Page 51 of Reverse Pass

He slides his tie into place, tightening it.

“Before I left or after?”

“When we had a moment alone.”

“Didn’t seem to want to be alone with me last night. That why you slept out there? Worried he’d be jealous?”

Now he turns around, his jaw hard and set, his eyes burning with a mixture of anger and hurt. I don’t answer immediately, trying to choose my words carefully because everyone in the house is likely still asleep at this hour, and I don’t want them to wake up to us arguing.

“He didn’t have the same compunctions, for the record. The two of them were up all night.”

It feels like a kick in the stomach to hear it and Cameron knows because his lip curls the slightest bit in satisfaction.

“I wasn’t ready for bed and then Joss and I stayed up super late.”

“On the night your fiancé is in town from overseas you have to stay up with Joss?”

“Ex-fiancé. And, again, you didn’t give me fair warning to change plans.”

“Right. It’s my fault for wanting to surprise you. For thinking we could have some time together. My bad for not giving you a chance to hide away your fuckboy’s shit and tell your roommate you’re not a child who celebrates Halloween anymore.”

“Cam, if you want to be pissed at me, feel free. But don’t drag them into this.”

“Why not? He’s in to you. How many times have you fucked him anyway?”

“It’s new.”

“I hope you’re using a fucking condom. He’s probably fucked his way through half the campus.”

“Like you’re fucking your way through half of Europe?” I snap because I hate the way he talks about Ben, the way he sees him.

“It’s been three women. I’ve told you about every single one of them, and I’d answer any question you want to ask. They were just hookups. I didn’t move them in and fuck them in our bed.”

“Wow, Cameron. I didn’t move Ben in to have sex with him. Nora asked me for my help because I’m here and she’s not. He needed a place to stay and some help while he went through a rough patch.”

“And you helped him all right. Witheverything.”

“Get fucked, Cameron. Seriously. Was it or was it notyouthat told me you needed to put the brakes on things?Youthat wanted to take a break, have an open relationship, and explore other people? Was it or was it notyouthat was out fucking random women and bragging to me about it?”

“I wasn’t bragging. I was keeping things honest with you.”

“You can give me updates without telling me how perfect their breasts were.”

“Because you didn’t seem to fucking care. At all.”

“I’m sorry, did you want to have an open and honest adult relationship where we saw other people, or did you want me to be a jealous scorned ex-girlfriend?”

“I wanted you to fucking care. To act like it mattered to you at all.”

“I asked you not to do this, and you told me you needed it. So I adapted. I decided to take the idea seriously.”

“Too fucking seriously. You were supposed to go out and have a couple one-night stands with a guy you met at a bar. Not move the first one in and start playing fucking house with him in our bed.”

“First, you have no idea how many one-night stands I have or haven’t had. Second, it’s not our bed anymore. It’s mine. You moved out.”

“Yeah, and what? He thinks he can just move in here and take over where I left off?”

There’s a hard knock at the door and then it pops open, Ben is standing there brow furrowed. His eyes traveling between the two of us, and then focusing on me.