Line of Fire (A Stitchers Fan Fiction- Book 1)

Chapter 20: Phantom's Ring

Kirsten had no idea why her heart was beating so fast as Cameron reached for his keys to open his loft door. She felt her calloused hands abrading each other as she stood there watching the seconds tick by. Once Cameron opened the door, he gestured for Kirsten to come in with an obnoxiously adorable bow.

"My liege." He said smiling, which made Kirsten's heart skip a beat. She couldn't help but chuckle as she came in, but the fidgety feeling did not leave her. 

Suddenly, a wave of emotion struck her like the Titanic and the iceberg. Her breathing began to quicken and her hands shook fiercely as if they were vibrating. She felt herself swaying in place and beginning to lose balance. Cameron, not knowing this was happening, was boiling pasta.

"Hey Stretch, I hope you like whole-grain pasta because that's...Kirsten, what's wrong?" He rushed over to her and made her sit down on his couch. He looked straight into her brown doe eyes and grabbed her trembling hands. 

"Are you okay? Oh shoot! You haven't eaten anything for two straight days. You must be dehydrated too.  Here the pasta's almost done, it'll be out any second." Cameron hastily grabbed a water bottle from his fridge and shoved it into her hands. With record speed, Kirsten yanked open the bottle top and downed the water. Her raw throat was instantly soothed, but the rest of her body was still in an odd state of limbo. She could no longer feel her hands, and her head felt like it was floating up in puffy clouds.

Kirsten could hear Cameron mumbling behind her as he drained and prepared the pasta. Within a nano-second, the pasta was in front of her, and not a second later was it gone. Cameron not only prepared just one plate, but two more plates of pasta in case she was still hungry. He insisted that she eat them, and with pleasure, she downed two more bottles of water and the pasta dishes. Cameron silently observed her as she gulped the water and ate the pasta in a less urgent way. After the third dish was done, she put down the plate and water and leaned back on the couch. 

The feeling in her hands came back, and her head felt like it was screwed on right again. No more nausea or stressed breathing told her that the food and water did the trick. Cameron now came over with another plate and pushed it toward her.

"Cameron, thank you, but I cannot eat anymore. You need to eat too."

"Yeah, but you looked like you were going to pass out. You know me, I'm always worrying about you." Cameron said with a sheepish smile on his face, which made Kirsten return the gesture.

"I'm going to go get you some more water." 

"Cameron, I'm fine. Sit down and eat for crying out loud!" Kirsten cried grabbing his shoulder and gently sitting him down on the couch. Her smile made him grab a fork and finally take a first bite of pasta, then another, and another. Once his first plate was finished, he had two more thanks to Kirsten's speedy pasta-making skills. Soon after finishing the third plate, it was his turn to sit back and digest for a little while. Kirsten soon returned to the couch after collecting the dishes against Cameron's wishes, but he let her anyway. 

Kirsten then returned to the couch with napkins in hand. She reached for his chin, which had pasta sauce strewn. He began to lean away laughing.

"Stretch, you're not my mother. I can get it myself." 

"It's simple logic, Cameron. I can see it, you can't. See?" Kirsten replied reaching over. Cameron reluctantly allowed her to wipe the sauce away.

"This is so weird," He mumbled just loud enough for her to hear. "Fine, but then I'll get you next."

"Well, like a civilized human being, I actually used a napkin while eating." Kirsten said setting the napkin down on the table smiling. 

Cameron just stared into her eyes for a couple seconds before being questioned. 

"I'm just contemplating my next move, like in chess." 

"I bet you don't know how I play chess."

"I already know. Queen takes knight." Before Kirsten could reply, Cameron leaned in and kissed her lightly at first, leaving Kirsten in shock for a second, then kissed back whole-heartedly. It may have been their 5th kiss shared together so far since they've met, but each one felt more and more like home.

***

Buried deep inside Kirsten's purse, a sudden buzz sounded, but the buzz didn't stop there. Her phone was shaking, just like she was before. It silently called her name, but she never came to its rescue. It only rested soundly in her purse pocket, the screen flashing a number and single name on the Caller ID:

Stinger, Jacqueline.