Chasing Red (Chasing Red 1)

“I don’t know why women want to dig up the past. It’s like a freaking obsession for them.” Cameron chuckled. “She said she didn’t care about the one-night stands. They didn’t count as far as she was concerned. But the ones that lasted more than a couple weeks—the ones that came close to relationship material—she demanded to know about.” He took a long pull on his beer. “Like it was the cure for cancer or something. Like it would change what I felt for her.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “She was it for me.”

Cameron rarely talked about Kara. I glanced at him, surprised. He was looking out into the darkness. Pensive, lonely.

“You and Kara—” I started.

He shook his head. “I didn’t ask you to come here to talk about Kara, man. I can’t…can’t talk about her more than that.”

I recognized the look in his eyes. It was pain, like he was being tortured. Maybe that was why he’d opened up to me about Kara. He’d recognized the same look in my eyes.

It hurt to talk about the girl you loved most…and lost.

“Fair enough,” I conceded.

“So you going to tell me what happened?”

“Do you remember in high school when Beatrice-Rose used to get panic attacks?”

“Yeah. You always came to her rescue. That girl played you like a violin.”

I stopped and stared at him. “What?”

He shrugged. “Tell you later. Keep going.”

Cameron had never liked Beatrice-Rose.

“Yesterday she came by my place, and I introduced her to Red.” I shook my head, remembering. “Her wineglass broke and Beatrice-Rose nearly had a panic attack, so I drove her back to her place. It was a mess. Her mom was drunk, and then her dad showed up. He is…really sick with dementia, and it was bad, really bad. Screaming, swearing at them. He didn’t even recognize Beatrice-Rose.” Restless, I rubbed my face. “She broke down after that. She asked me to stay. I didn’t want to; I felt uneasy. I just wanted to get back to my girl. But how the hell can I refuse Beatrice-Rose after seeing that? She’s my friend, and she needed me. What kind of a friend leaves a friend in

need?”

Cameron nodded.

“She said she’s taking pills again. I don’t know what pills, but if they were anything like the ones she took in high school, they’re bad news. She asked me to lie down beside her. And I fucked up, Cam. I fucked up because I didn’t think. I lay next to her, thinking only of helping her go to sleep. Thinking she’d fall asleep faster that way, because we used to do that. She’d be out like a light if I did. Then I could get the hell out of there and go back to my girl. The next thing I know, I wake up and she’s on top of me. She was kissing me. And her top was off. Fucking hell.”

I gulped beer, feeling sick to my stomach.

“Damn” was all Cameron said.

“I know.”

He raised his brows. “Did I tell you why I never liked her?”

“I think so, but I probably wasn’t paying attention.”

He gestured with his beer. “That’s your problem, man. You always turn a blind eye to the people you love. She’s manipulative. A great actress. Did you know she’s sleeping with Justin?”

“What?”

“I was going to tell you at school tomorrow, but hell, you’re here now.” He sighed as if telling me was a big burden. “I had a drink with Justin last night, and he was juiced. Running his mouth off about Beatrice-Rose.”

“What’d he say?”

“Everyone thinks she’s your on-and-off girlfriend. I knew better. She was your booty call.” He shrugged. “But when she wasn’t with you, she went to Justin to get what you weren’t giving her. Still does, apparently.”

“We weren’t exclusive. She can go out with whoever she wants.”

I cared for Beatrice-Rose, loved her as a friend, but I never felt for her anything even close to what I felt for…Red. Dammit, I was calling her Red, and that was that.

“Yeah, but there were other things too.”