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“From the sounds of it, you like to go out a lot, so the chances of me finding you out and about are pretty high.”

Troy took a step back, holding his hands out. “Excuse me? I’m sorry, was that you trying to make me feel bad for...what, doing single stuff?”

Oscar’s eyes flashed. “No, you can sleep with every Tom, Dick, and Harry you want, it’s none of my business.”

“You’re damn right, it’s not your business!”

“But I would’ve thought that after what happened last week, you’d be a little smarter than to hop on the next guy who showed you attention,” Oscar continued.

Troy’s temper broke, and he stepped forward, jabbing a finger into Oscar’s chest. “Alright, you listen to me, Oscar Mateo Reyes and you listen to me right the fuck now.Youdon’t get to tell me what I do and don’t do with my free time, and you sure as shit don’t get to judge me.”

Oscar leaned back, eyeing Troy’s offending finger balefully. “Who the fuck said anything about judging you?”

“Don’t you fucking try that innocent shit. I know the difference between you being you and you being an ass, and this…this is you being an ass.”

Oscar swatted Troy’s finger away with a huff. “Just because I don’t have any say in where you stick what, doesn’t mean I can’t think it’s stupid. Fuck’s sake, Troy, there’s still some bruises left on your neck!”

“I’m fine,” Troy shot back hotly.

“Right, and anytime I say something like that, you look like I’m straight-up lying and refuse to let me get away with it.”

“Because you are lying when you say that.”

“And you are now.”

“Like hell I am!”

“So it’s perfectly normal to get choked by someone on the street, then turn around and go out and risk the same thing all over again? Right, Troy, because most people wouldn’t have been a little worried, a little cautious, maybe think a little about what they’re doing.”

Troy stepped back with a snarl. “You know what? Maybe you’re perfectly okay with hiding from the world, too scared to actually go out into it, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us have to.”

“Fuck you. I’m not hiding shit.”

“Right, because you haven’t spent your whole life in the closet, scared someone might find out you’re into dick.”

“Shut up,” Oscar hissed, his eyes darting around.

Troy motioned around the empty street. “Who’s going to hear me, Oscar? Hm? Who’s even going to care? You, you’re the only one who’s going to care.”

“It’s nobody’s business,” Oscar said, looking over his shoulder again.

Troy shook his head. “Don’t make this about you beingprivate. This is about you being too scared to be honest.”

“Don’t you dare call me a coward!” Oscar growled.

“You can run into the field of battle without so much as a whisper of worry, but you can’t be in an open, honest relationship with someone you give a shit about!” Troy continued, refusing to be cowed by Oscar’s anger and overbearing attitude.

Oscar’s eyes grew wider, his voice taking on a deeper, more dangerous growl. “Shut up, Troy, I swear to God.”

Troy felt his gut tighten, but he stubbornly held the other man’s gaze. “Or what? You going to make me?”

Oscar’s eyes blazed even brighter, his left hand clenching at his side. For one wild moment, a suddenly paranoid part of Troy’s mind thought Oscar might take a swing at him. Not once in all the time he’d known Oscar, with all his growling, stomping attitude and his tendency to get pissed too easily, had Troy ever thought he was in danger, but this felt different. Troy had never seen Oscar look so angry, his dark eyes shadowed under his heavily creased brow, his jaw so tight it was a miracle he hadn’t cracked any teeth.

“Oscar?” Troy asked hesitantly.

And just like that, the cloud of darkness and rage was gone. Oscar’s shoulders sagged, and his hand unclenched. Oscar took a deep breath, looking down at the sidewalk and shaking his head.

When he spoke, it was so softly Troy almost couldn’t hear him. “No, Troy, I’m not going to...make you do anything.”