Page 85 of See You Again

James felt like he had been sucker punched. He hadn’t believed what Justin had told him. Not at first. But now here was the proof—straight from her deceitful lips. She was just like everyone else. His worth lay solely in what his name could give them.

Cami turned a pasty white, her wet eyes turning luminescent. “I didn’t mean it. I was hurt, humiliated…” Her voice shook. “You didn’t hear the whole thing. I admit I said it—the bathroom part, not the other. After what Justin—" She dropped her gaze to the table as she tried to control her breathing and then lifted her eyes to meet his. “Justin really told you I said those things?”

Any lingering doubts James had disappeared when he saw the torment in her face. He closed his eyes briefly against the sharp pain behind his sternum.

How could they both have been so stupid?

“Why would he lie to both of us?”

“My guess is he was jealous. He knew how I felt about you and wanted you for himself.”

“I can’t believe I fell for it.” A dark flush covered her cheeks. Her eyes widened. “Oh my god. When you pulled me off the stage, and I said I’d rather be with Luke… You thought I meant…” Her voice trailed off.

James didn’t need her to finish the sentence. Her words were burned like acid into his brain.

Luke was fresh out of a breakup with his girlfriend, Talia, and had been cutting up, flirting all night with anyone in a skirt, and their father was furious. James often wondered how much of Luke’s behavior was genuine or designed to antagonize their father.

David Bloom was a womanizer, but Luke’s flamboyant behavior never failed to anger him.

“What are you doing?” James hissed at Cami, pulling her to the alcove near the stage.

“I think your brother is fun.” Cami cut him off, finally turning to him with a radiant smile. “At least he knows how to have a good time at one of these things.”

The knot in his stomach tightened. “Cami?—"

Cami practically vibrated with emotion. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to insult you. I know this is, like…” she said, as she waved a hand at the crowd, “your thing. But I wouldn’t wish this life on my worst enemy.”

James stared at her, words failing him.

“You know what, I think I’m going to call one of those new rideshare things and get out of here."

He reached for her, but she stepped back, tottering slightly in her heels. “I thought you and?—”

Her lips pursed into a sad smile. “I’m sorry if there was some sort of misunderstanding... If I gave you mixed signals. Tonight was just something I thought I’d try.” Her stare leveled him. “But now I see it’s not for me.”

Cami’s eyes filled with tears, and her hands covered her mouth like she was trying to hold the sobs in.

James stared at the table in front of him. He couldn’t look at her. This was his fault. If his family, the world he was brought up in, wasn’t so fucked up he would have seen straight through Justin’s manipulations. But he was so worked up that night over his father, and what he thought was her preference for his twin.

Justin had known exactly which buttons to push, which wounds to prod. James’s hands gripped the sides of the table. Was he really that obvious?

“If I hadn’t blocked you,” James said. “If I hadn’t been so sure I knew… so stubborn…” He shook his head. “I’m so fucking sorry, Cami.”

Her hands covered his on the table, and she gave him a tremulous smile. “It wasn’t just your fault. I?—”

James caught movement in his periphery and looked up to see Justin getting to his feet, his eyes on their table. James wasn’t about to let him ambush Cami in front of a restaurant full of people.

“Let’s go.” James quickly rose, extending his hand toward Cami. With the box containing what was left of the chocolate cake in one hand, he pressed the other to the small of her back, guiding her to the front of the restaurant to claim her coat.

He wanted to confront Justin, but Cami was trembling. James needed to get her out of there. He handed the young man at the valet stand his keys and smoothed gentle circles on Cami’s back as the valet disappeared into the darkness of the parking lot.

“Camellia!” Justin’s voice called as he jogged toward them. “Are you all right?” His eyes went suspiciously to James. “Do you need a ride home?” He reached out to grasp her arm, but Cami lurched backward.

“Don’t touch me,” she hissed. “I can’t believe you...”

“Camellia—” He reached as if to grab her again, and James took a step forward, placing Cami behind him.

Justin adopted a wounded expression, but the twitching lines by his eyes betrayed his panic. “What’s wrong?”