Just as I expected, I found him sandwiched between Tiffany and Cecilia next to the counter. He didn’t appear uncomfortable at all. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself. I shook my head in disgust but approached the threesome to retrieve my caffeinated beverage that he always brought me. I scanned the counter and the nurse’s station in search of my hot drink, but I didn’t see the usual cardboard tray that he carried in. I rolled my eyes with abhorrence as I saw another person enter through the ER sliding glass doors. So, I left my brother and my co-workers to return to my triaging post.
However, when I returned to the front of the ER, I saw Travis holding a cardboard tray of coffees. He was my new best friend. “Travis, I hope you brought one of those for me.”
“Of course. Cam said I couldn’t show up here for a visit without bringing my bestie a large coffee.” He pulled a cup out of the tray and held it in my direction.
“You are the very best.” I could smell the sweet, yet potent aroma and felt immediate comfort. I motioned for Travis to follow me through the wooden door toward the main part of the ER and he followed closely behind me.
I couldn’t exactly figure it out, but Travis seemed slightly uneasy. Maybe I misread his body language. He could just be nervous about being in a new place and meeting new people. I grabbed his empty hand and pulled him in the direction of the nurse’s station where Cam seemed to be doing nothing other than inflating his ego.
Cam relieved Travis of the tray and distributed coffees to Tiffany and Cecilia who remained attached to his sides. Once my brother pried himself away from those disgraceful women I had labeled T&C, he approached Alexis, the very shy nurse sitting alone at a computer cart away from the nurse’s station.
“Hey, Lex,” Cameron said quietly as he walked toward her with soft footsteps. She tossed a glance over her shoulder at him with big blue eyes, and her cheeks instantly flushed. Maybe she was embarrassed he was speaking to her? “Here’s a coffee.” Cam handed it to her gently, like it was a peace offering.
With the innocence of a deer staring into headlights, and holding a frightened expression on her face, she retrieved the cup from Cam’s grasp. “Thank you.” She shifted her eyes down briefly before turning around to face the computer screen again.
Alexis is a good nurse. She is smart and detail-oriented. But she is extremely quiet and she keeps to herself. I think Cam has a sweet spot for her—kind of like the feelings you would have toward a lost puppy. He always looks like he wants to hug her, and she always looks apprehensive and nervous.
All the other females I work with flirt shamelessly with my brother. But Alexis is different. I don’t think she has a whole lot of experience with dating, and therefore, she probably presents a challenge for Cameron. She certainly holds his undivided attention when within fifty feet of my twin sibling.
“Thanks, Cam. I appreciate it.” Her voice cracked while she continued to look at the computer screen. She didn’t even glance in his direction again.
Still a witness to the Cameron show, I observed him lean in toward her attentively. “Alexis, do you want to go to breakfast sometime?” What the hell is going on? It must be a full moon. If you asked any emergency room nurse, she would tell you people behave crazy when there is a full moon. My brother, the guy who had other women literally drooling over his presence and flaunting their assets in his face, just asked out the plain-Jane nurse I worked with.
Alexis was cute in her own way. She had dirty blond hair that she always pulled into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck. Her face was always makeup-free, but when she smiled, it always showed genuine feeling. She never forced a smile or offered one to anyone who didn’t deserve it. She was definitely not his type. He liked the blonde, busty type, who had perfect hair and perfect makeup. His type giggled in his presence and flashed a fake smile as if putting on a show in front of a camera. Basically, he enjoyed having the model type hanging on him.
“I don’t think so, Cameron. I am not much of a breakfast person.” She swiveled in her seat and finally turned back to look at him.
“Okay. Then how about lunch?” He smiled at her encouragingly, as if he could wear her down with his devilish grin. Is this really happening? My brother had a girl say no to a date with him, and he was persistently continuing to pursue her.
“Sorry, Cam. I can’t.” She hopped out of her seat and walked in the direction where I was standing near the counter. Cam reached out and gripped her upper arm, which caused her to freeze in place.
