Too Good To Be True?

Chapter 27

"Ooh! Burn in the fiery pits of hell, you demon scum!" Cam threw his controller to the side, putting his feet up on the coffee table in victory. He leaned back against the cushions, tossing some crisps into his mouth as he gave me the side eye. "Look, Dave, as fun as it is beating you four times in a row, a little competition would be appreciated."

It was about a month into Meg and his semester and we'd all been having a great time together. I'd never seen Angel happier, she was living in her dream house with the love of her life and her two best friends with a job she adored. I was thrilled whenever I saw her smile lighting up the whole neighborhood.

So why did I have this gnawing feeling in my gut? This hole that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to fill?

I sighed, absentmindedly flicking my joysticks. "Sorry, mate. I've just been... out of it."

"Yeah, I've noticed. What's got you so down, bro?"

I shrugged, unsure of whether I really wanted to confess my true thoughts. I studied him for a moment, thought about all the times he'd helped Angel, held her up and defended her, and decided I could trust him with this secret.

"How did you know, um... when it was, you know... time?"

He raised a brow, but there was a hint of a smirk on his lips. " 'Time'? For what exactly?"

I could feel my neck flushing out of embarrassment, or maybe some other emotion I couldn't name. "Time to... ask Meg... I mean, you're both so young..." I met his gaze, but my mind was phasing in and out of the present moment. "How did you know she'd say yes?"

He smiled, a bittersweetness laced in the expression. "I didn't."

My eyebrows furrowed at that. "But, you had this whole elaborate scheme. What if she said no?"

"I would've been disappointed, and a little embarrassed, but I just knew that I didn't want to lose her. We were going to different colleges and the thought of being away from her was so painful... I loved her so much and knew that wasn't going to change and so I figured I had to give it a shot."

"Weren't you scared?"

He barked out a laugh. "I was fucking terrified. To put your heart on your sleeve like that, it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do. But I'm so glad I did." He shrugged. "Nothing has really changed between us, obviously. We're still just as in love as before, now we just have a fancy label and a fancy ring to symbolize it."

I nodded half heartedly, sinking further into the sofa.

He set a slightly greasy hand on my shoulder but I didn't look at him. "Are you really scared that she'd say no?"

I fought back the tears that were attempting to rally a force against my eyelids, shaking my head. "I... I don't know... I guess I just, don't want to overstep... or move too fast..." I thought back to when I'd given her the promise rings, how she'd freaked out at the thought of everything that came with their implications. It had been a few years since then and we'd grown so much as a couple, but still... maybe I was a little scared of that happening again.

"I totally get you, I do. And it's cool that you're thinking about her before you. But honestly, if you paid just a little more attention, I think you'd realize that she wants this just as much as you do."

I scowled, pulling my arm away. "Are you saying I don't pay attention to my girlfriend?"

"No, I'm saying that you've both been living in your heads lately and it's high time to come back down to reality."

I let out a puff of air. "Yeah, I guess you're right..."

"Look, you asked how I knew it was time. I knew when I couldn't go more than an hour without picturing her in a white dress, when I couldn't sit down at my computer without looking at rings, when I would stay up for hours just staring at her gorgeous face as she slept, worrying and worrying about it, thinking up the perfect scenario that would guarantee a yes. Finally my worrying turned into plotting and the rest is history."