I yanked myself away from him, reeled back, and fucking punched him in the face.
Kent stumbled back, clutching his jaw, his eyes wide with shock. “What the fuck?!”
“Get out,” I snarled, my hand throbbing from the impact. I hadn’t punched anyone since high school, and I’d forgotten how much it hurt. But the physical pain was nothing compared to what was raging inside me.
“James, please—” Kent reached for me again, but I stepped back, putting distance between us.
“No. You don’t get to walk back in here and kiss me like nothing happened.” My voice cracked embarrassingly, but I was beyond caring. “You left with her. You chose her.”
“I didn’t choose her!” Kent’s voice rose in frustration. “I was trapped, James. My dad’s cheating on your mom, Brittany showed up out of nowhere! What was I supposed to do?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I spat, “maybe not tell everyone there was nobody else in your life? Maybe not pack your shit and leave without even saying goodbye?”
Kent winced. “I know it looked bad?—”
“Looked bad?” I laughed, the sound hollow and harsh. “You let Brittany kiss you right in front of me. You let her help you pack. You left with her, Kent. You fuckingleft.”
“It’s not like that?—”
“Then what is it like, Kent?” I barked. “Did you tell her the truth?”
“I…” he faltered. “I can’t. You know I can’t.”
“No, youwon’t.There’s a big fucking difference.”
Kent’s brows furrowed, the fury in his eyes all too familiar. “That’s not fair and you know it. This is hard for me, James.”
“Oh, it’s hard for you?” I scoffed. “I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s all about you. I should just be grateful that you used me like your personal fleshlight for a month until your shitty ex showed up and took you back. Fuck my feelings, right?”
“That’s why I came back,” he said, forcing himself to speak in a calmer tone. “I know how to fix this.”
I just stood there, arms crossed, waiting for his explanation.
“I want to be with you, James. But I still need time to figure this all out. To come to terms with what I am.” He looked up at me, his eyes full of hope. “So… why not just have both for now? I’ll live with Brittany and then I can still see you. She won’t miss me anyway.”
My jaw nearly hit the fucking floor.
“Nobody will have to know,” he added. “It’ll be perfect for us both.”
I stared at him for a long moment, the tension in the room so thick you could cut it with a knife.
“You want me to be your side piece?” I was so stunned I could barely get the words out. The audacity was breathtaking.
Kent had the decency to look uncomfortable, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “That’s not what I meant?—”
“That’s exactly what you meant!” I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls. “You want to play house with Brittany and then sneak over here to fuck me when it’s convenient for you?”
“James, please?—”
“No.” I held up my hand, cutting him off. “Do you know what this makes you? This makes you just like your fucking father.”
Kent recoiled like I’d hit him again. “I am nothing like my father.”
“Really? Because your dad is cheating on my mom with his secretary, and you want to cheat on Brittany with me. Sounds pretty fucking similar to me.” My voice was trembling now, rage and hurt making it hard to keep steady. “Is that all I am to you? A dirty secret? Someone to fuck on the side while you maintain your perfect straight image?”
“That’s not fair,” Kent protested, his face flushing with anger. “You know how complicated this is. You know what people would say if they found out about us.”
“I don’t care what people say!” I yelled, slamming my fist against the wall. Pain shot up my arm, but I barely registered it. “I was ready to face all of that. To wait. For you. Because I thought what we had was worth fighting for.”
