Page 82 of Third Wheel

“What do you mean we’re not? I’m not going to lie to Kincaid for you, Zach. You have to tell him! And you have to tell your parents that I’m not your girlfriend! You have to stop lying to everyone!”

The pounding in his head was so intense, he almost didn’t hear the quiet words from the side.

“He won’t.”

Amy’s face went pale, as white as Zach’s felt, and they turned as one. They’d been shouting at each other so intently, so distressed, they’d blocked everything out.

Including Kincaid’s approach.

He was pale. Stoic. Staring between Zach and Amy rather than looking at either of them.

“Kincaid…” Zach croaked his boyfriend’s name, taking a step toward him.

“Don’t.” Kincaid held up his hand. “Just don’t.”

Fuck. Amy whirled around, dashing back to the house, leaving Zach and Kincaid staring at each other.

Kincaid

Hell of a way to end a run. When he’d seen Amy and Zach facing off across the sidewalk, Zach holding a box, he hadn’t been able to figure out what the hell was going on. As soon as he’d gotten within earshot—which hadn’t been hard to do considering they’d been shouting at each other—it had only taken him a moment to realize what had happened.

Zach’s parents must have stopped by and seen Zach and Amy. Zach introduced Amy as his girlfriend. Amy hadn’t outed him, and now she was pissed.

Maybe the two of them could form a club.

The ‘We’re Fucking Pissed at Zach Marshall’ Club.

“My parents showed up and assumed, and I?—”

“I saiddon’t!” Kincaid shouted, holding up his hand in the universal gesture for ‘stop.’ He was too fucking pissed right now to even attempt to try to understand or have sympathy for Zach’s position. He took a deep breath, lowering his voice back down. “Like Amy said, all you had to do was tell them she’s not your girlfriend. It’s not like you had to admit that you have a boyfriend.”

“Krista told them I was seeing someone! When they pulled up, Amy was over my shoulder, and I’d just slapped her ass. They would have thought I was cheating or something if I’d said she was just a friend.”

Heartsick sliced through Kincaid. “Well, weren’t you? We sure as hell never discussed you spanking her when I’m not around.”

“It wasn’t like that!”

“It never is with you, is it? You can’t have it both ways, Zach. At some point, you have to make a decision.”

Zach was paler than ever, clutching the box in front of him like a shield. Because that’s who Zach was. He was someone who always ducked behind a shield.

“I had, I was going to tell them, I promised Krista?—”

“Oh, you promised Krista that you were going to tell them, so now you were going to?” The heated rage that crawled up Kincaid’s spine took hold and wouldn’t let go. “The fact that you promised me wasn’t enough?”

“It’s not that! Krista told me that she was going to end up telling them if I didn’t!”

“Thenyou could have just told them, Zach.That was one of the options.” Kincaid threw his hands up in the air. “I don’t know why I would expect that of you, though. You never make a fucking decision. You’re so damn afraid of making the wrong decision, you’d rather not make one at all.”

“There’s nothing wrong with needing time to figure things out! I just want to tell them the right way.”

“There might not be a right way! And while there’s nothing wrong with needing time to figure things out, eventually time is up.” Kincaid huffed. Fuck, this hurt. Because he did want Zach to decide. He wanted Zach to choose. “I keep waiting and waiting along with you, and every day you wait, I hurt. Every day you wait, I feel less important to you. And you keep sitting there, waiting for something to happen so you can make the ‘right’ move or waiting for someone to do it for you. I wouldn’t be surprised if you let the month run out just so Krista had to be the one to tell your parents, and you didn’t have to.”

“Your parents supported you. You don’t understand.”

“My parents supported me, and I was still scared to tell them at first. That’s why I do understand.” Fuck it. He was donecoddling Zach. “I understand being scared of losing your family. But either you have to tell them, or we can’t be together, no matter how long you put that off… that’s what the end result is always going to be. I’m willing to wait for a while, but I’m not willing to spend the rest of my life as your housemate.”

It was the same damn fight all over again. A little different. A little rawer, a little more vulnerable, a little more pointed. But the same damn fight.

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