Girl-Code (13 page)

‘Who with? I mean wasn’t that your new
boyfriend who just walked out with Kate?’

‘No, that was a guy I dated once, but since
you called constantly the duration of the date it really never got off of the
ground,’ my voice sounds strong, my insides however are melting.  All I want to
do is wrap my arms around him and pull his head down to mine. 

His eyes pull me into his being, as all of
a sudden I can no longer avoid them, my insides tingle with recognition and
there is rapidly not enough air in the room.  His hand snakes out and strokes
my cheek, ‘happy birthday Lucy,’ his gaze moves to my lips as he leans in and
places a gentle kiss on my mouth.  I close my eyes for a moment but he moves
away too quickly and they flicker open as I am suddenly aware of our
environment.

‘Come on Cam,’ Simon gentles and Cameron
turns and follows Simon and Susie out of the bar.

********

I lay in bed thinking on the evening, Kate
and Matthew, I smile slightly they are a good match, I am glad she is away from
Leon.  My mind runs over Cameron he looks awful, he had obviously been drinking
heavily which isn’t like him, as far as I know.

That kiss was so….romantic, maybe drink is
good for him after all, loosens him up!  I sigh, my insides yearn for him when
will that stop?  The room is spinning so I turn over groaning, I drank too
much!

********

 Cameron lays in the darkness, why the fuck
did he kiss her?  He rubs a hand over his face, he misses her how the hell did
that happen?  All that girl-code crap and Kate walks off with her date! If it
wasn’t for her friends and the crap rules he would still have her in his bed
why is it ok for them and not us?

Who is she dating now then, it didn’t take
her long! His stomach sinks at the thought of her straddling some other guy and
he groans he has to see her again.

********

I wake and roll over to check on the clock
which signals just after eight o clock.  My mouth is dry and head muzzy.  I
roll out of bed and yawn an unladylike sound before moving into the kitchen and
switching on the kettle.  While I wait, I drink a glass of water to hopefully
rehydrate.  I grasp my bag and retrieve my mobile phone and notices a couple of
new messages….from Cameron!

‘Oh no!’ I mumble, as my insides awaken to
this knowledge.

The first one was sent at one o clock this
morning,

Hi,

I need to see you asap. C

Then another this morning,

I mean today Lucy, call me, C

There he goes again, making his demands. I
frown despite the excitement that builds within. I make my tea and sit out on
the balcony in my nightclothes contemplating my next move.  I press the call
button on his message unable to wait a single second to hear his voice.

‘Lucy,’ he greets me.

‘Hey,’ I mumble, not knowing quite what I
intend to say.

‘How are you feeling this morning?’

‘Fine, thank you. I see we are doing
reasonable this morning,’ I express.

‘I see we are doing politeness,’ he
retaliates before sighing, ‘I need to see you.’

‘Why?’ I question.

‘I just do.’

‘Well, I am out this evening and have
chores today.’ I mutter.

‘Do the chores tomorrow, I need to see you
today, now.’ he insists.

‘No.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because we know what will happen Cameron,’
I mutter, ‘besides, I am going away tomorrow.’

‘Going away where?’ his voice is sharp.

‘China. So you see….’

‘How long for?’ he interrupts.

I refuse to answer.

‘Please Lucy, I need to see you,’ he
pleads.

‘Ok, but you will have to meet me this way,
I really do have things to do,’ I relent, ‘and not in the flat,’ I insist.

‘Fine! Where?’

We meet at the outside café by the river
where I previously had coffee with Brad.  The sun is shining hot for a June day,
so I dress in denim shorts and a t-shirt, Cameron has never seen me dress
casually.  I brush my hair into a high pony tail despite the inner voice that
expresses how much he prefers my hair down.  Applying mascara and lip gloss, I
decide that less is more in this case and grabbing my bag I exit the apartment.

