Say You Want Me

by Van Mol, Stefanie

  “Ready to go home, babe?”

  She looks at me with a bright smile and nods her head. Thank God she’s not too drunk to realize what I’m doing. It would have been a real problem if she gave me one of her usual bitchy comebacks. She turns around to the asshole and looks at him sweetly.

  “I don’t think you’ve met my boyfriend.”

  I give him a death glare, and by the look on his face, I know he realizes it’s time to go. With his tail between his legs, he takes his drink and disappears to join his friends on the other side of the bar.

  Camille turns around to look at me, and she almost falls off her stool. I can catch her before she does. She looks up at me with those sparkling, innocent blue eyes of hers.

  “Why are you so sweet to me?” she says with a smirk.

  Sigh.

  Okay, she’s definitely drunk.

  When she tries to stand, I have to support her to keep her from falling over.

  “Are you okay?” I ask, concerned. “You’re drunk.”

  Both of her hands grab my arms for support, and I enjoy the fact that she’s touching me. The alcohol clearly took away her inhibitions. She looks at me with a sad look in her eyes, and it makes me wonder why she keeps fighting this thing there is between us. She looks down, but I lift her chin up with my finger. I’m not about to give her the chance to put her walls back up.

  “Camille?”

  “I’m not who you think I am, Jonathan. You should stay away from me.”

  And then she passes out. I catch her before she falls and pull her against me. Karen comes running toward us.

  “Camille?” She gives me an icy stare. “What have you done to her?”

  I sigh, agitated. Why does it feel like everyone’s against me? Did I miss the ‘today is pick-on-the-guy-with-the-tattoos day’ memo?

  “I did nothing to her. The opposite, in fact. I saved her from some grabby asshole. Then she just fainted,” I snap at her. “I think she had too much to drink.”

  Karen puts her fingers under Camille’s nose.

  “She’s still breathing,” she says. “Jesus, I never should have left her alone.”

  For once I agree with Blondie. She looks at me with a pained expression. “Can you carry her to my car?”

  “And how are you going to get her out of the car once you get home?”

  She looks over to Mike and then back at me.

  “Nope. Not going to happen.” I violently shake my head. “The only one who puts Camille to bed is me. I’ll take her in my car, and I’ll drive behind you.”

  Thank God for once she has the common sense not to disagree with me. I lift Camille into my arms and press her body against mine. Carefully I rest her head on my shoulder while Karen drapes her coat over her. Camille’s vanilla smell enters my nostrils; I hope her smell will still be on me tomorrow. That way I’ll be able to remember how it felt to have her in my arms. I want to remember every second she spent near me, even if she’s unconscious.

  We walk toward the parking spot, and I slip Camille into the passenger seat of my car. I then follow Karen, who drives a Fiat 500. All the time my gaze volleys between the road and Camille sleeping next to me, but she doesn’t acknowledge me. She’s currently in another world, I’m afraid.

  When we get to their apartment, I park in front of the door. Very carefully I lift Camille out of the car. She opens her eyes the moment I hover above her.

  “Look who’s back from the dead!” I tease her.

  She smiles and looks at me. “And look who’s my knight in shining armor, again!”

  She puts her arms around my neck and snuggles into my embrace. While I follow Karen upstairs, Camille pushes her nose into the crease of my neck.

  “You’re not just sweet, you also smell delicious. Fortunately, I’ve made up my mind not to fall for you.”

  I freeze on the stairs the moment those words leave her lips. Did she just say what I thought she said? Why would she be determined not to fall for me? Earlier this evening she tried to make it clear to me that I should stay away from her. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m determined to find out, tomorrow. Clearly, there’s more going on than what she’s willing to tell me.

  I enter Camille’s bedroom and watch Karen pull back the blankets. I put Camille down as gently as possible. As soon as she hits the mattress, she turns on her side and doesn’t look back. I guess that’s my cue to leave.

  “Will you take care of her?” I ask Karen.

