F***in' Arizona

Straight from the Horse's Mouth Pt. 4 (Chapter 14)

Ari's P.O.V.: UCLA
*Some time in 2013 before the death of Cameron*

"If I was straight, I'd totally date you."

"Yeah well, you're not straight and neither am I and I'm already spoken for."

"You're seriously one of the only good guys I know, Ari. Not douchy, sexist, or trying to play "grab ass" with me."

"I respect you way too much for that Cam. But for real, you ever need me to pretend to be your boyfriend or to beat any guy's ass, I will."

Cam and I were hanging out after class in the cool and breezy 60-degree Californian weather in one of the three hangout quads on campus while she complained to me about some guy who grabbed her ass while she was walking on the campus. It always irked my nerves whenever guys were handsy pricks to girls and women.

"I appreciate that Ari. How are things going with you and Charlie?"

"We're good. Not gonna lie, we've been getting into quite a few arguments recently. I think the distance between us is starting to take an effect. I mean, we haven't been apart that long, but what do you do when you want to talk to your boyfriend face-to-face, but you can't? What do you do when you're horny, but your boyfriend lives thousands of miles away from you?"

"You cheat," Cam says nonchalantly.

I give my friend the side-eye for her response, "Cam, we've gotta find you a good girlfriend so you know where I'm coming from. When are you gonna let me make you an online profile? Or even introduce you to some girls I know?"

"I'm not really feeling the whole dating thing right now. I'm honestly too stressed with this whole ordeal going on with my family to be in a relationship."

"Who said anything about a relationship? You could go on a few dates here and there, get fucked."

Cam laughs at my blunt statement and slaps my arm playfully.

"Well, if it involves getting laid, then just maybe," she says smiling, "When am I going to meet this boyfriend of yours anyway?"

"Actually, Charlie is coming to California to visit me during the holiday pretty soon. You can meet him then if you want. In fact, if you're not doing much, you could spend part of the holiday break with us. I'm not going home for Christmas."

"Yeah, no. It's no way I'm going to my house. Not like they'd want me there anyway. Why aren't you going home?"

"Eh, I'd rather spend a couple weeks catching up and hanging out with my boyfriend who I haven't seen in months than my family who doesn't know I'm gay and berating me with questions on when they're going to meet my "girlfriend".

"I understand that. What excuse are you going to tell them though? And what about your brother? He goes to school here in California too doesn't he?"

"Dak? Yeah, he does. He knows I'm not coming home with him. I told my family that Charlie and my ex were coming to California to visit me and spend the holidays with me here. They love my ex and believe we'll get back together one day. But after Charlie spends a couple weeks here, we're going to go to New York, and I'll spend some time there. Then maybe, but it's a small maybe, I'll go to visit my family briefly. Surprise them and spend a few days there."

"I really wish I could spend the holidays with my family rather than just staying here on campus in my apartment," Cam says sullenly.

I throw my arm around her and pull her into a tight hug and kiss the top of her soft, sandy brown hair, "Hey! You won't be alone; you'll be with Charlie and me!"