“They’ve always been like that—Ashamed of me, especially after what happened in high school.”
“Fuck, Cam.That’s rough.”
“Yeah, they’re the worst homophobes I know,” he says bitterly.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” I reply with a sigh.“You should hear my dad talk.”
He turns his head slightly to look at me.“Really?”
I hesitate for a moment before nodding.“Yeah.I had a twin sister, Kendra.”
Cameron’s eyes widen in surprise.“You did?”
“Yeah,” I say, my voice soft.“We looked a lot alike, actually.On our eighteenth birthday, she told me she was a lesbian.She’d been dating guys just to keep it a secret from us.I didn’t know what to say at first—I was shocked.I told her she should tell our parents because they’d understand.”
I pause, swallowing hard.The memory still stings.
“And did she?”Cameron asks gently, lacing our fingers together.
I nod.“That night, after all the guests left, she told them.She even mentioned her girlfriend.At first, they were just shocked, but then Dad…he lost it.Said horrible things to her.Told her she couldn’t be his daughter if she wasn’t going to be with a man.”
“Fox…”
“I didn’t defend her,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper.“I just sat there, frozen.She cried, begged us to understand, but then she looked at me—like I’d betrayed her.She ran out of the house, and thirteen minutes later…”
I trail off, biting my lip to keep the tears at bay.
“What happened?”Cam asks softly, his eyes glistening.
“She got into an accident.A fire truck hit her car.She didn’t survive.”
“Oh, God,” Cam whispers, immediately wrapping his arms around me.
I close my eyes, holding him tightly.His warmth is comforting, but it doesn’t dull the ache in my chest.
“We killed her, Cam,” I say hoarsely.“All of us.If I’d stood up for her, if we’d just been better—maybe she wouldn’t have died.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” he whispers fiercely, pulling back to look at me.“You didn’t know that would happen, Fox.You didn’t.”
His fingers gently run through my hair, and I lean into his touch.
“Cam,” I start, but he cuts me off by pressing his lips to mine.It’s soft and warm, a silent reassurance.
When he pulls away, he rests his forehead against mine.“I love you, Fox.”
My heart stops.
I pull back slightly, searching his eyes.“What did you say?”
“I love you,” he says again, smiling softly.
“Say it again,” I whisper, my voice trembling.
“I love you, Fox.So much.”
Fuck.Hearing those words from him—those three simple words—does something to me.Something beautiful.
“I love you too, Cam.So fucking much.”