He is already seated with a coffee, dressed
casually in jeans and a polo shirt his sunglasses covering his gorgeous eyes. 
He stands as I approach and we stand regarding each other, ‘hi,’ he murmurs.

‘Hi,’ I push my sunglasses up onto my head,
my stomach somersaulting at his close proximity.

‘What do you want to drink?’ he asks and I
want to demand he removes his sunglasses immediately to allow me access to
those eyes, to gage the mood he is in.

‘Peppermint tea, please,’ he gestures to
the waiter and orders my drink.

‘So….sit,’ he instructs and I comply.

‘So….’ I feel so nervous, I replace my
glasses over my eyes to hide the emotions rushing through my body.

‘Take them off,’ he whispers.

‘Take yours off,’ I mutter childishly and
he complies, throwing them agitatedly on the table.

Our eyes battle blue against green as we
both attempt to take control of the situation.

‘What do you want Cameron?’ I exhale an
anxious breath.

‘You,’ he demands.

‘You had me,’ I remind him.

‘I want you again,’ he states, ‘who are you
dating?’

‘A nice guy,’ I inform him, harshly.

‘Ouch,’ his eyebrow arches.

‘We never dated Cameron, we fucked.’ I
shrug.

‘Don’t speak like that, Lucy,’ he warns.

‘You used to like it,’ I mutter behaving
similar to a teenager and he sighs.

‘So you aren’t sleeping with this guy?’

‘No!’ I astound. ‘It hasn’t been five
min…..’

He nods aware of my unspoken words.  The
waiter arrives, placing my tea on the table and we are silent.

‘I want to date you, Lucy….exclusively,’ he
adds.

‘Cameron. You are only interested in me
when someone else shows me the slightest hint of attention.  Remember the last
time I had a date?’ I remind him, lifting my tea to my mouth.

‘I remember the ending to that night, do
you?’ he whispers, my mind flashes back to our frantic sex neither of us being
able to keep our hands off each other.  My insides tingle at the memory as my
eyes connect with his.

‘And there it is, ‘he mumbles as his eyes
turn hungry with lust.

Cam,’ I murmur, in warning.

‘What Lucy? Are you going to deny it?’

‘No, I’m not, but is there really any point
in returning there?  Yes, we both enjoyed ourselves. I have never experienced
such a good time,’  I regard him for a moment, ‘but Cameron it hurt when it
ended and I am perfectly aware that you have no intention of settling down you
have told me.  You give yourself until you have your fill, then you walk away.’

‘You walked away,’ he accuses.

‘No Cameron, I may have walked out of your
house but I never left you – you wasn’t mine to keep.  It was only ever
temporary – you expressed
it ends when you say it ends,
I am not willing
to open myself up to that.’

‘I thought all this was about the girl-code
rubbish,’ he scoffs, ‘obviously not.’

‘Of course it was at first, you going
around to Sam when I specifically begged you not to, pissed me off big time. 
Do you know how she made me feel?’

‘I can imagine, I have been bombarded with
text messages since,’ he grumbles.

‘So I hear,’ I snap jealousy searing
through my insides.

‘What is that supposed to mean?’ he gasps.

‘Nothing forget it, it doesn’t matter anymore
anyway,’ I sulk.

Someone stops in front of our table and I
glance upwards.

‘Hey Lucy,’ Brad is eyeing up Cameron with
an edge of suspicion.

‘Brad, hi!’ I over enthuse standing kissing
his cheek in greeting.

His eyes once again move to Cameron and I flush
as I make the introductions.

‘Brad, this is Cameron,’ Cameron stands
with his ice cold gaze directed towards me before accepting Brad’s outstretched
hand.  ‘Brad,’ he mutters crisply, his ocean blue eyes once again turning
Atlantic grey.

‘Cameron,’ Brad nods briefly, ‘I won’t
interrupt your coffee Lucy I will collect you at seven.’

‘Ok!’ I murmur, before he throws another
courteous nod in Cameron’s direction and saunters off.

