A/N: Flashbacks will be in italics and centered. Regular thoughts are italicized. Hope that doesn't confuse anyone. Let me know if it does and I'll change it. Onto Chapter 9!
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Cameron groaned softly and turned over onto his back. He put his arm over his eyes, shielding them from the ray of sunshine that shone through the window next to his bed. He groaned again and forced his sleepy eyes open. Groping blindly, he grabbed the radio clock on the bedside table and looked at the time. 7:37. He moaned. This is not happening. I'm not meant to be up right now. He shifted his body again, urging it to go back to sleep, but after two hours of trying, he finally realized his attempts were futile. He growled, frustrated, and slung the covers off his body. He sat up gingerly, blinking his eyes rapidly to regain sight. He rubbed his face, trying to wake up. God, I need a shower. He reached down to grab his duffel bag. Rummaging through it, he picked up a white t-shirt, faded light blue jeans, and fresh pair of boxers. He sighed as he stood up and stretched, running his fingers through his hair afterwards. Grabbing his clothes, he shuffled out of the bedroom, down the hall, towards the bathroom. He breathed in deeply and blinked again as he reached the bathroom door, and opened the door.
An earth-shattering shriek filled his ears, causing him to yelp in surprise and drop his clothes. The sight in front of him woke him up completely. Nikki stood in front of him only wearing a white towel, her blonde hair wet from the finished shower. Cameron's eyes widened as he stood there gaping, all coherent thought flying out of his mind. Oh my God! His eyes traveled down her glistening body, from her lips to her bare shoulders, down to her arms and her legs…
A small cough brought him out of his reverie. He looked up and focused his gaze on Nikki, who stood there with her arms folded across her chest. She smirked. "You finished checking me out?"
Cameron nodded wordlessly, his gaze hypnotized as Nikki began gliding towards him. Unknowingly, with each step she took, he took a step back until he was out of the bathroom. He stopped in his steps when she did, the two standing only an inch apart. His breath hitched as she smiled wider at him. She tilted her head and began leaning towards him. Cameron swallowed quietly as her face came closer to his, her lips parting slightly. His eyes fluttered closed as he waited, anticipating the feel of her mouth on his. He could feel her move closer, her breath hot on his face.
"Mind if I finish getting dressed?"
Cameron's eyes snapped wide open as Nikki's words hit him like a freight train. Oh my God! She's only wearing a towel! He began to stutter, barely able to form words. "Oh… I'm… wait… It's not… I'm sorry!!!" He peddled backwards fast, his foot catching on the carpet and he tripped, falling over onto his back. Nikki bit her lip furiously, desperately trying not to laugh as she watched Cameron scramble to his feet and run down the hall. Shaking her head, she turned around and walked back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and letting out a giggle as she continued to get dressed.
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"I – am – such – an –IDIOT!" Cameron grunted as he banged his forehead repeatedly against the hallway wall. The image of Nikki was set firm in Cameron's mind and he hit his head even harder. He stopped and rested his head against the wall. His hands curled into fists as he exhaled and squeezed his eyes shut. He slid down onto his knees, slowly rocking back and forth, his head hitting the wall gently each time. He let out another breath and laid his head against the wall. Why me? Why did I go numb just seeing her like that? It's not as if I haven't seen any part of her body. He smiled as he remembered the previous night.
Cameron sat on the bed, his eyes closed and his hands over his eyes, waiting anxiously for Nikki to let him see her. "Are you done yet?" he asked impatiently, taking his hand away from his left eye and squinting a little.
Nikki immediately covered his eye. "Not yet silly. I'm almost done. Besides, I'll need your help in a second anyways."
"All right." He shifted his leg slightly and sighed. "Hey Nik."
"Yeah?" she answered, flicking her blonde hair as her head turned to face him.
"You want to go hang at Two Brothers tomorrow?" he asked, laying back on the bed, his eyes still closed.
Nikki smiled softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She bit her lip lightly and shook her head. "I can't Cam, sorry. I've got to go somewhere during the day."
