Page 48 of Single Glance

I reached out and took her hand. “I’m sorry to hear that, Bri. If you need anything at all, even if you just want to get drunk and scream about the idiocy of men, I am onlya phone call away.”

“Thanks, Hadley.” She softly smiled back at me, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Then again, you might be the worst person to commiserate with right now. You have that new love glow all over you.”

My mouth dropped open, and I stared at my friend like she had just betrayed me in the worst way. “I’m not!”

“Liar, liar.” Bri tucked her smile into her coffee cup. “There’s no point in trying to hide it. We all saw you when Cam got that home run. You almost jumped through the TV into his arms.”

Her words ripped through the thin veneer I tried to tuck my emotions behind. Cam and I weren’t supposed to be anything to each other, but I failed at holding back with him. It was slow, like raising the temperature in a pot. It became even more evident now after he left. I hated being alone in the house, counting down the minutes until the game ended and he’d call to talk about his day. Even though we’d had plenty of steamy moments through texts or FaceTimes, those were almost becoming secondary to our conversations. Even with the pressure of playing professional ball, Cam always devoted equal time to hear about my days. He’d follow along with my stories—even started to recognize my students through our conversations. It felt like a partnership, at least what I thought one should be. I’d been alone for so long, I wasn’t used to having someone in my corner.

It was the most comforting and terrifying experience. As much as I wanted to fully dive into my relationship with Cam, it was almost a little too good to be true. I kept waiting for that moment, the one when he decided we weren’t worth all the effort. I debated lying to Brianna, keeping my cards close to my vest. It was easier to hide what was happening between Cam and me, just in case it all fellapart, like most relationships in my life tended to do. But the idea of denying it—denying us—twisted in my stomach.

I chewed on my lower lip. “It’s new…”

“I knew it.” Brianna beamed at me like she’d been waiting for this confirmation all week. Apparently, I didn’t hide my feelings for Cam as I’d hoped. “But what does this mean? Are you two together, or is this only a temporary thing?”

My mouth fell open, but no sounds came out. In truth, I did not know. I knew I cared about Cam, and we’d grown closer, but that didn’t erase the thick, bold line between us. Right now, we were in a bubble—the past unable to touch us. But soon enough, Victoria would be back, and we’d have to face what we’d done. We only had one more week together, and then, everything might change.

For the first time, I no longer counted down the days until my best friend came back home. Embarrassment colored my cheeks, knowing I was being incredibly selfish. Emilia missed her mom terribly. We’d even put Post Its all over the fridge, and every day, she pulled off one more. When she realized she was down to single digits, she smiled so brightly, it lifted away the storm clouds in my mind.

Some best friend. Here Emilia was, ticking off days like waiting for Christmas morning, and I had mixed emotions about Victoria's return. Maybe she’d come home, and we’d never have to talk about Cam. But that meant I’d need to end things with him for good, and that no longer seemed like an option. Despite wanting to take the coward’s way out, that wasn’t an option.

I needed to talk to Victoria, needed to let her know what had transpired between Cam and me, no matter the consequences. Not just because of her history with Cam, but because she was my person. She shared in allmy highs and lows, my biggest supporter and cheerleader. Not that I didn’t adore Bri and Ollie, but Victoria and I forged our bond over years of shared history, there for each other during the most challenging times. No matter what had already transpired with Cam, it would never be truly real until I told her about it.

Brianna’s brow furrowed. “But things are good, right? He’s treating you well?”

“Yes,” I said. “God, yes. The man is so good to me, so kind. He’s the best dad in the world, which only makes me like him more. But…” I looked up at the clock, noting the time. After I called out for our students to start cleaning up, I ushered Brianna into the corner of the room, where we could supervise but the kids wouldn’t overhear over our conversation. “It’s almost too good.”

“What does that mean?”

“Cam and I spent the better part of a decade hating each other. Or at least, strongly disliking each other. Now, it’s like poof!” I snapped my fingers. “All the tension has changed fromI can’t stand youtoI can’t stand being away from you. It’s all too much, especially knowing Victoria is coming back soon.”

“And you don’t trust it.” I nodded. “I mean this in the best way, Hadley, but I think that’s a good thing.”

“What do you mean?”

Brianna continued, “It means you’re invested. I think you’re scared. That means you have something to lose. In the past, have you ever felt like this?”

I scanned through my memories, searching each of my relationships to see if I reacted to them like I did with Cam. But no one came close, not even Josh, who I once called the love of my life. Looking back, what we shared wasn’t love—more like excitement, a sense of experimenting with newemotions we were too young to handle. Our break-up might have been devastating, but it didn’t take long to realize the betrayal hurt more than the end of the relationship. For the longest time, I’d never risked my heart because I hadn’t given enough of it away.

Everything was different with Cam. If he asked for a piece of my heart, I’d hand him the whole damn thing without hesitation. Cam was the first person I allowed close enough to break me, but holding back wasn’t an option. He’d become as integral to me as the other people I loved: Victoria, Emilia, Adam, and now, Ollie and Brianna. But my need for him ran so much deeper, like a soothing balm to my tattered soul.

Fuck. I was falling in love with him. That explained why I couldn’t ignore the pull between us. When I used to picture falling in love, I thought about the exhilaration of sledding for the first time. One girl from school invited me over, and considering that my mom was sleeping off another bender, I joined her. When I first saw the hill, I was terrified, but once I got onto the sled, the gentle glide made my heart soar. It was the closest I’d come to flying, and when the sled finally slowed, all I wanted was to do it again.

But that wasn’t the case with Cam.

There was no slow, gentle glide when falling for him.

No, this was more like cliff-jumping, where all you could do was hold your breath and hope you landed safely. No turning back, no undoing what had already been done. From the moment Cam’s lips touched mine for the first time, I’d taken the leap, and now, I just had to have faith he’d be there to catch me.

As my heart pounded a steady, heavy beat against my ribs, my phone chimed in my hand.

Cam:

At the stadium. Left your ticket at will call. Can’t wait to see you.

And after the game, you’re all mine, baby.

Brianna laughed at my side as she walked past me to help a student with their mail. “Told you,” she called. “You’re head over heels, Ms. McKay. Might as well accept it.”

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