Page 61 of Almost Ours

Oscar shrugs. “There’s a first time for everything.”

He presses a quick kiss to the top of my head, something he’s done for as long as I can remember, before he chases down Cam.

I watch them go with a teeny, tiny smile on my face.

Oscar only makes it halfway across the room before he spots Emma sitting at one of the high tables with Lily and Katie, and I see the change in him as he cuts through the crowd towards her, moving with purpose and at a quick pace.

It’s actually quite disgusting.

Emma gets to her feet before he even reaches the table, smiling in that way she only ever seems to smile at him, and then his hands are on her waist and hers are around his neck and they’re kissing like they haven’t seen each other in months instead of however long it’s been since this afternoon.

“Okay,” Brooke appears beside me, following my gaze. “That’s actually really cute.”

“They’re revolting,” I tell her, though even I can hear the fondness in my voice. “He’s completely obsessed with her.”

I don’t say that I love seeing him this happy, or that there’s still a stupid little part of me that wonders whether anybody will ever look across a room and have their whole face change because they’ve seen me.

I’ve done enough thinking about that for a lifetime.

Cam gives Oscar and Emma approximately half a second of his attention before apparently deciding romance is boring and heading for the bar.

Ain’t Nobody starts playing and Abi lets out a scream loud enough to permanently damage whatever hearing I have left before dragging me and Brooke towards the dancefloor.

The bass is so loud it makes everything feel slightly underwater, the floor vibrating beneath my shoes while Brooke sings directly into my face even though she very obviously doesn’t know the words. Abi knows even fewer of them, but that doesn’t stop her from throwing both arms into the air and belting out whatever she thinks Chaka Khan might be saying.

Then I realise I’m dancing.

Not shifting my weight from foot to foot because standing still looks awkward, or smiling whenever somebody looks my way so they know I’m having a perfectly fine time. I’m actually dancing, laughing when Abi nearly elbows me in the face and screaming the chorus with Brooke even though none of us can hear one another properly.

I’m having fun.

Ewan appears behind Brooke halfway through the song, winding an arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to the side of her head. “There you are.”

She melts backwards into him. "That blonde boy is about to be arrested," Brooke tells him, nodding towards the far side of the room.

“Ah, shit.” Ewan looks out. “What’s he doing?”

“He’s going to crowd surf.” A deep voice announces from behind Ewan and my heart literally skips a beat. Which can’t be healthy or sane. Maybe instead of Dr. H discussing my contingency plan on Wednesdays, he could start discussing my full-bodied reactions to this boy.

Josh is standing with one hand wrapped around a beer bottle, his t-shirt clinging to his broad chest, and green eyes slightly less guarded as he looks the same place Ewan is.

I follow their gaze.

Sure enough, Cam is halfway onto a table, one knee already planted on the top while several football boys grab at the back of his shirt in an attempt to haul him down. Security are pushing through the crowd towards him and Oscar is standing directly beneath the table, looking furious.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” I grind out. “It’s always Cam. He’s always up to no good.”

“I’ve gathered that,” Josh says beside me.

“He’s a good guy.” I feel the need to defend my childhood friend.

“I gathered that first.”

I glance at Josh, but he’s still watching Cam. “Quick judge of character, are you?”

“Sometimes.”

“HART!” Oscar bellows across the room just as Cam manages to get both feet onto the table.