Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
“Waited years?” Cameron looked back at him, her grip tightening slightly around her wine glass. “You haven’t dated anyone all this time?”
Bradley shook his head honestly. “No.”
When he was nineteen, he’d been hypnotized and lost all memories of Cameron.
Over the years, Bradley had met many women. Some were exceptional, perfectly matched to him in every way. But he felt absolutely nothing,
He never told anyone about the hollow ache in his chest, like something vital had been torn away.
It wasn’t until Cameron appeared and he learned about the hypnosis that Bradley finally understood what he’d lost. Seven years later, his heart skipped without warning when he saw Cameron again.
He couldn’t help himself. When you love someone, even after years apart, those feelings don’t just disappear. So seeing Cameron again still made his pulse race.
That was why he answered all her questions in the hotel restaurant, even though he usually kept his private life locked away.
“Oh.” Cameron nodded casually, leaning back in her chair with lazy indifference.
Bradley smiled as he watched her. “Cameron, can I ask you out?”
Cameron studied him quietly.
Seven years had sharpened Bradley’s features, making him more striking than before. Behind those wire-rimmed glasses, his narrow eyes held intelligence and a fox-like cunning. He’d grown up.
Once, being with Bradley had felt so easy and natural to Cameron. He had always made her feel safe and secure. She hadn’t understood why back then, but now she did.
Cameron didn’t answer right away. After silence, she said, “What if l/said no?”
She thought, ‘Would he lock her up again, just like before?’
Bradley hadn’t expected her to refuse so quickly. He adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses. “Am I really that far off from what you’re looking for in a partner?”
Cameron stayed quiet.
“Tell me what your standards are,” Bradley continued. “I can work on it. I should be able to meet them.”
“This time, when reject you, this is how you react?” Cameron asked.
Bradley caught the keyword. “You’ve rejected me before?”
“Yes.”
Bradley’s curiosity sparked. “How did I react then?”
Cameron just gave a slight, bitter smile and said nothing.
Bradley’s brow furrowed. ‘What else had happened between us?’
Eddie and Eric had told him the same thing he and Cameron used to be close. They were roommates at school, lived together at Hoble vale during breaks, and even raised a white tiger.
Bradley couldn’t figure it out. ‘What went wrong between us? Why does Cameron hate me now?’
When Cameron stayed quiet, Bradley tried again, his voice sincere. “Cameron, I’m really sorry I can’t remember anything from before Coutof you give the another chance?”
Cameron’s eyes swept across the restaurant’s carefully arranged decorations. Someone had put real thought into this the roses were beautiful.
Her gaze finally settled on Bradley’s face. She stood up. “Brad, thanks for dinner tonight. It’s getting late, and I should head home”
“What did you just call me?” Bradley’s eyes widened in surprise. She’d called him Brad. That meant they’d been close before, close enough for nicknames.
‘Just how far did we get?’ he wondered.
A small smile tugged at Cameron’s lips. “Brad-isn’t that what I’ve always called you?”
Bradley laughed, relieved. “Is it? Sorry, I really don’t remember.” He loved hearing her say his name like that.
In that moment, the distance between them seemed to shrink.
Cameron didn’t say anything else. She picked up her purse and left her seat.
It really was getting late. Time to go home.
Bradley quickly caught up, maintaining a polite distance between them. “Cameron, let me drive you home.”
Cameron strolled toward the exit. “My place is pretty far.” Her refusal was gentle but precise.
“How far?” Bradley asked, curious.
“I live on an island,” Cameron said.
“An island?” Bradley’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.
He’d heard about that island not far from Steerfall. The word was that it used to be completely private, closed to outsiders for years. Now it had become some kind of tourist destination.
Cameron nodded and stopped walking. “I have to drive to the dock, then take a ferry home.”
“I’ll take you,” Bradley said.
“That’s too much trouble.”
Bradley insisted, “Cameron, it’s late. A girl driving alone and then taking a boat home? I’d worry about you. Let me drive you.”
Cameron thought for a moment. “Just to the dock?”
Bradley smiled. “Deal.”
Any extra time he could spend with her was worth it.
Cameron and Bradley walked to the parking garage together and got into Bradley’s car.
Bradley was still driving a Mercedes, but it wasn’t the same. He opened the passenger door for her like a gentleman.
“Thanks.” Cameron slid into the seat.
Her eyes wandered around the car’s interior. Everything was simple, and almost no personal items were anywhere. People couldn’t even tell what the owner liked.
The familiar lemon scent still Ilingered in the air.
Cameron casually compared this car to the old one when something suddenly blocked her view. She looked up to find Bradley’s sharp jawline night in front of her.
Half his body was leaning over her. Cameron instinctively pressed her back against the seat, feeling her heart speed up slightly.
Bradley quickly pulled the seatbelt across and buckled it for her.
Cameron had forgotten.
Bradley settled into his seat, but his eyes stayed on Cameron’s face. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he said quietly, “Cameron, you smell so good.”
Cameron remained silent.
He’d said those exact words before. More than once. Seven years later, and he was still saying the same thing. But Cameron wasn’t wearing any perfume.
Bradley adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses. “Sorry, that might have been a bit sudden,!”
Cameron’s hand grabbed the seatbelt. “Just drive. It’s late.”
Bradley started the car.
Cameron leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. The familiar scent of lemon filled her breath-a smell she knew, one that calmed her.
While driving, Bradley glanced at her. “Need me to adjust the seat? The passenger side can recline all the way.”
“No.” Cameron kept her eyes closed.
Bradley asked again, “What about the air conditioning? Are you cold?”
Cameron finally opened her eyes to look at him. Bradley had just turned his head toward her.
Their eyes met in the air between them.
Cameron’s gaze was unreadable, while Bradley’s held concern and questions.
But Bradley quickly looked away. He was driving. His attention needed to stay on the road.
Cameron said, “The temperature’s fine. I want to sleep for a bit. Don’t bother me.”
“Okay.” Bradley turned off the soft background music.
The black sedan glided smoothly down the street. Bradley kept glancing at Cameron, who seemed to have fallen asleep. Every time he looked at her, his lips couldn’t help but curve upward.
