shared something with her. And she didn't even have to twist his arm to pry it out of him.
Cameron looked up and saw Imogen with her mouth opened and obviously trying to stifle a laugh to be polite. He shook his head. "Go ahead and laugh. I can handle it."
She licked her lips. "No, I--- that had to be pretty embarrassing," she said, folding her hands in her lap.
"Yeah, well, my mother didn't quite understand that. It's her business, it's what she does for a living. Talking about it all day every day made her immune to it but she forgets what it's like for the rest of us. It's still private, but to her, it's nothing to be ashamed of, she says."
Imogen made a face. "I think she's right. In a way." She could feel the blood surging to her own cheeks. Was it hot in there, or was it just her? She pressed her cool fingers to her forehead.
"Tell that to the rest of the thirteen-year-olds I was forced to be around. Almost daily I got some sort of crack about whether or not I would be angry if the others called my mom up and asked for sex advice."
Imogen winced.
Cameron closed his eyes to rid himself of the flashes of vivid memories which were rushing back to him. Cruel laughter invaded his mind and he tapped his knuckles on the table to get rid of it.
Suddenly not hungry anymore, Imogen dropped the french fry she was about to eat back onto her plate. She sighed, and when Cameron looked at her with an expectant expression, she raised an eyebrow and gazed steadily right back at him.
They continued their staring contest for only a few moments before Imogen decided to be out with it.
"Cameron, would things be any easier between us if we just slept together?"
Cameron nearly choked. He coughed and sputtered, hitting himself three times in the chest before he could breathe again. The way she suggested that they… So nonchalantly… Oh, God, it was repulsing.
He was frozen where he sat after his coughing fit, listening to the sounds of reality continue on all around him. Forks and knives clanked against glass plates. The hum of a chord of voices played in his ears. The hissing of a grill in the restaurant kitchen added to the dissonance. He cleared his throat in time with the banging of his fist on the table.
Cameron was sure his eyes were wide and full of horror. "What did you just propose?"
Imogen laughed. "Well, that certainly didn't make you uncomfortable at all. I take that as a no."
"What did you--- where did you--- why did you---?"
"Oh, for goodness sakes, calm down." Imogen unraveled the napkin from her silverware and went to cleaning up the tea Cameron spilled while he was gasping for air. "Apparently you don't feel the unbearable sexual tension between us."
Cameron tilted his head and blinked in rapid waves. "There's sexual---" His voice rose an octave on the last word before he cleared his throat and used a whisper. "Sexual tension between us now?"
Imogen laughed again. "God, I'm joking. Lighten up, would you? Funny! That's what I was trying to be."
"Well you're not funny."
"I don't know, I think it was pretty funny."
He settled back into his seat and cleared his throat, looking tentatively at her under a thick fringe of lashes. As always, she was wearing that infuriatingly innocent smile.
"You don't want to actually. You know?"
This time she laughed loud- loud enough to get the people in their general proximity to turn in their chairs and look at her, wondering what the private little joke was. Cameron felt his cheeks grow hot and he ground his teeth together.
"No! No, no. Don't worry, Cameron. My feelings for you are strictly platonic. I will keep my hands all to myself." More or less, it was the answer he wanted to hear, but something bit at him. Even though he wanted her gone (though at this point, he was seriously entertaining giving up all hope of ever being relieved of her), he couldn't help but feel slight resentment at the sting of rejection that settled in his belly.
"So why bring it up?" he
Cameron looked up and saw Imogen with her mouth opened and obviously trying to stifle a laugh to be polite. He shook his head. "Go ahead and laugh. I can handle it."
She licked her lips. "No, I--- that had to be pretty embarrassing," she said, folding her hands in her lap.
"Yeah, well, my mother didn't quite understand that. It's her business, it's what she does for a living. Talking about it all day every day made her immune to it but she forgets what it's like for the rest of us. It's still private, but to her, it's nothing to be ashamed of, she says."
Imogen made a face. "I think she's right. In a way." She could feel the blood surging to her own cheeks. Was it hot in there, or was it just her? She pressed her cool fingers to her forehead.
"Tell that to the rest of the thirteen-year-olds I was forced to be around. Almost daily I got some sort of crack about whether or not I would be angry if the others called my mom up and asked for sex advice."
Imogen winced.
Cameron closed his eyes to rid himself of the flashes of vivid memories which were rushing back to him. Cruel laughter invaded his mind and he tapped his knuckles on the table to get rid of it.
Suddenly not hungry anymore, Imogen dropped the french fry she was about to eat back onto her plate. She sighed, and when Cameron looked at her with an expectant expression, she raised an eyebrow and gazed steadily right back at him.
They continued their staring contest for only a few moments before Imogen decided to be out with it.
"Cameron, would things be any easier between us if we just slept together?"
Cameron nearly choked. He coughed and sputtered, hitting himself three times in the chest before he could breathe again. The way she suggested that they… So nonchalantly… Oh, God, it was repulsing.
He was frozen where he sat after his coughing fit, listening to the sounds of reality continue on all around him. Forks and knives clanked against glass plates. The hum of a chord of voices played in his ears. The hissing of a grill in the restaurant kitchen added to the dissonance. He cleared his throat in time with the banging of his fist on the table.
Cameron was sure his eyes were wide and full of horror. "What did you just propose?"
Imogen laughed. "Well, that certainly didn't make you uncomfortable at all. I take that as a no."
"What did you--- where did you--- why did you---?"
"Oh, for goodness sakes, calm down." Imogen unraveled the napkin from her silverware and went to cleaning up the tea Cameron spilled while he was gasping for air. "Apparently you don't feel the unbearable sexual tension between us."
Cameron tilted his head and blinked in rapid waves. "There's sexual---" His voice rose an octave on the last word before he cleared his throat and used a whisper. "Sexual tension between us now?"
Imogen laughed again. "God, I'm joking. Lighten up, would you? Funny! That's what I was trying to be."
"Well you're not funny."
"I don't know, I think it was pretty funny."
He settled back into his seat and cleared his throat, looking tentatively at her under a thick fringe of lashes. As always, she was wearing that infuriatingly innocent smile.
"You don't want to actually. You know?"
This time she laughed loud- loud enough to get the people in their general proximity to turn in their chairs and look at her, wondering what the private little joke was. Cameron felt his cheeks grow hot and he ground his teeth together.
"No! No, no. Don't worry, Cameron. My feelings for you are strictly platonic. I will keep my hands all to myself." More or less, it was the answer he wanted to hear, but something bit at him. Even though he wanted her gone (though at this point, he was seriously entertaining giving up all hope of ever being relieved of her), he couldn't help but feel slight resentment at the sting of rejection that settled in his belly.
"So why bring it up?" he
Similar Books
