18. Cameron

18

cameron

I packed up my makeup kit with a little extra pep in my step. River had stayed for the show, and we were about to get dinner and drinks in the city. I was looking forward to it. We hadn’t really had a chance to talk since everything had gone down, and I was looking forward to clearing the air and just catching up.

“Have a good night, Cameron,” my boss called as I hauled ass out of there.

“Good night!” I said over my shoulder. I’d thought for sure I was gonna get fired when that video had leaked two weeks ago. I’d gotten extremely lucky. It turned out that the director had gone through something similar a few years ago, when an ex had leaked some nudes in an effort to get him fired, so now he was sympathetic to anything like that and had backed me up. It was a relief. I had been counting on the paycheck for the full run of this show and wouldn’t know what to do if I had to only rely on the bar.

I was also relieved that most of the cast and crew hadn’t made a big deal about it and my freak-out. Most of them had seen the video. Hell, by the time Lake had gotten it off the internet, there’d been something like 900k views. I tried not to think about that though. It was gone, and Lake had been running all kinds of interference to keep something like that from happening again. It helped that they’d finally been able to trace the video and calls back to my old address. They still couldn’t prove if it was Sammy or Riley or both of them that had posted it, or who had planted cameras and followed me, but it was a start. I felt hopeful that this would all be over soon, and it would be nothing more than a painful blip in my past.

I met River outside the theater. He was wrapped up in a long coat and bouncing up and down like he was freezing. I guessed it was pretty breezy out here. He lit up when he saw me, which made me relax some. Luke had said River was okay with everything, and the brief texts and conversations we’d had also confirmed it, but him being happy to see me in person was a huge relief. I couldn’t deal if my best friend was mad at me.

I threw myself at him, hugging him like it had been years since I’d seen him. He laughed huskily. “It’s good to see you too, Cam.”

“Sorry. I just missed you. It feels like it’s been ages since we got to hang out.”

“That’s because it has been. Between the baby, and Cooper, and your new relationships, things have been crazy. I’m looking forward to a kid free night though. I am not driving.”

I laughed and wrapped my arm around him as we walked. “Good. Neither am I. I need a drink after the last few weeks.”

River got serious. “Yeah, I can imagine.”

He didn’t elaborate, and I was glad. We’d talk more about it once we’d eaten, I was sure, but I wanted to focus on the good things: Luke and Joel, Miri, and whatever wedding planning River had managed with a toddler.

We had to take the subway to get to our destination, but it was worth it to get out of Times Square and away from the tourist traps that this area was known for. It also turned into a bar/lounge after 10, so we didn’t even have to leave to dance and drink later on, but it wasn’t so loud and crowded that we couldn’t talk.

Once we’d settled in and the waitress had taken our order for appetizers and drinks, I turned to River.

“So, I guess I’m going to get straight to the point. I’m dating your dad and I really like him.”

River just laughed. “Right to the chase, damn. But also, yeah, I know. Dad told me. You told me. Then Dad got Lake and Essie and sat all three of us down again to tell us more. I’m happy for both of you, honestly.”

“Thanks. It really means a lot to me that you’re okay with this. I don’t think I could handle if you hated me.”

River met my eyes. “Never, Cam.”

The waitress came back, so I waited till she dropped off our drinks and apps before continuing the conversation. I took a sip of my blue, fruity thing, complete with one of those plastic swords with pineapple and cherries stabbed through it, and it was fucking delicious. “Okay, yeah, I’m getting another one of these. This is so damn good.”

River had gotten a Long Island, which even thinking about those gave me flashbacks to college, and not the good ones either. No thank you.

“How’s everything going with it though? I know Dad was struggling with his feelings for a while.”

I popped a jalape?o popper in my mouth. “Yeah, I think he had a lot of things to come to terms with, but honestly, that whole stupid tape situation caused one good thing. It brought us all together. Things are going really well, Riv. Like, really fucking well. We’ve had a few groups dates, and Luke and I had our first solo date the other night. Things were a little awkward at first, but once we got over not having Joel as the buffer, it was honestly amazing. I like him a lot, Riv.”

River smiled softly. “I know. You already said.”

I shook my head. “No, like, more than like him, and Joel. Like, maybe the other L word.”

River’s eyes widened. “For real? That’s amazing, Cam. Have you told them yet?”

“Nah. It’s too soon, I think.”