  “Of course; always.”

  I take one final look at Camille, who’s already fast asleep. What is it about her that makes me want to take care of her? I wish I could take all her sorrow away and make sure there’s no reason why she shouldn’t be with me, or at least give me a chance.

  One my way home, my mind fills with tons of scenarios. For the first time I wonder if I will ever see her again. I laugh at my own thoughts. Of course I’ll be seeing her again, because if fate doesn’t make sure of it, I will.

  Camille

  I‘m absolutely not in the mood for tonight’s charity event. My dad drags me there every year. I don’t mind the charity event; the gallery owner’s daughter organizes it, and we became friends over the years. The past couple of years I helped her out with a few things.

  The fact that this charity is being held for the child cancer fund makes me want to go every year. My dad and I experienced up close what it’s like to lose somebody you love to that horrible illness. Mom was only a shadow of herself by the time she died. She fought with all the power that she had in her. She fought against it, like she did everything in life, with her head held high. But there was no fighting it. She died only six months after being diagnosed with breast cancer. It was just too fast. I still feel like I wasn’t able to say everything I wanted to say to her. I still miss her every day.

  But the reason I’m really not looking forward to tonight’s event is because of Jesse. Jesse Van Dormael will also be there. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, it turned out his parents will apparently be there too. My father dropped that bomb during our phone call this morning.

  “Oh, Camille, before I forget, Mr. and Mrs. Van Dormael will also come with us to the charity,” he announced casually. “They’re seated at our table, so you can sit next to Jesse. You remember Jesse, don’t you?”

  How could I forget him?

  Jesse is a spoiled little brat. His parents are some kind of fancy lawyers, and they spoiled their son rotten. For his eighteenth birthday they gave him a Porsche Carrera. What were they thinking? To make matters worse, Jesse will also be going to law school. So next year I’ll be seeing a lot more of him, because we’re going to the same college.

  If it were up to my dad and Jesse’s parents, we’d end up being the perfect couple. They think we’re the perfect couple. But that’s not how I see it at all. I can’t stand to be near him. He may have the looks, but he has a terrible personality. It’s almost as if he feels like everyone should fall at his feet and prostate, or kiss the ground he walks on. Unfortunately I know there’ll be no escaping him tonight. But I should be able to survive one night, right?

  Dad will be picking me up here tonight. Karen has planned a night out with Mike, and I really hope she knows what she’s doing. Mike has been a bit mysterious and wouldn’t tell her where they’re going. He only told her to dress up. He’s going to take her on a date — a real date. Apparently they have never done that before. Karen is ecstatic. Just the fact that she’s able to put on her fancy clothes makes her happy. I just hope Mike doesn’t hurt her. I’m ready to leave and go downstairs to wait for Dad.

  Just when I’m about to walk out the door, Mike appears on our doorstep.

  I almost don’t recognize him. He looks so different in his tux. I can’t stop myself and address him.

  “You’ll take good care of my best friend, won’t you? I don’t want Karen to get hurt. You mean more to her than she’s willing to admit, and I just don’t want you to break her heart
.”

  Mike gives me a strange look; he clearly didn’t expect me to say something like that. “I would never do that to her.”

  “Well, thank you. That means we’re going to be friends after all.” I give him a bright smile and hold the door open for him. I walk out onto the street, and see my dad’s car waiting for me at the corner. I walk toward him and see him sitting behind the wheel. He looks handsome in his suit. I open the door and sit next to him in the passenger seat.

  “Hey, beautiful. Ready for the party?”

  “Absolutely.”

  * * *

  Jesus, Mother Mary, and Joseph! How could I ever have thought I could survive one night with Jesse? One night with him is just too much.

  When we arrived at Art Nouveau — the gallery where the charity takes place — I spotted him immediately. He and his parents were already seated at our table. While enjoying our appetizers, he makes his first wrong move. Our parents are busy telling some kind of funny anecdote from before when they went on a trip together. I Just as I take my glass of water and lift it to my lips, I feel his hand on my thigh. Involuntarily I spit my water out all across the table and give him an angry look.

