Page 46 of Perfect Matcha

“I already told you—You didn’t take advantage of me, Theo. But I don’t want to lose you. When you and Freddie broke up, you stopped being friends, and I—”

Theo shook his head, and Camden snapped his mouth shut. “Freddie invited me to his wedding. We’re still friends. He likes my pictures on Instagram sometimes.”

Also, what the fuck did Freddie have to do with him and Camden and their situation?

“Sex complicates things, Theo. Emotionally.” Camden’s fingers dug into Theo’s shoulders briefly. “For me.”

Theo nodded. Sex had usually been complicated for him too, until Camden had made it so easy and fun. “I understand. I don’t want either of us to get hurt.”

Theo didn’t consider himself a very brave person, but he’d sacrifice everything for Camden. Hurting him was unfathomable. Unacceptable.

“You’re going to have an awesome time on your date,” Camden said, his voice a tad too bright. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

Theo nodded again. He wanted this morning to be behind him. “We should get to work, huh?”

“Yeah.” Camden dragged him into a brisk hug, and it almost,just almost, felt good.

They stumbled their way through goodbyes. When Theo left, he accidentally forgot his tea on the counter, realizing his mistake in the parking lot, but he couldn’t imagine facing Camden again.

A swirl of emotions vied for attention in his brain, but he couldn’t process any of them. He pulled blissful numbness over himself like a weighted blanket until he made it back to his apartment, called in to work, and pulled a real blanket over his head instead.