by Beth Rinyu
“Maybe another time.” I handed him back the keys and jumped in the passenger’s seat.
“Chicken!” He teased as he got into the driver’s seat. He took the top down and we backed out of the garage and were on our way.
I couldn’t believe that it was actually January because the warm breeze blowing through my hair as Cam flew down the highway felt like a spring day back at home. I was so in love with this car. I was so in love with California and I was so in love with the man sitting next to me.
“I love this car!” I shouted over the wind and radio. “If it wasn’t stick, I’d be driving and crashing into curbs everywhere!” He shook his head and smiled, switching gears and accelerating past the cars in the other lane.
We pulled up to the restaurant and he leaned over and kissed me, the same kind of kiss he’d given me on the beach, minus the salty lips.
“What was that for?” I asked.
“No reason.” He smiled.
“Well, you better watch out, a girl could get used to that.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” We both got out of the car and he grabbed my hand as we walked into the restaurant, ignoring the stares of some of the patrons who instantly recognized him. We were seated at an out of the way table for which I was grateful – I wanted Cam to myself this afternoon. And apparently, being a celebrity had its perks, the waiter was at the table in no time to take our drink order.
“So, I really should hang out with you more often. You get great service!” I grinned.
“Does that mean you’re starting to warm up to California a little bit more?”
“Hmm… a teeny bit.” I thanked the waiter as he placed our drink order in front of us, took a sip of my iced-tea and tried to muster up my nerve. “So, last night…was it weird for you?” I finally asked the question that I was dying to know the answer to.
He shook his head and took a sip of his beer. “Nope. It was pretty awesome.”
“Yeah it was, wasn’t it?” I smiled, wanting to ask him so badly where this left us. Were we a couple now or was this just a fling while I was here? Do we go back to being friends when I go back home or do we pursue a long-distance romance? So many questions that needed to be asked, but none of the words were able to come out for fear of what the answer would be. I hated being in the gray-zone with him now. I knew that Cam’s feelings on casual sex were the same as mine, but what we’d shared last night went beyond casual….at least for me it did, anyway. So, for now, I would just go with the flow and see where it all went.
After lunch, we headed into Hollywood. Cam was such a good sport as we walked up and down Hollywood Boulevard to find Fred Astaire’s and Ginger Rogers’ stars so I could take my picture with them. I couldn’t resist having him snap a shot of me leaning down by Hugh Jackman’s star, my mom’s favorite heartthrob. I sent it to her right away and couldn’t wait to see her reaction. A smile spread across my face at her reply:
I’m jealous. I’d be even more jealous if it were really him that you were standing next to. Hell, I’d have you hold him down until I got out there! Miss and love you! Hope you’re having fun! Big XO’s to you and Cam.
I missed her too….a lot. Even though she and Carrie were forty-five minutes away when I was back at home, it was still nice to know that we were on the same side of the country. I felt so far away from everyone with being here, but when I looked down at Cam’s hand tightly gripping mine, the distance suddenly didn’t seem too great.
Our last stop was an empty parking lot in the middle of nowhere. “What are we doing here?” I asked.
“I’m teaching you how to drive a stick.” He smirked and got out of the car. I, on the other hand, remained in the passenger’s seat. There was no way in hell that I was going to mess up his car, especially a car like this that probably costs a ton of money to repair. “Get out.” He rested his head on the open doorframe and stared down at me.
“Cam…I can’t do this. I’m telling you, I’m gonna end up blowing up the engine or whatever happens when you don’t know how to drive a stick.”
He shook his head and laughed. I reluctantly got out and walked around to the driver’s side, making sure I put my seatbelt on, knowing that even in an empty parking lot I could do some damage. My hands and legs were shaking. He got in and I immediately made him put on his seat belt. I couldn’t believe how calm he was over this. I was about to drive and probably destroy this classic car that he’d so lovingly restored and he didn’t seem to care at all. He showed me where the brake and clutch were and I immediately began to feel myself getting flustered.
“Umm….I have a hard enough time dealing with just the brake and gas pedals. This is way too much thinking for me to have to do while I’m driving.”
