Cami

Camille clapped like a child when Ronnie carried out a tray full of lemon meringue cupcakes. She was sitting around the copper fire bowl in her parents’ courtyard, enjoying her birthday celebration. Ronnie, Nate and his dad had joined them for dinner, and birthday cupcakes.

“These are my favorite,” Camille exclaimed. “Ronnie, I can’t believe you remembered.”

“Like I could forget.” Ronnie turned to Nate and his dad. “The first day on the job this girl ate an entire bowl of meringue when she was supposed to be icing a cake.”

“I was twelve!” Camille objected. “Besides, you weren’t paying me.”

“I was paying you with knowledge.”

“I say you were paying me with sugar.”

Camille’s father laughed. “That sounds like my daughter.”

“How did you end up working at Sweet Thang’s?” Nate asked.

Camille watched her parents’ faces tighten at Nate’s question. Even Ronnie looked a bit saddened. Nate immediately squeezed apologetically at Cami’s hand, seeming to sense he’d said something he shouldn’t.

She squeezed back. “No, it’s okay. Ronnie is proof that cancer can bring good things into your life.”

“Thank you, baby cakes,” Ronnie replied.

Camille’s mother spoke. “We took Camille to Sweet Thang’s to pick out her birthday cake every year.”

“And every year Ronnie would ask me what my birthday wish was so he could bake it into the cake with the magic sugar he used,” Camille added.

Ronnie smiled sadly. “When she was ten, Camille said her wish was for her cancer to go away.”

“I still remember what you told me,” Camille said. “You said that some wishes required more magic than even sugar possessed. But that anytime I needed a little extra magic to make me feel better I could come down to Sweet Thang’s and have a treat on the house.”

Ronnie had tears in his eyes as he nodded. “And I’ll be damned if this sweet girl didn’t start coming to my shop every day.”

“She used to run away from home,” Camille’s father said. “Ronnie would call us and say she was at the café eating him outta house and home.”

Camille laughed. “It’s not my fault Ronnie puts magic in his cooking. How’s a girl supposed to stay away?”

“It’s true,” Nate said smiling at her.

“After a while he hired me,” Camille said. “Although, I’m pretty sure Ronnie lost out on that deal.”

Nate smirked. “For real. I need to find a job where they pay me to eat amazing food.”

“Yeah, Ronnie. I probably owe you for all the sweets I ate over the years.”

Ronnie laughed and waved Camille off. “Nah, I send your parents a bill every month.”

Everyone laughed at that, because you didn’t even have to know Ronnie that well to know he’d never even entertained the thought. He was a saint disguised in sugar and glitter, and Camille was lucky that cancer had brought him into her life.

“Okay, okay. Let’s light these candles before my frosting melts,” Ronnie exclaimed, wiping his eyes.

“Wait!” Camille turned to Nate. There was something she’d been wanting to ask him and she hoped she wasn’t putting him on the spot. “Nate, I was wondering if it would be okay if we lit a birthday candle for Tyler?”

Nate looked at her, his brow furrowed in pain.

“Only if you’re okay with it,” she added.

Nate bit his bottom lip and looked at his dad. He nodded and Nate smiled the most painful smile Camille had ever seen. It made her want to pull him into her lap and hold him, not caring that everyone else was intently watching them both.

Nate took Camille’s hand, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. “I’d love that, Cami. Thank you.”

She pulled one of the too many candles out of her cupcake and added it to the one on Nate’s plate. Ronnie lit the candles and everyone sang happy birthday. Camille held onto Nate’s hand the whole time, feeling the tiny trembles rush through him when they sang Tyler’s name. She looked at Nate as everyone sang the last verse. He was already staring at her. There was so much love in his eyes, it hurt.

Camille whispered so only Nate could hear her. “Make a wish.”

Nate

Nate closed his eyes and blew out the candle for Tyler. But he didn’t make a wish. What could he even wish for? He was here with Camille. There wasn’t anything else in the world he wanted, except for more time with her. But he was trying his damnedest not to think about that.

Besides, he knew wishing for something like that was foolish. And if Nate had a wish, he was saving it for Camille. Because all he wanted was to make all her dreams come true in the time that they had left together.

After the cupcakes, everyone gave Camille her birthday gifts. She got a blanket from her mom, an old jazz album from her dad and a secret recipe for meringue from Ronnie. Nate had gotten her a giant bag of PEZ candy, since he’d been helping her with her secret stash in her room. He’d also gotten Cami more film for her Polaroid camera.

Camille lit up when she opened his gifts. She stood and gave each person a hug. And when she was done she whispered something to her dad. He ducked back into the house for a moment and came out carrying a large wrapped box that he handed to Nate.

“What’s this?” Nate asked in confusion. “I’m not supposed to get presents on your birthday, Cami.”

“It’s really a present for me,” she said, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Open it.”

Nate tore off the paper and opened the box to find a thick black case inside. The shape of it was familiar enough to make his heart skip. It was a violin case. He hadn’t played his since he smashed it in his rage over a month ago.

He popped open the latches on the case and lifted the lid. A brand new violin gleamed back at him. Tightness tugged at the back of Nate’s throat. He looked at Camille. “How did you know?”

He’d been too embarrassed to tell her what he’d done to his violin, and spent the last few weeks making excuses every time she asked him to bring it over and play.

“I talked to your dad,” she said, smiling.

Nate looked between them. “I thought you hardly knew him?”

They both laughed.

His dad held up his hands in surrender. “Ray and I worked together putting some of the pieces from your old violin on this one, but it was all Cami’s idea.”

“We salvaged your old pegs, chinrest and bridge,” Ray added.

Camille walked over to Nate and slipped the bow into his hand. “Give it a try.”

He held it up, resting the new violin in the crook of his neck. He let the familiar smell of wire and wood wash over him as he settled his chin against the worn rest that both he and Tyler had played on. He closed his eyes fighting tears as his bow pulled a cry from the cords. The sullen sound echoed his despair.

Nate played, pouring himself and all the emotions he’d been fighting, into his music. He played for the unjustness of Camille’s life, and for Tyler’s, and for himself to be strong enough to keep going, when soon, he would be the only one left.

Her voice was so soft that at first that Nate didn’t realize that Cami had joined the whine of his violin. It wasn’t until he was on the fourth verse of ‘Hallelujah’ that her words reached him. He hadn’t even remembered choosing to play ‘Hallelujah’. But now that he heard Camille’s voice, lilting softly in time with his music, he didn’t want her to stop. Her father was right, Camille had the voice of an angel, and it broke Nate’s heart all over again.

He played the sad song again, just so he could hear Camille’s voice a bit longer—even though he knew anything short of forever would never be enough.