Girl-Code (14 page)

‘Hang on, how do you know Brad?’

‘I don’t, I have heard about him is all.’

‘You are in love with her,’ Simon accuses
suddenly, ‘well, who would have thought…’

‘I am not! In lust maybe!’ I snap.

‘What so you want to be like your father,
Cam? Shagging everything in a skirt not giving a fuck?’ Simon suddenly mutters
and I rage inside, my eyes sparking.

‘I am nothing like my father!’ I insist, my
insides clenching at the prospect.

The room falls silent for a few minutes.

‘She looked so cute,’ I mutter unaware that
I have spoken the words aloud and Susie sends me a small knowing smile.  Her
tight arse in those tiny shorts to her full breasts poking through the soft
t-shirt, even her hair pulled up into a playful high ponytail, she looked
adorable.

‘I am not like my father,’ I reaffirm and
Simon pats me on the back.

********

Lucy enjoys her evening with Brad he is
solid, reliable and caring. 

‘So, that was the indefinable Cameron,’ he
tests, when we are sitting in the restaurant regarding the menus.

‘Indeed it was,’ I refuse to look up.

‘Seems as if he ruffled your feathers
somewhat.’

‘He does have that effect,’ I smile up
briefly.

‘Anything get sorted?’ he enquires.

‘Nope!’ I hope my tone insinuates my
displeasure at the choice of subject.

‘Ok, I will leave it,’ he warms, ‘so what are
we having?’

I observe Brad as we wander around the
gallery, he is dressed very smartly in dress trousers and a crisp shirt.  He is
a handsome man, without a doubt, but apart from friendship I cannot envisage
anything more between us.  Cameron was right, I need more in a relationship.

I had dressed in a grey mid-thigh fitted
number with my silver heels leaving my hair loose around me.  Brad had
complimented me the entire evening, being attentive to my every need but I just
could not feel any attraction.

When he dropped me at my apartment he
kissed my cheek and told me, ‘go get him Lucy,’ I hugged him tight.

Ignoring him, I merely replied, ‘Thank you
for a lovely evening Brad.’

‘Call me when you are back and we will grab
coffee,’ he instructed and I nod.

The fact remains whilst I am away from
Cameron I can see us for what we are, two people who appear to share a physical
attraction.  Underneath that what do we have?

When he is within close proximity I cannot
think but merely feel.  My body craves his I cannot get close enough to him,
when he is inside me is the nearest I feel to satisfying the ache I have for
him.

I spend the week in China working constantly
any free time we have we eat and sleep.  Matthew is as friendly as he was
previously but is smitten with Kate after only two dates.  She texts him
constantly his face lighting up as he reads her messages.  I am ecstatic for
Kate she deserves a good guy and despite my original reservations regarding him
being on the rebound, I now generally believe he is fully committed to their
relationship even at this early stage.

I receive a text from Susie on Monday to
check that I was ok after Cameron’s visit on Saturday.  She also informed me of
her upcoming wedding to Simon, who had proposed the night before swearing he
could never be single ever again after watching the pain that Cameron is facing
coming to terms with his emotions.

The week flies by and I learn a huge amount
watching Michelle and the rest of the management team but by the time I enter
my flat the following Sunday, I am shattered.  I drop my belongings and stumble
to the shower washing away the airplane before climbing under my duvet and
falling into a deep slumber. I have the following day off to recover from the
trip and don’t wake until eleven o clock Monday morning.

********

‘I am here to see Lucy Daniels,’ I instruct
the doorman at, what I presume, is Lucy’s apartment building.

‘I will just call through sir,’ the doorman
speaks clearly, ‘your name please?’

‘Cameron Lee,’ I fume, my insides bubbling
with irritability.

The doorman regards me for a moment, before
he lifts the phone and calls a number.

‘Miss Daniels, I have a gentlemen here a, Mr.
Lee?’

He pauses for a moment as he listens to her
side of the conversation.

