Page 85 of The Bachelor

“Jesus Christ.” I ran my hand across the top of my hair, forgetting that it was gelled. But that didn’t stop me. I even did it again.

“When we first spoke about Oaklyn, it was obvious she meant something to you,” Macon voiced.

I took a sip, and once I swallowed, I casually asked, “And why would you think that?”

“Because it was a talk, Camden, and you wouldn’t fucking talk about her. I couldn’t get anything out of you, and that’s not like you. But what I did hear and gather was that your head was all over the place and you didn’t know how to process your feelings, so I came up with a little plan.”

“I don’t want to hear it,” I hissed.

The last thing I needed was my friends helping me out when it came to women.

Oaklyn and I were moving at just the right speed. I didn’t need these two motherfuckers scheming behind my back like I was incapable of making a decision.

I was a grown-ass man.

“But you’re going to hear it,” Declan demanded.

And to ensure I was listening, Macon even clutched my shoulder before he said, “My plan was to see if you got jealous when I gave your girl a little attention. Once I saw you walk into the bar, I laid it on thick, and I made sure you heard me ask her out. You should have seen your fucking face.”

“I thought you were going to reach across the table and strangle your best friend,” Declan said to me, chuckling.

I glanced between the two, finally admitting, “I wanted to.”

“Like I said, it worked,” Macon declared. “You just needed a kick in the ass to realize what and whom you wanted, and I was happy to do the hard labor.” He squeezed before releasing me. “Not that flirting with Oaklyn was hard on me. That girl isn’t just easy on the eyes; she’s—”

“Watch it, you fuck.”

My best friend laughed at me. “Just testing you again—and you passed.”

My head shook back and forth, and I sighed. “What you were saying before, why do you think your little plan worked?”

Macon adjusted his position, leaning back in the seat and crossing his arms. “Oaklyn left to use the restroom, and you suddenly disappeared too. Around twenty minutes later, the two of you returned, seconds apart, but she came from one side of the bar, and you came from the other, trying to be sly, which any sober person would have figured out.”

“I know you want to keep it a secret for now, so you’re lucky the only two sober ones were me and Macon,” Declan added. “A few less glasses of wine, and your sister would have been all over that.”

Macon eyed me down. “Are you going to tell me that was a coincidence?” He grinned. “I hope you do. That’ll be a fun fight for me to win.”

I emptied the rest of the booze in my glass, scanning the bar for our waiter, who was supposed to be returning with more tequila.

“And I’m also going to give you some shit about wanting to strangle me. I get that my idea worked and all, but you’d better not think I would ever pull that shit for any other reason. You know I would never fuck with a friend’s girl—whether you’re in a relationship or not. I do some wild stuff, but that’s a territory I won’t enter.”

I remembered the rage that had boiled through me.

The red I’d seen, clouding my vision.

“He was a goddamn mess about it,” Declan told him, like I wasn’t sitting at the table. “He missed every clue, brother. I had to tell him your real intention.” He paused. “And I think that only reaffirms that our boy has some strong feelings for Oaklyn.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You know I’m right here, don’t you? Fuck.”

I needed a break from these bastards, so I lifted my phone and turned the screen toward me.

“Look at this motherfucker, getting on his phone like we’re not in the middle of a conversation,” Macon said about me. “Avoiding telling us what happened between him and Oaklyn at the bar that night, refusing to comment about how angry he was with me.”

“He’s running like he’s being chased by the police,” Declan said.

“I believe, in your world, you call that guilty as charged,” Macon continued.

The two of them laughed while I rolled my eyes and typed.

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