Cameron furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and pursed his lips. "Where you going?" he asked. He opened his eyes a crack and found Nikki's hand was already there. He groaned. "Oh come on. You've got to be finished by now."
"Let me turn around first." Nikki said, taking her hand away from Cameron's eyes a little. She noticed they were slightly open. "Keep them closed," she warned.
Cameron sighed. "All right."
Nikki smiled. "Good," she said, turning her body. She stepped backwards a few steps and stood in front of him. "Okay. You can look now."
Cameron opened one eye and saw light. He sat up and opened his other eye and saw Nikki clad in a tiny halter top red bikini. His jaw slackened and his throat became dry. He rubbed his lip softly as he stared her up and down, desire starting to creep through him, his breathing becoming irregular.
Nikki stood expectantly, waiting for an answer. She smiled softly when she saw his mouth open, but started to shift nervously as she realized just how much clothing she was wearing. She tucked her hair behind her ear again and bit her lip nervously. "Why isn't he saying anything?" she thought as she continued to watch him. "Does he not like it? Why did I even think of this?" She turned around and reached for a towel.
"Don't," Cameron said, stopping Nikki in her movements.
Nikki turned around slowly, crossing her arms over her chest. She raised an eyebrow at Cameron and smiled when he grinned in response. "And why not?" she asked coyly, tapping her fingers on her arm.
Cameron's grin turned into a smirk. "Because if you covered yourself in the towel, I wouldn't be able to see the gorgeous body in front of me."
Nikki bit her lip again at Cameron's reply. "You really like it?" she asked shyly, looking down at her body.
Cameron nodded. "Definitely," he said out loud. "And way more than I should," he said to himself, taking in a deep breath.
Nikki sighed in relief. "Oh good!" She turned and faced the mirror behind her. "I wasn't sure if red was the right color for me. Or if this cut flattered my body."
Cameron stood up and walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Oh it does," he said quietly in her ear, hugging her close to his body, shifting slightly to hide a certain arousal of his.
Nikki grinned, recognizing his movements and pressed back into him. "You want to help me with something else?" she whispered seductively. She held back a giggle as she heard Cameron's sharp breath of intake.
"And what would that be?" Cameron said shakily.
"Untie my top for me."
Cameron immediately stiffened, unable to move in shock of Nikki's statement.
Nikki let out a laugh. "Relax Cameron. It's not what you're thinking," she said, pulling away from him.
"Then why do you want me to untie your bikini top?" Cameron asked unsteadily, shifting his stance slightly.
"Cause it's uncomfortable for my arms to reach back there, and since I have you in the room you can help me." She turned her head back and looked over her shoulder at him. "I want to try on some of my other clothes."
Cameron closed his eyes and groaned inaudibly. "She's torturing me," he thought as he brought his hands to her back. His fingers caressed her back lightly, her skin soft to her touch. He bit his lip as his hands came in contact with the red nylon strings. He loosened them and they fell, trailing down the small of her back.
The door opened as Melanie poked her head in. "Hey Cam. You want to go… to…" Melanie trailed off as she noticed Nikki dressed only in a bikini, her top undone, with Cameron standing right behind her, his hands on her back. Her eyes widened and anger started to well up inside her.
Cameron stared from Melanie to his hands and back to Melanie again as Nikki stood there looking at Melanie in shock. "Oh shit!" they thought in unison as they watched Melanie's face become red.
"And what the HELL is GOING ON HERE?!" Melanie yelled as Nikki and Cameron stood frozen in their spots.
Nikki spoke. "Melanie. It's not what it looks like," she said quietly. "Cameron was just helping me out of my bikini so I can try something else on." She smiled sweetly at blue-eyed girl in hopes to assuage the situation.
It didn't work.
Melanie glared at Nikki for a moment before turning her attention to Cameron. "Cameron," she addressed coldly. "Can I speak to you alone for a moment please?" she asked, her jaw clenching.
Cameron nodded meekly as he stepped away from Nikki. "I'll see you later Nikki," he said as he walked towards his angry girlfriend. She turned and left the room. He looked up to the ceiling. "Why me?" he thought in frustration as he followed Melanie out into the hallway.
