Bradley thought, ''Still that confident? Did I fight Austin for Cameron before? Did Ie out on top back then?
The answer remained a mystery.
Bradley gave Cameron a silent look.
Noticing his gaze, Cameron mot his eyes for a moment before turning back to Austin.
"Austin, are you nning to stay in Vermont?" she asked.
Austin shook his head. "Cam, I just came back to see you and to y a concert while I''m here. My life is still in Varven, so have to head back there
"You''re always wee toe back," Bradley said.
Austin grinned, "Brad, I wouldn''t miss your wedding with Cam for anything. So, when are you two getting married?"
Cameron kept silent for a while.
Bradley also said nothing
Then he looked at Cameron, his eyes full of dating affection. "As long as Cam wants to, we can get married anytime."
Cameron said, "Not thinking about it for now"
Bradley fell silent.
Austin joked, "Cam, do I still have a chance?"
Bradley cut in for Cameron, "No chance for you"
Cameron didn''t deny it.
Austin got the hint.
He grinned, "Just kidding."
He lifted his ss. "Cam, Brad, wishing you both all the happiness! It''s been a
long journey since our school days. It wasn''t easy getting here."
"Thanks," Bradley said with a smile.
Cameron hesitated for a moment before picking up her ss, but in the end, she still said, "Thank you"
Austin wasn''t there to cause any trouble.
He just wanted toe back and see Cameron,
After all, Cameron had once been the only light in His dark world.
s a pleasant affair, and Bradley picked up the check
Dinner was a
After the meal, Austin said goodbye to Cameron and Bradley
“Brad, Cam, this is my address. When you two tie the knot make sure to send me an invitation," he said.
"Of course," Bradley replied, taking the card from him.
TH
Austin had started his own musicpany, with himself as the only artist. The whole ce was set up just for him.
"Bye, Cam Bye, Bradi" Austin called out, waving his hand.
"See y
you,” Cameron replied.
They said their goodbyes just like old friends.
The prudges from the past had long since faded away with time.
Cameron and Bradley stood together on the neon it street, watching as Austin''s Rolls-Royce merged into the river off tra
Just as Cameron was about to turn away, she felt her hand, hanging loosely at her side, gently taken by Bradley.
On reflex, Cameron tried to pull her hand back, but Bradley only tightened his grip.
Cameron lifted her gaze to meet Bradley''s eyes.
Bradley was looking at her with deep affection. "Cam..."
Even through his gold-rimmed sses, Cameron could clearly read every emotion in his eyes
Bradley squeezed her hand gently and said in a soft voice, "Let me take you home."
"Okay." Cameron nodded.
Bradley kept holding her hand, just to see how she''d react.
it Cameron tried to pull away, he''d let go in a heartbeat.
traffic.
He wondered why he suddenly had the courage to hold her hand. Maybe it was because Austin had just wished them happiness, and Cameron had actually thanked him for it
She didn''t say anything to contradict him.
She epted it, just like that.
''After more than a month together, is Cam finally starting to ept ne? Bradley wondered to himself,
His mind was a whirlwind of emotions as he held Cameron''s hand tight. He just couldn''t stop himself from smiling
Cameron followed him down to the underground parking garage to get the car.
The fingers Bradley was holding tingled, a jolt of electricity shooting through them for no reason at all.
She wasn''t a little gi
girl anymore.
She was twenty-six.
She really shouldn''t be getting flustered like this.
But no matter what, she couldn''t fool herself about how she really felt.
They went to the underground parking lot together.
With one hand holding Cameron''s, Bradley opened the car door for her with the other
As Cameron was about to get in. Bradley still didn''t let go of her hand. "Cam, I just don''t want to let go yet."
Cameron stayed quiet
Bradley pulled out his phone "Wait a moment. The designated driver I called will be here toon
They''d both had a few drinks, to driving was out of the question.
Cameron''s fingers moved slightly in Bradley''s palm. "Brad, let go. I can''t get in the car if you keep holding on
Bradley let go of her hand, though he was closely reluctant.
Cameron opened the passenger door and got in
Bradley just stood there for a moment, lost in thought.
He closed his hand, still able to feel the lingering softness of Cameron''s fingers in
his palm. Shouldn''t she be sitting in the back with mat he thought.
"Knock Knock? Bradley tapped on the car window
The window rolled down, and Cameron''s pretty face appeared,
Bradley leaned down on the window, smiling, "Cam, do you want to sit in the back
with me?"
Cameron replied, "The view''s better up front."
Bradley let out a sigh. "So you''re still not ready to give me a chance?"
Cameron said softly. "It''s just too soon.
They''d only just started over, and it hadn''t even been three months.
Bradley gave a helpless smile and reached out to ruffle Cameron''s hair. "I know.
I''m still on probation. Alright, I''ll wait for you."
