Chapter 42 #2
What isn’t wrong with me? But it’s nothing Marcus would understand.
I’m not about to tell him the truth now—not when it doesn’t even matter anymore.
Luke and I are done. He’s made it pretty fucking clear that’s how he feels, anyway.
Now Marcus never even needs to know we were dating.
I’ll never need to come out at all. Problem solved.
“It doesn’t matter. Now, please leave. And leave the key on your way out,” I grumble, rolling over and pulling the covers to my chin. I close my eyes. “I’m fine.”
Marcus scoffs. “Like hell you are. And since when do you have a cat?” he asks just as Misty meows, leaping up from the floor and sitting on the edge of the bed. Great. Yet another thing I can’t explain.
“Marcus, I will literally pay you a million dollars to leave me the fuck alone!” I shout. I know it’s a step too far. I know it’s a horrible thing to tell my best friend. But I’m not in the mood to be judged and criticized for things he doesn’t understand.
There’s no response. The room goes quiet, and for a minute, I think Marcus might actually be considering the offer—like maybe he’s finally ready to give up on me and my bullshit.
With an offer for that kind of money, who could resist the temptation?
Then I hear him sigh and walk across the room.
I don’t open my eyes. I don’t want to watch him disappear through the door, leaving me in my misery.
I expect to hear his footsteps fading down the stairs. Except they don’t.
Instead, the other side of the bed dips suddenly as he sits down beside me. I open my eyes and watch as he puts his feet up and settles in, sitting with his back against the headboard, his arms folded over his chest. Despite everything, I’m relieved.
“You get a pass on that because you’re hurting.” Marcus glares down at me. “You’re lucky I love you, asshole.”
“You really shouldn’t,” I grumble. All of the fight has been zapped out of me, my anger dissipating, sinking back to grief. So much for progress.
“Jesus. I haven’t seen you this self-deprecating in a while. Why are you suddenly so depressed? What happened?”
I don’t answer. I can’t. I wouldn’t even begin to know how to explain it.
Then Marcus says something that stops my heart midbeat.
“Did you and Luke break up or something?”
I freeze, and I think I’ve stopped breathing. Slowly, I turn my head and look Marcus in the eye, and I see he’s dead serious. He’s not suggesting it as a joke or a silly prod to lighten my mood. He knows. Marcus knows.
“How did you….” I ask hesitantly. My head is spinning with the revelation.
“Dude.” Marcus arches a brow at me accusatorially. “You’ve been doing a pretty bad job of hiding it.”
My cheeks flush, and I look away, a sudden surge of shame washing over me.
“How long have you known?” I ask softly.
“Officially? The morning of Ryder’s birthday party.” Marcus smirks. “When I came to check on you, I walked in and saw the two of you sleeping together on the couch.”
“What?” I gape at him with confusion. “But the door was locked.”
“Yeah. After I locked it.” Marcus laughs. “I’m shocked you bought that. You never used to lock that door. And I have a spare key, remember? You never wondered why I didn’t use it?”
Holy fuck. I knew it seemed odd that the door was locked, but I didn’t question it too hard at the time because I thought it had saved me and Luke from discovery. I forgot about the key, too. There’s never been a need for it before today, so it completely slipped my mind.
Now I can’t help but think back to how Marcus seemed so fidgety talking to me in the garage, and it suddenly makes more sense in this context.
He knew what was going on but didn’t tell me.
We’d even talked about secret boyfriends…
Was that supposed to be a hint for me to fess up? God, I’m such an idiot.
“I want to say I wasn’t surprised, but I was absolutely floored.” Marcus sighs. “I probably shouldn’t have been. Looking back, there were a few times I questioned if you were really straight with the way I caught you staring at guys, but I was too chicken to ever ask you about it.”
“You and my mother both, apparently. God, that’s embarrassing.”
“How long have you known?”
I groan. “You’re going to laugh.”
“Well, now you have to tell me.”
“I only figured it out in August… Right after meeting Luke.”
“Okay, but fair. Have you seen the guy? He’s hot.”
I can’t help but laugh at that.
“You know, Tiff called it as far back as the camping trip,” Marcus adds casually.
My brows rise so far up I think they might fly off my face. “Seriously?”
That day…the football game, in the kitchen. She did know. I was right. Jesus, am I really that transparent?
“I’m pretty sure her exact words were ‘ooh, they fuckin.’” He mimics his wife’s tone. “She said it right after Luke went to find you the morning you two were fighting. I thought she was joking, but she corrected me later. She was dead serious.”
“That is when we officially got together.” I chuckle, dragging a hand over my tired face. “I wanted to tell you then. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I kept freezing up. My stupid brain wouldn’t cooperate.”
“Oh, I’m intimately familiar with that brain of yours,” Marcus concurs. “Which is why I didn’t say anything to you, either. Plus, Tiff threatened me within an inch of my life if I didn’t let you come out on your own terms.”
“Left to my own terms, I’d have taken it to my grave, I expect.”
“I told her that. She didn’t believe me.” He pauses, giving me a peculiar look. “So…what are you? Bi? Gay?”
“Bi. Definitely bi.”
“Okay. Cool,” he says. And that’s it.