Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 73828 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73828 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“Threats?”
“He said, more than once, that if I didn’t give us a try, he’d make me pay.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“Because he was just mad and upset. He was doing whatever he could to get back together. I thought that’s all it was, but now…”
I can hardly process it. It’s just one more fucked up thing in my life right now.
“Oh my God. Why would he do that to us?”
“I think that’s a good fucking question that we need to ask him.”
“Then you deleted it? And you never shared it with anyone?”
He shakes his head. “No. And I’ll fucking prove it to you. Even if it doesn’t turn out to be Keith. Give me a chance to show you, Mark. Let me show you that you can trust me. I’ll do whatever the fuck I have to. I don’t know how, but I will, because you matter too much to me…and I can’t fucking lose you.”
Shitty as everything still is, hearing those words from him comforts me. I hurry to him, and we hug.
He holds me close, and I feel so safe in his arms…like they’re protecting me from all the horrible things that have happened in the past twenty-four hours.
“From the bottom of my heart,” he says. “I’m telling you I never showed those to anyone, and I love you so fucking much. I love you more than I thought it was even possible for me to love someone. Don’t let us die because of this. I need you, Mark. You’ve made me a better person, and I know things are shitty right now, but I promise I’ll find a way to make it better.”
He presses his face against my cheek, and I can’t deny him anymore.
I kiss him.
And the first kiss is so powerful it scrambles all the thoughts that have pulled and pushed at me all day long.
There’s this tremendous relief in knowing he didn’t deceive me.
And even though we don’t have proof yet, I don’t need it because him coming here tonight and talking to me is all the proof I need that he wouldn’t have done anything like that to me.
His kiss takes my breath away, so that I break away to gasp.
“Thank you, Tim.”
“What could you possibly be thanking me for?”
“For coming here today. For fighting for us.”
“I’ll always fight for you, Mark. Because you’re worth fighting for.”
We share another kiss. And it strengthens as he gropes at my body like he’s missed it.
I need him right now. Need to be with him to know that as long as he’s here I can make it through this horrible nightmare.
37
TIM
“What are you doing here?” Keith asks.
I stand in the doorway outside his room at his fraternity house. He rubs his palm up and down the side of his jeans. He’s nervous as fuck, and he should be.
“Why do you think I’m here?” I ask, tilting my head.
He shrugs.
“You’ve always been a shitty liar, Keith. You know that? Even when you were telling me that you weren’t feeling anything. That you felt the same way I did about what we were doing.”
“But you kept seeing me anyway, didn’t you? So who’s the asshole now? The guy who made me think I was special. Like there was a chance—”
“I told you I wanted to fuck, and you were fine with that. You wanted something more, and just because you couldn’t have it, you went apeshit on a guy who was supposed to be your friend.”
“Supposed to be. But obviously not enough that he didn’t mind fucking around with you behind my back.”
“You have no idea how fucked up that sounds, but you know what, you should’ve just hurt me.”
He’s quiet.
“You had to have been recording from the beginning,” I say. “So why that night of all nights?”
“It showed just how disgusting you both were. I wasn’t going to fucking do anything with it, but then you guys started flaunting your fucking relationship around town. So you ask me, Why that night? Let me ask you, Why him? What the fuck could you have possibly seen in that fucker?”
“He’s a good person. An amazing fucking person.”
“He’s a prick just like everyone else you’re always complaining about.”
Mark walks up beside me. He’s been standing in the hall the whole time, and I can see by how pale Keith’s face gets that he’s surprised as fuck.
Mark doesn’t say anything. Just stares him down.
Keith cocks his head. “Oh, what is this? A fucking intervention?”
“It’s going to be an arrest,” I say. “And that’s the only reason I haven’t fucking kicked your ass yet.”
“The police are on the way,” Mark says.
“That’s bullshit. You don’t have proof I did anything wrong.”
“You wanna bet?” Mark asks. “You don’t think with Mom’s connections I can get a hacked phone’s IP traced?”
“You fucking wouldn’t.”
“Already did,” I confess. “So looks like you’ll be paying for your fucking stunt.”