Home For The Holidays
For Jenn, @your-stitcher-thursday for Stitchers Secret Santa! Merry (very belated) Christmas šš However belated, I do hope you enjoy this!! ā¤Ā
Camsten + Roommates AU + Fake Dating and a little bit of Christmas fluff. Also, I needed an AU where Cameronās mom is actually a sweetheart, so that happened too!
And thanks to my partner in crime, Laura @e11evenseggos , for helping me run Stitchers Secret Santa and bugging me to write šĀ
Cameron was finishing up dinner for the two of them.
Considering what he was going to ask her, he felt that every little bit would help. Which is why he was making one of her favorite dinners ā or breakfast for dinner ā Nutella and banana crepes with eggs and bacon.
He even got them tickets to see the new Star Wars movie for later that night, as extra bribery. After a few months of living together, he finally convinced her to watch them with him. To her surprise (although not his), she loved them. And with their finals, they hadnāt had a chance to see the new one yet.
Just as he was plating the food and setting it on the dining room table, he heard the sound of keys unlocking the front door.
He glanced at the door to see Kirsten walking in.
āPerfect timing,ā he directed at his roommate.
Kirsten smiled at him as she kicked the door closed with her foot. She dropped off her bag and kicked off her shoes. āHey,ā she said. She smiled and dropped down into one of the chairs at the dining room table, eyeing the crepes drizzled with Nutella. āWhatās the occasion?ā
He smiled briefly and shrugged. āNo occasion. Just felt like breakfast.ā
Kirsten tried making small talk throughout dinner, but Cameron was lost in his thoughts trying to think of a way to ask her. So far, he hadnāt come up with any good ideas.
Kirsten was trying to read Cameron. He barely said anything throughout dinner. The constant fidgeting of his thumbs on the table, not making eye contact with her, and answering in short sentences. He usually chatted away after she got home from campus, about his own Ph.D. program in neuroscience, about the new Star Wars movie coming out, or what new show they would start bingeing on Netflix.
He took their plates and dropped them in the dishwasher and returned to the table. He gave her a strained smile, still unsure of how he would ask her.
She reached across the table and placed a soft hand over his. āCameron, whatās on your mind? You seemā¦ distracted.ā She grasped his hand a little tighter, with no intentions to remove it.
He let out a sigh of relief. āYou picked up on that, did you?ā
He gave her a soft smile. She noticed more and more that the soft smiles were reserved for her, and she wasnāt quite sure what to make of it.
āItās silly, really,ā he admitted.
āWell if itās silly, then you can just tell me.ā She smiled warmly at him, encouraging him to continue.
āYou know Iāve been talking to my mother more,ā he started.
She nodded, knowing they had a bit of a falling out in regard to his father, but they were working to repair their relationship.
He continued, āSheās been wanting me to visit home, and my cousinās wedding is this weekend. Because they scheduled maintenance for equipment during the break, I can actually take the time offā¦ So, she convinced me to go.ā He ran his free hand on the back of his neck, looking down briefly before returning his gaze to her. āAnd I need you to go with me,ā he mumbled.
āOf course, I will,ā she said. They had plans that weekend with Camille, who Kirsten befriended in her program last year. But they could always reschedule.
ā-As my girlfriend,ā he continued.
Kirsten leaned back in her chair, finally letting go of his hand. Her eyes went wide.
He quickly tried to recover the conversation. āItās just that my mom means well, she really does. But as soon as I said yes, she mentioned that she wanted to make an introduction to a friend of the family, a date. I agreed once back in college, and it did not go well. So, I uh- I mentioned that I actually had a girlfriend. And your name was the first thing that popped out of my mouth,ā he confessed. āShe practically booked the tickets herself, but I told her that Iād have to talk to you first, because it was such short notice. And I know itās right before Christmas, but weād be flying back on the 24th, so you could still make dinner with your family.ā
He paused to assess his chances of her saying yes. His worry increased as the seconds passed, and she had yet to say anything.
āI am prepared for bribery,ā he continued. She let out a chuckle and her gaze softened at his comment. āI got us tickets to see the new Star Wars movie tonight, in about-ā he tapped the power button on his phone for the time ā-an hour. Whatever chore you want me to do, Iāll do it. Iāll even make your favorite meals for a month.ā
āYou pretty much do that anyway,ā she interjected with a smile.
āSo, what do you say?ā he asked with a hopeful tone to his voice.
She wondered exactly how she got into this mess.
Kirsten tapped a few times on the door. Apartment 7D.
She heard a few thumps on the other side, before the door flung open and she met a pair of striking green eyes. The second thing she registered was he was not what she was expecting, at all.
She frowned, and her eyebrows knit together in confusion. āYouāre not a-,ā she started.