“Why not?” She didn’t turn back around. Instead, she stood with her feet planted firmly with pleading eyes that begged for me to intervene.
“Cam, leave Alexis alone.” I suddenly felt like I needed to protect her from falling prey to my brother’s persistence. She mouthed thank you to me while she managed to propel herself forward and away from my shocked brother. “Why are you asking her out?” Of course, I waited for Alexis to be a safe distance away before my inquisition.
“Because I like her.” He shot me his arched eyebrow, it-should-be-obvious expression. “The same reason I ask any girl out.”
“You don’t like her. She just fascinates you because she has absolutely no interest in you.” I wagged my index finger at him, which got a laugh from him, as well as from Travis, who I had all but forgotten was still in the nurse’s station with me.
I had been paying so much attention to Cam and Alexis, I had completely overlooked Travis’s presence. “Sorry, Travis, if it seemed like I was ignoring you.”
“I was watching Cameron. It seems like he lost some of his game.” Then Travis let out another low chuckle.
“She’s different from the other girls I work with,” I whispered, not wanting to offend my colleagues. “She is immune to your charm.”
He grinned and nodded in the direction of Tiffany and Cecilia, who seemed to need to stay planted with their arms on the counter to keep from falling over. Apparently, the presence of my brother in such close proximity to them caused them both to lose their footing and almost faint. “No one is immune to my charm.” Has he always been this full of himself? That was a dumb question. Yes. Yes, he has.
“Have you ever stopped to think that a girl like Alexis isn’t going to be interested in someone that flirts with every female in scrubs?” I placed my hand on my hip while my coffee cup remained firmly in the grasp of my other hand.
A perplexed expression crossed his face. His grin transcended into a frown and his eyebrows drew downward. “So you’re saying I need to make her feel special?”
“Something like that.” Maybe he would get it. “But she is a very nice girl that lacks the experience you have. Please, just leave her alone.”
“Challenge accepted.” And his smile returned. His bright eyes shone, letting me know that he had just placed a bet for something he was sure he would win.
“What are you talking about?” I realized I raised my voice, so I motioned him to follow me to the front of the department where the triage area was. Cam and Travis followed me and when I reached our destination away from everyone else in the department, I turned around and gave my twin a scowl. “There is no challenge, Cameron Callahan. I have never, ever told you who you could or couldn’t pursue, but that is about to change. She is absolutely off-limits to you.”
“Like Louis was for you?” Okay, that was a cheap shot. He lifted his eyebrows at me like he was awaiting my response.
“Cam, it’s not really fair for you to bring up Louis,” Travis offered in an attempt to save me from the embarrassing cry I felt the overwhelming urge to have.
“You get Alexis to go out with me, and I will get Louis to go out with you.” He extended a hand toward me, like I would shake on such ridiculous terms.
“I can get Louis to go out with me on my own.” He would eventually go back to being my friend, and I was sure I could convince him to go out for a meal or a movie. I was a little annoyed by my brother’s suggestion. It wasn’t as if I needed his help.
“Fine. You
get Alexis to go out with me, and I will get Louis to be your boyfriend.” I laughed at his suggestion and looked down at his extended hand.
“And what happens if one of us doesn’t hold up his end of the deal?” The terms began to get interesting.
“A hundred dollars?” This seemed so weird. Cam was willing to pay a hundred dollars to go out with Alexis? It must be a full moon for sure.
“Make it two hundred.” I could easily get Alexis to go out with him. But I didn’t think Cam was going to be successful at persuading Louis to be my boyfriend.
“That works.” His eyes darted at me and then down at his hand that was still being held midair. I reached over and pumped his hand once with the grasp of my own hand.
“You know, I have to admit, I was extremely uncomfortable coming back to this ER again. I haven’t been in here since Mindy…but seeing this crazy thing go down between the two of you has kept my mind off things. You are both nuts.” Travis shook his head in disbelief and pulled his keys from his pocket. “I’m going to head home. This has been fun.” His voice was dry and humorless.