The two men could not be more diverse in
personality, but they both hold an identical power in their stride and stance. 
Brad’s years only enhance his chiseled jaw and wise, friendly chocolate brown eyes. 
Cameron however has a danger about him that I find breath-taking not to mention
exciting.

Brad was escorting me to dinner this
evening, then on to a local art gallery where some of his pieces were being
exhibited.  I feel comfortable in Brad’s company, we shared an ease of companionship. 
In Cameron’s presence, all I feel is…well anything but comfortable, the total
opposite of comfortable in fact.  All I wanted to do was wrap myself around him
and absorb his being.

‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ Cameron
mutters his voice frosty, ‘that is your date exactly how old is he Lucy?

‘He is a grown up, Cameron.’ I return with
a cold edge to my voice.

‘So that is how you are planning to execute
your life Lucy, back to coloring between the lines,’ he sneers, ‘safely.’

My eyes spark with anger as I stand,
collect my belongings and turn, storming off towards my apartment.  I almost
reach my destination when he catches up.  He spins me around and pushes me
against the adjacent wall pressing himself against me his eyes flashing with
anger.

‘Stop walking away from me,’ he demands,
his voice dangerously low.

‘Leave me alone,’ I pant with only half the
resolution that I attempt, his body is hard against mine which is betraying me
by responding so openly.  My taut nipples strain against my t-shirt as I gaze
up into his hard face.

‘Does he make you feel like this Lucy?’ he
gasps entrapping me, his hands either side of my body, ‘I don’t think so, I sensed
nothing but friendship between you.  Is that what you want, a life of
companionship?  Somehow, I don’t think so,’ he smiles arrogantly towards me. 
‘You have too much passion within,’ he leans down to my ear and whispers.  ‘You
like to be fucked senseless on the kitchen counter, the shower, the bath, the
floor in front of a blazing fire.’ I am panting as images flick through my
memory. ‘I don’t think plain Saturday night with the lights off will suffice do
you Lucy?’

My face is flushed, my eyes heavy with lust
as I breathe up towards him unable to form words.  He releases me abruptly and
turns, ‘let me know Lucy,’ and he strides purposely back down towards the café.

Somehow I stumble into my flat and flop on
the sofa my heart thumping inside my chest.  My body responds of its own accord
around him, I have no control of my emotions.  I stand and pace up and down my
mind running over our conversation.  I am wound so tight I sense I am about to
explode.  How dare he speak to me that way!

********

‘How are things?’ Simon asks Cameron as he
passes him the bowl of potatoes.

‘Fine,’ I mutter, ‘just dandy!’

‘I see your mood hasn’t improved,’ he
scoffs as Susie enters the room placing a bottle of wine in the center of the
table.

‘I went to see Lucy yesterday,’ I announce,
my eyes flickering up to Susie’s cautious ones.

‘And….’ She murmurs quietly.

‘And she is dating some old guy!’ I
express.

‘So what happened?’ Simon requests.

‘Nothing damn well happened that’s what!
Did you know she has flown to China today?’ my eyes find Susie’s.

‘Yes, with work a few of each team have
gone,’ she shrugs.

‘I suppose that Matthew has gone?’

‘As Head of Womenswear, yes!  Cameron, you
were there when he walked out with Kate.  Lucy isn’t interested in Matthew,
except as a friend.’

‘Oh yes, but that was ok, where was the
fucking girl-code when they got together?  All this shit is what got things
complicated from the beginning.’

‘Calm down, Cameron.’ Simon instructs
sternly, ‘Susie and I are just enjoying a Sunday roast, it isn’t our drama.’

I sigh, rubbing my hands over my face, ‘I
am sorry,’ I glance to Susie. ‘I am sorry Suze, thank you for dinner.’

‘If you want her Cameron, go get her she
isn’t interested in Brad not really, he is just a reliable sort that she can
control her emotions around.  You infuriate her, yet excite her…..no contest.’