More Than Forever(82)

"Good. I got you a case of beers—put it in your studio. Let's drink."

"Sounds like a plan," she says through her own chuckle.

Joe eyes me for a moment. "What about you, rich kid? Up for a beer?"

It's not really a question, because his hand has curled around my neck and he's already leading me through the house.

"I'm not rich," I tell him, feeling the buzz of the beer in my head. It was supposed to be one, but I'm on my third, or fourth. I don't know. The only thing I know is that it's the first time in a long time that I've relaxed and been able to be myself.

"Yeah?" He eyes me up and down. "But you drive a Delorean? Those things ain't cheap."

"My mom's boyfriend got it for me. He's rich. Not us. We're... common folk."

"Common folk meaning poor," Roxy chimes in.

I stand up and stumble to pull another beer from the case, not even caring that it's warm. I raise one to Joe in offering. He shakes his head. They both laugh. I don't know why. Maybe I'm slow on the uptake because of the beers, or maybe I'm just missing something. "No, bro," Joe says. "A stint in rehab and AA means I stick to the soda." He lifts his can to show me. I hadn't even realized he wasn't drinking. I let his words settle, and then howl with laughter.

"What?" he asks, smiling as he does. "What's funny?"

I flop back on the couch and wait for my laughter to die down before I speak. "Just that you go to AA, but you think it's okay to jack wheels and steal shit."

"Hey!" he says, pointing a finger at me. "I'm like a Robin Hood of the hood. Steal from the rich—give to the poor. Besides..." He shrugs. "Jacking wheels never hurt family." He and Rox share a look, but I don't delve deeper.

"What about your girl?" Joe asks out of nowhere.

"Lucy?"

He shrugs. "If that's her name."

"What about her?"

"She common folk, too?"

I snort with laughter. "No, dude. Her family's loaded."

"Huh," he says. "Is she cute?"

Instantly, I smile. I don't realize that I do, but I do. And it feels like a first. "Yeah, man. She's cute. Beautiful. Sexy as hell, really."

"Oh, shit. You're like... in love with her?"

"Of course," I tell him, not skipping a beat. "I've loved her since we were fifteen and I'll love her forever." I search for my phone again, before remembering I don't have one, so I pull out my wallet instead. I open it and show him the picture of us I keep in there.

He lets out a low whistle. "Shit, man, you weren't kidding." He pats my back, as if congratulating me. He should be proud. I am proud. I did fucking good with Lucy.

His eyebrows bunch, as if deep in thought. "I screw rich girls sometimes. Just for fun, you know? But I'd never date one. It's one thing for sex, but to be in a relationship..." His face turns to a grimace. "That's gotta be tough. I mean, for me—I'd always feel like the relationship was on a timer... until she found something better. I'd feel like I was always trying, always chasing, even though I already had the girl."

His words hit me like a ton of fucking bricks.

I don't respond, because I don't know how to. Instead, I stand up and grab another beer. And then another. And another.

They continue to talk shit about their lives, their families—never once noticing me drowning in a sea of my own insecurities.

"Yo, Cam," Joe says after I don't know how long.

I lift my heavy head and try to push back the effects of booze when I fake a smile at him. "Yo."

"Where's your girl tonight? Shouldn't you two be celebrating?"

My eyes widen at his question. "Shit." And then I laugh, because I have no other fucking choice. "I gotta go."

-LUCY-

His car pulls up outside the restaurant, music blaring and brakes squealing. I eye Heather and Mark for a quick moment, but they're too busy watching the scene play out.

The passenger's door rises; Roxy steps out first, and then Cameron from beneath her.

I look away—too heartbroken to see anymore.

"What the hell?" Heather mumbles. She says my name, but I pretend to not hear her. I stare down at the table, trying to hide my sadness and disappointment that I'm sure is evident.

"Hey," he says, taking his seat next to me.

"Is that your car someone else is driving?" Mark asks.

"Yeah," Cam laughs, "It's all good. The dude’s in AA—he's straight as an arrow." He puts his hand on my leg under the table. "Hey babe." He kisses my temple quickly, and then moves away. "Mother."

I don't know what her reaction is because I'm too afraid to look up.

"So," Cam says loudly. "What's everyone ordering?"