Contradictions (Woodfalls Girls 3)

“I’m completely wrong for you,” I answered.

“What if I say I think you’re mistaken?” He leaned toward me, testing my boundaries.

“I may not have your brain, but I know this kind of stuff. You’ll be bored with me within an hour.”

“I don’t think so,” he said, reaching his hand toward me. I waited, holding my breath. His hand hovered by my cheek for a moment, stroking it with a featherlight touch before snaking around to caress my neck.

My breath began to wheeze out from the anticipation of what was coming. “I’d be bored within an hour,” I threw out in a weak attempt to halt his progress.

“I don’t think you will.” He eyed my lips, slowly moving toward me. I could have stopped him. He was giving me that chance. His lips loomed close to mine. I was shocked and appalled at how badly I wanted them to touch mine.

The front door of my apartment flew open, effectively killing the moment. Cameo stomped inside in a fit of rage as Trent and I sprang apart like two preteens who’d gotten caught groping each other in one of their parents’ basements.

I was surprised to see my usually cheerful roommate looking so upset. Considering everything that had happened the past few weeks, I immediately expected the worst.

“Cameo, what happened?” Suddenly, I no longer gave a damn that we were at odds with each other.

She looked frantic as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. Her mascara was running, leaving a trail of midnight black down her cheeks. Whoever had upset her would answer to me.

In all the time I’d known Cameo, I’d only seen her cry once, and that was when her mom called to tell her that her cat, Sam, had died. This was so much worse. It was as if floodgates had been opened in her eyes as the tears poured out at an alarming rate. I reached my hand out to comfort her. She looked at it for a moment before gripping it tightly. I led her over to the couch, tugging her gently down beside me. By that time, Derek had appeared from the bedroom.

“Cameo, what happened?”

A broken sob bubbled out of her throat. “We-e-e broke up,” she finally got out as sobs shook her petite frame.

“You and Chad?” I asked, not quite understanding. Cameo had gone through so many boyfriends since I met her a year ago. She had always handled the breakups with indifference, most times already scouting for a replacement before the previous boyfriend made it to the parking lot. Tears were never part of the equation until now.

“Yes,” she wailed brokenly as more tears fell. Her nose began to run from all her crying. I’d no sooner processed the thought of getting her some tissues when a box was being pushed toward me. Looking up, I smiled gratefully at Derek, who was hovering beside us. I took the tissues and noticed Trent as he mouthed a good-bye at me. He held up his phone, wanting me to text him later. I nodded my head, then turned my attention back to Cameo.

It took nearly an hour to get the complete story out of her since she would dissolve into tears anytime she started to talk. Eventually, she ran out of tears and was able to get through the whole sordid breakup. It turned out Chad had broken up with her because he walked in on her while she was playing a drinking game with a bunch of frat boys. Cameo claimed they weren’t doing anything wrong. Chad had taken it completely out of context when he walked into the basement and saw one of the guys with his arm around her shoulders.

Listening to her version, I could only imagine what it must have looked like to Chad. Cameo was an affectionate person and was always hugging, giving love taps or lingering kisses on everyone’s cheeks. She was very touchy-feely. Seeing your girlfriend with some guy’s arm around her would be an ego slayer for any guy. Still, I would have thought Chad would know Cameo by now. I wondered if maybe Chad was dealing with his own demons like I was. My life wasn’t the only one affected by David’s death.

I kept those thoughts to myself and provided Cameo the sympathy she needed as she told me everything. She soon ran out of steam and slumped back against the couch cushions completely spent. I placed a throw pillow on my lap and tugged her so she was lying down. Running my hand over her head, I soothed her like my mom used to do for me. After a few minutes and a few more suppressed sobs, she fell asleep, much like a child who had cried herself out. I waited until her breathing was even before I slid her head off my lap and placed it on the couch where I had been sitting. Pulling the heavy quilt off the back of the couch, I covered her up.

For the first time in two weeks, I felt like my roommate and I had a common bond. Switching the lights off in the living room, I tiptoed quietly to the bathroom so I could get ready for bed.

Derek was lying on my bed scrolling through Facebook when I silently crept into our room. He had walked away, thinking it was best for Cameo and me to

be alone.

“Is she okay?” he whispered as I lay down next to him.

“She fell asleep, thank goodness.”

“That’s good. She was pretty upset. Sorry to bail, but I wasn’t sure what I could do.”

“It’s all right. Believe me, I have experience with this,” I said, making him feel better.

He nodded. “Cameo would have shut down if I was out there anyway. You know how she hates for people to see her cry. She’s just like you.”

He was right. In that regard, Cameo and I were mirror images of each other. Tears translated to weakness, and showing weakness wasn’t an option.

Derek and I chatted late into the night. Both of us were floored that our roommate, who followed a no-attachments guideline when it came to guys, had fallen hard. I hoped Chad was equally miserable and would realize what he had witnessed was just a misunderstanding.

• • •

Shockingly, the next morning Cameo acted like nothing had happened. She was up before Derek and me and had showered away all the evidence of her meltdown. We woke to the sound of her vacuuming in the hallway outside my room. Derek and I staggered out, surprised to see her not only up out of bed, but also cleaning. Saturday chores were a thorn in all of our sides, and we had gotten into the habit of sleeping in late to avoid them just a little longer.