“I completely fucked up by kissing you, didn’t I?”
“It’s cool you’re discovering this new side to you, and that you’re not freaking out about it, but I can’t be the one to—”
“I’m sorry your friend is a dick.” And I’m pissed this Eric guy has ruined any chance I had to hook up with Damon, because now I’ve kissed him, I really want to do it again.
“I wish the story was done,” Damon says with a groan. “A few weeks after the incident, I get a phone call from him. Then a text. Like a good little puppy, I went to him and ditched out on my sister’s graduation. For him. He knew it was Stacy’s graduation, and then when I get there, he’s drunk and apologizing profusely and wants to go back to the way things were. Said he missed my friendship. I figured we’ve been friends our entire lives, right? Hooking up wasn’t worth losing him, so I forgave him.” The laugh that comes out of Damon is humorless. “Then he said he forgives me too. For letting it go that far.”
“He still blames you?”
“Yup.”
“Please tell me you’re not still friends with him?”
“Our families are friends. We spend Christmases together. It is what it is. We’re not as close as we once were, and I’m always making excuses to blow him off … wait, wrong choice of words. We’re friends, but if I didn’t have to see him and be civil, I’d cut him off. I don’t have feelings for him after what he did, but I can’t hate him.”
“I hate him for you.”
“Hey, Stacy doesn’t know—”
“She doesn’t know about me and Matt either. Prefer to keep it that way.”
“Deal. Are you going to tell her about your … uh, discovery?”
I have no idea. “Eventually, yeah. If I do it as soon as we get home, she’ll think I’m messing with her. Which reminds me, we’re soooo going home and telling her we’re in love.”
“Do I get a say in this idea?”
“Nope. All you have to do is stand there and look pretty.”
“God, I’m Switzerland. I don’t want to get in the middle of you two. But this trip has definitely been a confidence boost. I mean, if I’m so fucking hot that Maddox O’Shay, manwhore of OU, finds me attractive, what does that say about my sex appeal?”
“Hmm, not so attractive now your head is suddenly ten times bigger than it was an hour ago.”
Damon laughs and downs the rest of his beer. “Think your parents are done?”
I wince. “Eww. Now we’re stuck out here all night, because the risk of overhearing that is not worth it.”
“Come on, boyfriend. If my balls shrivel up any more, I really could become a woman.”
***
Pulling up to Damon’s apartment has me torn in two. On one hand, I’m glad that disaster of a weekend is over. On the other, I’m not ready for my relationship with him—fake or otherwise—to be finished.
“Thanks for the ride. Would’ve been better without all the Lady Gaga, but I guess you had to get it out of your system because you’re ‘allowed to listen to it now.’” He uses air quotes, and I’m trying so damn hard not to laugh.
“Baby, I was born this way.”
Damon’s lips twitch but he refuses to let himself break out into a smile.
“Come on, I’m messing with you, and it’s a little upsetting it’s taken this long for you to realize that. Are you sure you’re related to Stacy?”
“So this was all just to torture me?” Damon asks.
“How else am I going to annoy the guy who refuses to fool around with me?”
“So glad we’re joking about this already,” he says.
“Have to admit, it was a weird weekend.”
“Awkward. I would call it awkward. After two nights, you know more about me than my own family does.”
“I won’t tell a soul. Although, would you object if I track down this Eric guy and punch him? Because that sounds fun.” I wouldn’t, because I avoid conflict at all costs, but I’d like to.
Damon grins. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ve moved past it. Really. And your secret is safe with me too.”
I want to yell at him that he hasn’t moved past it, because Eric obviously fucked him up enough to not trust I wouldn’t do the same thing. But I understand his hesitance. I can’t be one hundred percent sure I’d still be interested if we hooked up. No girl has ever been able to keep my attention, and now that I think about it, apart from Chastity, the one person I stayed with for longer than a weekend hookup was Matt. Yet, I had no idea I was bi until this weekend. One thing’s for sure, Mensa isn’t going to be knocking on my door any time soon. I wonder if they have an award for the most oblivious person in the world. I’d win, hands down.