"What should we call this?"...the making of a Sims story

When you’re in love, you see love wherever you are.
If it wasn’t a line from a song, it should have been.

The day after his date with Angie, Cameron spoke to no fewer than seven of his friends about how the evening had gone.
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By a unanimous verdict, they declared that he should pursue this budding connection further.
“I’ve known Cam for years,” Tim Horton said. “I’ve known Angie for a long time, too, but we didn’t socialize in high school. That’s entirely my fault. I missed out on making a good friend. I’m glad I can fix that now.”
This honest admission, devoid of Tim’s usual good-natured bluster, summarized the way much of the Willow Creek gang felt about Angie.

Riding high on life, Cameron decided to explore some new pastimes. His grandparents’ home was filled with amenities he had barely noticed. There was a bar in the outdoor dining space, so Cam decided to learn the art of Mixology.
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His friends from San Myshuno had told him about the climbing wall at the gym there, so he decided to give Rock Climbing a try.
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And, as you might expect, he found plenty of occasions to send sweet little texts to Angie, who was working more shifts than usual at T. Pose Medical.
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Cam and Angie had made plans to meet each other at the Humor & Hijinks Festival one cool, early summer evening, but Angie texted that afternoon with some unfortunate news.

I have to take an extra shift tonight. So sorry! Please go and have fun for me, ok?
Not as much as if you were with me. Miss you already, he replied.

So Cameron would be flying solo that evening. He was disappointed, but he’d usually had fun on festival nights. And, as he pointed out, “doing things like that by myself feels different when it doesn’t happen all the time.”

Cameron grabbed something to eat, listened to a comedy routine, and set off some fireworks. He had fun, but by 9:00 or so, he was ready to head home. He thought he might sit outside at the fire pit and read a bit before bed.

As he was walking back to the train station, he heard two familiar voices, engaged in a happy-sounding conversation. He turned in the direction of the voice and smiled as he identified the speakers.

Kaitlynne Blanton had decided a night of Humor & Hijinks seemed like fun, too, so she’d come into the city from Willow Creek. Then, her evening took a more interesting turn when she encountered a new neighbor who had also decided to follow the lure of the city lights.

Christopher Pierce hadn’t lived in Willow Creek for very long. He’d moved there to take a job as an engineer with Obscure Logistics, and he was renting a house in Foundry Cove. Cameron met Christopher the day he moved in; the Rosses lived across the bridge from Christopher’s end of the neighborhood. The two young men got along well, bonding over a common passion for soccer.
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Kaitlynne and Christopher had met each other, too. She would have enjoyed it very much had Christopher kicked a soccer ball in her direction–she’d been a talented box-to-box midfielder for the Buckingham High girls side–but he didn’t know that. Kaitlynne had come over to Christopher’s house with the Welcome Wagon, and she’d approached him while he was fishing in the canal one evening. Tonight, Kaitlynne had barely left the train before she spotted Christopher, who was emerging from the Casbah Art Gallery. She smiled, waved, and hurried over to him, as quickly as she could in a pair of fashionable boots.
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Cameron made his way across the plaza to greet them. I wonder if they came down here together? Cam asked himself.

Kaitlynne greeted Cameron with a friendly hug. “I’m going to have to start coming down to the Arts District more often. It’s where all the handsome men hang out.” Kait’s playful comment caused both of the guys to blush.
“How did you like the festival?” Cameron asked them.
“I haven’t made it there yet,” Kaitlynne admitted.
“Neither have I,” Christopher added. “I was practicing painting at the Gallery.”
“You paint?” Kaitlynne's eyes widened, and she smiled brightly.
Chris stammered a bit. “Umm…not really,” he admitted. “That’s why I was practicing.”
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Cameron chatted with them for a few more minutes before saying goodnight and boarding the train for Brindleton Bay.

Two days later, he had just finished a shift at work when his phone buzzed. It was a text from Christopher.

Want to meet me at the Willow Café? I’ll buy
Cam smiled and texted him back.
On my way. See you soon

By the time Cam got to the Café, Chris had gulped down two cups of coffee. Cameron sat down at a table, but Christopher was too keyed up to sit.
“What’s got you so revved up?” Cameron asked him.
“I need some advice.”
“About…?”
Christopher took a deep breath. “How to get rid of a crush.”
Cameron paused for a moment. “Why do you want to do that? Is she unavailable or something?”
“It’s not that. She’s…well, she’s way out of my league.”
Wheels turned in Cameron's head. I know what’s going on now. “I know her, don’t I?” he asked.
“It’s Kaitlynne,” Chris admitted.
Cameron paused again. “Why do you think Kaitlynne wouldn’t be interested in you? You’re a really nice guy. You have a good job. You’ve got your act together.”
Christopher shook her head. “Women like Kaitlynne don’t date Engineering Interns who work all the time and rent starter houses in Willow Creek. They date Masters of Machines who own engineering firms and own penthouses in San Myshuno.”
Cam shook his head. “You’re selling yourself short, Chris…”
“You don’t…”
Cameron kept going. “And you know what? You’re selling Kaitlynne short too, if you think she’s going to be more impressed by a dude’s bank account than what’s inside him.”
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Now that Chris was listening, Cameron continued. “I’ve known Kaitlynne since we were in high school. Guess who she was dating then?”
“A dude from UBrite or Foxbury.”
“Nope. She didn’t date at all. None of the guys would ask her out, because they all figured she was dating a dude from UBrite or Foxbury.” Cameron smiled. “If you like her, ask her out.”
Cameron channeled his inner Tim Horton. “Go for it. Carpe diem.”
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“I’m not really a carpe diem kind of guy,” Chris admitted. “I’m the guy who would translate the phrase instead of actually doing it.”

Then an idea popped into Cameron’s head, making him smile. “Kaitlynne is a really good friend of Angie's. I’ll invite her, you, and Kait over to my place for a cookout by the pool. Sound good?”
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Chris mulled over Cameron’s idea. "Hmmm, that's not a bad idea."
“No pressure. You’re both friends of mine, and Kait is friends with Angie. It won’t look like a setup.

Cameron grinned at his friend. “And even if it does, who says Kaitlynne would mind?”