Chapter 12
1277 Words
Camille tried to ignore the knot in her stomach as she followed an excited Alice to where Jace worked.
She barely registered that they had reached their destination until she saw Jace himself.
His blue jeans and t-shirt had oil and grease stains all over. His hair had that I-just-rolled-out-of-bed look. His muscles were rippling as he took off his gloves, a sheen of sweat glistened on his body.
She met his intense grey eyes and held it.
"Jace," Alice squealed, causing him to break eye contact with Camille.
"Hey Alice," he said, politely. She reached out to hug him.
He took a step back. "Ah, I don't think you want to do that." He gestured to himself. “I’m pretty dirty.”
Alice smiled seductively. "I don't care," she said as she sauntered closer to him.
Camille wanted to shake her head at her sister’s antics.
Jace took another step back. "Trust me. You don’t want that," he repeated.
"But Jace," Alice whined, "I haven't seen you all week."
But Camille had.
Jace met Camille’s gaze again and smirked at her.
"Camille,” Jace began. "You're going to be there tonight, right?"
Camille blinked.
Asshole.
She hadn’t yet told Alice about her arrangement with the band… An arrangement she knew her sister would not be happy about.
"Of course,” Camille gritted out.
"And where are you going to be, Camille?" Alice asked as she crossed her arms and her expression soured.
"Your sister’s recording us,” Jace said, smirking. “Didn't she tell you?"
Camille glared at Jace, who looked at her amused.
She was going to kill him.
"What…Camille?" Alice said, annoyed as she waited for an explanation.
Camille felt irritation rising in her.
How was she supposed to tell her sister anything when Alice had barely spoken to her.
Even though, if Camille were being honest, she would rather have kept the whole thing to herself.
And she certainly would rather not have to deal with this now, especially not in front of Jace.
“We’ll talk about it later, Alice,” Camille said.
Alice crossed her arms. “Why can’t you just tell me now?”
Camille sighed and shifted her gaze to the horizon when she froze.
A gasp escaped her as she saw him in the distance.
She blinked again, but he was still there.
No.
"Camille?" Alice repeated.
Camille’s heart began to race as he seemed to be coming closer.
It had taken months for her to forget his face, his smile, his laugh. Months for her heart to stop beating rapidly every time she saw a dirty blonde hair guy with his back to her. He had taken her heart, ripped it into a million pieces and spat it back in her face.
And now he was here…smiling at her.
She wanted to rip him apart and run him over. But instead she plastered a fake smile on her lips and attempted to look calm.
"Hello Camille," Greg said, smiling brightly at her as he approached.
She wished she hadn’t left her car back at the restaurant.
"Hello Greg," Camille managed to say, even though internally she had started shaking.
She’d thought that the next time she saw him that she’d be able to handle it, but now, she wasn't so sure. The memories she’d kept locked away began to overwhelm her, nearly bringing tears to her eyes. Images of them cuddling, laughing, dancing, surfaced up, hitting her hard.
But it was all a lie.
None of it had meant anything.
"Well, I was in the neighborhood, saw you, and figured I would say hi. I mean, I haven't seen you in a while," he said casually, his blue eyes sparkling as if they were just old friends catching up.
She wished Derek had taught her how to punch.
Camille noticed how Alice had crept closer and had wrapped herself around Jace while glaring at Greg. Jace's expression was guarded as he appraised her ex-boyfriend.
"Well you've said hi so…-"
"You dyed your hair," Greg said as he reached out to touch it but dropped his hand as Camille stepped back.
Camille swore that if he had touched her, no one could have stopped her from cutting his balls off.
"Yes I did," she answered tersely.
"Cam," he began, then caught himself and cleared his throat. "I mean, Camille, we should catch up," he told her as a slight smile graced his lips.
What did he just say?
Camille thought she was seeing stars at the way anger coursed through her. Camille could feel her hands shaking. She searched his sea blue eyes, and took in his slightly bent nose, his thin lips, his cleft chin, his shaggy dirty blonde hair and her first thought was: how could she have ever been attracted to him? The next was; was he freakin' insane?
He was acting as if that night she’d caught him never happened. As if they had ended their relationship on good terms. Camille hated him for that, for the way he moved on without remorse.
"Camille?" Greg asked, after a moment of silence. Camille glared at him and she felt her nails cut into her palm as she clenched her hands.
"What would make you think that I would ever want to catch up with you?" Camille said angrily. "Do you not remember what happened?"
He gave her an incredulous look. "Camille, I thought you were over that. I mean that was so long ago for God sakes," he said.
Camille blinked in shock.
This couldn’t be real.
Camille closed her eyes and let out a bitter laugh.
"You asshole, how dare you," Alice snapped.
Greg let out a dry chuckle as he took in her sister. "Oh, Alice, how are you?" he said politely. He stared at the way she held on to Jace and chuckled again.
"You’re a psychopath,” she yelled.
“And you always did know how to butt in where you didn’t belong,” Greg told her and Alice’s eyes widened at his response.
“Do not speak to my sister like that,” Camille snapped.
Greg shifted his gaze back to her and chuckled. "I can see this isn’t a good time for us to talk,” he said. “Maybe the next time you’ll finally have moved on and let the past stay in the past.”
Before she could stop herself, Camille slapped him. Hard.
Greg’s calm exterior broke and Camille watched as his face became livid. Camille gulped as she remembered the slight temper he had and stepped back hesitantly.
Greg stalked closer but Jace stepped in front of her.
"Get the hell out of my way. This is between me and her," Greg yelled at Jace.
Jace remained calm… almost cold, but she could see in his eyes, he was pissed.
"Take another step and I will beat the s**t out of you," Jace said and Camille could see the tension forming in his shoulders.
Greg's fist lashed out, but before it could make any contact, Jace caught it and drove his own fist into Greg’s stomach. Camille watched as her ex-boyfriend hit the ground hard, coughing harshly.
She blinked in surprise.
Wow…
"If you ever go near Camille again," Jace began coldly, "I will make you regret your entire pathetic existence," he said as his jaw clenched.
Greg continued trying to catch his breath as he glared at Jace, but even with the blazing anger in his eyes, she could still see the fear.
Greg was now clearly afraid of him.
Camille looked back at Jace and wondered…just how much more could he surprise her?
- Writer