With that, Bradley obediently slipped into the backseat.
Cameron lowered her gaze, letting hershes hide the soft smile in her eyes
Soon, the designated driver showed up.
Cameron was dropped off first.
She was home in less than half an hour.
These days, Cameron lived in an upscale vimunity not far from Aurevia
Biotech
Bradley had thought about buying a house there too, but he didn''t want Cameron
to feel pressured, so he let the idea go
vas just a little over ten minutes away by car from Cameron''s
Still, his own ce was,
Bradley got out and opened the passenger door for Cameron
"Thanks for the ride home, Brad," Cameron said.
Under the night sky, the vi behind her looked resplendent in the golden glow.
Bradley nced toward the house and said, "No need to thank me, I''m always happy to take you home
Cameron nodded and turned to leave.
However, the next moment, she felt her wrist pulled, and suddenly she was in Bradley''s arms, her face buried in the crook of his neck.
AEMON, 26JUI
His lemony scent filled her breath.
They were pressed so lightly together, not an inch between them
It was early summer, and with just oneyer on, she could feel the heat of
Bradley''s body through the thin fabric.
Coveron stood there, caught off guard.
Her heart gave a sudden, uncontroble thump.
"Goodnight, Cam," Bradley said softly.
He pulled her into a gentle hog for just a moment before letting go
With that, Bradley slipped back into the car.
The car drove off right away.
Through the rearview minor, Bradley caught a glimpse of Cameron still standing
there, a faint, satisfied smile ying at his lips.
He''d figured it out by now. When it came to romance, Cameron was seriously clueless and way too reserved.
if he didn''t take the initiative, they''d probably just keep tiptoeing around each other forever.
She didn''t pull away when he held her hand, and that was the only reason he dared to pull her into his arms.
Cameron stood there for a moment, the night breeze messing up her shoulder length hair as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her denim skirt
She didn''t feel the slightest bit of resistance to Bradley''s hug. In fact, it actually made her a little happy inside
Maybe now she got what Amelia meant this afternoon by "just couldn''t help herself."
THE
Just as Cameron was about to head home, a red sports car screeched to a stop
right beside her.
A man stepped out. His sharp, handsome face usually looked cold, but the
moment he saw her, a rare smile broke out "Cam, you''re back."
Camcron nodded and said, "Lance."
Lance nced back. "Did Brad give you a ride home?"
They walked toward the house together.
Cameron nodded. "Wah."
They were walking so close.
Cameron caught a whiff of perfumeing from Lance, it was subtle, a woman''s
fragrance
Cameron asked, “Lance, are you seeing someone!"
Lance stopped in his tracks. "Huh?"
Cameron said, "You smell like perfume"
Lance lifted his arms and I took a sniff. “Really? js there?"
Cameron said, "think I''ve smelled this sogewhere before.
The scent struck Cameron as oddly familiar, but she just couldn''t remember
where
1327 Mar 28 JU JOG
Ambroke out on Lance''s handsome face as he reached out to rullie her hair.
"Yeah, I''m seeing someone. But for now, do akay
"Why not? Cameron asked, looking puzzled.
Their parents would probably be thrilled if they found out Lance was finally dating,
At all, Lance was already thirty
By thirty, a man was supposed to have his life together,
Lance replied, "I want to give them a surprise."
Cameron smiled, "They''ll definitely be surprised."
She thought. Well, wonders never cease.
It seems the house built on this ind might not be optimal.
The moment we moved out, Lance finally found himself a girlfriend.
Lance turned to her and asked, "What about you?"
Cameron blinked. "Huh?"
Lance said, "So, what''s going on with you and Brad? He''s been so diligent,
picking you up and dropping you off every single day. Has he managed to win you
over yet?"
Cameron shook her head, "Brad and I have only just started d getting to know each other again. It''s barely been three months."
Before, Lance had asked her about it, and Cameron had told him about Bradley''s memory loss
Lance asked, "You''ve known each other for three months already. Do you think that''s too short!"
"You really don''t think that''s short" Cameron asked, a little incredulous.
Lance said, "My girlfriend and I became official after just three days of getting to
know each other."
Cameron''s eyes went wide. "Three days? Hold on. Your girlfriend? That quick? When did that even happen?"
Lance replied honestly, "It''s been almost a month."
Cameron''s jaw dropped. "You''re already thinking about getting married?"
Lance chuckled, "Most likely
Cameron was so surprised.
Seeing her dumbfounded look, Lance couldn''t resist pinching her cheek. "Come
on, Cam, time to reboot your worldview."
Cameron was rendered speechless.
Aber her shower, Cameron dried her hair and climbed into bed. That was when
she noticed a WhatsApp message from Bradley.
Bradley: Cam, goodnight
He''d sent it ten minutes ago
Bradley: Are you mad at me?]
It was sent three minutes ago.
