The Two of Us (Love in Isolation Book 1)

by Kennedy Fox

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  CAMERON

  DAY 41

  It's been a week since Eli's fever broke, and I'm so damn relieved. We've taken extra precautions around the house and have cleaned it top to bottom several times. I've never been this germ cautious, but I find myself washing my hands regularly.

  As I look inside the freezer, I see there’s only one package of chicken left. We're out of eggs, bread, juice, and other stuff. When Eli enters the kitchen, he wraps his arms around my waist and kisses the nape of my neck. My eyes flutter closed, and I lean into him as he mentions making a run to the store. I turn around and watch him as he pulls his wet hair up into a bun.

  “I was thinking the same thing, but just the thought of it makes me anxious as hell.”

  “I know, me too, but we need stuff.” He leans down and slides a kiss across my mouth, and then it intensifies to something more possessive.

  "Mmm," I hum, inhaling the scent of his freshly showered skin. He slips his tongue between my lips, deepening our connection.

  By the time we break apart, I'm breathless, and a cocky smile plays on his lips. As my breasts rise and fall, he glances over at the clock. "I should probably get going if I want to find the good stuff before it’s all gone."

  "Should I come with you?" I ask. I've lived in shorts and T-shirts for the past few weeks, but I’d change into something warmer.

  He shakes his head. "You'd have to sit in the car and wait. Most stores are only allowing one person per household inside at a time," he explains.

  "Well, I don't mind. I've got my phone to keep me occupied and—"

  Leaning forward, he kisses me again, making me forget what I was saying. "You're too sweet, and I'll never get enough of you, but you should stay here and hold down the fort." His mouth crashes against mine, and heat rushes through my body. I try to hide my smile, but he notices.

  "What?"

  "Just realizing how much of a flirt you are, trying to distract me with your delicious mouth." A blush hits my cheeks as my internal body temperature rises. I can't stop thinking about him being inside me again. We’ve been taking it slow while we both try to recover because Eli still has difficulty breathing.

  He pops an eyebrow. "You're the only cock tease in this room."

  I scoff. "Seriously? You're the guilty one."

  "Babe," he says. Moving closer, he traces the shell of my ear with his mouth. "I've been thinking about the way you taste for weeks and would have you for breakfast every morning if you'd allow it."

  "Damn," I say breathlessly. "I'll be your breakfast every day starting tomorrow. Also, I’m pretty sure I just had an orgasm."

  He tucks loose strands of hair behind my ear, and I look up at him as he smirks.

  "That's all it took?" He chuckles.

  "Tease!" I push against his chest, then start running when he charges for me.

  "Take it back," he playfully warns as he chases me around the kitchen.

  Once he catches me, he tickles me until I nearly piss myself laughing.

  I keep protesting and shaking my head until his lips capture mine again. "I don't want you to go," I admit, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Don’t leave me.”

  "Trust me, I don’t want to, but we’re out of shit. I'll try to get enough to last us a few more weeks at least. Make a list of things we need, and I'll do my best to grab it all. Remember, the sooner I leave, the quicker I'll return." He winks.

  "Think you can pick up some toilet paper?" I ask, half-joking, knowing it's nearly impossible right now. Pretty sure it’s selling for several hundred dollars a roll on the black market.

  I would've never imagined a time when toilet paper would be such a hot commodity, but everyone started hoarding it the moment people started panicking. Now it’s like finding the golden ticket in a Willy Wonka chocolate bar.

  “I’ll see if I can find some,” he says. “If not, I’ll teach you how to do the pee and shake.”

  “Gross!” I laugh.

  I grab a sheet of paper from my notebook and begin to make a grocery list. Eli randomly adds stuff to it too.

  "I want to make you a fancy dinner. What are you in the mood for?" he asks.

  "You. On a plate. Naked." As if he needed the reminder.

  Eli takes off his shirt and stands in the kitchen. "Don't tempt me, sweetheart. I'll dick you down right now." He growls, causing me to snort.

