkin from the center condiment island and dabs her make-up, which ran during her hysterics, and takes a drink of the water that the server brought over soon after she arrived at the table. Cam has been here a lot with the current band she’s promoting, and I’m sure the workers here are familiar with her dislike of alcohol.
She settles herself and begins to fire away. “When you set Vivian up to think that you cheated, was it to avoid telling her about your father?”
Well, we definitely aren’t going to ease in with some simple ones, are we? I should have known they would have sent Campbell in for this type of inquisition. I lean in on the table, rubbing my face in my hands, contemplating my answer. I know that I can’t lie to Campbell; besides, she would see right through me. “I wasn’t trying to avoid anything, Cam,” I sigh. “If I knew that she would have still loved me despite who my father is, I would have told her and let her decide. But I loved her too much to put her in that position. I knew that if I left, made her believe that I wasn’t worth chasing after, then she would have found Will. He cared about her, always had. I thought he was the better man, and she deserved to be with someone like that.”
“That’s what I thought. So why didn’t you tell her this time around?”
My back straightens at her tone. It feels like she’s implying that I was maliciously trying to keep things from Vivian.
“I wanted to; I tried so many times. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The more I thought about it, the more I thought about what it might change. I don’t have contact with Raymond. He’s never been a part of my life. Nothing would come from her knowing, other than hurting her, and I would do anything to keep from hurting her. But then he showed up, and my plan crumbled. I had to face it, but this time she ran.”
“You know I, more than anyone, understand where you’re coming from, Brooks, but not trusting her with the truth, protecting her or not, was a bit on the shady side,” she calmly says as she rubs my forearm. Her attempt to comfort me throws me a bit; it is very out of character for her.
“One more question, I swear,” she says, removing her hand and squaring her shoulders. “Do you promise to love that woman the way she deserves and never keep anything from her again, whether it’s for her own good or not?”
I match her posture and meet her eyes, trying to convey every ounce of emotion I have into my final answer for her. “Campbell, I love Vivian more than I thought was ever even possible. Whether I’m with her or not, she is the only one that I could ever want. All I’ve ever wanted to do is give her what she deserved, even when I thought she deserved more than what I am. I would be honored just to have the chance to try and be that man for her.”
She smiles, and I can see the tears beginning to build in her eyes. I try to hand her a napkin, but she shoos me away. “That’s all I needed to know, Brooks. Hang tight. We will all be back soon.”
“Vivian too?” I ask anxiously as we all stand up from the table.
“She smiles and pats my arm. “Vivian too.” She turns to Lakin and offers her hand to shake but he immediately grabs her fingers and guides her hand to his lips. “It was lovely to meet you, Campbell,” he says smoothly, and then kisses the back of her hand. She peers over to me, and I act like I’m going to throw up, which makes her laugh. Lakin backs away and shoots a death glare at me.