I nodded again. It was easier than answering out loud.

“I’m so sorry.” He sounded disgusted as he set my phone down on the bed. “Have you reported it?”

I shook my head. His face went from outraged to confused. Here it came.

“Aiden, you have to report this. This is serious.”

I shrugged. “What am I supposed to say?”

“That he’s harassing you. That he’s threatening toassaultyou.” Nolan stared at me. “Do you not get how serious this is? You’re clearly upset about it. I would think you’d realize that this isn’t okay.”

I turned back to the window.

“I didn’t say I liked it. But I can’t do anything about it.”

“I’m sure this is against whatever terms of service CamFans has,” Nolan said. “They must have a policy. Do you want me to look it up?”

“Don’t bother. It doesn’t matter.”

“Except it does, very much, and you know it.”

“Leave me alone,” I snapped. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you.”

And go, I added in my head.Go, and let me feel even more hurt and pissed off when you do exactly what I tell you to do.

I needed to rub salt in the wound if I was ever going to get it through my head that feeling something for Nolan was a terrible idea.

“I just don’t get how you don’t want to report this. It obviously bothers you.”

“And the morning after the festival?” I rounded on him. “When I wanted to find out what had happened to your drink, and you told me not to?”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“Because it could have been anyone, and because trying to figure out who it was would have required making it into a huge thing. But this is simple. All you have to do is take a screenshot and send it to some customer-service inbox, I’m sure. Or at the very least, block him. Do you not see the difference here?”

“I see that when it’s you, we have to be all private and buttoned-up and controlled, but when it’s me, you think it’s fine to make a mess of everything. Because I’m just a messy person, right? Because I asked for this?”

“You didn’t, though,” Nolan protested. “You didn’t ask for it.”

“Didn’t I? I set up the account. I put myself online, let people pay money to see me fuck myself, to message me with their fantasies. I make posts about how I want to be taken and fucked hard and taught a lesson. It’s not a big jump from that to this.”

“Yeah, except that all of thatisa fantasy, and most people can tell the difference between that and reality. But this guy either can’t, or worse, he knows the difference and wants to terrify you anyway. Neither of those options is okay.”

“But this is all I have!” I exploded. “It’s different for you. You have a whole life that you don’t want turned upside down, but this?” I pointed to my phone. “This is it. This is how I make money. It’s my fucking livelihood, and I can’t turn everyone away because I don’t like the tone of their messages.”

“You’re not turning everyone away. It’s one guy. And for fuck’s sake, you can find something else to do, this isn’t your only talent. Stop thinking about yourself that way.”

“What other talents do I have, then, huh?” I growled. “Fuck, why am I even asking you? You don’t even like me.”

“That’s not true. I—I mean you’re—you’re not—”

“See?” I had to laugh. I was mad and hurt, but I couldn’t help it. “You hate me. What the hell am I doing, asking you for compliments? I guess I really am upset if I’m stupid enough to do that.”

“I don’t hate you. I don’t even dislike you. You’ve…grown on me.”

“High praise, coming from you.”