Page 6 of Curious
“Wait,” Alden says. “Didn’t you just move in with Evan?”
“Yeah. So that’s another issue. Cam is taking me back to his house, and I’m going to crash in his guest room—or, rather, pool house—for a day or two until I figure out where I’m going to go next.”
“Well, that’s nice of him. Sounds like him being there was oddly lucky.”
“Not for his ankle.”
“What?”
I explain how Cam twisted his ankle badly, but he doesn’t want to go get it checked out.
“That sucks,” Alden says. “This is so horrible.”
“I know.” I pause and suck on my lip, tasting the metallic tang of blood. It hurts from where Evan hit it. “There is a small silver lining. I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone stick up for me the way he did.” And there were times in the past when I needed it.
“Never?”
“Not counting the support we have in the office. But that’s different.” I sigh and inspect my lip in the rearview mirror. Catching a glimpse of the dark brown-purple bruise forming on my cheek, I grimace. “So, yeah. I’m in the market for a new place to live.”
“And a new boyfriend?”
“No. I don’t think I want a new boyfriend anytime soon. I just can’t seem to get it right.”
“You will someday.” Alden’s quiet assurance makes me feel better.
“I think we’re getting close to his house,” I say, noticing Cam turning into a subdivision of older tract homes. They’re mostly tidy, and the properties seem kept up to date. “I’ll talk with you later.”
“Keep us posted, please. Want me to keep it to myself, or is it okay to tell people you’re having issues?”
“I’d rather not tell the whole world, but they’ll know right away when they see my face.”
I can hear Alden suck in a sharp breath. “Doyouneed to go get medical care?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“Okay,” he says slowly. “If you say so. If we can do something to help, please let us know.”
We. Us. He means him and Danny. That’s what happens when you’re part of a stable couple. You become a unit. I only wish I had an “us.” Until a little while ago, I thought I did.
I swallow. “Thanks. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
We slow down, and Cam signals again. “Thanks, Alden. We’re here. I’ll talk with you later?”
“Anytime.”
I hang up and take a deep breath. Although I’m still upset about Evan, the drive here has at least made it so I’m not trembling anymore.
Cam pulls into the driveway of a medium-sized tract home, then tenses in pain the second he sets his foot on the ground. I park next to him and scurry over, ignoring the hot concrete under my feet. “Hey,” I say. “Do you want me to go to the store and get you some crutches?”
He shakes his head. “No. It’s fine. I’ll wrap it up after I show you around. Come on.”
“Stubborn man,” I mutter. While I’ll let him give me a tour, I already know what his pool house looks like, since I saw his videos on the build. “Fine.” I go back to my car and grab some flip-flops from my duffel bag while Cam waits for me by his truck. At Evan’s, I’d run into our bedroom and barricaded the door while I threw clothes, shoes, and personal papers, along with a few of my toiletries, into the first bags I could find. I left behind the rest of my clothes, as well as things like my craft supplies, which I’ll have to get later. Or never. I take one bag with me for now but leave a hand free just in case Cam stumbles.
Cam gestures at his front door. “Um, the house is a construction zone, so let me take you around the side. You can stay and have free rein of the place until you find something else. You won’t even have to see me if you don’t want to.”
“But what if I want to see you?” Shit, that sounded flirty.
He just chuckles. “I guess we can work something out.”
