The GPS on my phone said it was a 45-minute walk, so you could imagine how relieved I felt when I made it to the front door. I sent a quick prayer out to the universe about how grateful I was that I lived in a small, relatively crimeless town.

I rang the doorbell twice as I stood on the porch, shifting my weight from my left to the right foot. I felt a pulse at the bottom of my feet, and I glared at the high-heeled boots that my mom had insisted that I wore.

The door flung open, and Cam's eyes widened. "Summer!"

"Summer?" Suho repeated somewhere in the house.

I waved lamely, nibbling on my lower lip. "Hey. Can I come in?" I smiled warily.

Cam blinked at me repeatedly before stepping back and opening the door wider. A silent invitation.

"Thanks." I slipped off my shoes, and my feet thanked me. My jacket was next.

Cam took it from me, hanging it on the coat rack. "I'm sorry. I am interrupting guy's night." I wanted to see him.

Cam shook his head then a slow grin appeared. "You're welcomed to stop by anytime." He brought me into a hug. "Who gave you a ride over? I didn't see any cars outside."

"Uh..."

Cam's brows pinched together then he finally got a good look at what I was wearing. It's not every day you stop by a friend's place in a cocktail dress, stockings, and peacoat.

"It's a long story. I'll catch you up later." I smiled, hoping that he wouldn't push the subject right now.

He nodded. "By the way, you look beautiful tonight."

I bit my bottom lip and squeezed my eyes shut. "Can you not?" I muttered.

Cam released a deep chuckle.

I heard footsteps descending, and then Suho was in front of me, throwing his arms around me. "Hey, bestie."

I heard Cam snicker, and I caught him rolling his eyes.

"Don't be jealous." I reminded him with a teasing smirk.

"Yeah, yeah."

The doorbell rang again, but this time it was the pizza guy.

"Looks like I have perfect timing." Those pellets they fed me at dinner were long forgotten when the smell of bacon and pepperoni hit my nose.

Cam waved us towards the dining room, placing the food in the middle of the table. "I'll grab some plates and drinks." He disappeared into the kitchen, coming back with plastic plates and bottles of iced tea.

The three of us sat down.

"Where's your mom?" I asked. I hadn't seen or heard from her since I walked in. If she's already asleep, I hope I didn't disturb her.

The corners of Cam's lipped tipped up. "She left a few minutes before you came. She had a date tonight." He looked happy for her, so I was guessing that he liked whoever it was that she went out with.

Suho flipped the lids open and said, "Have you ever seen something so beautiful?" He gazed longingly at the pizza and wings. "Food has always been and will forever be my first love." After his declaration, he grabbed a napkin and placed a slice of pizza on our plates before getting one himself.

I said thank you in Korean, and his eyes lit up adorably.

"Food is a good first love to have. It will never hurt you. And it always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy."

"I'd never hurt you." Cam's gaze locked on me, but I didn't meet his eyes directly. "And don't I make you feel warm and fuzzy?" He smiled into his first bite.

You make me feel more than that. I was a cluster of emotions around you. I wouldn't know where to begin.

Suho took a sip of water, watching the two of us with amusement. He's getting dinner and entertainment.

"You can't compete with my love for food." I shrugged, taking a bite of my first slice. I had to fan my mouth with how the cheese was burning my tongue. That didn't stop me from rushing in for a second bite, though.

"I see. I'll have to do something about that." He winked. "There's no reason food, and I can't share the number one spot."

"I disagree."

Cam sighed, faking a frustration with an exaggerated sigh. "Guess I'll have to find another girl to make me her number one."

"No!" I shouted. That wasn't my intention, but the thought had me act out irrationally.

"No?" He mused.

"No," I said more firmly.

"Can I have a reason why?"

I admired my slice of pizza, picking at the pepperoni pieces one at a time so I could eat them first. "Nope," I mumbled.

Our gazes locked, and Cam so playfully winked at me.

"Do you guys want me to leave so you could admit your feelings for each other? Is my presence stalling this whole confession thing? Because as much as I love watching this like my very own live drama, I will leave and resort to eavesdropping instead."

Cam and I shook our heads, letting go of that topic while we went back to eating.

