This one is intentionally short because the next chapter is what I like to call "The Big One" aka The Whole Reason I Committed to Writing This Story. Please enjoy!
"… I don't like that look you're giving me, Cam."
They were spending the rainy afternoon inside the spare room of Howard's Café, which had been slowly transformed through the course of a few years to encompass the remarkable amount of flora and unidentifiable crates that classified it as Cam's workroom. He had just finished retelling the events of the previous afternoon, a small knot forming in his stomach as the boy across from him sighed and looked up from pruning a few stray leaves from a bunch of carnations.
"… It never occurred to you that maybe Laney was only saying these things because she's had a crush on you since she was 11?"
He felt a rush of blood go to his cheeks. "No. That never did occur to me."
Cam sighed and gestured to the stool beside him, handing him a pair of pruning shears and a bunch of carnations as he continued to speak. "Frankly I'm not surprised. You're probably the least observant person I've ever met." He paused, looking pointedly at the carnation he had just butchered, having been too focused on his words to pay attention to what he was doing with his fingers.
"I don't know if she said it because she was jealous or... Regardless, what she said was right. Your mother has been asking me about you and Lillian, and if you aren't careful she's going to be planning the wedding before you've even gotten your hands on a blue feather. I'm just saying, it wouldn't kill you to be a little bit more subtle…"
"But I don't want to marry Lillian… or anyone, for that matter. I've never even kissed a girl!" He sighed, abandoning the carnations in favour of ripping his hat off in frustration, his elbows pressing into the wood of the table. "Look, it's not my fault Laney likes me. I mean maybe back when we were kids I felt something, but now… Whatever. Laney and I are friends. Lillian and I are friends. We're all just friends."
Cam snorted, a stray leaf flying from the stem of the flower and onto the table. "Oh yeah, you're friends all right. That's why Lillian spent almost an hour at my flower stand the other day making me tell her the meaning of every bloody flower I had in stock."
He pulled his head up from his palms, looking round angrily. "By the way, thanks for the heads up about Flower Day." He felt his ears go red as Cam sniggered beside him. "No, no. I mean it. Thanks for making me look like an asshole in front of her. That really helped things, thanks."
"Oh, so you're interested in helping things along then are you? How far along are we talking here?" Cam chuckled, not phased by the icy glare he was sending him. "Obviously not too far, given the fact that you have about as much experience with girls as I do with dogs."
"Shut up."
"There you two are." A quick glance over both their shoulders revealed Lillian, leaning against the doorway and looking eerily like the day he had first met her. "The rain let up a while ago, either of you want to head over to Georgia's? She just got a new foal."
Beside him Cam chuckled dryly. "I need to finish up here. But Ash isn't doing anything better, are you Ash?"
"Nope, I not." He sent a pointed look to Cam, getting to his feet. "Give me a minute though, got to help Cam with all these clippings he's got everywhere."
She shrugged at him, her hands settling in her pockets. "Suit yourself. I'm going to grab a bite from Howard, just come in front when you're done."
"Sure."
His eyes followed her out, waiting until she was out of ear shot before rounding abruptly on Cam. "What the hell was that?"
The other boy stood, towering over him by a few inches. "You're telling me you're upset?"
"No, but…"
Cam looped an arm around his shoulders, steering him towards the door. "Then I just did you a favour. Now get going, you've got a lady in waiting."
He was still blushing when the door clicked shut behind him.
Short and sweet! You guys don't even have a right to be grumpy at me, the next chapter is a juicy one :)