Jerking awake, Sharon looked around in confusion at the unfamiliar room she was in. In the middle of a giant bed, she was surrounded by rich, cream-colored walls and a floor-to-ceiling window that had an ocean view. There was a dresser and closet as well. Rubbing her eyes and yawning, she got out of bed and trudged to the seats facing the scenery.
She knew she should be worried about her sudden relocation but, even in her half-asleep state, the ocean called to her. It looked so calming and majestic at the same time. The water undulated before her eyes before crashing into the shore. There were people walking along the beach and her focus changed to them.

It was interesting to see them, living their lives, doing their things, from so high up. Captivated by the lights by the pier as well, she was content to just sit by the window when a voice and words entered her ears. Realising she wasn't alone, she examined the room closer.
There was no one around. But she was sure she heard a voice. Brows furrowing, she tried to find the source. The room and bathroom was empty. Then, she tried to look outside only to realise there was another room. Peeking into the other room, she found Cameron on the phone.

It wasn’t that she was surprised to see him but as she had just woken up, her body wasn't up to speed and her heart jumped before calming. Still feeling lethargic, she took a seat at the sofa to wait him out. It appeared to be a very heated conversation as he paced by the window arguing with the person on the other. It was difficult to hear him as he was whispering into the phone. That didn’t last long as he raised his voice and shouted into the phone again.
“Well, you can take that concern and shove it up your ass. I saw none of that during the lunch today and I have to ask whether you even care about Sharon,”he said, lowering his voice when he mentioned her name. Wondering at that volume change, it was answered by what he said next. “Anyway, Sharon’s sleeping and I don’t want to continue this pointless conversation. I just called to let you know where we are. Control your manic wife and- Ah, I’ll call you back.”
“H-hey,”she said, when their eyes connected. Feeling awake, it suddenly felt hot under the collar. She wondered what to say or how to feel. She had just witnessed him defending her so gratitude was there. But the anger and indignation at his high-handedness had returned, raring to pounce on him. Before anything else though, there was an important question.

“Where are we?” From the way he looked away, she knew it wasn’t going to be good. “Cameron.”
“A hotel.”
“And why are we at a hotel?”
“You know, we got here so late that it’s impossible to drive back.” She had to take a deep breath to keep from exploding. He was answering her questions and being evasive at the same time.
“Okay. Then what time are we going back tomorrow?”she asked, still suspicious. It felt like the other shoe was going to drop.
“We don’t have to go back so fast. I mean, I talked to Matt and he said to take a break.” And there was the other shoe. Unable to say anything, she grabbed the nearest thing she could find, which was a throw pillow, and approached him. “You can come back next week- Now, Sharon, you’re going to hurt yourself,”he said in a calm, soothing voice.
“As long as you are hurt as well, I don’t care. Cameron, how could you? That’s my boss. He’s supposed to be impartial about this kind of things. I just started and need to be treated the same as everybody else. Anyone else who does this would be out of a job the next day- Can you stop moving so fast?”she growled angrily, panting after the ever escaping man.

The room wasn’t even that big and he still managed to avoid her. It occurred to her he was an athlete. Even one who was recovering still had the skills ingrained. Being a quarterback had made him nimble on his feet and he retained the muscle memory. Now this was an impossible situation. Falling onto the sofa, she glared at him.

“I give up.”

He didn’t believe her. Obviously, he shouldn’t but she had run out of energy. All that rest had not helped her in any way. She was drained within minutes of waking up. But as the energy drained out of her, so did all the itchy, thorny emotions. Now she was just annoyed. Her exhaustion dissipated when he sat down gingerly beside her. There was no explaining it but she felt comforted with his presence. They sat in silence for a few moments.
“You’re so annoying. But can you at least tell me why we’re here?”
“I just thought you needed a break. Matt told me you have been working very hard for the past few months so since we were heading here, it felt like a good time.” She narrowed her eyes on him.
“Don’t lie. This is a spur-of-the-moment trip. I’m sure Matt didn’t play in role in this at all. Well, maybe as an afterthought.”
“Maybe I thought that it was a good chance to reconnect after not seeing each other for so long.”
“A simple lunch would do. But nothing like this afternoon. That was an ambush, nothing more, nothing less. A lunch with just the two of us would be nice. Oh, maybe not just the two of us because you and Holly are still a thing-”
“Look, I don’t know how to say this but I wasn’t lying when I said that I broke it off with her.”
“Are you serious? I really thought you were joking.”
“Why would I joke about this?”

“I don’t know. I’m just confused. The entire city knows about the two of you. Isn’t it awkward for you to break it off after little over two months?”

“It’s awkward regardless. And I don't get into relationships and foresee us breaking up. It's just it didn't take long for me to figure out we won’t be working out.”
“Why?”

“Again, I told you the reason.”

“Which is?”

“It’s because I like someone. And before you ask, that person is you. I like you, Sharon. I’m serious about this.”
“W-what?”

