“So Bre, what’s on your mind?”
Bre pulled two red mugs out of the upper cabinet and slid them adjacent to the coffeemaker. “I think I made the right decision when we broke up last week. I know you hoped that once we saw each other things would work out, but I can’t be with you right now.”
“What does that mean?”
“Right now, where we are in our lives, it makes more sense if we’re just friends. The long distance thing is too hard, too much maintenance. We’re both so busy trying to get our careers off the ground, and our relationship is an unnecessary complication.”
“What brought this on? Did something happen that you aren’t telling me?”
Leaning back against the countertop, Bre turned her head, watching the dark liquid fill the carafe. “A lot happened, but mostly I realized that we need a break.”
“Can you be more specific?” Cam persisted.
Cam filled the mugs with coffee. Nervously, she rubbed her hands together, and she tried to smile reassuringly. “I don’t think the specifics are imperative.”
“Okay, let me tell you what I think is going on instead,” he said, his voice harsh. “You’re still angry that I cancelled my visit last weekend. Now you’re even more pissed because I’ve been so busy we’ve hardly spent any time together this weekend and I disappeared this evening, trying to prevent Jax from messing up our potential record deal by toying with Anna. Tonight you paid me back by leaving without a word, and now you’re trying to end our relationship. Does that sum it up?”
Bre smiled faintly. She always admired people that didn’t mince words. “Not entirely. I’m disappointed, not angry, that we haven’t spent much time to together, and I didn’t leave tonight to pay you back. I left because I realized that… we aren’t the right people for each other at this time.”
He froze in the act of raising his mug to his mouth. “What does that mean?”
She inhaled deeply. “You’re the only person I’ve ever dated, and I think I need to see what else is out there. Maybe in a roundabout way, seeing other people will bring us closer together.”
He slammed he mug down on the counter without taking a sip. “What? You want to see other people?”
“I’ve been out with someone else a couple times in the past week… and I’ve come to the conclusion that it isn’t fair to either of us to be so wrapped up in this relationship when we’re so young.”
“When did this happen?”
“Well, I’ve been considering it for a while, but being with the other person happened last weekend.”
“Did this happen when Jax visited? Does he know about this? Is that why he left early?”
“I don’t want to talk about Jax. This isn’t about him. This is about us, our relationship,” Bre whispered, looking away, hoping Cam couldn’t see the guilt twisting in her stomach at the mention of Jax’s name.
“Fine. Then explain to me how you could throw away our lifelong friendship and our future for this man. Do I know him?”
“I’m not talking to you about him. It isn’t about him. We’ve been drifting apart for a long time. You can’t deny that.”
An expression of incredulity froze his face. “My God, you slept with him, didn’t you, and I know him. That’s what this is about. You made a bed up on the couch. You don’t want to give me details. It all makes sense now.”
Bre pushed away from the countertop and walked in the direction of the bedroom. “I think it would be best if I went home. I’ll get a hotel room tonight and catch a flight in the morning.”
Cam grabbed her arm as she walked past him, his fingers biting into her wrist. “Tell me who it is so I at least have a name for this backstabbing bastard. You owe me that.”
Bre saw no reason to let him know that she slept with Jax. It wouldn’t happen again, and it would escalate his anger unnecessarily. “I don’t owe you anything, Cam. Let me go.”
“Are you serious? We’ve known each other for a long time, and I’ve stuck with you through everything, but I guess I never really saw you for who you are. When it comes down to it, you’re just like your mom. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it? It was only a matter of time.” Cam flung her wrist away from him.
Anger exploded in her like nothing she had ever felt. She stared indignantly at Cam through the tears now streaming down her face, and without thinking, she flung the coffee at his shirt. “How dare you say that about me! Don’t think for one moment that I have remained blissfully ignorant of all your indiscretions in the past year or so. People talk, Cam, and just because I never confronted you doesn’t mean that I didn’t realize that there could be some truth in the gossip. The more I think about it, the more I realize it’s probably true, given all your disappearances and last minute cancellations. I don’t believe for one second that you have the moral ground in this argument.”