āYouāre early,ā Cameron interrupted.
āI like to be punctual.ā
He opened the door wider, gesturing for her to come in.
She glared but cautiously walked into the spacious apartment. āAre you sure youāre not a serial killer? Luring women into your apartment with suspiciously cheap rent. Because if thatās the case, I am supposed to check in with a friend in a half hour. And she knows where you live.ā She gave him a pointed look. Ā
She knew he wasnāt, as she did a background check on him prior to meeting him. She even scoured the deep web. He was the perfect 4.0 GPA student in high school and college, and the only thing suspicious was a handful of incidents with his father and changing his last name from Miller. But she figured that wasnāt her place to mention.
The only thing she hadnāt thought of was to check for a picture. Which is why she was expecting a woman to greet her at the door.
He closed the door and went into the kitchen, seeing just four minutes left on his timer. āI can assure you that Iām not. Although I could see that with āpreferred female roommate.ā Iām Cameron by the way.ā
She nodded. āKirsten.ā She took a seat at the kitchen island, and he passed her a bottle of water.
āMy last roommate didnāt work out, in case you were wondering. He preferred to sleep naked, then wander into the kitchen without putting on any pants.ā He shuddered at the memory. āPlus, he was a slob.ā
āWell, Iām not. So, whatās the deal with rent? I almost thought that was a typo.ā
āNot a typo. I own the apartment and Iām mostly looking for someone to chip in with utilities.ā He smiled warmly, and for whatever reason, Kirsten felt that she could trust him.
The shrill chirp of his kitchen timer went off. He donned oven mitts and pulled the dish out of the oven. āWhy are you looking for a place?ā He asked.
āThe graduate program Iām in is pretty intensive. Iām just looking for a place closer to campus.ā Her adoptive father insisted that she could stay there with him, but the late night commutes back home and early mornings were getting to be too much for her sanity. She was lucky she survived this first semester.
It didnāt hurt that his apartment was a fifteen minute walk to campus. Or a short Uber ride, depending on traffic.
He got out two plates, forks, and a spatula. He quickly served two portions and placed both plates on his island. āYouāre not a vegetarian, are you?ā He slid into the seat across from her.
She shook her head. āNot a vegetarian. You can cook too?ā This was beginning to look like too much of a good deal.
āDonāt sound too surprised, Stretch.ā
Her eyebrow quirked up at the nickname, but she let it slide.
āSo, I have this rule about roommates. As long as you can handle the dishes, Iāll cook. Iām quite the foodie, if I do say so myself.ā He smirked and took a bit of his lasagna.
She took a tentative bite of the lasagna, savoring the perfect mix of meat sauce, noodles, and cheese. āDo I at least get to see my room first?ā She asked.
He pointed at her plate and smiled. āEat your food first. Iāll give you the tour after.ā
She moved in within a week.
āSo, will you?ā He asked again. The piercing gaze caused her breathing to kick up a notch.
She tapped her fingers on the table, giving serious considerations to what he was asking. It wouldnāt be that difficult to convince everyone else; they had become best friends over the last year. She supposed she could pretend to be in love with her best friend.
She just had to ignore the flutter in her stomach every time his arm wrapped around her shoulders when they were half-asleep from binge watching TV (which was happening more frequently), or the small smirk he would give her in the mornings with his glasses slightly askew and his hair sticking up in every direction, or the way her heart rate sped up on the rare occasions that he went shirtless in their apartment.
The simple answer was would he do the same for her, if she needed a similar favor?
She didnāt doubt that the answer would be yes.
Just as Cameron was about to tell her ānevermind, that it was a stupid idea,ā Kirstenās voice interrupted his internal crisis of how to salvage the situation.
āAlright, Cam. Iām in, boyfriend,ā she said with extra emphasis on the last word.
He perked up at her words, a smile slowly spreading across his face. āReally?ā he asked softly, his eyes lighting up.
āYeah, of course. Youād do the same for me,ā she reasoned. Ā
He was standing up and pulling her by the hand, bringing her in for a crushing hug. āThank you, Princess,ā he breathed into her hair. She placed a tentative hand on his back, and soon she found herself returning the hug with the same enthusiasm.
āSo, whatās this I hear about a bribery movie?ā she spoke into the soft material of his flannel shirt.
He pulled back and grasped her hand, pulling her along towards the door. āRight. Letās go.ā He reluctantly let go of her hand, so they could put on their shoes and a hoodie for him, and a cardigan for her.
He grabbed her hand again as they went out the door, and only dropped it when they got to his car.
She noticed but didnāt comment or remove her hand from his grasp. Not when he was the happiest sheād seen all semester. Or maybe even all year.
