Don't Tell My Brother

Chapter 26 - Being Practical

Lucas glanced between the two: Cameron, who was standing at his side, backlit by the light from the stairs, and Damien, who still had his hands in his pockets, mouth slightly open as if he'd been about to say something. But instead he let his face settle into a smirk. It was his customary expression, and Lucas would've thought he was just feeling his usual smug self, if it weren't for the way those dark eyes flicked between Lucas and Cameron, and way his jaw tensed, ever so slightly, when Cameron spoke.

"Come on, Lucas." Cameron said again, tapping the box with the toe of one elegant leather shoe. "This," he gestured between the Damien and Lucas, "can wait, can't it?" His words were perfectly polite, but there was something indefinably disdainful in the way he glanced at Damien, as if to suggest that it could wait, because it wasn't very important at all.

It was silent for a moment. Lucas found it nearly unbearable, but what could he do? He couldn't, and definitely wouldn't, tell Cameron to go away, but he did want to keep grilling Damien, find out exactly what had happened. Maybe it was because, deep down, he wanted there to be some explanation for the way Damien had acted that day. Some explanation that wasn't that Lucas had been too stupid and trusting, or that he was really so irritating that Damien couldn't stand him. Or maybe he just liked to think people were good, and could change, and if there was some tiny chance that Damien really was trying to apologise, shouldn't he hear him out? It was all so confusing Lucas wanted to bash his head against the nearest wall. All this was far too complicated. He'd come here to do a job, not to sort through his emotions or find out what the hell was going on with Damien.

"Yes, it can. We've still got so much to do." Lucas said finally.

Lucas could've sworn he saw Damien's shoulders slump, ever so slightly. But he decided it must've just been a trick of the light, because a moment later Damien had scoffed dismissively.

"Have fun."

He disappeared into the depths of the basement to fetch another box without so much as a backwards glance.

Cameron's eyes followed him, a bemused little smile on his lips.

He and Cameron resumed their task, carrying the boxes between themselves and climbing the stairs again. Lucas found he was only half-listening to Cameron's conversation, responding every so often with encouragement, or some sort of question. Damien's apology had been confusing, and poorly worded, and his explanation for why hadn't made much sense. It was full of holes, things Damien was avoiding saying, or maybe he just hadn't been bothered to try. More likely to be the latter, Lucas mused.

Eventually, he decided to put it out of his mind. Like everything involving Damien, it was better left alone. And now he had Cameron, who was cute and smart and currently talking about something that was very complicated and clever, though Lucas hadn't been paying enough attention to work out exactly what it was. Rude, he chided himself, and listened properly.

The rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly enough, Cameron making interesting conversation and Lucas feeling pretty proud of himself for keeping up. He might have only been a year or two older, but Cameron seemed so much more sophisticated than most people he knew. He'd graduated, he'd travelled, he could even speak French (only a little, he'd admitted humbly, though to Lucas his accent sounded perfect), and...maybe Damien had a point about him being a fan. Not about the dick sucking. But there was nothing wrong with liking someone, Lucas reminded himself. He wasn't about to pursue anything with Cameron, but he could at least admire him.

The three of them walked down the marble steps together into the beginnings of twilight. Lucas turned right, towards the nearest bus stop, and Cameron made to turn left.