So that's what he does—makes love to me.

And I do. I forget. I forget everything else in the entire world—because he is my entire world.

-CAMERON-

With classes, studying, work at the firm and work at the store, I've barely had time to see Lucy. We do our best to sleep in the same bed at night, but even that's becoming a struggle. I'm barely awake through all of it, which is why it's kind of cool that Roxy is around to keep me in check. "Are you dying?" she says, pulling up a chair and sitting next to me in class.

I laugh once, drop my pencil and turn to her. "What the hell?"

She shrugs. "You've been missing a few classes lately and you missed a day at work the other day. Also, and please don't be offended, but you look like ass."

"I have a lot going on." I stretch my arms and yawn loudly.

"Yeah?" She rests her forearms on the desk and leans closer. I look away when my eyes catch way too much cleavage. "Anything I can help with?"

Shaking my head, I answer, "No. Just stuff with my best friend, and just all this other shit is getting on top of me. I don't have time to relax, and I have to keep my grades up or they can withdraw my scholarship, and Lucy—"

"Is she bugging you to always spend time with her? Does she not understand?"

My eyes narrow. "No. That's not it at all. She gets it... I think. It's both of us, really. We both want to be with each other but it's happening less and less and I think that it's throwing me off balance. She keeps me grounded, but it's harder now..."

She smiles a sympathetic smile. "Is there something you can cut out to free up some time?"

I can't help but laugh. "No, there's nothing. I need to do it all. I need to work at the firm or I have to find a way to pay for this education. I need a job, so that I can eat. I need to eat to live. And I need to live to see Lucy."

She smiles, that same smile from only seconds ago. "Sounds like you do it all for Lucy."

I roll my eyes. "I do everything for Lucy."

"Huh," she says, before getting off her chair and walking away.

I don't know what she means by 'huh', but I don't care enough to think about it.

***

I quickly dress for work and head back down to my car. "Cameron," I hear, and I already know who it is without turning around. Roxy's running toward me barefoot with her heels in her hand. "Please tell me you're going to work right now."

"Yeah," I shout, waiting for her to catch up.

"Oh my God, I rushed out of class and to the bathroom to change and then I missed my bus and ran all the way here." She drops her shit when she gets to me and bends over, trying to catch her breath—her shirt's so low that her tits nearly fall out.

I turn away.

When she finally settles enough to stand upright, she crosses her arms over her chest and shivers. "Anyway," she says, rubbing her arms. "Can I get a ride?"

I shrug out of my jacket and hand it to her. "Sure," I tell her, jerking my head toward my car. She covers herself in my jacket, but doesn't put her arms through.

"Holy shit," she laughs out. "A Delorean?"

My smile is smug; it always is when people realize what I drive.

I press the button on the remote and stand back while the doors lift for her. "Please," I mock, throwing my hand out for her to take, "step into my time machine."

Her head throws back with laughter, as she gets in ass first, with her legs together so she doesn't show off too much of what's under her short-ass skirt.

"You're an idiot," she says.

"I know," I laugh.

I close her door and lift my head, and then my heart stops.

"Hey," Lucy says, her eyes slowly moving from Roxy to me. But having Roxy sitting in the car isn't what made the beating of my heart falter. It's not even the fact that she looks hurt by it. It's the fact that her eyes are red and puffy like she's been crying for days.

"What's going on?" I stand so I'm in front of her and take both her hands in mine.

She lifts her gaze, but her eyes are unfocused, not looking at me, but past me. "I've been trying to call you."

My eyes narrow in confusion. I pull my phone out of my pocket and see over twenty missed calls. "Fuck, I switched it to silent when I was in the library. Are you okay?"

Her eyes dart to Roxy in the car, before coming back to me. "Yeah, go to work." She fakes a smile. "I'll talk to you later about it."

She starts to turn but I hold her hand tighter. "Lucy."

"It's fine," she clips. "Call me when you're done." She stands on her toes and kisses me quickly, but I swear it—there's a second of hesitation where she almost stops herself. She jerks back, like maybe she's doing something wrong.

She roughly yanks her hand from mine.

And all I can do is watch her walk away.

The honking of my horn gets my attention. Roxy taps at an imaginary watch on her wrist.

***

I can't focus. I can barely stay awake. I look at the clock. Half an hour left. I need to go home. I need to call Lucy, find out where she is, see her, and talk about what happened that made her cry.

I just need Lucy.

Which is why when my boss comes to my cubicle and tells me that Roxy and I need to stay back to digitalize some files from the Wilmington branch, I go to the men's bathroom and punch a hole in a door. It's the worst fucking timing, but I don't argue. I can't. So instead, I lean against the counter and dial Lucy's number.