  He elegantly takes his napkin and dabs the water from the table.

  “Are you okay, Camille?”

  God, I hate him.

  I’m normally not so spiteful, but I hate Jesse with every fiber in my body. Just hearing his name makes me want to gag.

  Worst of all is that his parents think he’s the best kid in the world — the perfect son. But they couldn’t be more wrong. I’ve heard stories of how he treats girls, and I can assure you, his mother would be embarrassed if she heard the gossip. But right here, right now isn’t the place to tell her that her sweet little angel is the devil himself. I put my napkin down on the table and excuse myself to go to the restroom.

  I stay in the bathroom a little longer than necessary. If this is the only place where I’m able to escape Jesse, then so be it. I put on a new layer of lipstick and try to appear unaffected by his games. I grab the white marble of the sink and squeeze hard. I have to talk myself into going back. I can’t hide in here forever.

  “Come on, Camille, you can do this.”

  I take one final look in the mirror and make sure that my hair still looks okay. With my head held high I walk outside. Once I’m out of the bathroom I look down to stuff my lipstick back into my handbag. In the process, I bump into someone who’s standing with his back to the restrooms.

  So typically me.

  “Sorry, I didn’t see you there…” I freeze and gasp.

  With my mouth hanging open, I stare at the man before me who just turned around. Of all the people present here tonight, he’s the last one I expected. What the hell is he doing here? What’s more, why does he look so goddamn fine in his tux? I take my time looking him up and down, from his shiny black shoes to his dress pants up to his white tuxedo shirt, which is tight around his muscular chest.

  The black bowtie around his neck completes his look. It makes me wonder what it’d be like to take it off of him. It makes my lady parts tingle. I see his Adam’s apple move up and down when he talks to me.

  “Hello, Camille.”

  His voice sounds sexy and does things to my body that I’ll never admit to anyone, especially not to him.

  “Jonathan.”

  I give him a polite nod. My mom and dad did raise me to be polite at all times. I smooth my dress with my hands and try to walk past him. I feel his warm hand on my arm, and a shiver runs through my body. Why does his touch have so much effect on me?

  I still feel he’s the most arrogant person I’ve ever met, so why does my heart beat faster every time I’m near him? I hate the fact that I’m no longer in control of my own body when he’s close.

  “Leaving so soon? I didn’t even get the chance to say something nice about your dress.”

  See, that’s what I mean. The moment he opens his mouth something like that comes out. I give him an annoyed look. “What were you going to say? That my ass looks delicious in this dress?”

  Challenging him, I shake my ass at Jonathan, and I see his look wandering down, checking me out approvingly. I can feel the heat of his gaze burning my skin and immediately regret my challenging words. If there’s one thing I should have learned by now, it’s not to challenge Jonathan. Because he never backs away from a challenge.

  “Your ass does look mighty fine in that dress.”

  I slowly shake my head. His words kind of makes me laugh. By now I know this is just the way he is. I keep giving him a hard time, but he never backs away, and I like that about him. He’s very persistent.

  “You look more alive than the last time I saw you.”

  He’s obviously referring to my drunken state from a few days ago. I still can’t believe I let it go that far. I’m not used to drinking, but every time he’s near me I change into someone I don’t recognize.

  “Yeah, about that…”

  Before I get the chance to defend myself, a beautiful girl appears at his side. She has long brown hair, amazing long legs, and is wearing a stunning red dress. When I see the two of them together I realize something. I can’t be a part of his world; I don’t fit. He can have whatever girl he wants. So why would he want me? The brunette puts her hand on him possessively, and I see him tense up under her touch.

  “Why don’t you introduce us, Jonathan?”

  Her voice sounds sharp, and it’s clear what she’s trying to do.

  Don’t worry, girl. He’s all yours.

