Dread pitted in Shea’s stomach. He snuck a glance back at Christian. Oh, holy fucking shitballs, he was fucking livid. His nostrils flared, his jaw was bulging, and his hands were curled into fists at his sides. Jesus, Shea was in a boatload of shit right now.
“I…uh…well, Tara…” Shea stuttered, not exactly sure how to tell her what was going on.
Shea looked down at her, she looked really good in a tank top and yoga pants. Were her boobs bigger? Shea shook that thought away, didn’t matter, he was with Christian now and he wouldn’t be sleeping with her ever again.
“I missed you, Shea. Why haven’t you called me?” Tara asked, still running her hands over his chest and now his shoulders.
Shea grabbed her hands and removed them from his body. “Listen, Tara. I haven’t called for a reason. I’m with someone else and we’re exclusive.”
Tara laughed. “Funny, Shea. There is no way you stopped calling me to be with some other bitch. I gave you everything you needed; you told me you were completely satisfied.”
“This relationship isn’t just about sex, Tara, there are other things involved,” Shea tried to explain.
“Like what?” Tara demanded, shoving her hands on her hips.
“Dammit, I don’t have to explain myself to you. We weren’t a couple, you were someone I called for a good fuck, but that was it. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.” Shea sighed.
Tara flinched as if slapped. “How dare you!” Tara said, infuriated. “You were more than just a good fuck to me! I thought we were heading toward starting a real relationship, but you stopped calling me. I thought something happened to you! God, my friends were right about you, you’re nothing but an asshole!” Tara yelled, giving him a shove. “Who is she? Huh?”
“That’s none of your business,” Shea said evenly.
“No, Shea, go ahead and tell her.” Christian snarled from where he stood in the living room behind him.
Shea closed his eyes and cursed himself, knowing he was in serious trouble. He opened his eyes and looked at Tara who was frowning at Christian. “Tara, this is my boyfriend, Christian.”
Tara’s mouth dropped open and her eyes almost bugged out of her head. “Excuse me? Did you just say boyfriend?” she asked, dumbfounded.
“Yes, Christian is my boyfriend.”
“Wha…how? I thought you were straight!” Tara exclaimed.
“I was…I mean…I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.” Shea struggled, not knowing what to say. Because honestly, he was starting to think he had been gay, or at least bi, for a long time, and never had the balls to acknowledge it.
“This is unbelievable! Do you know how many guys have asked me out that I turned down because I thought we were going to be together? And now you’re telling me you’re a fucking faggot!”
The air in Shea’s lungs exploded out of him as if he had just been punched in the gut. She just called him a ‘faggot.’ The hurt was immediate and sharp. Never in all of his life had one word cut him so deeply. He swung around to look at Christian, who was standing there, arms crossed over his chest, face passive. Shea had no idea how many times Christian had been called something like that, but he almost looked as if it was nothing new to him, and that broke his heart. Shea turned back to Tara.
“I can’t believe you just called me that.” Shea breathed.
“Well you better get used to it because you’ll be getting called that a lot once you start telling people,” Tara snapped.
“How about you just leave now?” Shea snarled and opened the door for her.
“My pleasure.” She snorted and stomped out of the house.
Shea shut the door and leaned his forehead against it. He couldn’t believe how much being called a ‘faggot’ bothered him. He never thought of it as that hurtful of a word before because it never applied to him, but now…it hurt like a bitch. He could understand a little better why Christian was so secretive about his sexuality. No one wanted to be called horrible names, especially to their faces.
Shea sighed, dreading what was coming next. He straightened up and turned to face Christian. He looked absolutely livid, not that Shea could blame him. He should have told Tara over a month ago when he first started dating Christian, but he bitched out and decided to just stop calling her in hopes that she would get the hint.
“Chris…” Shea started, but Christian cut him off.
“Why didn’t you tell her? Were you keeping her around as backup for when you decide that you actually are straight?” Christian snapped.
“What? No!”
“Whatever, I knew that you were only with me so that you wouldn’t lose me as a friend. I’m not surprised. I knew that there was no way you would actually want to be with me,” Christian muttered and waved a dismissive hand as he walked back into the kitchen.