Hey, everyone! Sorry for the long wait! School's starting up for me and I'm in the middle of an online class, so things are kind of crazy. Since I go back to school next week, I can't promise that I'm gonna start updating more frequently, but trust me, I'm working hard on this for all of you guys :) Hope you enjoy this one!
Chapter 14 - Drinks Between Friends
The air outside was noticeably more humid, a rarity for coastal California. Along with the familiar sea aroma, the breeze carried with it the smell of rain, which had been looming over the LA area for a few days. James stared out at the deep blue sky against the neighborhood. Not quite dark, he could hear a few of the kids in the neighborhood getting the last of their playtime. He thought of his days back in Minnesota, and later at the Palm Woods, staying out to play street hockey with the guys. Everything was so simple back then. No jobs, barely any responsibilities, no women, and no children of their own. Though he'd come to terms with the prospects of being a father as soon as the blue plus signs appeared before his eyes, James had hoped that it would turn out differently.
He jumped at the sound of the glass door sliding open. "Dude, I'm gonna get you a bell or something. This ninja shit isn't gonna cut it."
"Sorry," Kendall smirked. "I saw you out here and thought I might join you. Want a brew?" The cold metal numbed as it hit James' lap.
"Coors Light? Dude."
"It's all we have left. I think Guitar Dude left it here after our last party."
"No thanks. I'll stay dehydrated. You know what's crazy? After all these years, we still don't know Guitar Dude's real name."
Kendall grimaced as he took a swig of his beer. "Wow, that's really bad…it's Jeff, by the way. His name."
"Jeff? He doesn't seem like a Jeff."
"He also doesn't seem like a concert cellist, and yet…"
"Good point. Oh, what the hell, I'll take that glorified water," The can snapped and hissed as it opened. "I need the alcohol."
"I take it your talk didn't go well?"
"I wouldn't say that." Kendall raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I would. It was terrible. It started off alright, and then we started talking about marriage—"
"Well, that escalated quickly!"
"Not like that! I mean…well, kind of."
As James recounted the story of his proposal to Camille and its rather ceremonious reception, Kendall's jaw slackened. He searched James' eyes for a hint that this was all a cruel joke, but after the week they'd had, Kendall knew he wouldn't find what he was looking for. "She said no?"
"I thought that was covered with the 'she kicked me out of her place and never spoke to me again' bit," James quipped, taking a long drink from his now lukewarm beer.
"Okay, I've gotta work on the 'Captain Obvious' syndrome I've come down with. Why would she say no, though?"
"Hell if I know, man."
Kendall thought for a while. After a few minutes, he pulled out his phone. "There's one person I know who can help us figure this out." He put the phone on speaker, and almost immediately, there was an answer.
"Hello?" A feminine voice came through the other end.
"Jo! How's it going? You're on speaker with James, by the way."
"Hey, boys! I'm good. What's up?"
"Well…we have some girl issues."
Jo's eye-roll could be felt from the other end. "Kendall, how many times do I have to tell you that the friend zone doesn't exist?"
"It's not for me this time. It's about Camille."
"Oh. How are things going with that?"
James coughed awkwardly. "She knows?" he whispered.
"Yes, she knows," Jo responded. "You really thought I wouldn't?"
"Good point. Things are going okay, but I've hit a roadblock. So we were talking and well, wehen I found out about Henry back in the day, I proposed to her."
"Awww!"
Kendall stifled a giggle. "Isn't it so rom-UGH."
"James punched you, didn't he?"
"You bet I did."
"Good. So I'm assuming she said no."
James threw his head back, clearly disappointed with his two painfully blonde friends. "What is with you two? Don't you think you'd know if I was engaged?"
Kendall stared pointedly.
"What do you want, Eyebrows McGee?"
"Dude, you had a kid for four years and we didn't know about it."
Jo laughed in agreement. "Kendall's got a point."
"Fuck y'all."
Kendall opened his mouth to rebut, but Jo quickly chimed in. "I know he didn't mean it, Kenny." He twitched. "So you need me to help you figure out why she didn't accept your offer. Okay. Well, I can't argue with it from a quality of life standpoint, at least for her. But you…you might not have been as happy. Maybe she was doing it for you."
"For me? I was doing this for her!"
Kendall's eyes widened. "Ok, I think I get it. Think about this for a second. What if instead of saying all that crap she told you then, she'd bottled it up for years and years. If you two had gotten married—"
"We'd have ended up like my parents." James recalled the heated arguments. Now that he thought about it, it was his mother's voice he remembered the most, strident and distressed. He had hated his father for putting her in this position, making her feel that way, but perhaps he and his father had more in common than he thought.
"Thanks for the help, Jo," Kendall said with a yawn. "Man, that beer did a number on me. I think I'm gonna call it a night."
"Okay, you guys take care. Say hi to Camille for me, pass along my number. I'd love to catch up if she's up for it."
"Will do. Bye."
James sighed, gently tugging his hair. Seconds later, he swiftly drew his hands to his lap. "God, this whole thing is so stressful, I don't even care what I do to my hair anymore."
"You asshole," Kendall rolled his eyes grabbing James' half full beer can from the floor by his chair. You look fantastic and you know it."
"It's the principal of the matter."
"Alright, whatever you say. Hey, don't stay up too late. We've gotta be early tomorrow, alright?"
"Ok. Thanks for this, man."
Kendall gave a gentle smile and went inside. As James looked up at the seemingly empty sky, relief and worry filled his mind. It was nice seeing things from Camille's point of view, but something in the back of his mind told him this was only the beginning.