I stare at my phone and contemplate texting Cameron. I've been doing homework nonstop since I got out of class at 11 and am almost finished. It's conveniently dinner time. Mel is out with Ashton, Gen is asleep, and I don't feel like cooking. I consider all the times he's asked me to eat with him and how often I've said no. I decide to just go for it, figuring we are friends after all.

Felicity: You eat dinner yet?

I wait for a response as I put my homework back in my bag. Once I'm all packed, I look at my phone and find a text from the eager boy.

Cameron: Nope.

I stare at his message with a small frown. Is he not going to ask me? I have no problem asking him but I prompted the conversation so that the ball would fall in his court. I made it more than obvious that I was proposing the idea that we eat together. I go to type a petty message only to see the three bubbles appear. I wait for him to send his message before replying.

Cameron: (I'm waiting for you to ask).

Felicity: That sucks. You should probably eat.

He starts typing and then stops. He starts again. Then he stops. Finally, he sends a message.

Cameron: So where do you want to eat?

I grin at the text. How awkward would that have been if he had just left it at that? We all know I'm too childish to initiate anything after being curved like that. I'd have brought myself to the kitchen, made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and called it a night.

Felicity: Bellevue at 6:15.

I drop my phone and search through my closet for something to wear. As I'm rummaging around, I start to feel ridiculous. I'm looking for a different outfit to wear out to the dining hall with my friend. Given, it's the best dining hall on campus; it's only dinner and it's just Cameron. I look down at my current outfit: leggings and an oversized Carrigan State hoodie. I sigh and decide not to try too hard. I redo my pony tail and spritz myself with some perfume. Seeing as I didn't waste time changing, I still have twenty minutes before I even have to leave my apartment. I drop onto my bed and pick up my phone.

Cameron: Not what I meant for dinner but I'll take it, I guess.

Felicity: I'm on my way now. Meet me when you can.

I jog down the steps to my apartment and start in the direction of campus. I note that Cameron read my message and didn't bother replying. With an eye roll, I continue down our street with intentions of taking a picture of his house with my middle finger in front of it. Instead, I come upon him sitting on his porch. He spots me and stands up with, to my dismay, the same sweater as me.

"You have to change," I demand at the same time he says, "twins!"

"I'm not changing." It takes me a second to analyze his words before I turn to walk back to my apartment. "By the time you change and come back, the dining hall's going to be closing up. But feel free to change into something nice because I can just take you out."

I repress a smile as I stare down the street in slight defeat. I halfway want to change just to see what it'd be like to go on a real date with him without our friends shadowing us. But I know better than to let him do such a thing so I spin around on my heels. "Come on." I attempt to lead the way to the dining hall. His long legs quickly catch up with me and he gives me a satisfied grin. We walk in silence until we reach Bellevue, where he holds the door open for me and we both swipe in. After agreeing on an empty table, we diverge to get food.

"I like your sweater." He beams knowingly as he takes the seat across from me. I shoot a glare at him as he brings the conversation topic back up. "Who'd you steal it from?"

"I bought it," I stab my fork into a piece of lettuce, "from the bookstore."

"Are you sure you didn't get it from your friend?" he questions me with a quirked brow.

"Mel?" He shakes his head. "Gen?"

"The one you always hang out with." I assess his wide smile and sigh loudly. He means Rex and Danny. Except, he doesn't know that there are two of them.

"You're really doing this right now?" I offer him a flat look before glancing back down at my meal.

"I have a theory," cue another noisy huff, "just hear me out."

"Here we go." I sit back, cross my arms, and wait to hear what he has to say.

"Are you dating whoever it is that you hang out with?" He searches my face for an answer and I can only blink at him. I wait for him to realize how stupid of a question that was. I contemplate being honest with him. Should I lie about who my 'friend' is? Would that do me any justice?

"No," I reply with my arms still crossed. "I wasn't lying the multitude of times I told you that I don't date."

"A secret relationship?" His proposition is quiet as he draws small circles on the table. I decide to tell the truth. He's my friend now, after all and if he doesn't find out through me, he'll find out through someone else. And by someone else, I mean drunken Gen. She already dropped their names to him; I'm surprised he hasn't put two and two together yet.

