In Love With My Best Friend

by Sheena Binkley

  “I wanted to tell you at the engagement party, but so much was going on that I didn’t even get a chance to talk to you. Anyway, we’ve been friends for so long, and if it wasn’t for you, Trevor and I would have never met. So I would like for you to be my maid of honor,” Chelsea said. Her reddish brown hair was swaying from side to side as her hazel eyes twinkled with excitement.

  I didn’t know what to say. I glanced over at Tia who tried to suppress a giggle over the news.

  I attempted to mask my emotions as I gave Chelsea a plastered smile.

  “Will you be my maid of honor, Camille?”

  Although a part of me didn’t want to accept the title, I knew I had to, not just for Chelsea but for Trevor.

  “I would love to, Chelsea.”

  “Great!” Chelsea squealed as she began clapping her hands.

  “Now I will be back in Houston in about a week and a half, so it will give us enough time to get the bridesmaid dresses together as well as yours. Also, I was hoping you can plan Tre’s and my combined bachelor/beachelorette party. I would include Charles in it, but he would just have strippers there, and that is a no-go for me.”

  “I’ll do whatever you need me to do, Chels.”

  “Wonderful. Thank you so much, Camille. I better go, but I’ll keep in touch regarding the details.”

  “Can’t wait,” I said in an almost whisper. As Chelsea waved into the screen, I signaled off, wondering what I had gotten myself into.

  Tia glanced at me as she started to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You! You’re basically helping your enemy marry your dream man. This could be the elements of a great soap opera,” she said as she started laughing again.

  I gave Tia an evil stare as I let out a frustrated sigh.

  z

  The rest of the weekend went by in a rush, as I was now sitting in my office at work, staring at my computer screen in a daze. Being an event planner for Hudson & Co. had always been a dream of mine. Known for its exclusive parties in the city, the company had received high praise from organizations and even celebrities. When I majored in public relations, I heard great things about this company, and I knew right away that I wanted to work there.

  Once I graduated with my bachelor’s, I decided to do an internship with the company while pursuing my master’s degree. Although the position was grueling, with almost no pay, I was given a prominent position with the company and had been with them ever since. Now that I am the lead planner for the company, I could basically pick and choose which events I wanted to plan.

  Even though I loved my job, there was one element that was a constant issue for me: my coworkers. Practically everyone in the company was either married or involved, and they usually looked at me as the “lonely one” because I was not dating.

  If one more person tries to find me a date, I will scream, I thought as I checked my e-mail. As I clicked on some junk mail, the intercom beside my computer started to buzz. I pressed on the talk button to answer.

  “Hello, Rachael,” I said to the front-desk receptionist on the other end.

  “Good afternoon, Camille. Trevor Williams is here to see you.”

  “OK, send him up. Thanks,” I said before ending the call.

  I opened my desk drawer and retrieved a hand mirror. I glimpsed at my reflection, checking to see if my makeup and hair were in place. I grabbed my mocha-colored lip gloss and applied it onto my lips. I gave a small pout to the mirror when there was a knock at the door.

  “Come in.”

  “Hey,” Trevor said while walking in.

  My throat was caught in my chest as I noticed him coming in. He was dressed in a midnight-blue dress shirt with black slacks. His smile was infectious as he showed off his pearly white teeth.

  “Hey, Tre,” I finally managed to say as I went up to him to give him a hug. Once I put my arms around him, I noticed practically the entire floor (mostly the women) was looking at us with either huge grins or jealous stares on their faces. I immediately went to my door and closed it, giving my nosy coworkers even more to talk about.

  “I can’t believe you remembered where I work.”

  “It hasn’t been that long, Camille.”

  “What brings you by?”

  “I was in the area and wanted to say hi. I had to go by my office to fill out more paperwork. What are you doing for lunch?”

  “Probably buying chips from the vending machine downstairs.”

  “I’m taking you to lunch.”

  “I have a lot to do today; I don’t think I could go to lunch.”

  “What if I bring it to you? You have to eat, Cam. And please don’t argue with me on this.”

  I gave Trevor a sideways glance and sighed. “OK, I’ll go with you but only for thirty minutes.”

  “Cool. Besides, I need to talk to you about the wedding.”

  As soon as Trevor mentioned the word “wedding,” I immediately started to cringe.

  “Sure,” I said as I grabbed my shoulder bag.

  As we were leaving my office, I told my coworkers I was going to lunch. We were heading to the elevators when Vicky Wilson, the office gossip, who had only been with the company for a year, approached Trevor and me with a huge grin.

  “Hey, Camille, how are you? Is this your boyfriend? For a second there, I thought you were swearing off men forever,” she said as she was literally undressing Trevor with her eyes.

  I rolled my eyes at Vicky. Figured she would think and act like that.

  “Actually Vicky…”

  “I’m Trevor, Camille’s boyfriend. How are you?” Trevor said as he extended his hand out to Vicky.

  Vicky accepted Trevor’s handshake as she gave me a look of approval.

  “I’m doing great. I’m so happy for you, Camille. It looks like you picked a winner this time.”