‘Ok Miss, no problem,’ he replaces the
receiver glancing over towards me distrustfully.

‘Seems Miss Daniels is on her way down sir,’
he smiles lightly before gesturing a sofa opposite.

I pace, furious that she refuses to allow
me inside her flat, what does she presume will happen.  I run a hand through my
hair, she knows very well what will happen!  I sigh attempting to steady my
temper, she isn’t going to be receptive of me if I go in all guns blazing.

The lift pings and I wander to meet it
aware of the doorman’s gaze. As the door opens my insides churn as I spot her
dressed in tight jeans and a green sleeveless blouse.  Her hair is down and she
has flat shoes on,

‘Hi,’ I murmur quietly as I thrust my hands
in my pockets, to stop myself from touching her.  My eyes drink her in like a
thirsty man.

‘Hi,’ she appears anxious but I spot
something, in her eyes, that urges me on to suggest she is delighted to find me
here.

‘I thought I could maybe take you to
dinner?’ I stay out of her personal space as she leans against the wall in
front of me.

She regards me for a moment, I imagine
weighing up the pro’s and con’s, before she nods at the doorman a thanks and
pushes the elevator call button. The doors open immediately.

‘Come up for a moment,’ she whispers as she
enters the shaft and I follow.

The short ride to the second floor is
filled with crackling tension.  She refuses to allow her eyes to find mine
preferring to lean against the opposite side from where I stand as she gazes
intently on the lights signifying the floor numbers.

********

I see him standing in front of me, his hair
ruffled where he has obviously shoved his hands through it in frustration.  I
expected anger and was prepared for such, instead I am met with anxiety and
uncertainty, it threw off my earlier plan to move on with my life and forgo any
further contact with Cameron Lee.

Here I am in an elevator, with him only a
couple of feet away, as I deny myself the urge to wrap my arms around him.  He
allows me to exit first and I walk to open the door to my flat holding it open,
aware his view is probably on my backside right now.

‘Come in,’ I invite.

‘Thank you.’

I enter into the living area and move to
the patio doors, turning to face him.

‘How was the trip?’ he enquires, politely.

‘Long, tiring.  I have slept most of the
day away,’ I study his handsome face from his anxious, glorious blue eyes to his
shadowed jaw, this is when I want him the most when he is slightly disheveled from
the day rather than clean shaven and immaculate.

‘You look…..beautiful,’ he announces and I
flush at the compliment.

‘Thank you.’

‘So dinner?’ he charms.

‘Cam,’ I warn, ‘I thought we had been
through this.’

‘Just dinner,’ he insists, ‘please Lucy.
I’ve missed you.’

My insides flip flop at his words and my
eyes fly to his to examine the integrity of his comment, but he appears
sincere.   You are hungry, my head expresses logically.

‘Stop doing the over-analyzing thing. I can
sense the cogs turning you have to eat,’ he presses.

I regard him for a moment longer, ‘Ok, I
need to change,’ I relent.

‘No, don’t change, nothing formal, let’s
just go and find somewhere for a glass of wine and a pizza or bowl of pasta,’
he tempts.

‘Ok, sounds good,’ I smile and his lips
tilt slightly.

We locate a small Italian restaurant, where
I indulge in a plate of buttery pasta and Cameron enjoys a lasagna.  He appears
very relaxed, my eyes continue to find his to check on his demeanor.

‘Why do you keep on doing that?’ his voice
is full of amusement.

‘What?’ I stop fork midway to my mouth.

‘Giving me strange, calculating looks as
though I am going to pounce on you at any moment.’

‘I don’t,’ then I grin, ‘ok, I do I am
sorry.’

‘So, tell me about the trip,’ he invites
and I relax.

As we walk back to my apartment I become
once again anxious, we have enjoyed a lovely evening laughing and joking
finally becoming at ease in each other’s company.  We find we share other
interests other than the great sex, we are both great film buffs, who enjoying
reading and are most comfortable in our own company.

