Just For You (10 page)

"Ice cream."

Cameron stopped and placed both of his open palms flat down on the tops of his thighs. He squinted his left eye. "You're basing this entire demented whatever-it-is going on between us on ice cream?"

She nodded. "Two weeks ago you probably would have had exactly what you wanted. When I left your apartment that day, do you remember?"

"I remember."

"I wasn't going to come back anymore. But then you showed up at the park and offered to buy me some ice cream. You wouldn't have done that if you didn't at least feel bad about the way things ended when I left your apartment."

There was his damn conscience getting him into trouble again. And Todd. If it hadn't been for his little guilt trip Cameron wouldn't be sitting in that dinky little diner right then, at the top of a Saturday afternoon, with Imogen. He could have been rid of her permanently. None of this awkward conversation. None of it at all.

His fingertips dug into his jeans.

At least, he was sure he would have stood his ground if it hadn't been for Todd. There was no way he would have left to go search for Imogen on his own, without Todd badgering in his ear. He was almost sure. Right?

He wasn't really sure at all.

Sometimes he was a better person than he liked to be.

A movement to his left caught both of their eyes. They turned their heads simultaneously to look out the large window at the front of the restaurant, which overlooked Main Street. Sauntering down the sidewalk was Todd.

Cameron jumped up and banged on the window, catching his friend's attention. Todd's face brightened up and he held his arms out. "Hey!" his voice came to them muffled and slightly quieted. Cameron wasted no time, jumping out of the booth and running out the front door.

The bells jingled as he left.

"Cameron, there you are."

"I am going to kill you." Cameron stomped up to Todd and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, turning him and pushing him against the wall next to the restaurant door. Confused but not struggling for air, Todd swallowed and tried to pry Cameron's fingers from around his throat.

"What the hell, Cam?"

Cameron shook his head. "I'm going to kill you."

Todd couldn't help but laugh. "For what?"

Cameron released him, pushing Todd's back against the wall as he did so. "You know exactly what, you asshole. You know I had to spend all morning and part of my afternoon with her? Alone! Where were you this morning?"

Todd threw his head back and laughed. "That's seriously what this is all about? Man, I was on my way to the theater right now."

"Thinking we'd still be there two and a half hours after the movie started? You're an idiot."

Todd shrugged. "You never know."

Cameron mentally calculated his chances of besting Todd in a fight. He didn't think it would be too physically taxing. Cameron was just as tall, if not slightly taller, than him, and he definitely had more muscle than Todd. Todd was too lanky and awkward to do any real damage. He looked like he was drawn up by Tim Burton: tall and scraggly and lanky and just plain gawky. The bastard was fast on his feet, though. That might give him an advantage.

Cameron decided against a fight. He would rather not spend his days in jail under charges of disturbance of the peace and physical assault. He ran a hand through his hair and moved toward the curb of the sidewalk, where he let his legs buckle underneath him.

Imogen, still inside, paid the bill and, going back to the table to leave a tip, saw Cameron sitting on the sidewalk with his back toward her. Todd approached him from behind.

"Sorry, dude," Todd said, sitting down next to him and fixing his jacket. "Let's just say I owe you one. I really did get tied up this morning."

Cameron turned his head and Todd was grinning at him with an eyebrow raised so high it blended into his hairline.

"You were not literally."

Todd's grin widened and he shook his head. Cameron made a noise of disgust in his throat and turned away from Todd.

There was something about Todd that no one could resist, it seemed. He was always getting 'tied up.' Sometimes literally and sometimes not, but whenever he blew Cameron off it was for a little bit of private time with a lady friend.

"This morning? It couldn't wait?"

"She was kinky, man."

"Yeah, and what about your friends? Don't we mean anything to you?"

"Of course you do, but a man has needs, Cameron. I wouldn't hold it against you if you got a little somethin' somethin' now and then." Todd laughed and slapped a hand on Cameron's back with such force that it sent him forward a few inches.

"Don't touch me. God only knows where your hands have been and if you've even showered." Cameron's shoes scuffled against the pavement as he stood up and wiped himself off. At that moment, Imogen came out of the restaurant, all smiles.

"We're paid and good," she sang. "Here, I brought complimentary mints." She handed one to Todd, who held out his hand and immediately began unwrapping it.

Cameron snatched it from his hands. "You don't get one. You didn't enjoy lunch with us." He turned to Imogen. "I'll pay for half of that. What do I owe you?"

She shook her head. "My treat," she said, handing Todd another mint. Todd stuck his tongue out at Cameron, who scowled at him.

Cameron shoved the candy into his pocket and took a cigarette from a pack in his jacket. Its gray smoke was almost invisible in the wet, gray air around them.