Cameron shook his head at the memory of the tongue-lashing he received from Melanie. He shuddered slightly, remembering her ice-like tone. It definitely hadn't gone very well which led to him taking her out on a date today in order to appease her anger. He sighed. It certainly wasn't how he wanted to spend the day. But he couldn't lose Melanie… right?
"Hey Cam!" Nikki called from down the hall. "Bathroom's free. You can take a shower now!"
Cameron looked up at her words and stood up. He glanced around for his clothes before remembering he had left them in the bathroom. He started off down the hall to get ready for his date. He sighed again. Today was definitely going to be a long day.
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The blue sky was illuminated by the brilliance of the sun. The wind blew with a soft breeze. Seagulls soared across the sky, looking for food. People scattered about happily, chatting about the latest gossip of Playa Linda. But despite the cheerful atmosphere, Cameron sat uncomfortably at a table in Tiki Squeeze, his gaze focused on a fuming young woman sitting across from him at the table. He sighed, exasperated. "Melanie, I said I was sorry. We weren't doing anything. I was just helping her-"
"Out of her bathing suit." Melanie interrupted, her eyes narrowed at the brunette boy in front of her. "Why kind of boyfriend helps another girl change?"
Cameron groaned as he rubbed his bottom lip for what seemed to be the twentieth time that day. "The kind of boyfriend whose best friend is a girl," he replied. He winced as Melanie's gaze seemed to grow colder. "Mel. I'm sorry."
"I'm sure," she sneered before taking a sip of her smoothie. She turned her gaze away from Cameron and focused on the people around them.
Cameron sighed again, and rubbed his face with his hands, resisting the urge to bang his head against the table. "You know, we don't have to stay here anymore," Cameron said taking his hands down and looking at Melanie, who was looking intently in the other direction. He groaned again internally. "We can leave tonight and go back home. And then you won't have to worry about me and Nikki." He waited for her reply but received none. He could feel his patience slipping fast. Damn. I knew she was angry but this is ridiculous. "Melanie…. Melanie! …. MELANIE!"
Melanie's head jerked back to face Cameron. "What?!" she yelled, irritated.
"Do you want to go home?" he said more calmly.
"No!"
Cameron froze at Melanie's outburst, his eyes narrowing warily.
Melanie noticed this and tried to come up with an excuse. "I… I mean…" she stammered, her mind rapidly thinking. "I… want to go home. Just not tonight. We don't get to go to the beach all that often. I want to stay here as long as I can." She sighed in relief as she saw understanding appear in his eyes.
Cameron nodded. "Okay. Good. I wanted to spend some more time with Nikki and Amber anyways."
Melanie scowled. "Cameron," she growled.
Cameron put up his hand. "Look. I get to spend all my time with you back home. We're only here for a few days and I'd like to spend some time with my friends here. Nothing else."
Melanie glared for a moment before turning her attention back to the older, well-dressed, clean-cut man she was staring at before. He's pretty cute for an older guy. She found him staring back at her with wide eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. What did I do? The man began to walk towards her. Oh my God! He's coming over here. She brushed her hair back with her hand and gave a bright smile.
Cameron saw this and sat perplexed. Where did that smile come from? He noticed her gaze focused on something behind him.
"Cameron?" a voice said from behind him.
Cameron turned around and froze at the older man who stood in front of him. His mouth dropped in surprise.
"Dad?"
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A/N: Hmm… definitely not up as fast as I would have liked, but you didn't wait for that long did you:)
Well there's chapter nine! What do you think? Do you like it? Thank you so much for all the reviews for the last chapter! I got 11!!!! Thank you so much guys! Can I get five more? Please?
I've got some of the next chapter done. It might not be up for about a week though. I'm at college now and classes have started, which is a reason why it took so long for this chapter to get up. I promise I am working on it, and I promise I'll get it up as fast as I can.
Thank you guys so much for your patience.
By the way, this chapter was dedicated to Cynthia1993 who was my fifth reviewer! Also a shout-out to Candace Storms who convinced me to add a certain scene in this chapter.
Until Next!
