Page 23 of Only in Our Dream
Six seconds or sixty minutes could have passed as Cameron looked into Melanie’s eyes. They weren’t as sad as Cameron had expected to find them after breaking the news. Instead, Melanie looked happier than she had in years. Lighter even.
“And here I was thinking you were just upset over my news.” Melanie winked at her, nearly driving Cameron insane.
What. Is. Wrong. With. Me?
“I’m so sorry, Mel.” Under the table, Cameron put her hand on Melanie’s thigh. “Really.”
“I am, too. Sort of.” Melanie shrugged as she looked around the table at all of them. “The last few years haven’t been the best for me and Rob. I know you’ve all had to notice.”
Isla, Vera, and Cameron all exchanged glances before looking down at the table.
“It’s okay,” Melanie waved them off. “It’s my fault for not telling you all and just letting you assume. But I didn’t know how to say I was unhappy in my marriage and that I was going to therapy to,” Melanie seemed to search for the right word, “figure myself out.”
Cameron cocked her head toward Melanie, but it was Vera who asked what Cameron was also thinking.
“What do you mean, Mel?”
Taking a deep breath, Melanie intentionally made eye contact with the three of them before pausing on Cameron. Cameron was keenly aware of her hand still on Melanie’s thigh, but she didn’t dare move it. Not now. Not when Melanie was clearly about to say something big.
“I’m bisexual.”
Cameron wasted no time pulling Melanie into a hug. She held on tightly to Melanie, kissing her cheek as she rubbed her back.
“I’m so proud of you.”
“I’d been wanting to tell you so bad,” Melanie’s voice was barely a whisper, so Cameron knew the words were only meant for her.
“Thank you for telling me.”
As Cameron reluctantly pulled out of Melanie’s embrace, she watched as Isla and Vera made their way around the table to hugher as well. It was no wonder Melanie looked so happy tonight. She had two major breakthroughs in her life. Cameron tried not to hide the fact she was mildly sad to not have known about them before Isla and Vera though.
Melanie turned her attention back to Cameron, placing a hand on her thigh as she spoke. “And I’m sorry for kissing you the other night then leaving. That was childish, and I’ve been kicking myself ever since then.”
“It’s okay, really.”
“No, it’s not, but I appreciate you saying that.” Melanie sheepishly lowered her eyes before looking over at Isla and Vera. “I assume you two knew that happened.”
“What? No.” Isla waved her off unconvincingly. “We had no idea.”
“Cam told me, and I told my lying wife,” Vera added with a laugh.
“Oh, and Dylan knows.”
Melanie spun around toward her. “What?”
“She saw us kissing,” Cameron nervously scratched the back of her neck. “But that’s all she knows. I haven’t told her anything else because, well…”
Cameron’s voice trailed off, but something in Melanie’s eyes told her she understood. They silently communicated that they would talk about it later.
After all, there were still hours of drinks, food, and chatting to be had. The foursome talked about everything from Melanie’s divorce to her coming out to their kids then to why they had ordered six desserts between them. And all the while, Cameron tried not to overthink how Melanie had scooted her chair closer to hers as they kept putting their hands on each other’s legs or backs or arms.
Normally, they were both affectionate with each other. Hell, Cameron was that way with all her friends. But it was differentnow with Melanie. It seemed more intentional, and that scared Cameron.
“I’m going to pop off to the restroom really quick.”
Thankfully, she had the restroom to herself. She braced herself on the counter as she took in several deep breaths. Although she’d only had a beer and a half all night, Cameron still felt drunk. Or maybe high. Notthatkind of high. Just a happy high. Melanie was getting a divorce and was bisexual. And she’d had her hand on Cameron’s thigh almost all night.
That has to mean something, right?