I fell in step behind Travis and reached out to touch his arm to grab his attention. “Are you upset with us?”
He whisked around to face me and let out a forced sigh. “I just don’t know that I agree with you two manipulating people into dating your sibling.” So he wasn’t going to be my best friend anymore. He didn’t understand that Cam and I did this kind of stuff all the time when we were younger. We made silly bets and sometimes I won, and sometimes Cam won.
“I am pretty sure that Alexis would eventually go out with my brother even if I didn’t intervene. He has a way with women.” Concern crept into his coal-colored eyes. “What’s wrong, Travis?”
“I’m not worried about Cam. I am worried that you will get hurt. Is it worth two hundred dollars to have your heart broken all over again?” Yikes. I hadn’t considered that. My wound was still fresh. I certainly didn’t need my raw emotions to surface again and burn a hole into my soul. I was already aware of the void inside myself. I didn’t need that hollow cavity to be further exposed.
I motioned for Cam to join Travis and me near the exit door. He trudged reluctantly toward us as if he was getting ready to be scolded by an upset parent.
“Cam, I will help you with Alexis, but I want out of the deal with Louis.” I darted my glance at Travis and then back at my brother. “If Louis doesn’t want to be with me, then I need to just accept that and move on.”
He merely shrugged and reached over to give me a hug. “Okay, Lean Bean. Have a good night.”
I held up the cup I had been carrying everywhere with me since Travis had arrived. “Thanks for the coffee.” I waved to them both and watched them leave through the sliding glass door into the summer night.
19
Charlie
A week later Cam told me that he had texted Louis. I guess that was his way of letting me know it was time for me to convince Alexis to go out with him.
What did you say to him? I don’t know why I fed into the comment my brother made about texting the boy I grew up with.
I asked him if he was EVER coming home again. I just couldn’t help myself from what I texted next.
And what did he say? Because clearly, I was a glutton for punishment.
He said eventually… that he just needed some time to himself for a little bit. He said he wasn’t ready to see his parents again yet.
So how did you respond?
I told him I understood and to let me know when he was in town again. I told him it was good to have my friend back here. Then he just said “will do.” I haven’t heard anything else since.
Thanks for the update. I guess. After our back and forth conversation, I figured he would be expecting an update about Alexis.
My phone rang as soon as I finished reading the last text my brother had sent me. His name and number danced across my screen, and I debated momentarily whether to answer or not. But of course, I did. I never ignored my twin.
“Hey, Cam.” What else could we possibly have to say to each other?
“Are you okay? I mean…should I not talk about Louis anymore with you? I hope I didn’t upset you.” In all my life, I could honestly say Cam understood me better than anyone. He even understood me better than I understood myself at times. However, he had no idea how to handle this situation, and he definitely didn’t understand me regarding Louis.
All I could do was snicker at his comment. “Of course, you can talk about him. He’s your best friend.”
“No. You are my best friend.” His reassurance was sweet.
“I know. But I am still hopeful that someday we will all be able to get past this whole fiasco and move on…as friends.” Although I wanted more than anything for something more to develop between Louis and me, I still wanted the three of us to be friends again. There had to still be a possibility for that. It had only been a couple of weeks, and time heals all wounds…so I’ve heard.
“I hope we get to that point again, too.” His words were confident at first and then he trailed off as if he was unsure how to say what else was on his mind. I patiently waited. I may not know my brother as well as he knows me, but I know when something is on his mind. I also know that forcing him to tell me never works, so I waited. Once he let out a forced sigh, I knew he was going to speak again. “So…about Alexis.”
“Cam…I am sorry. I haven’t had a good opportunity to talk with her privately.” I sucked in a deep breath and forced out words that were uncomfortable for a sister to say about her brother. “All the nurses I work with have a crush on you, so I don’t want any of them hearing me talk about you to Alexis. If they thought I played matchmaker for my brother, they would soon all be hitting me up for a chance to go out with you.”
Cam’s end of the line rumbled with soft laughter. “You have to fight them off me, Lean Bean?”
