10

School started again and with school, all my problems.

I had to wake up early everyday, drag myself to school in order to sleep through boring lectures and repeat that for an infinite amount of times. And to top it all off, I couldn't see Ann as much as before. It was a very sad time.

I sighed as I made my way through the parking lot and I may or may not have ducked behind a car when I caught sight of a certain blonde. It's not like I was hiding, really.

I haven't talked to Rachel for two weeks, pretty much since our lovely 'date' and I think she must have realized that I was clearly avoiding her by now, although it wasn't my intention.

Okay. I was a chicken shit, I knew that. But I still couldn't face her after we'd stopped texting. I felt guilty. I wanted to apoligize but I didn't think she cared that much about it, seeing as I always saw her around school with her new girlfriend.

As the path was clear, I started walking again towards my car. I couldn't wait to finally be back home.

"Hey."

Shit.

I froze in place as I contemplated either running away or fainting suddenly on the spot.

"Cam, hi."

I turned around to see Rachel standing in front of me. "Hi" was the only thing I could mutter with a lump in my throath.

She studied me for a few seconds, the silence making it loud and clear that she was pissed, or annoyed or something. Definitely not delighted to see me.

"I've seen you around," she said, "you probably have seen me around as well and... uhm," she paused, "I've noticed you've been avoiding me?"

Shit. Here it goes. "I... I'm sorry, I've been busy." I said, sounding as stupid as I felt.

"Yeah, I could see that." She looked hurt, making me feel like an asshole.

Another moment of silence passed before I felt the urge to get the fuck away from this situation. "I have to go." I said as I started to slowly walk backwards.

Rachel just stared at me and smiled. "Okay. Have a good day."

***

It was Friday, and not just any Friday. Today, tonight, I'll finally be spending time with Ann. I haven't seen her for four days. We'd planned dinner, a movie and maybe I could sleep over if she wanted me to. I was thinking about the events of today as I knocked on her door, still feeling guilty about how I'd treated Rachel.

Ann opened the door and signaled me to come in and be quiet since she was talking on the phone. I raised my eyebrows inquisitively but she just glared at me.

"Um-hum... Yeah, okay... Tomorrow then?... Um-hum... Okay, perfect... Bye."

She hang up and turned towards me, giving me a once over. "Why are you dressed like that?"

I glanced down at myself. "Like what?"

"You seem like you actually put an effort in the way you dressed today."

I pouted. "That was a low blow." I said as she grinned. "Should I take my clothes off then?"

"No, thanks." She replied.

We moved to the kitchen where she poured me a glass of wine. I sat on a stool and watched her 'cooking', only for us to end up eating a salad as dinner.

After that we moved to the couch where I had to go through a zombie movie while hanging on to Ann for dear life. By the time it ended I had such a strong grip on her that I wondered how she could breath. My head rested on her shoulder, my arms were wrapped around her and my legs were tangled in hers in a weird but pretty comfortable position.

"You can let go now." She said trying to free herself.

I looked up from her shoulder while tightening my grip on her even more if possible. "I don't want to."

"Cam." She threatened.

"What?"

"Let go of me now or..."

"Or?"

"Or I'll make you."

I smirked and lifted my head from her shoulder so I could look at her. "And how do you plan to do that?"

She stared in my eyes for what felt like a minute making my heart beat like crazy. As she leaned her face closer I felt all thought leave me. But the kiss I was hoping for didn't arrive. Instead I felt her hands on the sides of my stomach, tickling me and making me jump back away from her.

She was the one smirking now. "Like that."

I got up and stretched, then turned around to look at Ann still sitting on the couch.

"Guess what?" I asked.

She seemed confused. "What?"

"I'm going to sleep with you tonight." I said matter of factly, with a straight face.

As expected her cheeks turned a deep red and I couldn't help but laugh.

"You seem way too sure of that." She said once she recovered.

"Why, would you really be opposed to sleeping with me?"

She blushed even more if possible. "Stop it."

I grinned. "You didn't say no."

***

We got into bed after that and I lay there staring at the ceiling in the dark.

"Ann?"