  “I sure did,” I said as I locked my arm around Trevor’s.

  “We’d better go,” I said as we were walking toward the elevator.

  “Before you two rush off, I want to ask if you would be free Thursday evening. I’m hosting a dinner party for the PR and marketing departments, and I would love for you to come. In fact, it’s really a couples’ dinner party, and I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable about it at first, but now that I know you have a boyfriend, it will be perfect,” Vicky rambled.

  “So you’re telling me that you weren’t even going to invite me?” I asked.

  “It’s not that…”

  “We would love to come. Just tell us what time and where,” Trevor said as he gave me a loving stare.

  Vicky started to giggle at Trevor, which made me even more irritated.

  “I’ll e-mail Camille the information. Have a nice lunch,” Vicky said as she gave me a wink before heading into the office door.

  I turned around and gave Trevor a punch on his right shoulder. Trevor was taken aback as he touched his shoulder.

  “Damn, that kind of hurt.”

  “Why did you do that? I could care less if I didn’t get an invite.”

  “I know what she said kind of rubbed you the wrong way; that’s why I agreed to it.”

  “You didn’t have to. Practically everyone in my department knows we’re just friends, so it’s going to be kind of hard to play the relationship game.”

  “Everyone will believe we’re a couple, trust me,” Trevor whispered in my ear.

  My insides started to burn when Trevor was standing close to me.

  I have to get out of this.

  “What about Chelsea? I don’t think she’ll go along with it.”

  “She will. This is just me helping out my best friend. Besides, didn’t I still have a favor to give?”

  “This wasn’t it.” “Well, consider it an extra favor,” he said as we got to the elevator. As the elevator door opened, he turned around and stared at me.

  “Are you coming?

  I sighed as I went into the elevator.

  This is going to be a disa
ster.

  Chapter 6

  Trevor

  “Are you serious? Why would you do that?” Charles asked.

  Charles and I were at Buffalo Wild Wings eating Buffalo wings while watching a basketball game on the projection-sized TV. I had just explained the dinner party to Charles, who had the same reaction as Camille.

  “I don’t see the big deal in this. Her coworker was being horrible to Camille, and I know how Camille is when she’s around people like that.”

  “I understand you wanted to help Camille, but I think you’re treading in dangerous waters. Did you talk to Chelsea about this?”

  I suddenly became nervous about even telling Chelsea about Thursday. Although I assured Camille that Chelsea would be fine with it, I personally thought she would be pretty upset about it.

  “I haven’t told her yet.”

  “I think you need to call her, now.”

  “Actually, I wasn’t planning on telling her. It’s just an innocent charade that we’re going to keep up for a couple of hours; that’s it.”

  Charles held up his hands and sighed.

  “OK, but I think you’re making a big mistake.”

  “This is coming from the guy who dated two women at the same time? You weren’t worried about anyone’s feelings then.”

  “Yeah, but I’m not married.”

  “I’m not either.”

  “Not yet.”

  I sighed as I took a swig of my beer. I didn’t know what Charles was upset about. Camille and I had done this charade plenty of times in high school and a little during college before I started dating Chelsea. I didn’t see a problem with it, so why should anyone else?

  “It’s not the charade that’s an issue for me; it’s the fact that you’re already lying to your fiancée. That’s not a way to start a marriage, bro.”

  Damn, he’s right, I thought as I finished the last of my beer.

  “Fine, I’ll call Chelsea.”

  “Cool. So getting back to Camille; have your feelings for her changed?”

  “I didn’t say my feelings changed for her, it’s just that I’ve been having some weird vibes, that’s all. But when she spent the night on Friday, I was kind of staring at her a lot.”

  “Hold up, you didn’t tell me Camille spent the night.”

  “She was helping me unpack. We just hung out, played games, and watched a movie; that was all.”

  “As I said before, you are treading in dangerous waters. Before long, you will start having feelings for your best friend, if you’re not already.”

  “I didn’t say I was.”

  “Tre, you’ve known Camille since you two were kids; it’s OK to look at her a little differently now that she’s a grown woman. I’m pretty sure she thought about you a time or two.”

  “I don’t think so; she would have told me.”

  “You really think so?” Charles asked as he bit into a wing.

  When Charles said that, I thought back to the comment Camille made on the Ferris wheel.

  Could it be possible?

  After watching the game for a couple more minutes, I told Charles I was heading home. As I walked into my condo, I had to take in how magnificent the place looked after finally arranging everything.

  Thanks to Camille, I thought as I put my keys on the entryway table.

  I walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. I told Charles I would call Chelsea to tell her about the dinner party on Thursday, but I couldn’t force myself to call her. I actually wanted to go along with this, and I knew if I told Chelsea about it, she would be against it and I would have to back out.

  Besides, Camille doesn’t think of me as anything else but her best friend, just like me with her.

  Or, maybe there was another reason I wanted to go through with this, maybe to test my feelings out with Camille.

  Can’t be. Camille is like a sister to me.

  I laid the back of my head against the soft cushion, thinking what I should do about telling Chelsea. My phone started to ring, causing me to interrupt any thoughts I had at the moment. When I looked at my phone, I took a deep breath at the person’s name appearing on and off the screen.