  “Camille, this is Vanessa. Vanessa, this is Camille.”

  Again I nod my head politely, but she ignores me and turns to Jonathan.

  “I think it’s time to return to our table, baby. The auction is about to start, and I don’t want to miss it.”

  I don’t wait around any longer. I turn around and head back to my table. I don’t understand what he sees in that Barbie doll. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to stake a claim on him, but he can do so much better than her. I feel his eyes burning a hole in my back as he watches me walk away from him.

  Once I’m back at the table, it’s like I never left. Everyone still ignores me, our parents are still talking about the trips they used to take together, and Jesse is still ogling me. I decide I’ve had enough of this; if I want to have a little fun this evening, I shouldn’t be at this table.

  “I’m going to have a look at the silent auction.”

  But before I can get up, Jesse offers to come with me.

  “Oh, that’s really not necessary. I’m just going to look around for a while.”

  “But it would be my pleasure.”

  His gaze wanders to my breasts, and if our parents weren’t sitting here I would remind him that my eyes are a little higher up. I decide to drop it, because if I tell him that, he’ll only get worse — as I know from experience. There’s nothing I can do or say to change him. I look over at my dad and see him and Jesse’s parents looking at us like we’re about to announce we’re getting married or something. The idea of me and Jesse spending some time together has them all googly-eyed. I don’t understand why they think we’d be so great together. Just being near Jesse makes me want to vomit.

  Together we walk over to the separate room where they’re holding the silent auction. I take a look at the first table and see this item to bid on is a city trip to Paris.

  I’ve always wanted to go to Paris, ever since I was a little girl. I can only imagine what it would feel like to be on top of the Eiffel tower. If you believe the movies, it’s the most romantic city of the world, so what girl wouldn’t want to go there? I lean down to have a look at some of the photographs when I suddenly feel Jesse’s hand on my butt. I turn around and swat his hand away.

  “What are you doing? Are you crazy?”

  His eyes are bright and shining. He doesn’t realize that I’m this close to smacking him in the face. This entire evening he’s been right up my face, and honestly I’ve had eno
ugh of him. He’s toying with the last bit of self-control I got left.

  “Come on, Camille, how long are you going to keep fighting this?”

  I frown and looked at him quizzically.

  “You and me, Camille — that’s a fact. The sooner you accept that fact, the easier this will be for the both of us.”

  My blood starts to boil and my ears are ringing. Is he serious right now? This entire evening has been a disaster waiting to happen. I’ve always been nice to him because of our parents, but enough is enough. There’s only so much nonsense a girl can take before she reaches her limit.

  “In your dreams, Jesse. You and me?” I gesture from him to me and back. “That’s never going to happen.”

  As soon as I say those words, the look on his face changes from nice to furious. He takes a step closer to me and instinctively I take a step back, which leaves me stuck between him and the table. Startled, I look around, but there’s no one else in the room. Of course everyone’s still having dinner.

  He leans a bit more into me, and I can feel his erection pressing up against my thigh.

  “Maybe I’ve been too soft with you all this time, Camille.” He lifts me onto the table and forces my legs open. “Maybe it’s time I make it very clear to you how things are going to be between us.”

  Panic quickly rises in my lungs. I put both of my hands on his chest and try to shove him away. What the hell does he think he’s doing? We’re in a public place; anyone can waltz in here and see us like this. Does he really think this is how to win me over? How on earth did he manage to get us alone in this room? There are so many people just outside that door, and I can only hope one of them will walk in here right now to make this all stop. I force myself to talk to him calmly and clearly — maybe that’ll get through to him.

  “Jesse, please let me go.”

  His eyes lock with mine, right before he grabs my hair in his fist and forces me to keep looking up at him. He pulls so hard that my chin lifts up and tears well in my eyes. Fear is taking over my body. I’m stuck in his grip, and there’s no way I’m getting out of it; he’s so much stronger than I am.