“As if you don’t already know they are all smitten with you?” He knew, and he loved every.single.second.of.it.
“They are good for my ego for sure.” I could imagine him smiling on the other side of the phone.
“You are a pig. A disgusting pig.” I shook my head at his inability to change. He has always been the center of attention and enjoys the limelight. I, on the other hand, would rather blend in with the background. “I don’t even understand why you want to go out with her. She is hardly your type.”
“And what is my type exactly?” I had no idea why his tone conveyed surprise after my comment.
I stifled a laugh. “You know. Blonde with big boobs.” Cam had never dated a girl that didn’t fit that profile. He had to know his own pattern.
Silence fell from the other end of the conversation. I wondered if he was thinking back to all the women I had ever seen him with. “I gotta go, Lean Bean. Talk with you again soon.”
“Cam…” But before I could even ask him if he was all right, he was gone. What the hell was that about?
Cameron remained quiet the next several days. I’d worked three nights in a row, and I didn’t see him—any of them—which was odd. Considering that I worked with Alexis two out of the three nights, it was especially weird. It was a very rare occasion when a week passed and my brother hadn’t brought coffee to me during one of my shifts.
Are you upset with me? I haven’t seen you all week. I finally texted my twin after he dropped off the face of the earth for nearly five days.
Sorry. Just been busy, that’s all. The hell if that was true. I wasn’t sure why he was lying to me, but I was determined to find out.
I selected his number on my cell phone and waited several rings before voice mail picked up. How dare he not answer when I call? I always answer when he calls me.
Either answer your phone, or I will hunt you down. You are going to speak with me. That prompted a quick response. His name and number flashed across my screen a moment later. I smiled to myself at how quickly I could get a reaction from him. “Hey, Cam,” I answered as coolly as
I could, given that I was annoyed and worried about my brother’s silence for almost an entire week.
“Hey, Charlie.” What? No Lean Bean? This was more serious than I thought.
“Can you meet for lunch?” I extended the olive branch and could only hope he would accept it.
“Is everything all right?” His voice hitched slightly with his question. I was worried about him, and he was worried about me because I asked him to go to lunch?
“I just want to have lunch with my brother. Is that okay?” I was fully aware that I hadn’t adequately masked my worry given the inflection of my voice.
“Fine. The diner in fifteen?” He huffed a release of air and feigned his own annoyance or worry. Not only couldn’t I differentiate my own feelings, I couldn’t tell which feeling he had, either.
“I’ll be there.”
It only took me ten minutes to arrive, so I was already in a booth when my brother walked in. His hair was a frazzled mess, and he was wearing a wrinkled T-shirt and rumpled shorts, as if he had worn the same outfit a few days consecutively.
“What the hell happened to you?” There was no need to beat around the bush. I was always direct when it came to my brother.
His sullen gait caused a shuffle in his step until he finally slid into the booth and across from me. “We probably should have met at my place or yours.”
Something wasn’t right, and it prickled my nerves. Dark circles marred the skin beneath his eyes and his face wore several days of stubble. I half wondered if he had even showered lately. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” He let out an exasperated sigh and his lips turned down while his brows drew together. “Is this what life is about for me?” I knew he didn’t want me to answer that question. I was wondering where this was going though, so I sat intently listening. His agonized expression gave me the impression many thoughts were weighing heavily on his mind. “We’re not kids anymore, you know? I’m twenty-three years old. I graduated college, and I got a job. But where am I going?” Another rhetorical question, so I continued with my exercised patience while he slumped his shoulders forward and broke eye contact with me. “I go out with girls, I flirt, I have fun, but I never commit to anything serious.” I wasn’t exactly sure when I could ask my own questions. I wanted to know what had caused all these life reflections, but I also wanted to keep him talking, so I held back my prodding. “So that’s all I get in return. Girls that like the way I look but aren’t looking for anything serious, either.” His hazel gaze pulled up slowly, revealing a set of tired eyes. “Are you going to say anything?”
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