Cameron couldn't control the tears leaking down his face as he started to sob uncontrollably in front of this woman who he had only known for a day. She looked sadly at him, as if seeing Cameron break down in front of her genuinely upset her, which it did of course.
"Come on, love. Let's get you home" She said as she stood up and wrapped an arm around Cameron's shoulder, leading him outside to walk back home. Cameron tried his best to wipe the tears off his face and make it look like he wasn't crying but the tears just didn't seem to want to stop.
They finally arrived back into the comfortable atmosphere of the McGinty household and Cameron automatically felt more at ease. Damian's Mom led him to the living room and sat him down whilst offering a tea or coffee to him, he shook his head. She sat down next to him and put her hand reassuringly on his shoulder.
"How long?" She asked simply, she didn't need to say any more, Cameron understood fully what she meant.
"I think I always have" Cameron sobbed out, fresh tears falling down his already stained cheeks. Damian's Mom frowned and stood up to fetch a tissue for the boy, he gratefully took it and wiped at his eyes.
"I take it Damian doesn't have any idea?" She enquired, Cameron's eyes opened wide and he shook his head frantically.
"No—I can't ever—we're best friends" He trailed off.
"Using the best friend excuse is the oldest trick in the book." She said sweetly, Cameron wiped at his eyes with the tissue again. "The truth is I honestly thought somethin' was goin' on between you and Damian when you first arrived. You jus' had that new couple feel to you." She laughed slightly at Cameron's surprised and flushed face.
"He has Shell" Cameron muttered, he saw Damian's Mom's smile falter slightly at the mention of Shell. "Do you not like her?" He asked expectantly.
"It's not that I don't like her, she was a lovely girl while she was with Damian. It's jus' what she did to him, making him choose like that." She grimaced at the memory of what had happened. "Would you have made Damian choose?" She asked the blonde haired boy.
"No. I'd have supported him, I still support him." Cameron said absent-mindedly, there was such sincerity in his voice that Damian's Mom couldn't help but believe him.
"You should tell him" She muttered, Cameron averted his gaze and looked embarrassed once more.
"I can't—he'll reject me, it'll just end badly. Even though…" Cameron trailed off, was he really just about to tell Damian's Mom that Damian kissed him last night? Damian's Mom just smiled simply at him for him to continue in his own time. "He kissed me last night" Cameron carried on quietly, he definitely caught that split second of shock cross over the woman's face, he winced at the reaction.
"And then what happened?" She pushed, shock still evident in her voice.
"He begged me to not mention it again so I agreed." Cameron saw the shock in her face turn to some form of anger as he divulged that information.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand that boy half the time. He definitely didn't inherit that insensitiveness off me." She replied, her hand on her face as she looked at Cameron apologetically.
Just as Cameron opened his mouth to reply the door opened and Damian walked in smiling cheerily at his Mom and Cameron, his cheery face fell as he saw Cameron's tear stained cheeks. The colour in his face drained away as he looked as though he were about to freak out.
"Cam, what happened?" He said worriedly as he quickly made his way to sit on the other side of Cameron. Cameron looked at the floor instead of at Damian, he felt Damian's arm wrap around his shoulders, he felt warm. It felt so right.
"Cam tell me what happened, don't make me worry" Damian muttered forlorn into the blonde boy's ear. Damian's Mom smiled ever so slightly at the sight and got up to give the boy's some space.
"It's nothing" Cameron muttered against Damian's chest. "I just got a little homesick, had nothing to take my mind off it." Damian looked incredibly guilty all of a sudden, Cameron heard a sigh from above him.
"Oh, Cam I'm sorry. It's just—I hadn't seen Shell since I left Ireland. She's grown up a lot more." He laughed slightly. Cameron couldn't laugh along, he honestly felt close to breaking down again.
"Are you dating her again?" Cameron asked quietly, Damian didn't speak for a while, they both sat in silence still in close proximity of each other. Damian finally spoke.
"I don't know, Cam. It'd make sense wouldn't it? Especially 'cos she's grown up and all." Cameron's heart fell as Damian moved to sit up properly, pushing Cameron carefully off him. "Unless, there's a reason not to." Damian added, his eyes not leaving Cameron's face.
"I don't see there being a reason not to" Cameron replied, solemnly. Damian's face fell slightly as he looked away from Cameron.
"Yeah, I guess not." He replied. Cameron felt angry at himself, he just missed the perfect opportunity to tell Damian how he felt, but he was just mentally not ready at all. He just couldn't do it. He felt so pathetic but it wasn't easy telling your best friend that you were in love with them. It's never that easy.
Damian's Mom returned with a plate of biscuits, she placed them down on the coffee and turned to Cameron once more giving him a motherly smile.
"Are you okay now, love?" She asked kindly. He smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, thanks Mom." He replied, she chuckled at the name once more and patted him on the shoulder before leaving. Damian turned to Cameron with an eyebrow raised.
"Did you just call my Mam, Mam?" He asked, Cameron laughed and nudged him.
"She said I could." Cameron replied, smiling as though he hadn't smiled for years.
"Next thing I know you'll be moving in, not that I'd complain of course." Damian remarked, smiling at Cameron.
"Yeah, yeah, you'd get sick of me eventually" Cameron stated very matter-of-factly, Damian smiled once more.
"Yeah, but at least I'd be sick of you and not on you." Damian teased, Cameron glared at him and nudged him playfully once more. "I seriously am sorry for not spending time with you today." Damian told the boy, Cameron could hear the blatant regret in Damian's voice for leaving him at home. Cameron shrugged nonchalantly.
"It's okay, I got to spend some quality time with Mom" Damian laughed once more at Cameron saying Mom.
"Well you have me for the rest of the day" Damian told Cameron, they smiled at each other before both turning away, unable to carry on looking at each other. "Wanna play a video game or something? I have an xbox upstairs" Damian offered, Cameron smiled.
"That'd be awesome" And so Cameron became happy again quite easily, he hated the fact that Damian could make him literally break into pieces as fast as he could make him feel like the whole world was just right again. Most of all he hated that he just couldn't hate Damian; he wasn't able to hate him. No matter how much the boy unintentionally hurt him.