Cameron wanted me to leave.

That thought kept running around in circles in my head for the rest of the day. I'd holed myself up in my room, trying to do my reading through blurry eyes as I fought off tears.

I couldn't concentrate on my studies. Not after what he said. Instead, I lay on my stomach in bed, clutching a pillow to my chest.

I tried to console myself with the thought that he didn't really want me to leave. He was just trying to…

Trying to what?

Avoid temptation?

Cameron was attracted to me. He had been from the beginning. He'd told me as much at the concert. It had only been after he'd found out I was Noah's sister that he had backed off. He'd told me it would never happen again.

Despite the heated looks, the teasing and flirting, along with the moments between us, rife with unspoken tension, he'd stayed true to his word.

Until he'd kissed me.

I rolled on my back, and put the pillow over my face, flushed and hot as I remembered the kiss.

I was just as attracted to Cameron as he was to me. And it wasn't just because he was really really hot, as he'd so modestly put it.

Cameron was thoughtful. Sweet. He did everything he could to make me feel comfortable in his home. He ate pizza with me and watched movies with me.

He said he didn't think of me as a young girl. That he didn't think of me as a little sister.

And that was why he was kicking me out of his house.

It wasn't because he didn't want me here.

It was because he wanted me here too much.

Cameron said he would never betray my brother's trust. If I wasn't Noah's sister… if I was any other girl…

But I wasn't. I was Lily Hart. Nothing could change that.

I groaned and rolled over to sit up in bed, dangling my legs over the edge. I stared at the floor, wondering if there was any way to change Cameron's mind.

When nothing came to me, I gave up and started getting ready for bed. When I opened the closet doors, I remembered when Cameron had checked it for monsters in jest. When I pulled on a pair of yoga shorts and a tank top, I remembered what he'd said about me looking cute in them.

Maybe Cameron was right. If there could never be anything between us, maybe it was better if I left. Wouldn't it just hurt more to be near him every day and not be able to be with him?

I'd probably have to move back in with Noah and Jen, at least until school officially started and I could move into the dorms.

That wasn't so bad, I tried to tell myself. I would get to see more of my brother. And I liked his girlfriend. We got along well.

Not as well as I got along with Cameron.

Because we did get along well. We made each other laugh just as much as we pushed each other's buttons. He did thoughtful, sweet things for me, like leaving me ear plugs for his party. I liked to think I did nice things for him, like keeping him company during his movie nights.

We were friends.

We were becoming more than friends.

And despite knowing my brother would disapprove, I couldn't help thinking maybe Cameron and I would be good for each other. We'd gotten to know each other. And we'd come to like each other.

More than like each other.

Cameron was the first boy I'd ever had real feelings for.

The more I thought about it, the more upset I became. It was unfair I couldn't be with someone just because my brother wouldn't approve.

My brother didn't approve of a lot of things when it came to me and how I lived my life.

I knew I'd never get him to see straight when it came to this, when it came to me and Cameron. I was his baby sister, the one he was supposed to take care of and protect. Cameron was irresponsible, a party animal who slept around and never took anything seriously.

If that was all Cameron was, I might have been able to understand. But Cameron was so much more than that. Noah couldn't see past it. But I could.

Even after everything that had happened, Cameron and I were still friends. I didn't want to throw that away.

I decided I wasn't going to let Cameron hide from me any longer. We had to talk about what happened, talk about his reasons for kicking me out.

I had to convince him to change his mind.

I came home from classes late one evening, having stayed at the library late, resolved and with a purpose. I'd find Cameron and force him to listen to me.

Another party was in full swing when I arrived. Music blasted from every window and drunk partygoers spilled out from every entryway.

Cameron hadn't mentioned throwing another party. Then again, he hadn't mentioned anything to me at all over the last few days.

It had been days since I'd last seen him. He went back to hiding from me. That was how he dealt with me with whenever something happened between us. Running away.

I'd lived in dread that every day would be the day Noah showed up to bring me home. So far that hadn't happened. Maybe Cameron was putting it off. Maybe he was just as reluctant as I was.

And maybe he just couldn't figure out a way to explain to Noah why he wanted me to leave without incriminating himself.

It was going to be hard to find Cameron in this noisy, boisterous crowd. The mansion was large enough it might have taken more than an hour to explore every floor trying to track him down.

I shoved and squeezed my way through the mass of people, searching the mansion room by room. I couldn't find Cameron anywhere. He wasn't in the kitchen. He wasn't out by the pool. He wasn't even in the movie theater room. Those were the places I always looked for him first.

I texted him, asking if we could talk, but as I expected I didn't receive an answer.

Dejected, I contemplated whether to just head to my bedroom and try to sleep through the noise, or whether to shake it off and join the party. Without Cameron to shut off the speakers in the third floor, it was going to be a long night.

On my way to my bedroom, I caught the sound of a familiar voice. It was definitely Cameron. The party was too loud and the tones were too low for me to place the other.

I followed the voices to one of the living rooms. I assumed Cameron was going to be surrounded by another entourage. Maybe I could still corner him and make him agree to talk to me later when he had time. Maybe I could convince him to put off speaking with my brother until we had a chance to talk.

I needed to convince him to let me stay.

"Cameron?"

I heard him swear out loud.

I peeked my head into the room.

My heart stuttered in my chest.

It was an almost familiar scene. Cameron, on a sofa. A gorgeous woman beside him. Her hands were wrapped in his hair, about to pull him down for a kiss.

A distant part of me was thankful they at least still had their clothes on.

The rest of me couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Cameron. With another girl.

He jumped off the sofa. "Shit."

"What's wrong?" The woman on the sofa frowned, looking between the two of us.

"Lily, it's not what you think." His voice was desperate. His fingers twitched, as if he were going to reach out for me, but thought better of it.

"Sorry to interrupt," I murmured, blinking back tears, and slowly backing out of the room. "I should have realized you were busy when you didn't answer my text."

Busy sucking face with some other girl.

The tightness in my chest was like a vise grip. I couldn't breathe around it.

"I'll leave you to it," I bit out.

I fled. I heard Cameron call out my name. I didn't stop.

Tears stung my eyes as I ran, pushing people out of the way. I almost tripped over myself climbing the stairs. The hallways were a blur of carousing bodies.

I slammed my door behind me. Slumping against the wall, I stared blankly at the floor.

Some part of me tried to deny what I'd seen. Maybe it had been perfectly innocent.

But when were the words Cameron and a hot woman in the same sentence ever innocent?

My breath hitched. The two of them had sat close, practically wrapped in each other's arms. The longer I thought about it, the more painful that grip on my heart became.

There was no mistaking what had been going on.

I wiped my wet cheeks with the back of my hand and went to my closet. I took out my suitcase and began tossing my clothes into it haphazardly.

I'd been hoping to convince Cameron to let me stay. I believed that even if we couldn't be together, we could still be friends.

But the clenching of my chest told me that was going to be impossible.

It had been bad enough knowing about Cameron's reputation with women when all I had was a silly crush.

Seeing him with that woman just solidified it.

I couldn't stay here. I couldn't stay in this place as Cameron brought home a parade of women one after another. The thought of it almost killed me.

He had been right. It was better if I left.

Because now I knew.

I loved Cameron.

I couldn't stand to see him with anyone else.

I wanted to be with him.

And I knew, now, that was the one thing that would never happen.