  "Uhh," I say. "Did you just say dick me down? Is that what all the players say these days?" Laughing, I lower my gaze down his body and admire every solid inch of him.

  He shrugs, putting his shirt back on. "Apparently. Heard it from one of my roommates who's addicted to Bumble and Tinder."

  I giggle. "Mm-hmm, sure. How about you surprise me? I don't want to give you a meal choice because what if it's impossible to find the ingredients? I've heard some things are tough to come by. You might not find half of what’s on this list." I glance down at it. Who knew in today’s world there’d be struggles to get common everyday items?

  "You're right. I kinda forgot about that. I haven't been out in so long, I'm not sure what to expect. I'm a little nervous being around people."

  I meet his eyes. "We could place a pickup order instead? I’m not sure when we could schedule it, but it’s an option if you don’t want to go out."

  "No, it's okay. We need these things now unless you want to eat shitty microwave dinners for the next three weeks. You brought enough, but seriously, they’re kinda gross, and the chicken tastes weird after a while." He gives me a look, and I snort.

  "Remember the story about my mother? She would have a heart attack if she knew how much processed food I was eating here." I chuckle.

  Eli tilts his head at me. "You're such a rebel."

  I finish adding things to the list, then hand it to him. "I was able to order a few masks before I came here. Do you want to take one?"

  "Yeah, that’d be good," Eli tells me, and I nod. I head up to my room to grab one while he grabs his keys.

  When I return, he chuckles as he reads over the list. "Cadbury eggs. Mini Snickers bars. Reese's cups. You're not joking, are you?" He arches a brow.

  "Hell no," I retort, handing him the mask. "If so, buy out the store. There’s no dieting in quarantine. I’ve decided."

  He lets out a hearty laugh. "You are something else, Cami."

  "A hot mess and a handful? You're welcome." I glance over at the clock and then back at Eli. "Better get going. Maybe it won't be so busy this morning, but they're on restricted hours."

  "You're right," he says. Taking a few steps forward to close the space between us, he kisses me until I’m breathless, but I still want more.

  When we break apart, I squeeze my arms around him tighter. "Please be careful out there."

  "I will. Don't worry, I'm not fighting vampires or zombies," he teases. "I grabbed my tiny bottle of hand sanitizer. Got a mask. And as soon as I get home, I'll put everything up, sanitize the hell out of it, then strip down naked and take a shower."

  "Ooh, stripping. That sounds fun. Dicking me down later on that list too?"

  "Only if you're a good girl," he throws back before tucking the small bottle back in his pocket and then folding the list and putting it in the other.

  I kiss him goodbye one final time. Before he walks away, I grab a handful of his ass. "Hurry back."

  "If you keep that up, I might not leave."

  "Get out of here." I playfully point toward the door. "And watch out for zombies."

  He shakes his head and throws me a wink. I watch as he leaves and frowns, immediately missing him.

  While he's gone, I pull out all the cleaning supplies and rubber gloves so we can safely unload the groceries when he returns. I’d come across a video online demonstrating the proper way to disinfect items, and I’ll watch it again before he returns.

  After I have the counter ready for when Eli is back, my phone rings, and I'm giddy when I see it's Ryan. I haven’t been able to get him off my mind,
and it's been a while since we've chatted. When I answer the phone, I'm a little too excited.

  "Ryan!"

  He chuckles but sounds defeated. "Hey, sis. Doing okay, still?"

  "Yep, pretty much back to my old self," I say happily.

  "Ahh, so back to being a major pain in the ass," he retorts.

  I scoff. "That's no way to talk to your favorite sister. How are you holding up?"

  "I'm making it. I wanted to check in with you. How's Eli?"

  "He's better. Not coughing nearly as much. He left not too long ago to get groceries. We were running out."

  He lets out a breath. "Good. I'm so relieved and happy to hear that. Hopefully, he’s being careful out there."

  "He is. I was really scared there for a few days. It was horrible, but he pulled through," I say.

  "Yeah, me too. I’ve been thinking about you two nonstop. Also, have you been watching the news?"