“Just relax. You’ll be fine. First, move the seat up.”
“Oh yeah….guess that would help.” I laughed when I looked down at my feet about three feet away from the pedals. “Okay, now what?” I asked after moving the seat up.
“Take the parking brake off.” I looked around the car, dazed and confused. “Right here.” He pointed to the lever in between the seats and I placed my hand on it until I assumed it was off.
“Okay. Help!” I said, feeling my nerves rattle, knowing that the brake was now off.
“Now push the clutch all the way down. That one right there.” He pointed down to the ground and showed me which pedal was the clutch. “Now, start the car. Keep your foot on the clutch and move it into first.”
“Which is first?” I shouted. He calmly placed his hand over mine and helped me guide it into first gear.
After a few times of stalling and a few incidents of near whiplash, I was finally getting the hang of it until he told me to stop and I hit the gas instead of the brake. I couldn’t stop laughing and the look on his fast made me laugh even harder. I held my hands up in defense. “Hey, I told you I suck at driving.” I had my hand on the door handle, readying to exit and switch seats with him. “Where are you going? You’re driving back.”
“Oh, hell no!”
“You can do it, Gia.”
I stared straight ahead with my hands gripped tightly to the steering wheel. I felt a grin stretching across my face. “So….is that why you slept with me last night?”
He furrowed his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”
“You wanted to give a poor girl her dying wish.”
He threw his head back on the seat and let out a loud laugh. “Well, if we go down. We go down together.”
I leaned over and placed my lips on his, slipping my tongue into his mouth and kissing him like it was my last kiss ever. “Just in case….I wanted to get one last kiss in.” He shook his head still unable to wipe the smile from his face. “Ready?”
“Go for it.”
I took a deep breath, said a little prayer to myself and we were on our way. By the time we reached Cam’s house, I was driving like an expert. Besides the giant hill that I almost killed us on, I was pretty darn proud of myself. When I pulled into the driveway, Lenny was standing by his car along with another guy and a little boy.
“Are my eyes deceiving me? You actually let someone else drive your baby?” Lenny said as we stepped out of the car.
“He forced me to Lenny! It was my very first time driving a stick but I think I’m ready for the Indy 500.” I joked.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Cam mumbled under his breath.
“Mr. Hamilton and Miss Maynard, meet my son, Albert, and my grandson, Tristan.” Cam lifted his sunglasses onto his head and shook Lenny’s son’s hand, then his grandson’s.
“It’s an honor to meet you,” Albert said. “Tristan is your biggest fan.”
“Is that right?” Cam smiled. I couldn’t contain my own smile over the way the little boy was staring up at Cam as if he were some type of god.
He shook his head and took off his baseball hat. “Would you be able to sign this for me?”
“No problem,” Cam replied, taking the marker that Lenny
had ready for him in his hand. His little toothless grin did wonders for my heart. I couldn’t believe something as simple as an autograph made him so happy.
“Wow! Thanks!” he said, looking over the hat as Cam handed it back to him. “Dad, can I call Mommy and tell her?!” he exclaimed.
“Yeah, sure, the phone’s in my car,” his father replied and Tristan went skipping off to make his phone call. “Thank you so much. That really means a lot.”
“No problem. I know that Lenny said you guys are a few hours away, but if you’re ever in town and want to come to a game, just let me know,” Cam said.
“Thanks, I really appreciate that, but Tristian’s going to be spending the next few months in and out of the hospital. He was diagnosed with leukemia just a few days ago.”
“Aww….man. I’m so sorry.” Cam said, looking over at the little boy who was sitting in his dad’s car while he smiled and chattered away on the phone like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Thanks. The doctors are pretty optimistic that he’s going to beat it, so we’re trying to stay positive. I’m just trying to make arrangements now for how we’re going to do this. The best hospital in the area is here in L.A. and we’re two hours away.”
Lenny patted his son on the shoulder. “It’ll all work out somehow.” He reassured him.
Cam looked at him and then over at the little boy. “I’ll be right back.” He ran into the house while I remained outside with Lenny and his son.
