Pretty Boy [bxb] | ✔️

• Chapter forty-eight: I'm more than ready

I know exactly how I'm going to do this.

"You haven't said anything about your mystery lover for a while. Are you still with them?" I ask Cami once we've sat down to eat our lunch.

I bring my sandwich up to my mouth like I'm about to take a bite, but I don't. I know that with my anxiety, who has which made a speedy appearance since we entered the room, I'd choke on it. I don't want to make it obvious that I'm anxious because then she would notice it and so on. I'm going with the flow.

"I am," she nods. "What about your girlfriend? Are you guys still together?"

I take a shaky breath, "I don't have a girlfriend."

She pouts, though doesn't look overly disappointed. I guess she wouldn't when she has no idea who this 'girl' is and have never met 'her', to her knowledge.

I'm honestly surprised at the fact that she hasn't tried to find out who it is, or even gotten pissed at me for not telling her. Although, when you flip it, I haven't gotten pissed at Cami either. I'm in the same situation, so I put it down to my understanding. Maybe that's her thought process about this too.

"Aw, you guys broke up?" She questions. She doesn't seem sad for me at all, instead she smiles and sits up, almost as if she thinks this is a good thing.

I'd expect Cami to give me a little bit of pity, even if she never met this 'girl'. I mean, I am her best friend who's supposedly broken up with my significant other, as far as she is concerned. If she told me she broke up with hers, I know I'd feel some pity for her. I don't need to have met them to feel that, putting Cami's feelings into perspective.

"No," I say, looking down at the sandwich in my hand. I feel sick. "I never had a girlfriend."

Cami sits up and narrows her eyes at me, "So you lied to me?"

Notwithstanding that she narrowed her eyes, she doesn't look ruffled. She looks suspicious. This makes me even more nervous than before.

"Yes. With good reason," I'm quick to say.

I've become increasingly aware of how much my hands are shaking. My poor sandwich is being crushed as my fists are itching to clench. I put it down and hide my hands under the table, wishing I was wearing long sleeves so that I could pull the sleeves over my palms.

"Which is?"

I can do it. I can do it. I can do it.

"I'm gay."

I did it. Holy fuck, I did it.

She looks at me with wide eyes, and then her expression relaxes and she nods, "Yeah, I know. You're dating Montgomery."

At first, I'm not sure I heard her correctly. Then I tell myself to not be so stupid as she clearly said my boyfriend's surname, and I blanch. I'm sure my face has entirely drained of colour. "What?"

Cami lets out a laugh, closing the lid of the plastic container her salad is in. "I've known the whole time, more or less."

I did not expect this to go 180°.

"What? How?" I splutter out, not quite believing what I'm hearing. How could she know? Alex and I tried our best to keep this a secret, and I thought we were doing a good job of it outside my household. If Cami knew, why didn't she mention it earlier? If I were her, I know I would have. "But you just asked me—"