Chapter 23 #2
“Alright, who among us would you most likely want a threesome with?”
Camden’s eyes go wide and he chokes on his drink. “What?”
“Come on, Gym Daddy.” Noah crosses his legs at the knee. “Me and who else?”
Camden laughs. “Um, if I had to pick a threesome, I’d probably . . .” He looks around the room. “I’d probably go with Mark and Hunter.”
“What?!” Noah yells. Mark and Hunter high five each other.
I feel sick to my stomach. Why didn’t he . . . what? I drain my cup, leaning over and grabbing the vanilla vodka, filling my cup halfway. I’m too lazy to get up and make more hot chocolate. I take a sip, flinching but forcing the alcohol to numb this feeling.
“I think it’d be a fun time. Hunter seems laid-back, so does Mark. I wouldn’t feel nervous. I’d be comfortable.”
“I get it. I’m too much man for you. I am a ride you wouldn’t survive.” While Noah jokes, I just want to throw up. Camden is laughing at their theatrics, but then looks at my face and frowns.
“What’s wrong?”
“You’d pick them?” I say softly while Mark and Noah are still fighting.
Camden’s dark brows scrunch, and recognition hits his golden eyes.
“It’s just pretend. For a threesome, as a joke.
Yes.” He smiles, leaning in. “In reality, you think I could just lie back and watch someone else touch you?” He leans in closer to my ear.
“When it’s us, it’s us. I’d be too distracted to touch anyone else. ” He pulls back, and my face flames.
All I can do is blink up at him, and a tiny smile slips onto my face.
“Nice, Camden. Your turn. God, this is a great night.” Mark laughs.
“I’m going to be sick,” Noah says.
“Always wondered what an Eiffel Tower would be like,” Mark muses.
“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” Noah says, then looks behind him at Jamie. “So I’ve heard.” He cups Jamie’s cheek. “Love you.”
Camden grabs the basket while I down the rest of my drink. I need another hot chocolate. “Noah, can I have another?”
“Of course, my new superior best friend.” He flips Mark off, walking to the kitchen and pouring me another drink. When he hands it to me I thank him, as Camden pulls a name out of the basket. “Jamie.”
“Great,” he says flatly. “Dare.”
Camden smiles. “I dare you to lick whipped cream off whoever’s name you draw from this basket.”
“I should have said truth.” He shakes his head as Camden hands him the basket. Jamie rifles through it, pulling out a name. “If it’s my brother, I’m not doing it.” He opens the paper, smiling wide. “Noah.”
“No way!” Mark takes the paper, looking at it. “That doesn’t seem fair.”
“My man’s lips aren’t going anywhere near your body.
Keep dreaming.” Noah sits perched on the edge of the chair.
“Go on. Where do you want me?” Jamie chuckles, grabbing the whipped cream can and shaking it slowly, then he walks over to Noah.
He hasn’t drunk anything tonight, but the hazy look in his eyes tells me he’s on something else.
Getting down on his knees, Jamie slowly unzips the front of Noah’s onesie pajamas. “Lie back.”
“Oh shit, okay.” Noah lies back as Jamie draws the pajamas down to his navel and stops when he peeks inside with a frown.
“Are you not wearing underwear?”
“Why would I bother?”
Jamie shakes his head.
“Go on.”
Jamie leans in, whispering something into Noah’s ear, and his cheeks brighten, his eyes going wide. Jamie’s slowly trails a line of whipped cream down the center of his chest, stopping at his belly button.
With a wicked smirk, Jamie hooks Noah’s knees over his arms, tugging him down in the chair. He runs his tongue up the center of his chest, before stopping at his lips and giving him a little nip, then he stands.
“Holy damn,” Noah whispers, straighting in the seat and pushing Jamie away as he tries to put Noah back on his lap. “No, sit somewhere else. I need a minute.” He concedes, coming to sit next to me, but his hard eyes are still locked on Noah. A blush crawls up his neck.
“I’ve never seen him speechless,” Mark says. “I like it.”
Jamie grabs the basket, pulling out a name. “Mark.”
“Truth.”
