Chapter 25 Cam
CAM
Ileaned forward with my elbows against the kitchen island, still nursing the last of my coffee. Wren sat across from me, her legs swinging off the edge of the island.
She narrowed her eyes at me over the rim of her mug. “So…”
I raised a brow. “So?”
She smirked. “You’re in love with my best friend?”
My sister was never the one to tiptoe around shit or sugarcoat it. Not sure she knew how to when it came to me. I rolled my eyes. “Yeah.”
Her mug stopped halfway to her mouth.
“Holy fucking fuck,” she said, blinking. “You weren’t kidding?”
I shrugged, a small grin tugging at the corner of my mouth. “Nope. Trust me, I wouldn’t joke about that, especially not to you guys.”
“Does she know?”
That part made me pause. A faint brush of heat crept up my neck, and I ran a hand through my hair, letting out a slow breath. “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably not. I mean, I haven’t told her. Not sure I should, honestly.”
Wren’s brows lifted as she waited for me to explain.
“I’ve liked her for, like… years," I admitted, now rubbing the back of my neck. “We kissed in the kitchen the morning after that bonfire you guys dragged me to, like, a year ago. There was a spark then, and I couldn’t ignore it after that, even though I tried.”
Looking down, a smirk played on my face as I thought about her.
“I hate what she’s going through. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.
But having her here—it’s changed everything.
I played the enemy all these years because with all the sarcasm and fights, I thought that's how she saw me. But things have changed.”
Wren squinted. “You’re smiling.”
“I know,” I said, laughing under my breath.
“It’s stupid. She just—she’s incredible.
I’ve never felt like this. We didn’t even mean to, but one minute we were fighting in the hallway, then I heard her crying in her room, and the next she was looking at me like I was someone she could actually lean on, and the next thing I know we’re kissing again, and she’s on top of me and—”
I trailed off.
Wren tilted her head, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Cam?”
I held up a hand. “We didn’t have sex.”
She just stared at me blankly.
I cleared my throat, intending to drop it, but continued against my better judgement “… But I did eat her out.”
Wren’s mouth dropped open. “Cam.”
“And, um…” I scratched the back of my neck again, starting to panic-laugh. “She gave me the most incredible blowjob.”
Wren made a strangled noise, slowly lowering her mug.
“Cam—”
“And then we, uh… dry humped,” I said, voice faster and higher now, unable to stop the train. “Until we both came in our pants.”
Wren set her mug down hard. “Oh my God,” she groaned, dramatically dragging her hands down her face. “That’s—too much information. Literally so much. I am going to throw up.”
I burst out laughing.
She gagged and turned away from me, like she might physically throw up her coffee.
“I’m happy for you,” she said, waving a hand without looking at me. “But if you ever say the words ‘incredible blowjobs’ when you talk about my best friend to me again, I will have Reed tell you every detail of what we did in the garage last week.”
“Ew, c'mon Wrennie. That’s a man’s sanctuary. Stay out of there!” Despite that disturbing information, I was still grinning like a complete idiot. I didn’t care how much I’d just overshared because it finally wasn't a secret anymore.
“I know I gave you and Reed a hard time when you got together,” I said, voice low.
She raised a brow. “You think?”
I let out a breath. “Yeah. I was an asshole. Too much overprotective brother energy. I thought I was doing the right thing, but… I know now how much I overstepped.”
Wren sipped her coffee and then shrugged. “You were scared. I get it. You didn’t want me to get hurt. But it was still annoying as hell.”
“I know,” I said, nodding. “I’m sorry for that.”
She tilted her head. “Are you trying to earn brownie points now that you’re hooking up with my best friend?”
I cracked a half-grin. “Just trying not to be a hypocrite.”
Wren laughed under her breath, but then her face softened. “Cam, I love it,” she sighed. “You and Harper… I’ve been waiting for it to happen.”
“Yeah?”
She nodded, setting her mug down. “You make her feel safe. You ground her. And she makes you less grumpy, which is honestly a gift to all of us.”
That pulled a genuine smile from me.
“And all that teasing she used to do?” Wren added. “It wasn’t just for fun. She liked you, Cam. That was Harper trying not to look like she liked you.”
I blinked. “You’re serious?”
“Dead serious,” she said. “She’s been into you forever; she just didn’t know how to deal with it. Probably figured you’d never go there, especially since you were so mean to her.”
I stared at the floor for a second, thinking about every moment I brushed off. “Damn,” I muttered.
“Yeah,” Wren said, walking around the island to my side. While bumping her shoulder into mine, she continued speaking, “So maybe now you won’t make that same dumb face every time she walks into a room. The one where you pretend not to be looking at her, but you’re actually staring like a creep.”
I rolled my eyes, but my cheeks burned.
“Just… don’t screw it up, Cam,” she added. “This could be real.”
I looked down into my coffee, a smile pulling at my lips.
“I know,” I said softly. “There is something else, too, Wren. I am just not sure how to get it out.”
She takes a step back so she can look at me properly. “I’m all ears.”
“As you know, I haven’t really dated. There have been girls here and there, but nothing serious because my priority has always been you.”
She gave a knowing nod.
I closed my eyes, gaining the strength to come out to my sister. “There is more than just Harper.”
She gasps, a hand flying to her mouth. “What the fuck do you mean? Are you playing her? Are you seeing more women?”
This is going bad very fast. “God, no, this is hard for me to say. I’ve barely processed it myself.”
“Just say it before I have an aneurysm, dude.”
“I think I’m bisexual. But also, I think I am interested in being in a polyamorous relationship.
And I kissed Tucker last night. A lot. I truly think I’m finally understanding who I am,” I finally got out in a quick ramble, nervous to hear her reaction.
I had to blink away the burn in the back of my eyes.
I didn’t want to cry, but I wasn’t sure I could hold my tears back.
My sister was always more emotional than I was, but this might’ve just broken her. She burst into tears, not a few stray tears but crocodile tears and sobs that took over her body.
“Wren, what the fuck?” I set my cup down and wrapped my little sister in a hug. I stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. A few of my own tears silently slid down my face. I felt so fucking free.
As her sobs turn to sniffles, I pull back to look her in the eyes.
“I am just so proud of you, Cam. Out of everyone in the world, it is you who deserves to be happy. You gave up everything for me, and I could never repay you for it. Hearing this? It’s overwhelming. I have waited so long for you to find yourself. You know I would support you no matter what.”
More tears stung my eyes, but I didn’t make any effort to hold them back. The only thing going through my mind was, ‘I deserved to be happy’. I pulled her back into a hug, and we just stood there together.
When we both finally stopped crying, I pulled back, drying my tears, and laughed. “Fuck, it feels good to have that off my chest.”