Lenny began to speak. “Miss Maynard –”
“Lenny, please call me Gia.” I corrected him.
He nodded in agreement. “Gia lives in New York.”
His son’s expression lightened up. “Oh yeah? Manhattan?” I shook my head proudly. “We’re from Brooklyn, we moved out here when I was fifteen after my mother died.”
“And you never went back? I’m already missing it.”
“Yeah, I miss it sometimes too, but Dad was staying here and I started college out here. Then I met my wife who was from here and then you know how it goes.”
“Yeah, I can certainly see why you’d want to stay here. It’s beautiful.”
Cam came sneaking up behind me with a check in his hand. “I wasn’t sure who to make this out to, but please accept this to help with the costs of your son’s treatment.”
Lenny’s eyes widened as did his son’s. “Mr. Hamilton, this is unnecessary. You did enough for Tristian today just by signing that hat for him.” Albert’s voice shook with emotion.
“Please, just take it.” Cam insisted.
“I cannot thank you enough.” He said as he looked down at the check with tears in his eyes.
Lenny patted his son on the back while mouthing the words, thank you to Cam and I began to feel myself becoming a little emotional as well.
“Hey Tristan!” Cam shouted. The little boy was at his side in a flash. “How about a picture?”
“Yes, please!” he beamed.
Cam bent down next to him with their huge smiles matching while Lenny snapped the picture with his phone. Cam stood up and took off the little boy’s hat, messing up his hair. “I told your Dad whenever you want, you can come and see me play.”
“Wow! Cool!” He exclaimed, as he stared up at Cam in admiration.
I stood there speechless. Cam was such a great guy who thought nothing of helping others. I was so lucky to call him one of my very best friends and after last night hopefully something so much more.
Twenty-Six
Gia
With each day that passed, I started to feel like Cam and I were in a real relationship. I was having a blast and didn’t want it to come to an end in just a few days. I had done so much in the short time that I had been here. We took a ferry ride to Catalina Island, which left me speechless with its beauty. If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn that I was in the Mediterranean. We had gone to Disneyland at my request and taken a ride down to San Diego Zoo, stopping along the way to check out the different sites. The days were non-stop fun while the nights were spent having amazing sex or just lying quietly in each other’s arms until we fell asleep. He still hadn’t come out and expressed how he was feeling about us, which left me a little confused as to where we were headed. I remained steadfast in my plan of just going with the flow, although I could feel myself wanting and needing him more and more with each passing day. I didn’t want to ruin the time we had left together by bringing up the subject of us. Maybe I was just another casual fling to Cam. Maybe he felt like I was a charity case and wanted to just help me get over Jasper. These were all things I was afraid to hear him say if I had asked. So instead, I squirrelled away the happiness I was feeling inside of me each moment we were together and prepared myself that it may all be over the moment I stepped on that plane. I wasn’t sure how my heart would ever recover from that but I was willing to take the risk each time he kissed me like I was the only woman he had ever placed his lips upon. Everything with him was so different even the sex. Cam was great at it, but attaching the depth of feelings I had for him made it even more mind blowing and a few times I had to stop myself from saying those three little words in the heat of the moment. But I did love him. I had told him countless times that I did, but it was always said in a different context. I was afraid that saying it during sex would freak him out, even though I wanted to shout it at the top of my lungs. I would never be the first one to admit just how much I had completely fallen for him or that I would change my whole life around just to be with him without hesitation. If he didn’t feel the same, I didn’t want him to feel guilty over what had happened between us because I’d wanted it just as much.
I sat at the breakfast bar, sipping my morning coffee, and chatting to Lucy. Cam had baseball-related matters to attend to which left me with a free day to myself to explore.
“Well, I can point you to a mall where us average folk shop,” Lucy laughed as she wiped down the counter.
“Hmm….believe it or not, I don’t feel like shopping.” I couldn’t believe my own ears.
“I never feel like shopping either but unfortunately I’m gonna have to take the plunge. My fiftieth high school reunion is coming up and I’m actually gonna go.”
“Wow! Fifty years!”