After dinner, we went upstairs to the spare room where a futon and all of Cam's video games, etc., were set up.

I couldn't name all of the fancy equipment. But I could tell you that this room was not only Pinterest-worthy. It looked like something you saw on a YouTube game room tour.

I joined the guys on the futon, and they let me play video games for the next two hours.

We went from street racing on the Xbox to playing Soul Caliber and Injustice on the PS4. At around 11, we migrated down to the family room and put on a Spiderman. It was about 40 minutes into the movie when we looked over to the left and found Suho faced down and passed out with an arm hanging off the couch. Cam snapped a photo and set it as Suho's contact photo. Then I had to talk to him out of this ridiculous prank he wanted to try. Even though I knew I would have laughed my butt off.

Cam wiggled up closer to me.

"Do you think your mom will be home soon?"

He proceeded to throw an arm around my shoulder. "Nah. So we have extra alone time."

In my peripheral, I saw his head turn toward me, but I kept my gaze straight.

The butterflies in my stomach were fluttering madly.

Cam kept testing our boundaries which is funny because I used to do the same.

"Sunshine," Cam whispered in my ear.

"Yes? How may I help you?" I replied robotically.

"I wanna talk."

I swallowed down my nerves. "About?" the word came out calmer than I felt.

He grabbed the remote, muting the TV. "Summer, look at me for a second."

Slowly I twisted my head.

Cam's eyes traveled all over my face. A hand lifted to cup my cheek, and I leaned into it.

"I'm sorry," he said. He pressed a kiss to my forehead.

My lips parted. That spot where he kissed me burned, sending shivers down my back.

I've been distracted the last couple of hours, but I knew I needed to tell Cam what I had learned.

"I have something to tell you!" I blurted out. "I know why you were staying away from me."

Cam tore his eyes from mine. "What do you mean?"

"They mayor practically confirmed it," I huffed.

His hands fisted his joggers, and he folded his lips into a fine line. I waited for him to jump in with any details of his own.

He didn't. So I continued, "The mayor and my mom are good friends. I know he must have blackmailed you into staying away."

Cam's head whipped around, and shock colored his face. I was on the right track.

"He used your mom's salon."

Cam opened his mouth but slammed it shut.

"I'm sorry." I reached for his hand. "They think the worst of you, and they tried to keep us apart because of it. They had no right."

"Summer..." my name came out all breathy.

"Now that I know the truth. I don't want this space between us anymore. We're going to come up with a plan and deal with this together."

"You can't...." I brought a finger to his lips.

"I can." I kissed his cheek. "Are you going to try and stop me?"

Cam chuckled. "I know what you're like. I wouldn't dream of it."

"Then nothing could hold us back," I told him.

Cam smiled. "I'm glad you feel the same way."

We saw the red and blue lights from down the streets. Were those cars at my place?

Sure enough. Mom must have called the cops when she didn't find me at home.

To make matters worse, I see the mayor's car in the driveway as well. Doesn't he have his own family to attend to at this hour?

I told Cam to park a few houses down so I could walk up. I didn't want him involved in my mess. I thanked him, giving his cheek a quick peck. I was rewarded with my favorite grin, and I told him I'd see him later.

I went for a walk in the park, sat down on a bench then got sleepy enough to doze off. Not a big deal and certainly no reason to call the cops. That was the excuse I gave my mom and the cops ten seconds after casually strolling into the house.

They spoke with her and the mayor once more before leaving.

Mom shot me a glare from over her shoulder before she stalked off to her room. I was standing face to face with the mayor.

If he's holding a grudge about what happened at dinner, he's not showing it. "Young lady, I know the company you keep must influence your decisions and opinions, but you should listen to your mother and be more respectful." He stood up tall, trying to assert the authority he didn't have.

"With all due respect, sir, like they always say, mind the business that pays you." I gave him a sarcastic smile.

His eyes darkened.

"Let me reintroduce you to the front door. It's the same door you used when you came in, except this time you'll be outside when it closes. Good night mayor Cambridge. "

He guffawed. But silently removed himself.

I made sure to give the door an extra nice slam.

Walking upstairs, I saw Mom's door closed. We weren't done hashing it out downstairs, so I expected her to pick it up tomorrow morning. Yay.