Page 171 of Ashley & the A-Listers

After he’d promised, told River to be watching.

“Something probably came up,” he said, shrugging. Maybe he’d believe the lie he told Ashley.

His phone rang right away, and even though he wasn’t ready to talk to Cam, disappointment clawing at his gut, he wanted to escape from Ashley’s pitying gaze even more.

“Gonna take this,” he said, and stood from the couch, walking to the basic guestroom they hadn’t much used since the heat had hit.

“I’m sorry,” Cameron began as he answered.

“It’s okay,” River repeated, numb.

Years of this back-and-forth, will-he, won’t-he.

“Christian and Denise told me they would plan a campaign for us, but I don’t trust it. I’m firing them. He fucking barked at me! I’m going to look for a new manager, one who can help witha campaign to introduce us as a couple,” Cameron said. “I don’t care what their contract says. I’m over it.”

He sounded angry. He always did when Christian rebuffed his demands. Then it would fade, and things would go back tonormal,like it had countless times before. River wished he could be a little angry. He just felt… tired.

But indignation fought for space in River’s chest, too. “He barked at you? That’s bullshit.”

Cameron sighed. “I know. “I’m coming straight home and we can talk about this properly.”

River heard the frustration in Cameron’s voice, felt it himself, irritating behind his breastbone, but locked it down. “We’ll make it work,” River said, trying to hide the hurt in his voice. “We always do.”

“I’m sorry, babe,” Cameron sighed. “I’ll fix it.”

The call ended and River sank down onto the bed. This room no longer smelled as good as the nest, stale from lack of use.

If there was a metaphor somewhere in there, River was too hurt to try and find it.

He shouldn’t be so dejected; he’d been through this same thing with Cameron over and over again. This was nothing new.

Except… Cameron had sounded sosureafter the heat. Like he really wanted…this.River.

He’s sounded sure before. And yet, here you are.

Maybe something had come up right before the interview, something that spooked him. Hell, Christian had barked at him. River could give him the benefit of the doubt.

Again.

Maybe Cameron was trying to tell him something. He kept promising the same thing over and over again, but could never pull the trigger. Maybe he should just see Cam’s actions for what they were.

But what if Cameron was just… afraid to take the leap? River could understand that. It was a big change.

It would shift their whole lives into something different. River wouldn’t be the screenwriter, the after-credits guy. He’d be Cameron Thomas’s partner. Pack mate.

His chest bloomed with affection at just the thought.

He wanted that. He wanted to belong to Cameron. He wanted Cameron to claim him as his own, and in kind, River wanted to claim him, too.

If Cameron was just too scared to do it himself, if taking the leap was the hardest part… what if River helped?

He sat up from the bed as the idea struck him.

What if… someone else discovered they were involved? What if someone else broke the news, instead of Cameron?

Paparazzi were eager for news of Cam, who’d been pretty quiet since the press tour for the second movie. Sure, this new interview would tide them over for a while, but…

Cameron wouldn’t have to worry about confronting his management, or doing a big reveal in some random interview.

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