She shook her head and laughed. “Way to go Gia, make me feel even older! It’s a ballroom dancing theme but since I don’t know how to ballroom dance and I don’t have a partner, I’ll draw the line with the dress.”
“What’s going on ladies?” Lenny asked as he came into the kitchen.
“Gia’s just rubbing in her youth after I told her about my fifty year high school reunion,” Lucy said.
“Had mine last year,” Lenny replied, as he grabbed an apple from the counter and took a bite.
“Oh wow, so you guys are the same age?” I asked.
“Guess so,” Lucy said turning around to load up the dishwasher. My mind instantly began to plot. Lenny’s son had said that he’d lost his mother when he was fifteen and Lucy had told me that her husband passed away three years ago. They would make an adorable couple.
“Lenny, did you ever get remarried?” I couldn’t believe that I had just asked him that question, that was none my business, but I was now officially on a mission.
He shook his head and poured himself a cup of coffee. “What brings you around here today, Lenny?” Lucy asked.
“Mr. Hamilton asked me to be around in case Miss Maynard needed to go anywhere.”
“It’s Gia!” He smiled and took a sip of his coffee. I took a deep breath and began to ponder. “Hey, Lenny do you know of any place around here that would rent out dance space by the hour?”
He scratched his head and pulled out his phone. “I don’t but I’m sure the internet does. Why? What do you have in mind?”
I looked over at Lucy as she took a tray of her freshly baked blueberry muffins from the oven. “When is your reunion, Lucy?”
“Next Saturday night. Why?” There was some hesitation in her voice.
“As far as I know.” He looked just as confused as Lucy.
“Cool. You get the dance space and I’m going to give you and Lucy some ballroom dancing lessons and you guys can show them how it’s done at her reunion.”
Lucy gasped and covered her mouth in embarrassment. “Gia! I can’t!”
“Why not?” I raised my eyebrow.
“Well. I’m – I’m sure Lenny has better things to do with his Saturday night than to take me to my high-school reunion.”
“Actually I don’t and I always wanted to learn how to ballroom dance. I think Gia would be an excellent teacher.”
“There, it’s all settled.” I smirked at Lucy as she shook her head and turned around, trying her best to hide the smile that was forming on her face.
***
Lenny did excellent work finding us a dance studio. It was spacious, reasonably-priced, and ours for three whole hours. I was pleasantly surprised with Lucy’s and Lenny’s dancing skills; after only two hours of working with them, they were killing it on the dance floor like pros. The smiles on both their faces made my heart melt. My matchmaking skills were dead-on. I could already see that there was a connection between the two of them.
“Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” Lenny bragged, once their lesson was over.
“Think you guys may be ready for Dancing with the Stars?” I teased.
“Oh, Gia, you’re so crazy.” Lucy blushed and waved her hand dismissively, giggling like a schoolgirl. When Lenny took her hand and let out a loud chuckle along with her, I knew I was successful with my mission.
I was so grateful that I’d thrown my pointe shoes in my suitcase when I’d packed. They went with me wherever, just in case the opportunity to dance ever arose and with a little more than an hour left of the studio time left, now was the perfect opportunity. Lenny was dropping off Lucy and had arranged to be back in an hour to pick me up. It felt so good to be tying up my pointe shoes for the first time in months. Up until now, I hadn’t had the desire to dance. I scanned through my music playlist on my phone and turned up the volume. As I stood on my toes and my body began to move across the floor to the tragic beautiful melody of Anna by Gunnar Madsen, I felt weightless, as if all of the hurt from the past couple of months was lifting from my physical body and my psyche. The tears rolled down my face in unison with the goose bumps that were forming on my body. This was my therapy; I didn’t need anything but one of my favorite pieces of music playing through the speakers of my phone and the pointe shoes on my feet. I blocked out everything in my mind and danced. Dancing like it was my first time and dancing like it was my last time and in that moment I had finally found myself once again. I closed my eyes as the music stopped and smiled inwardly, startling when I heard someone clapping. I felt myself blush ever so slightly when I saw Cam standing in the doorway applauding me.