CAMBRIA

EIGHT

That summer of 1989 was a hazy blur, a mosaic of memories. But the most notable part of that entire summer, was Jackson Harding.

Rare was it to meet someone who's soul matched your own. With no one else could she slip into such comfortable silence. He was the only person she could do nothing with and still feel complacent.

With certainty Cambria knew that she could tell Jackson anything and he would never judge her. With him, she could let her guard down and be herself. Her true, genuine self. There was a likeness between them that she didn't have with anyone else. And with that likeness came trust and solidarity.

He became her sole confidant.

Sometimes, when they were driving in his car, she'd glance over at him from the passenger seat and wonder how out of all the people in Pine Hills, she managed to find him.

When they weren't together, they were each with their respective partners.

Cambria couldn't understand why Jackson was with Natalia. She seemed like the type of girl he would avoid, not date. Yet still, his spare time that wasn't spent with Cambria, was spent with her.

And then there was Theo. Due to his chaotic schedule, Cambria never knew when she was going to see him. And when he wasn't working, he was at the gym. But when he had a few consecutive days off, they'd spend them together.

A good majority of their time was spent in bed. She became addicted to him in the way all girls do when they're falling in love. There were things she didn't know about him, but that was okay, because they were both learning, and they still had so much time.

There were the things she did know. His favorite color was green. He loved working out. His parents were divorced and he didn't see much of his dad. His most prized possession was his car.

She'd sit cross-legged on the grass, watching as he'd work under the hood. He'd call her over, point to different parts, quiz her on them. She didn't know a thing about cars, and didn't care to learn, but she knew it made him happy.

He accompanied her car shopping, ultimately helping her choose the blue 1985 Honda Accord she bought that summer.

The night she picked it up, they drove for hours until it ran out of gas. Windows down, music blasted, Theo's hand on her thigh.

She'd force herself to stay up until sunrise just so she wouldn't miss another minute apart from him. And when her eyelids would get heavy and she could feel the pull of slumber calling to her, he'd kiss her forehead.

This is what she had been waiting for, yearning for. Years spent wondering if she'd ever find. And here it was at last. The delicacy, the intimacy, the reassurance that says, you are loved, you are cared for.

You are enough.

But then there were the droughts. The stretches of time when he was elsewhere; out of town, busy on a job. And it was during these droughts that Cambria sought solace elsewhere. Eventually there came to be more periods of drought than there were with Theo. And before she knew it, she was spending nearly all her waking hours with Jackson.

It was never difficult to find something to do because they had the same hobbies. Anything that Cambria liked, Jackson liked. Albeit the two could watch paint dry and still be content.

They never disagreed or argued. He was the easiest person to get along with.

After confessing that she had never owned a bicycle, Jackson brought her to Walmart and bought her one. And one for himself. After that, they were relentless, taking their bikes anywhere and everywhere that permitted.

She had nowhere to store it, so she kept it at Jackson's, which was even more incentive to spend time together.

Theo didn't understand the bike thing. "You have a car," he said. "Just use that."
"I don't want to use my car," she tried to explain. "I like cycling."

Jackson made it his mission in life to entertain Cambria. He still viewed her as novice – her time in Pine Hills being under six months – and therefore wanted her to experience everything the city had to offer. That meant movie nights on Tuesdays (Jackson always picked but she never complained). Concerts to all his favorite bands. Fairs and amusement parks, popcorn and cotton candy. Fridays were for the pub. And then they started doing Wine Wednesdays.

"You two drink too much," his mother remarked after they had just opened another bottle of merlot.
"No we don't," Jackson said, turning to Cambria. "I don't think we drink enough, actually."
"I agree" she said. "We hardly drink at all."
"I can't even recall the last time we drank."
Leanne stared at them. "You two were drinking last night."
"Hmmm, but that was beer," Jackson said.
Leanne rolled her eyes. "Alcoholics."

After a Friday night out of too many drinks, they hailed a taxi from downtown and headed back to Cambria's place, Jackson barely able to get from the elevator to her apartment.

Stumbling through the door, Cambria carried him to her room. He collapsed on the bed and she left to get him a glass of water and a cool cloth. When she returned, he was hugging both pillows to his chest, eyes closed.

She placed the water on the nightstand and sat at the edge of the bed, removing his shoes one at a time. She brushed the hair from his forehead and held the cloth there.

He opened one eye and looked up at her.
"You alive?" she asked.
"I'm fine."
She laughed audibly. "You are far from fine, Jackson. What the hell is wrong with you? Do you not know your limits?"
"I know them," he said. "Very very well."
"And yet..."
He didn't respond.
"What would your girlfriend say if she saw you right now?"
"You're my girlfriend."
"Shut up."
Jackson scarcely talked about Natalia. So scarcely, in fact, that Cambria forgot she existed. It caught her off guard sometimes, the fact that he had a girlfriend. She'd become so accustomed to spending everyday life with him that it was a surprise he had other people, other commitments.
He laughed. "You clean my room and wash my dishes. You take off my shoes and put cloths on my head. You're basically my girlfriend."
"You couldn't pay me to be your girlfriend."
"If monetary incentive is all it takes..."
She covered his face with the pillow, suffocating him. He knocked it away, stared up at her, grinning.

Numerous times, people had mistaken Cambria and Jackson as a couple. And she could understand why – they did practically everything together. From Sunday barbeques with his family to Wine Wendesdays. Cycling through the city, having picnics at the lake. Falling asleep outside. Just the other day, they stayed up until two in the morning having a bonfire in Jackson's backyard, then both fell asleep lying opposite of each other. Cambria awoke to the sun coming up, Jackson's feet in her face.

But to Cambria, all these things didn't feel romantic – they felt platonic, in the best way possible.

It was like having a brother all over again.

"It's crazy that we just met," Cambria said to Jackson. "It feels like I've known you since the beginning of time."
"Maybe you have."
"Do you believe in reincarnation? Perhaps we knew each other in a past life."
"With you I do."
"I've never believed in soulmates. But maybe soulmates aren't just lovers. Maybe soulmates can be best friends."

And that's exactly what Jackson was – her best friend.