"No," I answer with my arms still tightly tucked under each other.

"Are you actually friends with them?" I purse my lips as I think about how I can answer that. What should I say? 'Yes but with benefits?' 'Kind of?'

"Cameron, why are we talking about this?" I punk out last minute as my mind plays the multitude of ways that this conversation can go. What's he going to think of me? I remind myself that I don't care but my nerves still bunch up anxiously. I eye him and attempt to gauge his potential reactions. He could be disgusted. He could call me an assortment of names. He could even get up and leave, which is a bit dramatic, but I wouldn't put it past someone.

"I just want to know what I'm working with here. I have to compete with girls and guys and it's kind of difficult, Flizzy." I furrow my brows at him and he offers me an innocent smile. "For friendship, that is."

We stare at each other for a few seconds and I sigh. I can't hide who I am forever. "I have two guys that I sleep with when I feel like it," I confess as I clench my jaw a bit. "There! Are you happy now? You're in the loop. Congratulations."

He blinks a few times before raising a single brow. "You don't like either of them though, right?" I shake my head. "Alright."

"Alright?" I ask after an entire moment of us just watching each other. What the hell is going through his head right now? "What does that mean?"

"That means, 'alright...I appreciate the honesty. You were pretty upfront in the beginning. I know you have needs and I know you'll stop once you fall in love with me,'" he clarifies with a small smirk on his lips. When he sees the thoughtful look on my face, he clears his throat. "People have sex, Flizzy. I've had my fair share, and I'd be an idiot to think that you don't. I'd also be an idiot if I even thought about being upset with you for living your life. It's not even my place to get upset. You're allowed to do whatever the hell you want with your body. It's none of my business or anyone else's, for that matter. That being said, I've just got to try to win you over. Sex is just sex until feelings are involved, anyway. And as long as you don't fall in love with either of those guys anytime soon, then I think I have a pretty good chance of winning you over...not to sound cocky."

I narrow my eyes at him as I slowly chew my food. What the hell am I supposed to say to that? I contemplate telling him how I've dodged plans with Rex and Danny just so I could potentially run into him at a frat party. I quickly decide against it, knowing that'd set a lot of things into motion that I'm not quite ready for. Instead, I nod in response and redirect the topic of conversation. "Are you dating?" I can't believe I'm actually interested in his answer.

"No...not really," he replies with a weak shrug. "I mean, I've gone on a couple dates but nothing ever stuck."

"That's surprising." He quirks a hopeful brow at my words.

"What is?" Judging by the smug look on his face, I can tell he's expecting an offhand compliment but I will not be delivering that anytime soon.

"The fact that nothing stuck; you're like a piece of tape- you stick," I answer and he rolls his eyes.

"I was hoping you'd say that I am extremely charming and am capable of obtaining any lady my heart desires," shrug, "but I guess you're not wrong."

"So do you stalk all your girls like this?" I motion between us and a broad grin spreads across his face once he senses that I'm flirting.

"Are you jealous?" I tilt my head at his accusatory question with a small smirk.

"You literally just interrogated me about who I hang out with and you want to know if I'm jealous?" The twist of my words makes him laugh.

"I'd be the first to admit I'm jealous. I'm not the one that acts disinterested." Ouch.

"Who says I'm acting?" I bring a fry to my mouth and bite into it.

"I mean, you told me you're slightly interested." He takes a slow sip of his water and watches me with a raised brow, as if wondering if my feelings are still the same. I quickly avert my gaze, which is enough of an answer for him. He chuckles and moves around the food on his plate. "Do you want to know something...interesting?"

"Sure." I don't hide the curious expression on my face. I wonder where this is going.

"I stopped going to parties last year at the end of the fall semester. In the spring, I focused on school and work and just me in general. I came back this year and my friends got together and said we were going to see a movie. They lied and took me to a party. I saw you. I thought you were very pretty. You saw me. You approached me. Long story short, I go to parties now," he explains as he steals a fry from my plate and waves it around.

"You went to parties just to see me?" I conclude with a doubtful look on my face. Did I interpret that right?

