Kalen is passed out in Crew’s bed. His chest is bare, but the sheet covers him from the waist down, so I have no idea if he’s naked. Crew is nowhere to be found. Not on the bed beside Kalen—which I guess I’m thankful for—and he isn’t anywhere else in the room.
The door to the en-suite opens, pulling my attention from Kalen to that direction. Crew walks through the door, also shirtless but with sweats on. He has a towel around his neck and he’s drying his hair. He doesn’t see me right away because he’s looking down at his phone. The phone he’s been ignoring me on.
“Happy to see your phonedoeswork.”
He startles at the sound of my voice, stopping in his tracks, eyes darting in my direction. His wide-eyed gaze quickly travels from me to the man sleeping in his bed, before coming back to me. “What are you doing here?”
“Making sure you’re not fucking dead, Crew. I’ve been calling and texting you for two days.”
He scoffs, squaring his shoulders. “Clearly, I didn’t want to talk. Take a hint and go back to your girlfriend.”
“So, what? You assume the fucking worst and run to hook up withhim?”
“It’s not fucking like that, Anderson.”
“Oh, so youdidn’thook up with Kalen?”Say no. Please fucking say no.
The brief hesitation and the flash of what looks like regret in his eyes is all the answer I need. The backs of my eyes burn, but I fucking refuse to cry. Fuck that.
“Did you fuck him?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
“He fuck you?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“Anderson, please don’t do this.” He at least has the decency to look ashamed, like he truly regrets whatever it is he did.
“No, Crew. Tell me. I want to know. Ineedto know.”
“I’m not doing this. Drop it.”
“Crew, fucking tell me.NOW! You at least fucking owe me that much. You’ve ignored me for fuckingdays, and I show up here because I’m concerned for you, and findhimin your fucking bed, naked. You owe me an explanation, and you fucking know it.”
His eyes are glassy with unshed tears, and he’s fidgeting with his hands. He won’t look at me. It twists the knife that much deeper.
“Goddammit, Crew. Be a fucking man andtell me!”
“He gave me head, okay! That’s all. Are you fucking happy?!” A single tear falls down his cheek. He doesn’t bother wiping it away.
His confession is like a bucket of ice water dumped on my head. I’m chilled to the bone and the pounding in my ears gets louder. “Did you come?”
He starts walking toward me. “Anderson, don’t—”
My hand raises, wordlessly telling him to stop. “Did. You. Come?”
A choked sob comes up his throat, and the tears are steadily falling now. He did this, and he has the nerve to cry about it?
“Yes, Anderson, but it was you I was thinking of.”
A humorless laugh comes out of me, the sound foreign to my ears. Movement out of my peripheral has me turning my head. Kalen is now awake and sitting up.Fucking joy.
“What the fuck did you just say, Crew?” he asks, rubbing his eyes. “It was him you were thinking of? That’s fucking great.”
“I would shut the fuck up if I were you. This doesn’t fucking concern you.” My words are laced with venom I didn’t even know I was capable of spewing.