Cameron replied: was in the tower
Bradley replied in a sh (50, Cam, you''re not mad at me?
Cameron didn''t reply right away.
Bradley sent another message: ICam, I read online that girls who don''t like a pay
really hate it when he gets close or touches them. But you didn''t get mad when I
hugged you. Does that mean you actually like me too?]
Cameron: Who said I wasn''t mad?
Bradley: Come on, Cam, don''t try to
ry to fool me. You didn''t push me away just now.
Cameron: I just didn''t react in time.
Bradley: [So what are you
are you going to do now?)
Cameron: [Do what?I
Bradley: Should I hug you again tomorrow?]
Cameron made no reply.
She just stared at their chat history for a long time, not reply.
Bradley sent another message. [Fallen asleep? Goodnight, Cam, It''s okay, I''ll
wait for you. Whenever you''re ready to turn around, I''ll be right here.]
Cameron hugged her phone to her chest, unable to stop the soft smile that crept
onto her lips.
Bradley was right. She really wasn''t mad at all.
She even actually liked the feeling of being in his arm
His familiar lemon scent always made her feel so calm and safe.
A weekter.
It was evening, inside an elegant Western restaurant.
“You''re such a busy guy, leaving me hanging for a whole week,” Amelia
A rare smile appeared on Lance''s usually cold, handsome face. “I really have
been busy. Did you miss me?"
Amelia cut into her steak and replied, "Don''t tter yourself"
"Hmm?" Under the table, Lance Yates hooked his foot around her leg, teasing
her.
"Ah!"Amelia let out a startled yelp. Realizing she was drawing attention, she
quickly pped a hand over her mouth, ring at him Tates! Are you crazy? This
is a restaurant!"
Lance couldn''t hold back augh as he pulled his foot away, "What are you so nervous about? I was just teasing you."
Amalia shot him another re. "Does Cam even know you can be such a
shameless rogue?"
ing "Lanor
Lance''s eyes glimmered with mischief. "How can it be called being a rogue when
both of us are perfectly willing?"
Before Amelia could retort, Lance leaned in with a smirk. "Hesides, you have idea what a real rogue looks like
Amelia waspletely speechless at his shamelessness.
Her face flushed bright red.
Lance book a leisurely sip of his wine. "What''s got you blushing like that? What were you thinking about!"
Amelia turned her face away. "I definitely wasn''t thinking about you!
Lance set down his wine ss and gave her a long look. "Are you really mad at
me?"
The first time Lance met Amelia was the day he took Cameron to start college at
the Stenford University
Back then, he''d thought she was really pretty
He couldn''t help but take another look, but she slipped from his mind soon after.
About a month ago, he happened to run into Amelia when her car broke down on
the side of the road.
It was just a small problem, and
ad it fixed in no time.
Amelia wouldn''t take no for an answer, and she insisted on treating him to dinner to say thanks.
One thing led to another, and three dayster, they were officially a couple
For Lance, when he liked someone, that was it. Time didn''t matter at all.
Even if they''d only known each other for a single day, that would''ve been enough
for him.
Amelia shot him a look. “Next time you disappear for three days, I''ll just take it as
a breakup
Lance couldn''t help butugh. "In your dreams"
Am stopped sulking and, while eating, asked, "Has Cam figured it out yet?"
Lance replied, "Probably not. She just said the perfume on me smelled kind of
familiar
Amelia grinned, "See? Cam really does love me. She even remembers what my
perfume smells like."
"Why don''t you want to tell her? Lance asked. Amelia was the one who told Lance not to say anything to Cameron yet.
Amelia said, "I need a little time to wrap my head around suddenly bing your
girlfriend."
Lance just smiled and let it go.
Aber dinner, they made their way down to the underground parking garage
together.
Once there, they hopped into Lance''s car.
Like it was second nature, they both headed straight for the backseat without
even needing to
Lance''s car had privacy ss, so they could see out, but no one could seein
Lance pulled Amelis right onto hisp, his hand circling her waist. "Did you miss
me
o say a word.
ME
13-48 Mon 28 delo
Amelia shot him a yful smile. "Nope,"
Lance pinched her palo, delicate chin, a teasint glint in his eyes. "Let''s see just
how stubborn that pretty mouth of yours really t
And with that, he kissed her.
Amelia instantly lifted her arms, looping them around his neck as she kissed him
back with ery enthusiasm
they lost track of time,pletely wrapped up in eachother, until they finally broken apart, breathless.
His voice was rough with desire. "Do you want toe back to my ce?"
Amelia was still perched on hisp, and she could feel exactly how much he
wanted her. She bit her lip. "Your ce? But Cam and your family are there
Isn''t that a bit awkward?"
Lance smiled, "No, I mean my i
y own apartment. No one else will be there
Amelia leaned into his shoulder and murmured a soft "mm-hmmm,"
AL