"Is that creepy?" He purses his lips. "I feel like it is."

"I mean, you did go out of your way to have your friend invite me to a party." I shrug at him before waving my hand around. "Then again, I showed up, so how creepy could I have found it?"

"You were just trying to dance with me again, right?" I catch on to his double meaning by the suggestive grin lining his full lips.

"I actually went solely for conversational purposes," I justify myself as I raise my drink to my lips. "But assume I want to sleep with you some more, will you?"

"We should hang out," he proposes after chuckling at my sassy response. My eyes widen a little as I wait for him to catch onto the awkward segue.

"What a great transition." I offer up an unexpected laugh. "We go from you insisting that my intentions are to sleep with you to you suggesting we hang out."

He lets out a wild giggle as he tilts his head back. "I didn't mean it like that." His hands wave in front of his face and I nod slowly. "I meant it as two friends hanging out. We should do that, seeing as we're now...friends."

I narrow my eyes before giving in. It's bound to happen at one point or another. "Sure. What do you want to do?"

"It's up to you." He seems surprised and elated at my easy acceptance of the concept. "We can go out-."

"Nope," I blurt and he blinks a few times. I watch the wheels turn in his head as he tries to figure out what he said that was wrong. "If we go out, you're going to make it out to be a date."

A slow smirk spreads across his lips as he thoughtfully nods. "Understandable concern. Okay so...we can hang out at my apartment?" he proposes hesitantly, as if treading on thin ice.

I imitate a buzzer noise. "So your friends can make assumptions?"

"Okay, so what would you be comfortable doing? Your apartment?" He watches me think it over.

I go to reject his suggestion before contemplating it. I've never had a guy over my apartment. Then again, he isn't a 'guy' per se; he's a friend. So technically it wouldn't break my rule, right? Would I be able to trust myself with him near my bed? I want to laugh aloud at that thought; it's not like he'd be willing to do anything with me either way.

I stare at him for a few seconds. "Yeah," I decide and his eyebrows rise a bit. I decide to tease him some more. "I'm not going to sleep with you."

"I wasn't assuming you were." He slowly shakes his head and smiles widely.

"Just making sure we're on the same page," I comment with a faint smile on the edges of my lips. I hold up a single finger to him and bounce it in his direction. "I'm not doing anything sexual with you."

"Okay." He leans in curiously. "Not even a kiss?"

"Especially not a kiss." My nose wrinkles at the thought.

He laughs loudly as he sits back in his chair, dangerously tilting it back so that it's on its hind legs. "So what are we going to be doing?" My face falls flat. "I mean, are we going to watch a movie? Or talk? Do arts and crafts?"

"You're going to cook for me," I announce when the thought occurs to me.

He waits for me to claim that I'm joking. When I grin at him patiently, his mouth drops a bit. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," I confirm with a nod.

"Okay, sure." I let a slow smile fall onto my face at his agreement. 

"You will?" I raise my eyebrows in slight surprise.

"If that's what you want. So when am I cooking for you?" I purse my lips in thought.

"Saturday night." I'll try to get the girls out of the apartment. I push the hopeful thought that maybe he'll put out to the back of my mind. Maybe I should let the girls stick around to avoid any attempts I may make at trying to seduce him.

"Sounds like a plan."

+++

On Friday night, the girls argue about which party they want us to go to. There are only two being thrown, as far as we know, and we're trying to indiscreetly figure out which party the guys are going to be at. Neither of them want to ask and I'm definitely not texting Cameron. I sit on the couch and watch them go back and forth, already dressed and prepared for the night out.

My phone buzzes in my hand and I glance at it, feeling slight surprise when I see that it's my new friend. Huh, speak of the devil and he shall appear. I unlock it and skim his message.

Cam: Are you going out tonight?

Felicity: Yeah.

I stare at the conversation before typing up another message.

Felicity: Are you?

Cam: Yeah, the theme is Glow Night right? All white?

"Guys," I interrupt as I look up at my two friends. "They're going to Jett's frat."

