His words were somber, and I hooked my arm in his, squeezing it in lieu of a real hug.
“Anyway,” he continued, perking up a little, “it’ll be good to go home next weekend and see everybody. Get my fill of Dad’s pancakes. What are you gonna do when I’m gone?”
“Oh, I dunno. Probably mope around, contemplate how I could ever survive without you.”
He looked down at me, grinning again as he booped my nose. “It’s true. You can’t live without me.”
I ignored the flush in my cheeks and laughed. “It’s true, but neither could you. Do you even remember how to make coffee?”
He snorted and rolled his eyes. “It’s not rocket science, Cam.”
“No, but you’d be late every day if you had to make it yourself.”
“That’s probably true,” he conceded. “How’s it going with Greg and Bayleigh?”
I caught a hint of disdain in his voice. “Fine. He walked her home last night and told me all about it.”
“He kiss her?” Tyler asked skeptically.
“Not yet.”
“So, no.” He was smirking again.
I made a face at him, and he laughed.
“You look like a cartoon character.”
“Bullwinkle?”
“Ha, ha. No, you look like a character in a Pixar movie. Giant eyes, tiny nose, big smile. And you make all these little faces. Like when you’re concentrating, you stick the tip of your tongue out, but always on the right side. Never the left.”
I laughed, feeling self-conscious. “Must be my critical brain at work.”
His nose wrinkled. “Wouldn’t that mean it would always stick out the left? That’s the logic side, right?”
“Yeah, but when information crosses the hemisphere, it reverses sides. That’s why super right-brained people are sometimes left-handed. Or that’s the rumor, at least.”
“See? And you’re smart, too. You’re so busy matching everyone up, but how come you haven’t found a match for yourself?”
I took a breath. “Because it’s easier to see everybody else’s connections. Mine’s too muddled by my own perspective.”
He made a noncommittal noise. “Adrienne’s nice,” he said out of nowhere, and my heart jolted.
“She is nice. I like her.”
“She likes you too.” He didn’t elaborate, but I could almost hear him thinking. I took the pause as an opening.
“You guys looked good together. I told you it was a good match.”
“You know best.”
I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, so I made light of it so there would be no question. “I do. I’m glad there’s no question on the matter or I’d bust out my list of conquests.”
He laughed. “So instead of a little black book—”
“I have a little pink notebook. And scrapbooks with engagement announcements and wedding invitations.”
“Not to brag.”
“Who, me? Never.”
He smiled down at me again as we walked up to the building, though when he reached for the door, his lips stretched in a yawn.
I sighed and walked in. “You shouldn’t have waited for me tonight.”
He gave me a look as we headed to the stairs. “Like I was going to let you walk home alone.”
“I only walked because you insisted, Drunky McTankerson. I would have taken a cab.”
He chuffed. “Not safe. You need muscle.” He made a tough guy face and flexed.
“Easy, boy. No need to break out the gun show for little ol’ me.”
The grin was back as he stripped off his sweatshirt. “Psh, now they’re really getting unfurled.” He stopped on the landing and gnashed his teeth, flexing his arms in front of him like a bodybuilder.
I laughed until my face was contorted as he hammed it up, changing positions.
“Yeah, you like that?” He shifted, making a show of it. “How about that?” He moved again, and I have to admit, it wasn’t easy to keep my eyes off his biceps. “And a little of this?”
“I’ve seen this show, beefcake. Remember you walk out of the shower every single day in nothing but a towel?”
We walked up to the door, and his smile was as sideways as his mental state. “Yeah, I’ve seen you looking. You’re a fan of the gun show. Free admission.”
“Oh, my God,” I said, giggling and rolling my eyes to play off the flutter in my chest. “You’re so drunk.”
I swung at his chest playfully, but he grabbed my hand, all of a sudden dead serious, his eyes dark. I didn’t realize how close we were, and I looked up at him, stunned silent.
“I’m not that drunk, Cam.” The words were barely above a whisper, and I couldn’t breathe.
He was about to kiss me.
I laughed awkwardly and way too loud as I took a step back. “Yeah, you are. Super drunk. Open the door, nerd.”
He smiled, but it took a moment for him to erase the look that had been in his eyes. My heart was still racing from the adrenaline of it as I watched him unlock the door.
We didn’t say much once we made it inside, just went through our routine of changing and brushing our teeth, joking when we did speak. I didn’t want to be serious, didn’t want to think about what had just happened. He was just drunk, that was all, probably caught up in the fact that I was ogling his bod. He knew I thought he was attractive, it was just the energy of that, nothing more. I was sure of it.