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Chapter 3
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2021-07-28 22:19:23“Marissa,” Cameron whispered in shock.
He was unable to believe his eyes. He had lost almost all hopes of ever meeting her again, let alone discovering her as one of his neighbours.
They both were standing in shock, trying to decipher the meaning of their sudden encounter, when Steve, her neighbour abruptly came out of nowhere.
“Is everything alright here?”
“I... um...” Marissa was having difficulty forming words. She was still trying to digest that Cameron Bernard was standing before her equally shocked by her presence.
Steve, however, oblivious to the entire situation and their history asked Cameron, “Are you new here? I have not seen you before.”
“Yes. I have just shifted here.” Cameron told him after composing himself.
“And let me guess, the sudden and loud music from this apartment brought you here?” Steve asks him with amusement.
“You could say that.” He replied with an uneasy smile.
“Well, let’s say our little Marissa is illiterate when it comes to electronics or any other technology,” Steve joked, and Marissa sighed nervously.
If she was not in shock, then Steve would have definitely earned a glare or, better, a smack from her. He was way too good for his own good but a good neighbour nonetheless.
“Well, anyway, I am Steven Dalton and I live next door.” He introduced himself.
“I am Cameron Bernard. The apartment just above hers.” They both shook hands.
“Nice to meet you, man, but don’t let this girl make you run away with loud music or any strange accidents happening here because of her incompetency. This might not be her first good impression but my dear Marissa here is the best. Anyway, I will meet you guys later. Have a date which I cannot miss under any circumstance.” With that, Steve rushed but not without winking at Marissa making her narrow her eyes at him.
Cameron, however, did not know how to react. This was not on his mind when he walked down to have a word with the owner of the apartment.
“I... I should probably go.”
Cameron rushed upstairs to his condo, and so did Marissa, who closed the door behind her and took a deep breath.
‘No, he is not here. It is just my imagination. Even if he is here, he doesn’t have any say in my life. We are nothing. He just stays in the same building as me. That’s it. It is not like we will meet each other again.’ After a few more words of self-assurance to herself, Marissa went to do her work.
She cannot let Cameron distract herself. It had been three years since she had last seen him. Every string which was attaching them together had been cut and thrown away. She also made sure to take every step to stay estranged to him and his family and she had been successful until the moment before she saw Cameron again.
Regardless of everything that had happened, she should be surprised that Cameron even remembers her, never mind remembering her name.
The same thought was not shared but Cameron. Even if he desired, he could never forget her. This had to be destiny, which was binding them together again. He was glad that he finally came across Marissa and found her after three excruciatingly long years. Not a single day had passed when he didn’t think about her and how unfair he had been to her.
He had never been tongue-tied unless you count the first time when he actually understood how wrong he was of her.
He had to make things right with her; make things right between them, apologize to her for his uncalled behaviour and the crass image he had of her back then.
When Cameron went to bed, all he could think about was his new neighbour downstairs. From last what he had seen, she has definitely changed a lot. Her face looked more content and carefree. He had never seen her wearing any shorts when they were living together.
Marissa always came across as a reserved girl, but today there was something different about her. Sure, she was equally shocked as him but he could no longer see her as a timid woman who rarely spoke to him.
More than ever, he wanted to know everything about her, especially after what he had made her endure. If only he was sensible before, he would have already known everything about her, and she would never have had to condone the injustice he did to her.
With that thought, he went off to sleep.
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“You always knew that Daphne was cheating on me with Devon.” It was more of a statement than a question towards Marissa. Devon was one of his competitors and it did break his heart when he discovered them together. “I will make something for us to eat. You might be hungry.” She tried to dodge the subject. She quickly stood up to make some noodles. Cameron was himself lost in his thoughts. He was an idiot to believe his ex-girlfriend’s words. Instead of Marissa, it was Daphne who used to reek of expensive stuff, and it was confirmed when he went to her place to tell her that Marissa had left him, only to find her in bed with Devon. All the pictures of her were clear. It was an eye-opener for him. Instantly, he knew what the right thing to do was and broke off with Daphne immediately. But she was persistent and was glued to him. He repeatedly warned his ex to stay away from him. It was a nasty fight. But in the end, he finally got rid of her. However, the smell of divine food made h
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“What do you think, guys? Do we have a chance of winning?” Brook asked with apprehension. “I hope we do. We have come so far. It would really suck if we lost.” Nick replied. “Guys, it doesn’t matter if we win or lose. The important thing is that we have come so far. Yes, winning is important, but the best part is achieving what we have and we deserved it. We don’t dance to win but to live, to enjoy.” Marissa told them. “Yes, Marissa is right. You guys did an amazing job. No one will be disheartened if we lost. Everyone who performed today equally deserved the trophy. It depends on the judges whom they liked the best. Be proud of what you achieved till now.” Ronny explained to them. “Guys, judges will be announcing the result soon. Let’s go backstage.” Cameron informed them. “Olivia, Caleb, and Jenny are already waiting there. All of them went backstage and had their fingers crossed for the result. “Okay, so the second place goes to.” Everyone was delighted to hear their group na
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“I don’t understand why do we have to go if they are the ones getting married?” Cameron groaned in annoyance while driving. “Because they asked us; you being their family and me being their friend, we have to.” Marissa rolled her eyes. “Well, there is no book which states these kinds of rules.” “Actually, there is, and you have to follow it. Don’t be so grumpy. We get to have the taste of so many cakes.” She chirps excitedly. “Still, it is their wedding, so they should be the ones to go cake tasting. And not to forget that you are still healing. Your leg is not perfectly fine yet. You limp when you walk.” “Cameron, I really didn’t think you were this annoying. Pull up your pants, bring a smile to your face and drive fast. And I cannot stay in my bed forever, and my leg is just fine. My limp is not noticeable and A little pain is not going to kill me.” Marissa glared at him. Cameron didn’t argue further and drove faster. As soon as they reached their destination, he immediately ra
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“This is bad. No, this is worse.” Marissa was hitting her forehead with the pillow. “Stop it, Risa. This is worse than you pacing around.” Ronny groaned. “Then how the hell am I supposed to react? We have a dance competition coming up in a few weeks, then there is your wedding preparations, plus my twisted ankle. Everything is so messed up. How are we going to manage everything?” She whined and then glared at him. “It’s not that bad. Everything will go just fine.” Ronny tried to assure her. “Yeah, right!” She told him sarcastically. “Cut it out, guys and Marissa, Ronny is right. Enough time is left.” Cameron intervened to calm both of them down. “I can’t believe that I agree with my good-for-nothing brother, but he is right.” For Marissa’s sake, Jenny had begun tolerating his presence and she still held a grudge against him and never left a chance to taunt him for it. Marissa, however, could sense the tension between the siblings irrespective of the fact that they have indirect
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Cameron had never felt guiltier than now. He sat on the bed as he felt dizzy. Jason could see his younger brother's anguish and his heart went out to him. He sat down next him. “Are you all right, Cammy,” He asked. Even though his younger brother was no longer small and was nearly the same size as him, the fact that he was still his little brother remained. He simply wished Cameron had come to him so he could have helped him. “What the hell I have done, Jason. I ruined everything. I made Marissa life a living hell. It is all my fault.” Cameron had tears in his eyes. Jason couldn't recall the last time he saw him tear up and today was one of those rare occasions when he witnessed his younger brother in distress. “Do not blame yourself for everything, Cameron. You cannot be the cause for everything that had happened in Marissa's life and I really doubt she believes otherwise, because if she did than, she would have avoided you at all cost.” “I was surprised when she did not asked m