"Really?" Gen gasps in slight distaste. Jett is our connect to that frat; he and Gen were a thing at one point last semester. By thing, I mean they hooked up often enough for him to get us in to any party he threw.

"Yeah, and apparently we have to wear all white," I grumble as I look down at my outfit. I heave myself up and off the couch and venture back to my room, like my two overeager friends. I find a cute enough white dress and pull it on. I examine myself in the mirror, give a small shrug, and change into a pair of white sandals.

My friends and I are silent the entire ride to the party. I'm too lost in my thoughts to make conversation and I assume they're feeling the same. I hate myself for planning to run into Cameron tonight. As we get out of the car, I turn to my friends and clear my throat. I decide not to be so blunt about it and instead, drop a hint.

"I have to go to the bathroom. If you guys see Cameron, tell him to find me." I try to sound casual as we walk up to the vaguely familiar frat house.

"Okay," Gen and Mel agree. We split up and I go off in search of the bathroom. I find it rather quickly and lock myself in there. I grumble quietly to myself as I think about how stupid I feel. I could've very easily lied about which party the guys were going to; in fact, I was the deciding factor in where we went. I could've gone to the other party, found someone to go home with, and had a good night. But no, I had to be stupid and seek out Cameron.

I let out a slightly frustrated groan as I rip off a piece of paper towel and dry my hands with it. I did all of this for a boy who won't even kiss me, never mind sleep with me. My eyes widen a bit at the fact that I even considered kissing him. I hastily shake my head as I stare at myself in the mirror. I excuse the intrusive thought with the fact that I've been going through a short dry spell, which won't be put out anytime soon. Both today and tomorrow night are going to be spent with Cameron and, like I said before, he's far from putting out. In fact, I'm starting to doubt he ever will. I'm also starting to think that it'd be a bad idea to even enter that territory. Too many thoughts to unpack for a brief bathroom break. I exhale noisily, push the thoughts to the back of my mind, and pull open the bathroom door.

I'm slightly surprised when my eyes settle on the boy taking over my brain. He's leaned against the wall with his hands behind his back. I admire the form fitting black jeans on his lower body, which are complimented by a pair of black and white Nikes. They match his hoodie, which is white and of the same brand. For some reason, I feel a little nervous. I discard the paper towel and step out into the hallway.

"Hello." My voice is forced and awkward.

"Hey." He offers me a large smile as he watches me slowly shut the door behind me. He kicks off the wall and I notice how the sleeves of his sweater are tugged up to his elbows. "Have you seen the basement yet?"

"No." It comes out a bit ruder than I intended.

"You okay?" I need to get out of this confined space so I take a few steps and he falls in step beside me. I start in the direction of the basement while rubbing my hands together nervously.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I soften my voice and offer a tiny nod.

"Are you sure?" Another nod from me. As soon as I reach the bottom floor of the house, I'm greeted by flashing neon lights. I'm blinded for a second and he lightly guides me to our friends by placing a hand on my lower back. I'm hyper aware of his touch as I walk across the bustling makeshift dance floor. Our group is too lost in conversation to notice our presence and Cameron takes advantage of this by turning to me.

"Yes?" I break my gaze from the colorful hues to converse with him. I felt him watching me for the last half a minute.

"Why do we keep coming to parties?" Over the sound of music and conversation around me, I barely hear him. I squint at him in confusion, wondering if I heard him right. He seems to catch on and, instead of speaking up, he moves closer. I feel an odd sensation in my chest as he leans down to my ear. He repeats himself and this time, I barely hear him over the pounding of my heart. I make it a point to back up and shrug at him.

"For fun?" He has no problem hearing me because his grin only widens.

"No, I mean, all we do is hang out here," he motions to the semi-packed room around us, "we could do it in a less gross place."

I give another shaky shrug as I look around. This is where I'm comfortable. I'm already nervous enough about tomorrow and that's barely anything to worry about; he's just coming over to cook for me and that's it. "I'm not going on a date with you, Cameron."

We struggle to speak like that for fifteen more minutes before he motions upstairs. I agree, feeling slightly dizzy at the constant yelling over the music. "I need water," I grunt once we reach the much quieter first floor. He trails behind me as I stumble into the kitchen, where I raid the fridge. I find an unopened bottle and take a long sip, which helps a little. I finish the bottle in less than a minute and he watches in slight concern. "I'm still lightheaded."