No reply. I shifted trying to find a more comfortable position.

"Would you stop moving?"

I smiled and got closer to her side, she was facing the other direction and couldn't see me. I moved swiftly and wrapped my arm around her waist, bringing her closer to me and making our bodies touch.

I heard her gasp. "What are you doing?"

I just stayed silent for a few seconds.

"How would you apologize to someone you've been kind of avoiding?" I asked then, the events of today coming back to me.

"Hmm?"

"Say you've been avoiding someone and you wanted to apologize to them, how would you do it?"

"You could start with 'I'm sorry'." She replied with an amused tone.

"Oh, I would have never thought of that." I said sarcastically.

"What do you want me to say," she turned in my arms so she was now facing me. "If you told me what the story was, maybe I could help you."

We were close, closer than ever, my arm still wrapped around her waist. I thanked the darkness for hiding my embarrassment. "I'm not sure I can tell you."

"Why?" She sounded hurt, kind of.

"I don't know."

"It seems like you need to talk about it."

"Do I?" I asked surprised. In the dark I could barely see her eyes, but I could feel her stare.

"Yeah."

"Show me your degree in psychology first." I retorted.

"I may not be a psychologist, but I can still help you with my vast life experience."

"Right." I replied laughing. "It seems like I could help you more, if you put it like that."

That got me a glare and a hard punch in the stomach.

"And here I was, trying to be nice and comforting to you." She scoffed, starting to turn back around but I blocked her by tightening my grip on her waist.

"Remember the date, that was not a date, I went to a couple of weeks ago?" I started.

She nodded. "Some guy called Ryan or something, right?"

I furrowed my brows. "Ryan?"

"You told me that!"

"Oh." I paused. I had to do it now or never. Fuck it. "Well, there's something I want to tell you about that."

"Yeah?"

I took a deep breath. "His name was not Ryan." I watched her reaction but she didn't seem fazed.

She raised an eyebrow. "Okay?"

"His..." I paused, "Well, her name is Rachel." I stared at her eyes that stared back at me, she didn't blink, didn't say anything.

"And, uhm... Yeah."

She was still staring at me, and I at her. And we stayed silent. I was starting to feel nervous, why wasn't she saying anything?

My eyes started wandering, looking at anything in the dark but her. At some point I felt her poke my ribs and as I looked back at her face I saw her smiling.

"So you went on a date with a girl." She stated matter of factly.

I was trying to understand if her reaction was good or bad. "Yeah."

"And?"

"And what?" I smiled as well.

"How did it go?"

"I told you, it was awkward."

"Because it was with a girl?" She asked, I could see she was curious and it didn't seem like she was taking it badly.

"Of course not."

She laughed. "So you are...?"

"I am?" I wanted her to say it.

She fidgeted in my arms, wanting more space and I obliged moving backwards a little bit so as not to make her uncomfortable. "Well, you know..."

"I don't know." I said seriously.

She sighed, glaring at me. "You like girls?"

I grinned and didn't reply, making her mad. She was still glaring at me while I kept grinning and that got me a hard poke in the ribs.

I yelped. "That hurt."

"Serves you right." She replied and moved backwards removing my arm from her waist.

"So?" She then said, this time from afar.

"Yes." I replied.

Her eyebrows shot up. "Yes? You do? Or yes what?"

"Yes, I'm gay."

That shut her up. "Oh."

As silence took hold of us again I couldn't bear it. "Is that a problem?"

Her eyes widened. "N-No, of course not." She paused. "I was just surprised, that's all."

"Does this make you uncomfortable?" I asked then.

"What?"

"This." I gestured with my hands, indicating us and the bed and everything in between.

"Oh, Cam." She reached out and took my hand in hers. "That doesn't change anything at all, you can still come over at ungodly hours and sleep here whenever you feel like it."

I felt a heavy weight being lifted from my chest. "Really?" I asked in a whisper.

She smiled. "Really." And she pulled me closer, wrapping her arms around me in a hug. "Although, I still have something to say about the ungodly hours." She added in my ear and I chuckled.

"I can't promise anything."