Mr. Lone Boy /BoyxBoy/

||Thirteen||

I cleared my throat.

"We were never dating," I finally decided to say.

Devin blinked one.

Then once again.

"What?"

"We were faking it," I admitted, glancing at Jake, who gave me a supportive smile.

"But why would you do that?" He frowned.

I expected this. But I should have prepared a proper answer, something realistic, the truth even, because then I just froze. I could practically feel the gears in my head whirring then cut off completely.

I was stuck.

"Nate?" He asked. "Why did you lie to me?"

When I didn't say anything, he stood up and paced around the living room, his face pinched in confusion.

"Because I told him to."

My head snapped up at the sound of Jake's voice.

"Why would you do that?" Devin stopped pacing.

I watched Jake's chest rise up as he took a deep breath. "I'm not sure of my sexuality, but I really like Nate so I told him to keep us a secret."

"That doesn't explain why he pretended to date Tom," Devin said, exasperated.

"I didn't want to third wheel," I said. "So I asked Tom to come along with us on our dates so I wouldn't feel left out."

"And you were okay with that?" Devin asked, directing the question towards Jake.

"I knew nothing real was going on between them." He shrugged.

"This is insane." Devin shook his head.

"I know," I said, equally as stressed out.

Jake moved closer to me and placed his hand over mine, and in that moment all I wanted to do was curl in his arms and kiss him senseless.

Eventually, Devin sighed and said, "I should get going."

I stood up and walked him to the door.

"Nate, when did we start lying to each other like this?"

I looked up to see his face, and thought how he didn't even know half of it. Guilt rushed through me all over again, eating me up inch by inch.

I shrugged, "I don't know."

He smiled at me sadly, and I watched him bite the inside of his cheek. Something he used to do all the time when he was annoyed. Something he still does.

"Bye, Nate."

I closed the door behind him and walked towards the couch where Jake was sitting.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He shook his head. "Don't. I just made things worse."

He was right, and I knew it.

Because I just dragged someone else in a lie, and it didn't feel so good.

~

Ian texted me a while later, when Jake left the apartment with nothing but a mumbled 'goodnight'.

I was tucked under my covers, all ready for bed, my bedroom's lights turned off as I stared at the dark ceiling.

"U told him?"

I sighed and texted, "Yes."

"He's not happy."

"I know."