Page 15 of The Top of Admiration
“For me? Oh, Cam, you’re so good to me.” She threw herself at me and hugged me tightly. This was awkward. We didn’t have that kind of friendship. We were more like beer buddies who laughed and joked around, avoiding anything serious.
I patted her back and pulled away. “Yeah, well, anyway. I’m out. See you later.”
“Tell Miranda congratulations from me!” she said, waving me goodbye.
Yeah, I would not be doing that. I may be a little slow on the uptake but even I knew that would be a very stupid move.
I hadn’t even reached the door, and I could hear the music pumping. I wandered in, almost bumping into Juliet in the hallway.
“Oh, so he shows up now,” she said sternly. Juliet would be one of those nurses they’d call to make someone take nasty medicine, or to reprimand them for squirming while being stitched up or something. She could put on a serious “mom face,” which she was using on me now.
“I’m here now. There was an emergency.”
“My whole career is built on real emergencies, Cam. I know the difference. What you had tonight wasn’t life or death. It was a needy wannabe girlfriend dangling bait, and you bit, likethe fool you are. And here’s the worst part—you let her matter more than Miranda. Congratulations. You’ve outdone yourself—you’re officially the world’s neediest white knight.”
She walked away, leaving me staring at her retreating form. While Juliet was a born “mom,” she was usually more controlled than that. She hid behind polite firmness and subtle scowls, rarely using her words to cut someone down.
Miranda was dancing in the living room with Lucy, while Predator Cam chatted to Damon and Seamus in the corner.
I grabbed Miranda from behind and started moving with her.
She turned. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“I’m here to celebrate your show,” I said meekly.
“Bit fucking late for that,” Lucy spat at me. Lucy didn’t like me. I knew that. She was in her element tonight, now that I was in everyone’s bad books. She could lead the “Fuck Bad Cam” cheer squad tonight and no one would stop her.
“Well, I’m here now.” I pulled Miranda into my arms. “I’m so proud of you, babe.”
“Leave,” she whispered in my ear.
“No, talk to me. We’ll go to your room.”
“Nothing to talk about. I’m done. I was going to talk to you about it tomorrow, but you’re here now and there’s really nothing else I can say.”
We were louder now, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, including Cordy who’d just wandered in from the kitchen with some snacks.
I pulled her by the arm, not wanting to do this in public. She snatched it away from me.
“Buddy, just leave. You’re done for tonight,” Damon warned. Seamus stood beside him, ready to back him up. The other Cam stood in the corner, not smiling but certainly not unhappy.
“Oh, I bet you’re real fucking happy with this, aren’t you?” I asked him.
He smiled and shrugged.
“Leave, Cam!” Miranda shouted. I put my hands up in surrender. I’d come back tomorrow. She was probably a bit drunk. I loved her and she loved me. This was just another of our downs, but soon we’d have more ups. That’s how we worked.
Chapter 13: Miranda — An overdue goodbye
Things without all remedy should be without regard: what’s done is done.
Macbeth, William Shakespeare
Ugh, hangovers are hell. Luckily, Leticia had insisted I take the day off work to make up for all the extra hours I’d put in this week. My head was pounding, my stomach was churning, and my heart was hurting. After waking at 8 am, showering and eating, I returned to bed, sleeping until 11. My phone had been going off, so after checking if it was an emergency, I flicked it to silent and slept off my hangover.
Now, I was awake and out of excuses. I had to respond to Cam, who’d texted me all last night and this morning.
Cam: I’m so sorry, Randa. Can I come over tomorrow?