“I’m not sure if there’s a timeline for something like that.”

I wasn’t ready to talk about it. It might be weird, but I’d never said I love you to any of my partners in the past. I’d never felt anything close to it. It was big, too big, and even if I was pretty sure that was what these feelings were, speaking it out loud was a step I wasn’t ready for. Time to change the subject.

“So,” I said in a all too obvious way. “How’s the wedding planning going?”

Riv wasn’t fooled, but he played along. “Actually, we decided we’re going to wait another year or two to get married. That way Miri is old enough to be flower girl and understand what’s going on. Besides, we already know we’re fated mates, so the marriage is just a formality.”

Fated mates. The term had been rolling around in my mind for a couple weeks now. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was what was happening with Joel, Luke, and me. It would explain the instant connection and how deep and intimate all the feelings were. It was like we belonged. I took another long sip of my drink. Stay on topic.

“So Lake is gonna get married before you? I never expected that.”

River snorted. “Right? Though technically, it’s a commitment ceremony, since the law is funny about three people getting married.” True. That was something I’d never have to worry about. I had no plans on getting married, ever. Even if Joel, Luke, and I lasted, which I fucking hoped we did, no wedding bands here. Still happy for my friends though.

The conversation drifted then, and soon the waitress was back taking our meal orders. We were just about finishing up and ready to move to the bar for a few more drinks before the dance floor opened up, when I heard my name from a few tables down.

“Cam?”

Dread immediately settled deep in my gut. I didn’t want to turn to the voice, but I wasn’t sure if I had a choice. River had tensed next to me, and he looked two seconds from losing his shit as Riley, my ex-roommate, who had also apparently filmed us having a threesome and shared the video with Sammy, approached the table.

“Riley.” My tone was overly formal, but I didn’t really know what else to say.

“What the fuck are you doing here, dude?” River snapped.

Riley ignored River completely. “Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?”

“Yeah, I don’t fucking think so. I’m calling Logan.”

I squeezed River’s hand before he could pull out his phone and shook my head. The cops had already chatted with them, but without proof of stalking or who actually published the videos, not much had happened yet.

“What do you want, Riley? Whatever you need to say, you can say right here.”

I sounded braver than I felt. I was feeling extremely vulnerable and kind of wished Joel and Luke were here to deal with him. Though River probably would, happily.

Riley glanced at River, and I thought he was going protest again, but he didn’t. “Listen, Cam. I swear I didn’t realize Sammy was going to do that. If I knew, I would never have—”

“Never have what? Fucking recorded Justin and me without our permission? You do know it’s a crime, right?”

Riley flinched. “It was just supposed to be a private video. You know how possessive Sammy was of you. He asked me to record it so he could watch it later. I never thought he’d never threaten you with it or post it online, I swear!”

“It’s still fucking illegal, Riley. It’s wrong and gross, and Justin almost lost his fucking job. You know he’s pressing charges too, right?”

Riley shuffled. “I-I didn’t know.”

“Did you know Sammy had a camera in my room too?” The way he looked away said everything. I couldn’t do this anymore. I was going to be sick.

“You need to leave now.” River took over when he realized I was losing my nerve.

“What? No! I’m trying to apologize.”

“Riley, fucking go,” I snapped, my anger rising. “Before I call the cops. Oh, and I’d get a fucking lawyer.”

River didn’t wait for Riley to leave. He dragged me away from the table, already digging his phone out of his pocket.

“Dad? Yeah, can you come pick us up? Bring Joel with you, thanks.”

River hung up without another word. I appreciated that, though now that we’d walked away, I was strangely calm. The situation no longer felt like it was this huge weight bearing down on me. Actually, it didn’t feel like it had happened to me at all.

“I don’t want to go home,” It came out sounding more like a petulant child having a tantrum than I intended, but it was still true.

“Huh?”

“I mean, I don’t want to stay here. But I’m not gonna let them ruin anything else for me. This was out night out, and we’re still having it.”

River flashed me a lopsided grin. “Do you want me to call your men off?”

I waved that away. “No. They wouldn’t be called off now anyway. They can join us, if you don’t mind?”

“Clubbing with my dad? Sure, why not?” He was slightly sarcastic, but I could also tell he didn’t truly mind. “But I swear, Cam, you grind on him once, I’m fucking leaving.”

Laughing, I reached up and kissed River on the cheek. “Deal.”