---@@@-----

Buying some food along the Boardwalk, Cameron hurried back to where Sharon was waiting. Even though it was quite late into the night, there were still a lot of people walking about. With so many people, the heat was relentless. With sweat dripping down his neck and face, his hands itched to tug at his fake scar but he barely held back the urge.

Since the two of them decided to explore the area, he had to don on a disguise. He currently had on a baseball cap and fake scar across his cheek. And it appeared to be looking as no one gave him a second look. Keeping a lookout for the busty redhead, he couldn’t believe how light he felt.

Sharon had stayed silent after his confession. There was a weird look on her face as if she was both shocked and in disbelief. He was, naturally, hurt but just letting her know was a big relief on his part. And as they walked around, it was like a balm to his soul. After weeks of unknown tension gripping him, with no relief in sight, he was glad to enjoy a night where everything felt right.

But the walk had been awkward initially. Even though they went there together, they were walking so far apart that an elephant could walk right between them. He was still reeling from the non-answer while she was clearly uncomfortable. It was when a crowd got between them that he made his way to her. The fear of letting her out of his sight had gotten a hold of him suddenly.

After that, as this was her first time here, she was able to put aside her discomfort and allowed him to show her around. There was some lingering awkwardness but, as the night got deeper, they were able to enjoy themselves.

He liked that he was seeing another side of her. The wide-eyed amazement, her laugh of delight and her look of longing made his feelings deepen for her. Maybe it was because New York was a home to her but she had never been as excited or astounded there as she was here. And, as a frequent visitor of the city, it was an opportunity to act as the guide. Which he loved since she was reliant on him.

“What took you so long?”she asked when he finally returned to her side. She was at a quieter part of the Boardwalk, leaning against the railings and facing the sea.

“Didn’t you see the line? Just be glad I got here this fast,”he returned jokingly, knowing she, herself, was jesting. Handing the food and drink over, he was anxious to hear her review. And he wasn’t even sure why.

These were just standard street food fare. He had wanted to bring her to his favourite restaurant but she refused, saying something about not being dressed for that. There might have been some distrust on her side about his intentions but he took it at face value. And as she forked a big piece of fried fish into her mouth, he could see the appeal of eating on the go.

The piece of fish was too big for her and she had to bite it in two, making the juices from the fish practically burst out all over her face. Since her hands were busy, her eyes fell on him to help her. He was more than happy to help as a smile burst across his face. Wiping her jaw and lips with a napkin, he shook his head when she wanted to offer him some, content to watch her.

That was until she shoved pieces of fish into his mouth. Surprised, he just took it in, chewed and swallowed. Looking down at her, it was like an unconscious thing for her. Something she did naturally. Her eyes were not fixed on him or anything. They were instead roaming around, looking at the stores and the people. She had even returned to her food. Only now, she was occasionally feeding him as well.

He still accepted the food but confusion reigned within. The first question that popped into his head was why. Why was she doing this? Did she do this because he didn’t have any food? And then, next was what. What did this mean? Was she doing this for him specifically or would any man do?

As these questions ran rampant in his mind, he observed her further, wondering whether he should attach a deeper meaning onto this. Suddenly, she looked up at him when his teeth jostled the fork a bit more than usual. That was when her eyes widened and her face reddened. Hurriedly finishing the food, she threw away the container and walked away.

He was stunned. What just happened? She had run off like a bat out of hell. And without a word to him. Not knowing where she had gone to, he was about to give chase when he heard his name. When he saw that it was a fan, he wished that he hadn’t. He wanted to be incognito.

Greeting his fan, he hoped it was a simple request for an autograph or a photo together. His eyes were in the direction of where she had disappeared to but at this rate, he was going to lose her. But this wasn’t a simple interaction. And this was not the only fan.

When one came, more people noticed him. And before long, he had attracted the attention of others and a crowd had formed around him. Realising it was getting out of hand, he was frantically thinking about what to do to get out of this when Sharon came back.

In her professional mode, she swiftly made a path for him, answering questions with a non-answer and ignoring the openly disgruntled fans. Some of them were openly cursing her, promising some kind of retribution. He had to catch himself from hitting those disrespectful idiots. The only time she faltered was when a female fan practically threw herself at him. He made sure to catch her before she fell before letting her go and keeping his distance.

Hoping Sharon wouldn’t misunderstand, they managed to walk around a little bit more with no other encounters with his fans and he enjoyed the time they had together.

AN: hey guys. Sorry for the late upload. A lot happened during the weekend. Hope you like the chapter though. A little getaway for Sharon, one she didn't ask for but needed so badly. Now i wonder how Cameron's going to go from here.

I'm seriously wondering about this guys. I'm at that part of the writing process where nothing works and I don't want to make this longer than it is. *tears hair out* Just let me work this through.

Anyways, hope you liked the chapter. Please VOTE and COMMENT if you did. Follow me on Wattpad, Twitter or ko-fi. Also grab my book Accidental Babies out on Amazon now.

THANKS