Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
Tyrell, still tapping away at the game, asked, “Cameron? Xan, are you trying to ask Cam out? I thought you were bummed because some girl turned you down.”
Xander’s face instantly fell. “Tyrell, you think I won’t hop on my bike and come over there to kick your ass?”
“Sorry, Xan! My mistake. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Now. Text Cameron. Right now,” Xander barked.
“Xan, it’s almost midnight. Cam’s probably asleep. If I message him now, he’ll wanna kick my
Xander paused. ass too.”
“Alright,” Xander glanced at the time-sure enough, it was nearly midnight. “You make time to contact Cameron tomorrow if you can’t get Pacto pers you’ll be in troublel”
Tyrell said, “Xan, you know how Cam is. Isn’t this putting me in a tough spot?”
“You can’t even manage something this simple?”
Sensing Xander’s irritation, Tyrell quickly said, “Don’t worry, Xan. I’ll definitely try to set it up with Cam.”
Xander let out a dismissive snort.
Tyrell added, “Xan, move already! Our teammates are flipping out.”
“Got it,” Xander muttered. Still, he picked up his phone and finished the game.
The next day-Saturday. Cameron didn’t sleep in. As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm. Waking up early left her feeling fresh and ready for the day.
She made a sandwich for breakfast and sat in the garden, where vibrant roses bloomed wildly in the morning light, their petals unfolding boldly against the dawn.
Leaning back in her lounge chair, Cameron enjoyed the quiet moment until her phone vibrated.
She expected a message from Bradley or Elijah, but it was Amelia. After that night, Cameron hadn’t brought up the incident with Amelia. She didn’t think Amelia would reach out first.
Amelia: [Cameron, are you up?]
Cameron: [I just woke up.]
Amelia: [Are you free for lunch today? I’d like to take you out for a meal.]
Cameron: [Why the sudden urge to treat me?]
Amelia: [You saved me that night. I haven’t had a chance to properly thank you.]
Cameron understood. She replied: [Ms. Chapman, you really don’t need to worry about that night. Let’s skip the meal, okay?]
Amelia was stunned. She hadn’t expected Cameron to turn her down. He used to grant her every request.
She wondered, ‘Did my past actions hurt him so deeply that he’s grown this cold? But the way he looked at me that night…’
Amelia took a deep breath and sent Cameron another/message: [Cameron, let’s put that night aside. I just want to have lunch with yqu, okay?]
Cameron was stunned. ‘She’s inviting me to lunch? Why? Hasn’t she always avoided me?’ Cameron wondered, confused.
Another message popped up from Amelia: [It’s just a meal, Cameron. Can you please not say no?]
Cameron: [Ms. Chapman, is there something you need?]
Amelia: [Ms. Chapman? Cameron, you can call me Amelia. We don’t have to be so polite.]
Cameron was confused. She wondered, ‘We don’t have to be so polite? What’s Amelia getting at?’
It seemed Amelia really wanted to thank her for that night. Since she had no lunch plans, she might as well go.
Cameron: [Alright. What do you feel like eating today?]
Amelia: [Steak. Does that sound good?]
Cameron: (Sure. You pick the spot, and I’ll meet you there.]
Amelia: (Okay, I’ll send you the address later.] She added a cute emoji.
Cameron smiled. Looks like her talk with Elijah would have to wait until tonight.
But Elijah showed up at Noble Vista right after breakfast.
As Cameron walked from the garden back to the living room, his text came through: [Cameron, I’m here. Are you home?]
She replied: [Yes.]
Elijah: [My place has been empty for ages. I had it cleaned. Can I stop by your place for a bit?]
Cameron replied: [Welcome.]
She put her phone down and quickly tidied up the living room. Living alone, she kept things relatively neat.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.
Palling the door open, she greeted. “Come in, Elijah.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked back inside.
Elijah lingered at the doorway, his deep-set eyes tracing her every movement. Three days had passed. Finally, he saw her again.
These three days had been agonizing for him. Now, after finally admitting his feelings to Cameron, standing here and seeing her once more stirred a whirlwind of emotions inside him.
Elijah remained frozen in the doorway, clutching a large gift box, simply watching her.
Cameron glanced back, noticing his hesitation. She waved him in. “Come in.”
Pressing his lips, Elijah lowered his gaze. He had to bury these feelings deep, never let her suspect a thing. His emotions were his own burden to bear
Stepping inside, he closed the door behind him and placed the box on the table.
Cameron eyed it curiously. “For me?”
Elijah nodded, opening it to reveal black pearl cherries. “They are flown in today. You may like them.”
Cameron chuckled, “Thanks, but you don’t need to be so formal with me. We’re way past that.”
Elijah said nothing, just looked at her. He had always known Cameron was beautiful. But now, her perfect features struck him as nothing short of divine craftsmanship, every angle breathtaking.
“Sit.” Cameron gestured. “What would you like to drink?”
“Soda water,” Elijah replied. That was Cameron’s favorite.
Cameron grinned. “Well, that’s one thing I’ll never run out of.”
She fetched a bottle from the fridge, then scooped some cherries into a bowl to rinse. Returning with the fruit, she set it between them. She popped a cherry into her mouth, smiling, “It’s fresh and sweet. Try one.”
Elijah picked one up and ate it, though his demeanor remained listless.
Cameron observed him. She thought, ‘Just as I thought, he’s heartsick.’
She tossed another cherry into her mouth and casually/remarked, “Elijah, have you checked the class group chat? Two couples from our class just went public. They look happy together.”
Elijah’s head snapped toward her, his eyes widening in shock. He thought, ‘Why is Cameron bringing this up? Does… he like someone?’
His breath hitched, and his lips pressed into a thin line. “Nope. I haven’t seen it.”
Cameron scooted closer, holding out her phone. “Look, it’s them.”
Elijah froze. As she leaned in, an inexplicable fragrance, something uniquely Cameron, drifted toward his nose.
His ears burned, Instinctively, he recoiled/flustered enough to knock a throw pillow onto the floor.
Cameron glanced up and found that Elijah’s expression was odd. She asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”
Elijah’s heart was pounding. Avoiding her gaze, he muttered, “N-No, I’m fine After a beat, he forced his attention onto her phone screen, fergning nonchalance. “I didn’t expect you to care about stuff like this.”
Cameron chuckled, “Why not? At our age, shouldn’t we be out there enjoying romance? Don’t you think?”
Cameron’s smile lingered, bright enough to make Elijah’s pulse stutter. He quickly averted his gaze, flustered.
Seeing that he didn’t answer, Cameron didn’t push. Instead, she scrolled through her phone and mused, “This couple is adorable too. Everyone s rooting for them. High school love stories just hit different.”
Elijah remained silent. It took him a while to steady his breathing. He rehearsed the question in his head over and over again before voicing it. “Cameron, you… Do you… have a girl you like?”
He knew it wasn’t Amelia. Otherwise, Cameron wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to break off the engagement. But if it wasn’t Amelia, then who? In all their time together, he had never heard Cameron mention any girl.
Cameron blinked at the question. She thought, ‘What? Weren’t I supposed to be asking him that? Well, since he brought it up, maybe I could use it as an opening.’
