“Look, here’s what I’m going to do.” He pauses for just a second. “I’m going to work my magic and make sure they give you until Monday to make a decision. Talk to your friends, your family, your girlfriend, whatever. Get their opinion on it, and call me back with an answer.”
I don’t correct him when he says girlfriend, because that’s not even worth my time. I also do not tell him that I absolutely will not be speaking to my family about this. Friends though? Well, I have one I could get an opinion from, but I already know what his answer will be.
Which is exactly why I’m not telling him either.
Acting isn’t an option for me right now. If Harvey wants to give me extra time to think about it—cool. But it won’t make a difference. My degree is my priority; I need to graduate from college. Being a movie star will have to wait for another time.
Chapter Eleven
Austen
I watch the clock like a hawk, glancing between the busy concourse and the plane sitting outside. We’ve still got a half hour until we board, but Cam’s not here yet.
My nerves are starting to get to the better of me, I hate to say.
I was thrilled yesterday, when he told me he’d agreed to come. But what if he slept in, or worse—changed his mind?
I glance over at my teammates. Mack is staring at the ceiling, Paul and Andre are engrossed in their phones, Trey and Hudson look like they are half asleep. My brother, Alex, caps the end of our group, looking bored and annoyed more than anything.
He’s two years older than me, so there isn’t a huge age gap between us or anything, but he’s always acted like we are worldsapart because we played different sports and hung in different crowds.
The only reason I even agreed to have him in my wedding was because my parents would have a coronary if I had said no.
And whether I like it or not, I do care what they think, and I want them to be happy. Most of all, I want to get through this wedding without any issues. So if letting my pain in the ass womanizing hockey player brother tag along in my party and letting him plan my bachelor weekend keeps the peace, I’ll gladly oblige.
Mack turns to me, raising an eyebrow.
“Why are you fucking stressing, man? He’ll be here.”
His voice is low, practically a whisper only we can hear. As if he’s afraid of stirring the sleeping dragons beside him out of their digital doom scrolling.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say with a shrug, trying to feign indifference.
I mean, sure, I’m sweating at the idea of being stuck in Vegas with asshole Alex and the crew, and having to beonall weekend if Cam doesn’t show, but it’s not like I can’t handle a couple of guys without Cam.
I just don’t want to. Does that make me selfish? Probably.
Do I care? Yes. Stupidly, I care, because he’s my best friend. If there’s anyone I can’t handle being less than one hundred percent on board with me, it’s Cam.
And he didn’t say he changed his mind. He didn’t say anything about not coming…
“I’m not stressing,” I reiterate when Mack won’t stop staring at me.
Mack lets out a laugh.
“He’ll be here. I’m sure loverboy wouldn’t miss out on an all-expenses paid trip with the object of all his gay dreams.”
I shoot Mack an irritated glare.
I’ve dealt with people talking shit about Cam for a long time. After he came out, people spread a lot of rumors about him. And a lot of my teammates in high school were responsible for those rumors, making jokes about him in our locker room. I always shut them down, and people eventually stopped saying shit because they knew they’d get a fist to the face if they talked about my best friend that way.
Mack knows that better than most, seeing as he was the first to get my fist in his face when he did it. After that, he changed his tone, and these last few years he’s pretty much left Cam alone when we hang out, and he doesn’t say shit.
So the fact he’s bringing him up now, is, well, it’s a bold move.
“I told you.” I grit my teeth. “We’ve been over this, Cam—”
“You really don’t see it, do you?” he says, his voice softer. Not judgmental, but more or less the way you speak to a child who doesn’t understand why they’ve been punished. Condescending, laced with concern.
