to be honest, I was planning to woo you with my banana nut bread, but that shit ain’t happening now. So all I have left is my delicious eggs.”
I took a bite of the cheesy goodness. “It is really good, but you’re not wooing me.”
“Oh, I’m wooing.” He opened up the fridge and grabbed a bottle of OJ. Pouring two glasses, he sat one in front of me. “It’s just all about the stealth. You don’t realize it yet.”
Dropping that no win conversation, I moved on. “Aren’t you eating?”
“I am. I like boiled eggs.” Cam gestured to the stove as he sat in the chair opposite of mine. He popped his chin on his fist, and I focused on my plate. The bastard looked too adorable and cute. “So, Avery Morgansten, I’m all yours.”
I almost choked on the piece of egg. “I don’t want you.”
“Too bad,” he replied, grinning. “Tell me about yourself.”
Oh hell to the no, the bonding shit wasn’t happening. “Do you do this often? Just walk into random girls’ apartments and make eggs?”
“Well, you’re not random, so technically no.” He got up and checked the eggs boiling. “And I might be known to surprise lucky ladies every now and then.”
“Seriously? I mean, you do this normally?”
Cam glanced over his shoulder at me. “With friends, yes, and we’re friends, aren’t we, Avery?”
My mouth opened. Were we friends? I guessed so, but still. Was this normal? Or was Cam just that confident? He did things like this, because he knew he could, that no one would really make him leave. Most people probably wouldn’t want him to leave. And I could’ve made him get the hell out if I’d really wanted to and that was the truth. Cam was the kind of guy who was probably used to getting what he wanted.
Just like Blaine.
That thought turned the eggs in my stomach and I placed my fork down. “Yeah, we’re friends.”
“Finally!” he shouted, making me jump a little. “You’ve finally admitted that we are friends. It’s only taken a week.”
“We’ve only known each other for a week.”
“Still took a week,” he replied, poking at the eggs in the water.
I pushed the last remaining chunk of eggs around my plate. “What? Does it normally take you just an hour to have someone declaring best friends forever?”
“No.” He pulled out the eggs, dropping them in a bowl. Coming to the table, he sat again. His eyes met mine, and it was hard to maintain that stare. Those eyes really were a beautiful shade of azure, sharp and clear. The kind of eyes you could easily get lost staring into. “It usually takes me about five minutes before we’ve moved onto best friend status.”
A smile snuck out as I shook my head. “Then I guess I’m just the odd one.”
“Maybe.” His lashes lowered as he started peeling his boiled egg.
I took a drink. “I guess it’s different for you.”
“Hmm?”
“I bet you have girls hanging all over you. Dozens would probably kill to be in my spot and here I am, allergic to your bread.”
He looked up. “Why? Because of my near godlike perfection?”
A laugh burst from me. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
Cam chuckled and then shrugged. “I don’t know. Don’t really think about it.”
“You don’t think about it at all?”
“Nope.” He popped a whole, freaking egg into his mouth. Besides that, he had impeccable table manners. Chewing with his mouth closed, wiping his hands on the napkin he’d pulled from the holder, and not talking with his mouth full. “I only think about it when it matters.”
Our gazes collided, and my cheeks flushed. I ran my finger along the rim of my glass. “So you’re a reformed player?”
He paused, egg halfway to his mouth. “What makes you think that?”
“I heard you were quite the player in high school.”
“Really? Who did you hear that from?”
“None of your business.”
A brow arched. “With that mouth of yours, you don’t have a lot of friends, do you?”
I flinched, because that was a spot-on observation. “No,” I heard myself saying. “I wasn’t really popular in high school.”
Cam dropped his egg on the plate and sat back. “Shit. I’m sorry. That was an asshole thing for me to say.”
I waved it off, but it stung
He watched me through thick lashes. “Hard to believe though that you weren’t. You can be funny and nice when you’re not insulting me and you’re a pretty girl. Actually, you’re really hot.”
“Ah… thanks.” I squirmed, holding my glass close.
“I’m serious. You said your parents were strict. They didn’t let you hang out in high school?” When I nodded, he finished off the egg he’d dropped. “I still can’t imagine you not being popular in high school. You rock the trifietca—smart, funny, and hot.”
“I wasn’t. Okay?” I set my glass down and moved on to tugging at a loose string on the hem of my shorts. “I was like the very opposite of popular.”
Cam started peeling another egg. Wondered how many he’d eat. “I am sorry, Avery. That… that sucks. High school is a big deal.”
“Yeah, it is.” I wetted my lips nervously. “You had a lot of friends?”
He nodded.
“Still talk to them?”
“Some of them. Ollie and I went to high school together, but he spent his first two years at WVU and transferred down here and I see a few around campus and back home.”
Wrapping my arms around my legs to keep from fidgeting, I rested my chin on my knees. “Have any brothers or sisters?”
“A sister,” he replied, picking up the last egg—the fourth one. A genuine smile appeared. “She’s younger than me. Just turned eighteen. She graduates this year.”
“You guys close?” I couldn’t imagine having a brother like Cam.
“Yeah, we’re close.” A dark look crossed his face and vanished quickly, but it left me wondering if they really were that close. “She means a lot to me. How about you? A big brother I have to worry about visiting and kicking my ass for being here?”
“No. I’m an only child. Have a cousin who’s older, but I doubt he’d do that.”
“Ah, good.” Devouring that egg, he sat back and patted his stomach. “Where you from?”
I pressed my lips together, trying to decide if I should lie or not.
“Okay.” He dropped his arm off the back of the metal chair. “You obviously know where I’m from if you’ve heard of my extracurricular actives in high school, but I’ll just confirm it. I’m from the Fort Hill area. Never heard of that? Well, most people haven’t. It’s near Morgantown. Why didn’t I go to WVU? Everyone wants to know that.” He shrugged. “Just wanted to get away, but be somewhat close to my family. And yes, I was… very busy in high school.”
“You’re not anymore?” I asked, not really expecting him to answer, because it wasn’t my business, but hey, if I could keep him talking, I didn’t have to say anything.
And I was… interested in learning more, because Cam, he was fascinating in a way.