Imogen shoved Todd by the shoulder. "Where were you, Casanova?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Sorry. I uh. I slept in late."

"Bullshit." Cameron took another hit. "He was tied up, if you catch my drift."

Imogen nodded. "Ah, I see."

"You're an asshole." Todd shook his head at Cameron in disbelief.

"You're not offending her delicate womanly sensibilities, trust me." Cameron said.

Imogen laughed. "It's okay, Todd. You didn't miss much. The movie didn't exactly turn out to be the blockbuster it promised to be."

"Speaking of which," Cameron piped in, flicking the ash from the tip of his cigarette, where it was blown away in the wind, "you owe me ten bucks. The movie choice was yours and it sucked and you didn't even show."

Imogen pursed her lips and put her hand on Todd's shoulder. "Ignore him. He's been in a bad mood all morning."

"Yeah, what's new?" Todd asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. "It's not a coincidence that his last name is Moody."

Imogen stopped. Her eyes glittered with amusement and she gasped. "What?"

Cameron watched the two with a bored expression and waited for the flood.

"Your last name is Moody?" Imogen laughed, slapping her hands together. "That's just too rich."

"I hate you both," Cameron shook his head, throwing the cigarette onto the ground and grinding it into the concrete with his toe.

"No, really," Imogen managed between giggles. "It suits you, it really does."

"Shut up." Cameron sauntered past them towards the street corner with every intention of going home.

Like faithful sidekicks, Imogen and Todd followed Cameron the Anti-Hero in the general direction of his evil headquarters.

Chapter Six

We'd Be A Walking Disaster

Sylvia Moody was lounging on the couch with a half-finished Sudoku puzzle sitting on her lap. Eyeing the puzzle carefully and gnawing on the end of her pencil, she smiled to herself when she found the solution.

"Aha!" she yelped with triumph, switching a three for a six and a six for a three. Finished, she held it before her and beamed. That one had kept her occupied the entire train ride over and she was relieved and proud to have finally solved the bugger.

But now there wasn't much left to do.

She looked around the apartment and smiled. It was clean, organized, and disinfected so that it was so pristine it sparkled. She taught her son well in matters of cleanliness and hygiene, that much was clear to her. Now if only she could tweak him the slightest bit and get him a little more excited about seeing his family.

Her eyelids were getting heavy as she sat in silence in the ever darkening living room. The sun was set and the whole room sat in a misty haze of hues of blue. The only noises came from the ticking of the antique clock and the muffled voices of the neighbors in the apartment above. Sylvia studied the clock, following its wooden, graceful curves with her eyes. It used to be his grandfather's so she sent it to him after his death a few years ago. A grandfather clock from a grandfather human.

She was near sleep when she heard the grating sound of a key being pushed into the lock of the front door. Sylvia made a small noise and sat herself up from her reclined position on the couch. She ran her fingers through her hair to fix it and blinked away the sleep from her eyes.

A sliver of light from the hallway was visible on the carpet of the apartment as the door opened, and Sylvia heard three voices, all in a conversation. She smiled, folded her hands neatly on her knees, and sat up straight. Good, Cameron had brought some friends. Sylvia thought that she would love to meet them.

There was the flick of a switch and Sylvia squinted her eyes to protect them from the sudden light. Cameron's face was blank and two voices chattered behind him. He stopped in his tracks when his dark eyes caught sight of a figure on the couch. She came into focus before him and he blinked rapidly.

It had to be a dream. Please, please, tell him it was a dream.

"Hey, man." Todd's voice. Todd's hand on his shoulder. "Oh, hi Mrs. Moody."

Nope. It was completely and utterly real.

Sylvia stood from the couch and ran her thin, manicured hands down the front of her thighs, pulling at her skirt. "Oh, look at me, I'm just a wrinkled mess," she laughed.

Cameron closed his eyes and felt the weight of the situation wash over him. His chest seemed to implode in on him. Why, why, why didn't his mom call to tell him she'd be over?

"Mom."

She caught Cameron's gaze.

"Yes, honey? It's so good to see you." She smiled and came at him, her arms open wide. He caught her before she could envelop them around him, grabbing her by the wrists and bringing her arms down.

"Why are you here? I'm supposed to come visit you, remember."

"Of course I remember." She smiled bigger and wriggled from his firm hold. "Can't a mother come visit her son once in a while? Sheesh, I didn't know it had to be such a big deal."

"It's not, Mom. Like most people, however, I would appreciate a word of warning first."

"Why? So you could clean up around the house?" She nudged him with her elbow and winked. Todd giggled behind Cameron. Cameron thought seriously about punching Todd in the nose with the back of his fist.