  "I haven't in a few days. It's been depressing and wasn't good for my anxiety. The stories throw me in a panic, so I've been trying to busy my mind with other things." I'm happy I can quickly turn it all off but sad that Ryan can't.

  "Good. Don’t. We're low on ventilators, and things are a shitshow. The governor has been begging other states to send some. Companies are supposed to be making them, but they can’t keep up with the demand. They set up tents in Central Park, Cameron. There's a military ship coming to help treat those who need medical help since the hospitals are at capacity. It’s like living in the twilight zone," he says, his voice flat.

  "Oh no," I whisper, ignoring his orders and going into the living room. I sit down on the couch and turn on the news, and he's right. I put it on mute, but I see the images of the tents and the boat. My mouth falls open in shock. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. "Ryan, please be—"

  "I'm extra careful,” he interrupts before I can finish. “Thanks to all the donations swarming in, we have more PPE coming in, but it’s still not enough. I spoke to Mom and Dad yesterday, and she said they're donating another few million to the relief funds, but I begged her not to make it a publicity stunt again."

  "Good," I say, knowing how much he hates that. “I read about a lot of celebrities and other companies pitching in, so that’s good news. Hopefully, Mom and Dad are staying home, though.”

  "They say they’re locked in the house. But…" He pauses for a moment. "Staff is still coming in and out, which is ridiculous. I’ve told them for weeks to stop doing that, but they're stubborn.”

  “I don't think they could survive without the help, though. Mom hasn't cooked since before you were born." I laugh, trying to lighten the mood, but he doesn't take the bait.

  "You're right, but still. Let Eli know I called to check on him, okay?"

  "I will. I love you so much," I tell him.

  "I love you too, sis. I'll call you soon. Take care. Wash your damn hands. And stay inside," he repeats his orders like always.

  I chuckle at his strict doctor tone. "Yes, I will. Bye." I hang up, staring at the TV in shock. Chanel prances up and crawls on my lap, purring. I pet and scratch under her chin, then seconds later, Bruno comes barreling in. He doesn’t realize his size and believes he's still a puppy, so he jumps on the couch, then lays his head on my lap. Chanel turns around and hisses at him, batting at his nose. He looks so offended, and I laugh at his adorable reaction. As soon as I do, she jumps down.

  "Aww, Chanel, sweetie. Come back by Mama," I coo. She glances at me as Bruno nearly crawls on top of me, looking at me with sweet, begging eyes.

  "Now you've pissed her off," I tell him, and he licks my face.

  "No, stop," I protest, but he doesn't listen. I eventually stand to get him off me, though it barely works. If my parents saw this big ass dog on their leather couch, I'm sure they'd shit a brick, which makes me snicker.

  As I go to the kitchen and rummage through the fridge, I get a text from Kendall, and I can't stop grinning. I told her when I got sick, and I updated her when I could, but then Eli got sick, and my full attention was on him. However, I haven’t had a chance to fill her in on any recent events. She went to her parents after self-quarantining in her penthouse for two weeks since she was at NYU before the lockdown. Now she’s convinced it was the worst mistake of her life.

  Kendall: So…this is my weekly health check-in.

  I grin and immediately start typing up a reply.

  Cameron: I'm great. How are you?

  Kendall: Living my best life. I haven’t washed my hair in two weeks, and my wardrobe consists of no bra, leggings, and witty T-shirts that drive my mother crazy. Also, wine. Lots of it.

  I snort. Kendall then explains how annoyed she is that her mother keeps inviting people over to their house to socialize. I sympathize with her, and then she abruptly changes the subject.

  Kendall: So, how's the Eli situation?

  Cameron: He's doing good.

  My heart races when I read his name. While I haven't told a soul about us having sex yet, I feel as if I'm obligated to spill it all to my bestie. I wanted to wait to see how it all plays out, but deep down, I know how happy he makes me. I swallow down my nervousness and try to find some courage. I type a few messages, wondering how to break the news that this is so much more than a physical attraction. Before I hit send, I delete it, then type it again. I'm nervous.

