This Summer (DMBB Spin-off)

Chapter 17: I'm Crazy Aren't I?

"When the night has come
And land is dark
And the moon is the only light we see
No I won't be afraid
No I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me."

Song: Stand By Me ~ Bootsraps (Original by Ben E. King)

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17. I'm Crazy Aren't I?

I opened my eyes in response to the daylight that entered the room. I looked around me and sat up, recounting the events from last night. I looked at the beer bottles on the floor, and then I remembered my promise to Cameron.

Today was the day I started trying to live up to that.

Cameron.

He wasn't beside me, so where could he be?

Just then the door opened and my question was answered.

"Hey," he said, stepping inside. He had two beverages in his hands.

"Hi," I responded, lifting the duvet off my legs.

"I um...I brought you coffee...if you drink coffee," he said.

I chuckled lightly and took it from him. "I do."

How was he this functional?

"You don't like...have a hangover or anything?" I asked before taking a sip from the paper cup.

He dropped his cup at the foot of the bed and sat next to me. "A headache...but nothing I haven't handled before. Experience I guess."

I noticed he didn't look me in the eye when he spoke.

I set the cup down on the bedside table and reached for his hand. "Cameron..."

He shook his head. "I relapsed. I fucking relapsed."

"Don't beat yourself up," I told him.

"Did you...did you mean what you said?" he asked me. "About staying sober."

I exhaled, and then I nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to try...starting today."

He nodded and then kept staring at the floor, sadness evident on his face.

"You okay?" I asked, leaning my head on his shoulder.

He chuckled sourly and then looked at the ceiling. "I'm full of shit."

"More than me?" I joked, trying to make him smile at least a little. "You're not full of shit Cameron, at least you can admit you have a problem."

He finally looked at me. "Thank you. Lord knows how many more bottles I would have drowned if you hadn't shown up."

I lifted my head. "It was nothing, you check on me all the time, figured I could at least do same."

"We're messed up," he said softly, finally looking into my eyes.

A small smile tugged at my lips. "Yeah we are."

We stared into each other's eyes, and then without thinking I reached for his face and kissed him on the lips.

Shayley...what are you doing?

He pulled away, looked at me for a second, and then kissed me firmly again. Two messed up people trying to make sense of the world, that's what we were.

Our lips moved in sync and he cupped my face, his other hand securing my waist.

Are you sure about this?