"When was the last time you ate?" He rests against the counter as I squint up at the ceiling in thought.

"Like, noon." His brows raise and I offer a slightly apologetic frown.

He takes his keys from his pocket and swings them around. Without so much as a word, he leads the way to the front door. With a growling stomach and little complaint, I follow. I get into the passenger seat of his car, adjust my dress, and wait for him to drive in the direction of the main road. This house is barely two minutes away, which I'm grateful for.

"I don't think any restaurants are open this late." He glances at the time as he starts the car. It's almost midnight. "The 24 hour diners around here are kind of sketchy."

"McDonalds works. Or Burger King. Or Taco Bell. Or literally anything."

He laughs in slight admiration. "You're a lot easier to get food for." He drives a little over the speed limit.

I stare at him with slightly furrowed brows. "How many girls are you out here getting food for?" He laughs and shakes his head dismissively.

"None, actually, I was just saying that you're decisive," he says with an entertained chuckle before offering me a pleased smirk. "Do you care about how many girls I'm getting food for?"

"Nope," I reply as he pulls into the McDonald's drive-thru. I lean over slightly and squint at the screen. "Okay, so, I want..."

I start listing items as I stare out the window and he waits with a look of pure amusement on his face. He gives me a slow nod once I fall into silence and quirks a brow. "Is that it?" I give a curt bob of my head. He orders my burgers, nuggets, fries, and drink before ordering food for himself. After retrieving our meal, which he paid for, he parks the car and adjusts his seat, as do I.

I take a large bite of my burger and nod at him. "Thank you." I grin widely and he matches my expression.

"Anytime," he assures me before digging in to his own meal. He allows us to eat in silence for approximately two minutes before jumping straight into conversation. "I meant what I said about us hanging out away from parties."

"Can't we just eat in peace?" I grunt as I wipe my hands on a napkin. He doesn't reply so I sigh noisily. "We're hanging out tomorrow, remember?"

"How could I forget?" he comments with a smirk. "I'm just saying that, from the looks of things, you come to parties to find me, just like I go to parties to find you. It'd be a lot easier to just take out the middleman and hang out elsewhere."

"Like where?" Where is there to go on a Friday night?

"I don't know. Maybe somewhere where we can hear each other," he proposes with a roll of his eyes. "Somewhere that doesn't smell like sweat."

"I'm going to be honest with you," I take a bite of my nugget, "I don't know much about platonic hang outs."

"You don't hang out with Mel and Gen?" I laugh loudly at this stupid question.

"Okay, first of all, they're my best friends. Second, they're both straight so there is nothing but platonic hanging out to be done." I roll my eyes and he waits to respond.

"What's different about me?" His suggestive and smug grin tells me that he's yet again interpreted my words differently than intended.

I narrow my eyes at him and swear quietly for giving myself away. "Well, you're not my best friend. Plus, you're a straight male," I explain like he's an idiot. He grins widely at me before allowing his shoulders to bob up and down.

"Well, I know a lot about it," he assures me with that same smug smirk on his face. "So I can teach you a thing or two."

"You're going to teach me?" I prompt him with slightly raised brows. He gives me a slow nod and my mind immediately falls elsewhere. Before I can tell myself to not be an overly sexual individual for once, his facial expressions seem to mimic mine. I'm surprised but entertained so I don't bother to stop the sexual tension growing in this small car.

"Yeah." His voice is quiet and makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I feel my stomach growing tight with nerves.

"What are you going to teach me?" I continue the conversation in a low voice. I lick my lips as my heart thuds with anticipation. His gaze flits down to my mouth before reaching my eyes. I swallow nervously at the thought of what could happen in this parked car.

A slow grin breaks out onto his face and he shakes his head. "Are you trying to seduce me?" After absorbing the change in mood, I harshly dip my chicken nugget into buffalo sauce. I follow up my violent action by shoving the nugget into my mouth. He lets out an amused laugh and I can't help but feel disappointed.