Page 42 of See You Again
“Why do you need to tell Justin?” Jealousy scorched through his veins, catching him by surprise.
Cami averted her eyes and shifted in her chair. “He knows us. He knows we haven’t spoken since…”
James could see the words forming in her mind.
Do you want to talk about what happened?
He cut her off before she had a chance. “Unless you’re dating him, there’s no reason he needs to know. The more people who know the truth, the more likely we are to be found out. Which would be worse than the original lie.”
Cami frowned, but eventually nodded.
James glanced down at the paper to see Cami’s cursive writing sprawled across the white space at the bottom of the page, in startling contrast to the orderly typed document he’d prepared. It was just like her. Free, unexpected… everything he wasn’t.
The words she’d added came into focus. Physical touching to be limited to handholding and kissing when necessary to maintain the appearance of a relationship.
James cursed silently. This was the limited he’d agreed to? Idiot! He should have asked for clarification.
“Will you tell Luke?”
Would he tell his brother? They were closer than they had been in years, but even though they’d never discussed it, Luke hadn’t missed his and Cami’s estrangement. When Cami had approached him at graduation, James had turned his back and walked away, shrugging off his brother when he asked what had happened. Luke wasn’t stupid. Combine that with his abrupt decision to enlist in the Navy…
“No, it will just muddy the waters.”
“Okay then.” Cami pushed to her feet. “I guess we have a deal.” She extended her hand across the desk. James stared at it for a second before closing his fingers around her tiny ones.
Electricity shot up his arm, and her smile wavered. A voice calling from the outer office saved him. After tipping the food delivery, he placed the bag of food on the round table in his office.
“Thank god! I’m starving.” Cami opened her box and began smearing the packets of ketchup and mayonnaise on her ‘burger.’
“When did you become a vegetarian?”
“About five years ago.”
“Was there a reason or did you just decide you hated life?” He eyed her plant substitute sandwich with a wry eye.
Cami’s eyes crinkled with laughter, and she covered her mouth, full of food. A tingle started somewhere deep inside James. He liked being the one to bring a smile to her face.
“They are actually really good,” Cami insisted, after chewing her bite. She reached out with the sandwich. “Try it.”
“No, thank you.” James made an exaggerated face, and she laughed.
“You’re such a baby when it comes to food. Do you remember that Moroccan restaurant I made you go to?”
“Is that the one where I had to sit on the floor and eat with my hands?” James pretended to shudder, but the tense muscles in his back eased. “I’m not sure I’ve recovered yet.”
“You were a trooper though.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Once you stopped crying.”
“I was not crying. Those spice warnings were misleading.” But his words came out on a laugh.
“What about the Navy? I’m trying to picture you eating slop in a mess hall, like in the movies.”
James gave her an arch look. “The food was surprisingly good. Basic nutrition, but tasty. Nothing that risked my tongue getting a third-degree burn.”
“Pfft.” She waved her hand as she took the last bite of her sandwich. “That sounds boring.”
James had the sudden urge to prove her wrong, to prove he could surprise her.
“Japan had some interesting cuisine.”