Chapter 6 – Regrets
At around 2am, Kendall, Katie, and Logan went up to 2J to get a good night's rest. Not long before, Guitar Dude had swept Jo off to his place and Carlos went to find a corn dog (alcohol makes him really hungry). James and Camille sat by the dying fire, finishing off a second bottle of wine together. The two were propped up by the wall behind them, staring up at the empty night sky.
"How come there aren't any stars in Hollywood, James?" Camille asked dreamily as her head slowly drooped down upon the boy's rugged shoulder.
James, who held his liquor much better than his female companion, felt his cheeks flush as her curls brushed his skin. Though he'd never tell a soul, James had been waiting for a moment like this ever since the pair had kissed while rehearsing that hair-model-spy-prince/robot scene a few years back. Admittedly, he had hoped that Camille would be sober for it, but she'd been so caught up fending off Logan and later, rebuilding that bridge that she would probably never have gone for James on her own. Sure, the two spent plenty of time together running lines and rehearsing for auditions, but after that incident, Camille made it very clear that the two were just friends. After a few seconds of merely enjoying her nearness, James ran his fingers through her curls. Finally, he answered playfully, "Hollywood is full of stars. We were just surrounded by some a few hours ago." He smirked a bit as he spoke.
Camille giggled and pointed above them. "No, silly. I mean those stars. Up there."
"Oh. Well, I'm guessing it's because of all the light pollution? And possibly the regular pollution."
"I miss the stars, James. When I was a little girl, I'd look up at those stars every night and wonder what it'd be like to be up there among them. You know what I mean? Stars, they're just so beautiful, so magical, so wonderful, so…" Camille stopped her rambling for a moment to find the right words, but after a few seconds, reached for the wine bottle beside her instead. As it reached her lips and she discovered it empty, James grabbed the bottle and put it on the floor next to him. She pouted as she whined, "James, give that back. I need it."
"I think you've had all you need of this, dear," he replied, patting her head.
"Don't patronize me, James. I'm not a child."
"Bold words from someone as drunk as you are. Tell you what. If you can tell me why you need it so badly, then I'll consider getting you some more."
"I want to be a star, James. And that," she slurred, pointing across his lap at the empty bottle, "makes me feel like a star."
"Camille," his voice broke as he said her name. "You are a star."
"No, I'm not, James. I'm not a star. I'm just a girl chasing after a dream, just like anyone else in this town."
"Okay, you know that's not true. You've worked hard to get to where you are, and you haven't even started yet."
Camille smiled and looked up at James, her eyes wide with wonder. "You know, maybe I don't need that bottle to make me feel better after all." Before he knew it, Camille's lips were gently pressed upon his. James sunk into the kiss, reveling in the feeling he'd longed for for years. As soon as the ecstasy had come, however, it was gone and replaced with doubt and shame.
Quickly, James broke the kiss. "Cam, we can't. You're—"
He was silenced by another kiss, this one deeper, more passionate. "I know." Camille's bright brown eyes burned through him with desire as she leaned up to whisper in his ear. "So am I ever gonna see this second apartment of yours?"