‘I guess that’s because we are both only
children,’ I murmur.

‘I couldn’t live in a houseful of people,’
he shakes his head, ‘how you stuck that out for however short a time, I will
never comprehend.’

‘Well I didn’t really, I came to locking
myself in my room most nights unsure of who was in the house,’ I exclaim, ‘my
mum would have been appalled at the traffic through that doorway.’ I shock and
he chuckles.

‘From what I noticed your flat looks pretty
impressive, great location,’ he nods.

‘Yes, I love it.  Good old Phil,’ I smile
at my stepfather to-be’s generosity, ‘he’s a good man, I am pleased that mum
found him.’

‘It seems it is in the air, you heard about
Simon and Susie,’ he states suddenly.

‘I did!’ I grin, ‘I am so happy for them.’

‘Absolutely, if anyone can make it they can,’
he adds and I nod in agreement.

‘Some people are lucky enough to find that
someone without any drama,’ I mumble.

‘Oh, they had drama!’ he informs me
suddenly, ‘boy did they have drama!’ he shakes his head, a smile on his lips.

‘How so?’ I gasp, intrigued.

‘Well this is between us, I cannot imagine
Susie will be best pleased that I have shared this information, especially with
you!’ he teases grinning and I am all but leaning over to him eager for the
gossip.

‘Stop!’ I smile, ‘tell all!’

‘Well, it was actually me that hit on Susie
first,’ his eyes test for a reaction.

‘No way!’ I squeal.

He nods, ‘it didn’t get very far before
your analytical mind replays that one at a later time,’ he adds and I feel my
stomach clench at the prospect that Susie may have slept with Cameron, ‘you
know ‘
girl-code!!’
and all that!’ he rolls his eyes and my insides warm,
he is so handsome.

‘Go on,’ I place a stern look on my face.

‘Not if you are going to go all….girly on
me,’ he jokes.

‘I am not, go on,’ I urge.

‘Well there I was, leaning against the bar
giving Susie the one liners,’ he winks uncharacteristically at me and I giggle
imagining it, ‘and there she is fluttering her pretty blue eyes up towards me
and I think…yep, I am on to a winner here when…..’ he smacks his fist into his
hand creating a thumping sound.  ‘I get it in the jaw by none other than my
best friend, Simon.’

‘No way! He clumped you one?’ my mouth is
open, shocked. I would have put Cameron way ahead in the fighting ranks.

‘Once I recovered, I turn to him and ask
what the hell that was for? He informs me that he has had his eye on Susie for
weeks and what chance would he stand now I have staked my claim?’

‘How romantic,’ I gush, my hand moving to
my chest, ‘yet, he obviously won her heart.’

‘Oh yes.  She was impressed he had fought
for her honor,’ he dramatizes holding his hand to his heart.

‘Wow, but that was only one occasion,’ I
murmur, thinking about our dramas and how they appeared to have gone on for
quite some time.

‘Oh no, he wouldn’t let me anywhere near
her for months, stating I was going to mess things up.  It nearly crushed our
friendship - him and his jealousy every time we were both in his company.  Mind
you, I enjoyed making him squirm….very entertaining,’ he remembers.

‘But now you and Susie have a great
relationship’ I note.

‘We do, we were never compatible anyway,
not in that way. She is like a rather annoying big sister to me,’ he smiles
fondly, ‘they are my family the pair of them.’

‘Your father? You mentioned he brought you
up alone is he still…?’

‘Oh yes, very much so,’ his lips tighten abruptly,
so I decide not to pursue this line of conversation.

We reach my apartment block and I turn to
face Cameron, my insides fluttering.

‘Well, thank you for dinner.’ I murmur,
nervously.

‘You are welcome, can we do it again
sometime?’ he enquires, sounding anxious himself.

I glance up into his face confusion etching
through me, he moves towards me and I step back.