“What’s the most embarrassing thing to happen to you during sex?”
Mark’s nervous eyes go to Noah, who sighs. “Tell them the pool-toy story.”
Mark’s eyes close for a minute. “Back in college, Noah and I were at a pool party and there was this inflatable raft. It looked sturdy!” he yells at Noah.
“Spoiler alert. It twas not.”
“Anyway! We both got into it—no one else was in it with us—and we um, ya know, and I wasn’t paying attention—”
“So lost in the throes of passion.”
“Shut up. I wasn’t paying attention. I went to move, I slipped a little and twisted my wrist, then I yelped, which made him get up to see what happened. The pool toy moved, jostling me, and I fell, but you know how there are seams in the plastic toys sometimes?”
“Oh god.”
“When I fell out, my balls hit the seam, and it gave me a big papercut.”
“Oh my god.” Jamie crosses his legs.
“Yeah, it was fucking awful. But I’d lost my shorts so Noah had to help me find them. I’m standing there, I’d twisted my wrist falling off and I was cupping my bleeding sac, and then—”
“And that’s when the cops showed up to bust the party.” Noah laughs. “I found his shorts, though.”
“Thankfully they didn’t press charges or anything. I had to go to the hospital, though.”
“Can never look at a pool toy the same way again,” Noah mumbles.
“You were no help.”
“And you said you could balance! Here we are.”
“Is that why there’s a small scar on your right one?” Hunter asks. Mark closes his eyes, nodding. “The more I learn, the less I want to know.”
Reaching into the basket, he pulls a name out. “Noa—”
“Truth. I’m an open book.”
Shaking his head, Mark thinks. “I can’t think of one disgusting thing I don’t already know about you.”
“You guys are way too close,” Hunter agrees.
“Then, dare.”
“Can’t think of one thing you won’t do. Wait!” Mark grins “You can’t talk for the rest of the game.”
"Have I ever told you how sexy you are." Hunter tugs Mark onto his lap kissing the side of his head. "Good boy."
Noah’s lips drop open, then he folds his arms and glares. He waves a hand at Mark, rolling his eyes and gesturing wildly at him, then sinks back into his chair. He reaches with his hand, grabbing at the air, waiting for the basket.
Mark grins, handing it over.
Noah pulls out a piece of paper with my name on it. “Uh, truth.”
He grabs the paper he used to write our names on and writes down his question.
Have you ever been in love ?
Why would he do that? Why? But while I’m upset, I know why. To get me talking, because I have to talk, and he knows I won’t do it on my own. I have to say something. Noah likes to push his friends, I know he does, and we’re drunk, and he’s not thinking clearly.
Neither am I.
Which is why I turn to Cam. “Yeah. I have.”
Camden’s eyes widen. “What?”
“I have, and I am.” All the words I’ve contained over the last two decades tumble out of me.
“What are you talking about?”
“What do you mean, what am I talking about? Camden, come on!” I stand up, anger and alcohol now fueling my mouth. Goodbye common sense. My face is burning. I’m sure it’s incredibly red right now.
“Bo—”
“You know what this has been like for me? I’ve watched you fall in love with people over and over. People who do not deserve you! When they all end, because they all do, where do you go, huh? Where do you always end up? Now you’re giving me a taste of what it could be like, and it’s killing me.
“I can't take this anymore. I want to give you everything you deserve, but you’re still keeping me at arm’s length. Even now! I thought you were straight and I let that be, but now you’re messing with my heart.”
“Bo, I didn’t know—”
“Of course you didn’t! You’re too busy being in love with everyone else!”
He stands, looking at me, and he sways a little. Or maybe that’s me. “What do you mean? How was I supposed to know? You never—”
“You can’t be that dumb.” As soon as the words slip I regret them.
I try to apologize but I can’t.
I’m too upset. His eyes gloss, but it’s like my mouth is glued shut. Maybe it’s the shame in my words as it squeezes my lungs. I can’t breathe. I need to get out of here. I feel like I’m going to puke.
“Bobo—”
“I’m done, Cam. Done.” I turn, running up the stairs, knowing I just ruined everything.