  “I guess it’s now or never,” I said as I answered the phone. “Hey, sweetie.”

  “Hey, baby. I miss seeing your handsome face. You look worried though; what’s wrong?” Chelsea asked, while looking concerned on the screen.

  Sometimes I hated when she used the video chat app on her phone. Now I couldn’t get anything past her in terms of my emotions.

  “Nothing wrong, sweetie, just had a long day.”

  “I see the condo is looking pretty nice.”

  “Yeah, Camille helped me unpack.”

  “That’s great. Well, I was just calling to say hi and that I really miss you.”

  “I miss you too.”

  Chelsea stared at the phone for a minute, trying to figure out if something was wrong.

  “You sure nothing’s wrong? You can tell me.”

  I stared back at the screen and smiled. “Nothing’s wrong, baby, just wish you were here.”

  z

  Two days later, I was still feeling bad about not telling Chelsea about the dinner party. While waiting for Camille outside the Dance Factory, I had to reevaluate everything that had been going on since I returned home. From noticing Camille at the engagement party to the night we spent together, I didn’t know how to wrap my head around the feelings I’d been experiencing lately.

  As soon as I turned my head toward the street, I noticed Camille approaching me wearing a blue lace maxi skirt and a black tank top; her long hair was in a high ponytail, and she was wearing barely there makeup. My heart started racing at a rapid speed as Camille came up to me. She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a big hug. I had to inhale the floral scent she was wearing because it was extremely intoxicating.

  “Hey, how are you?” Camille said.

  “I’m good. How about you?”

  “Exhausted but good. You ready to dance?” she asked as she gave me a wicked grin.

  “Sure, let’s go,” I said as I opened the door to the dance studio. I let her go in first before walking in.

  We walked inside the studio, immediately sensing the intimate vibe, as a small group was formed toward the center of the dance floor. Camille and I realized we were the last to arrive, as the instructor immediately began the lesson.

  “Good evening, everyone. I am Danielle, and I will be your instructor for the evening. Tonight we will be learning a variety of dances, including the tango and the waltz. Shall we get started?”

  The group nodded its head as we watched Danielle walk over to the stereo to start the music.

  “The first dance we will begin is the tango. I want you to partner up, and we’ll start with the basics.”

  “This should be fun,” Camille said as she smiled at me.

  I returned the smile, unsure of what to say or do at the moment.

  “Now, the tango is basically a two-step method that can be picked up very easily. With the music, you have to find your rhythm; when you do, you will go in a counterclockwise circle, but when you walk, make sure you are on the balls of your feet. You will walk backward once you go through the counterclockwise motion. Also, look over your shoulder to know where you’re going. Ladies, look to your right, men look to your left,” Danielle said.

  “When you are facing your partner, the lead, which is the male, will put his right arm on the lower part of his partner’s back. Make sure your body is straight when you do this step. With your right hand, you will draw your partner to you and extend your left arm up and to the side. Bring your left foot forward first and then your right foot. After the step, bring your left foot next to your right while keeping your weight on the right foot.

  “Ladies, place your left hand on your partner’s arm above his bicep and straighten your upper body. Make sure your weight is on the ball of your feet at all times. Extend your right arm up and to the side. Y
our arm should be tense throughout the move. Stand with your feet close together and step backward with your right foot first and then your left. Bring your right foot next to your left, while keeping your weight on the left foot.”

  “Now I will do a quick demonstration, and then I want you all to try.”

  Camille and I watched intently while Danielle demonstrated the move with her dance partner. The way Danielle and her partner did the steps made me rethink taking this class. Sure, I could dance, but I didn’t know if I could keep up with the fast moves of the tango.

  Once she was done, it was our turn to practice. I took Camille’s hand and positioned her toward me, pulling her body close to mine. I gazed at Camille while she looked at me, giving me a sensual glance.

  I held out my right arm, slowly sliding my hand down into position on the lower half of her back. She started to tense up, which made me wonder if she was doing it for the dance or if she was nervous to be this close to me. Camille put her left hand on my arm, providing a soft touch in the process. A spark started to go through me as I began to wonder how her touch would feel on other parts of me.

  You have a fiancée, Trevor! You’re getting married in two weeks.

  I pulled my left foot forward while Camille moved her right foot backward. We repeated the step, and I pulled Camille even closer to me, wanting to feel her delicate skin against me. Camille looked nervously at me as she continued to move her body to the rhythm of the music.

  I watched Danielle walking around the room, observing the couples’ techniques. She came up to us and gave a smile of approval.

  “Excellent technique, you two. You sure you haven’t done this before?”

  “Nope,” Camille and I both said.

  “Well, I’m definitely impressed,” she said as she gave me a pat on my back before going to the next couple.

  “See, I told you that you can dance. You didn’t have to take this class.”

  “Well, I’m kind of glad I did.”

  “Why?”

  “So I can spend more time with you,” I suddenly said.

  Camille was kind of taken aback by my comment as she looked down at the ground.

  “We’ve always spent time together; we didn’t need a class to do that.”