  Cameron: I'm falling in love with him, Kendall.

  I can see her typing, then the next thing I get is an emoji with heart eyes followed by nearly twenty exclamation points.

  Kendall: I KNEW IT! I wish I would’ve bet you on it.

  Cameron: Ha! Yep, you would’ve won.

  Kendall: I mean, he is hot as hell, so I don't blame you.

  Cameron: Yes, he is, but he’s soooo much more. Sweet, considerate, and spoils me. Tells me how beautiful I am on the inside and out, and kisses me like tomorrow will never come. As cheesy as it sounds, it feels like we’re living in a fairy tale being isolated out here just the two of us.

  Kendall: Oh. My. God. I'm so fucking jealous. I wish I were stuck with a man right about now. I’d never leave the bedroom.

  I giggle at her message, but this is a big deal for me. I've never felt this way about anyone before. Never. Kendall knows that too.

  Kendall: Wait, did you have sex already? You never filled me in because you were so sick. HOW COULD YOU KEEP THAT FROM ME?

  My cheeks heat instantly. I guess there's no going back on this conversation now. She sends another message before I have the chance to reply.

  Kendall: OMG, you did. And you need to give me every dirty detail right fucking now.

  Cameron: Imagine the best sex of your life and multiply it by a thousand. There you go.

  Kendall: So, he’s better than Prince Harry?

  Cameron: Oh, hell yes. I can’t even explain the things he does with his mouth. And his tongue. I swear, it has superpowers.

  Kendall: Lord, I think I just came on the spot. Does he have a brother?

  She has me drowning in giddiness. Though Kendall's being silly, I know she's had a crush on Ryan since we were teens, but I don't rag on her today. There’s plenty of time for that later.

  Cameron: No, but I do ;) Eli only has a sister. You could bat for the other team if you wanna live out one of your college fantasies?

  Kendall: I love the D too much. NOT Ryan’s though. But truthfully, I'm happy for you. Zane was a bag of shit, and I always knew you could do better. Can’t wait to start the next rumor that he cries after he orgasms.

  Cameron: So, you said something so it would get back to Zane about me and Eli. Haha! I knew it!

  Kendall: What are best friends for? Shit, my mother is calling. I need to answer this before she has a meltdown.

  After we say our goodbyes, I’m floating on cloud nine. I go upstairs and jump in the shower, so I’m clean and ready by the time Eli returns. As I'm towel drying my hair, I see him pull into the driveway. I hurry and get dressed, then rush downstairs. Unlocking the door, I charge
toward him, but he quickly stops me.

  "Cami, wait.” He holds out his hand. “I need to take off all these clothes first, but then…" He lifts an eyebrow, then pops the trunk, and I pull out a few bags.

  "And then?" I laugh with my hands full. "You better not be talking the talk unless you plan to walk the walk...or fuck me into tomorrow," I say over my shoulder and head inside, setting everything down on the left side of the counter, ready to explain what we need to do before we unload it all.

  I wait another second and notice he's not behind me and go outside, talking shit about how I’ll do it all on my own if he’s gonna be a slow poke. But when my feet hit the driveway, I immediately stop. My smile fades, and my heart drops into my stomach.

  Eli turns and looks at me with his arms in the air as two men point guns directly at him. One sees me and is startled. Rapidly, he turns his weapon on me. I hold my hands up as my adrenaline spikes.

  "Go inside," Eli says calmly.

  "Fuck that!" one man shouts. "She's staying where I can see her. Don’t fucking move," he demands, his beady eyes trailing over my body. I'm more frightened than when I was in bed with a deadly virus. I tremble, unnerved by how fidgety they are.

  "What do you need?" I ask. All I want is for them to go, to take whatever, then leave us alone.

  The other guy speaks and looks maniacal like he hasn't slept in days. Dark circles are under his eyes, and his hair is a greasy mess on top of his head. "You bought the last of the items I need for my pregnant wife and three kids. And the only other option is to pay double in the next city over, which I can’t afford."