I still want to fuck him up, but the dickhead is one of my oldest friends. I'm downright confused, and frustrated.
"I'm sorry."
Camden's not one for apologies, so it gets my attention. "You're not the one who should be."
He rephrases. "I'm sorry I'm related to that idiot. He's too wrapped up in himself to realize when he's crossing anyone's boundaries. He should know better."
Camden, Rhys, and Roman are distant cousins. They don't often mention it, but Rhys and Rom look alike with their dark hair, so it's easy to remember. Cam's the odd one out.
"What did he mean?" I shake my head. "Why would he think—"
The bell rings, and Cam glances back to the corridor. "We can go to class, or we can talk. Your call."
I decide I've had enough of everyone having more information than I do. "Lead the way."
ChapterTwenty-Eight
Cam drives us in silence,windows down, for a good ten minutes before he starts speaking.
"When I was five, I went sailing. My dad was there, and Laura, Rhys's mom, too. I remember it well because the three of us had a hell of a blast. A couple of times per day, I'd videocall my mom. She was in Paris with Rom's family. That was the most normal thing in the world for me. It still is."
I can feel myself frowning, trying to make sense of his words.
"We were all homeschooled for a while, you know that."
That's not news to me. All our parents hired tutors together and we had classes at each other's houses depending on the day of the week. It's not an unusual practice for the young children of families like ours. Kids are vulnerable, easy to kidnap for a quick payday.
"Before going to junior high, my dad sat me down and explained to me that most families weren't like ours. That what they do is something private I'm not supposed to speak about outside of our circle. That blew my fucking mind. I quite simply had no clue that monogamy was a thing. It's just not natural to me, even now."
"You're saying your parents are, what, polyamorous? Something like that?"
He nods. "Swingers. My mom and dad are together, but when they feel like it, they exchange partners. Modern society doesn't exactly embrace that kind of shit, so they do it discreetly, among likeminded individuals who would have just as much to lose if a scandal broke out."
I finally get it. The last piece of the puzzle falls in my lap out of nowhere. "That's what your club is. The Heritage. It's not just some country club."
"You got it."
Woah."So, you're into that shit?"
"Honestly, when you're born into it, the alternative doesn't hold any appeal. There are too many hot women for me to want to fuck just one until the end of my days. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to find someone to share my life with eventually. But I'd also like to fuck anyone my cock wants."
I wrinkle my nose. I get what he's saying, I really do, but the thing is, my cock simply isn't interested in anyone but Erica. It hasn't even twitched for another woman since she moved next door. She broke it.
"What if the girl you like isn't into it?"
"Then she isn't for me." He doesn't hesitate. "I'm not against slumming for a bit, but in the end, I'll find someone who suits me. I have plenty of options."
"Jade," I say. "Jade's the same as you, right? That's why she fucks around with all three of you."
Camden's not one to laugh, but a dry chuckle escapes his throat. "Jade's been with half the school, girls included. But no, she isn't a swinger. She's poly. She has relationships with various people at once. I prefer to stick to one girl at a time. I just like sharing."
How the fuck didn't I know that about one of my best friends?
Because they kept it from me, that's why. "So all of you are into different shit, and you've never thought to tell me."
He shrugs. "I shouldn't be telling you now. It's club business. But it was that or you eventually murdering my idiot of a cousin. Rom doesn't have a filter."
We've circled back to what brought this discussion on.