Page 14 of Forever Yours

To answer his question, I gave a nonchalant shrug because Julien hadn’t said anything, but I assumed he and I would be spending tomorrow together.

“Probably hanging with the guys. You’re more than welcome to join us.”

He nodded around his mouth full of greasy burger dripping with cheese and sauteed mushrooms.

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“You wouldn’t be.” I gathered my courage. I’d wanted to do this with Julien, but what the hell. Now was as good a time as any. “Actually, there’s something I want to talk with you about.”

He took out two cartons loaded with shoestring fries and placed them between us.

“Go for it. Ketchup?” he asked.

“Do you have any mustard?”

Liz used to dip her fries in mustard and had gotten me to try it. I’d been hooked ever since.

Ash looked inside the crinkled paper bag.

“Yeah. Here.”

He handed me two packets of yellow mustard. They were warm from the burgers sitting on top of them in the bag.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Ash’s dark-coal eyes raised to look at me, waiting for me to continue.

Nerves warred with my need for blunt honesty. There were so many ways this could go down, but only two mattered. Ash could be cool with having a gay roommate… or not. But Julien was right. No more hiding who we were. If Ash had a problem with it, he could ask the RA for a room transfer, or I could—god forbid—take Fallon up on his offer to live off campus or at the frat. I shuddered at the thought. I really hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Just rip the Band-Aid off and get it over with.

I set my burger down in its wrapper and steeled myself for the worst.

“I’m gay.”

There. Simple and to the point.

“Yeah, and?”

My forehead creased in a frown of confusion. “And… I’mgay.” I pointed to myself.

Ash used a napkin to wipe his mouth, then balled it up and threw it at me. It bounced off my chest and landed on the bedspread.

“Okay.”

That was it?

“Okay?”

Ash burst out laughing and almost fell off the end of the bed at my look of shocked disbelief.

“Yeah, man. I don’t know what else you want me to say.”

My heart pounded against my ribcage as my brain tried to wrap itself around his easy acceptance.

“I… I guess I wasn’t expecting you to be so cool with it. My mom wasn’t,” I admitted before clamping my mouth shut, not meaning to let that tidbit of heartbreak slip out.

He frowned and leaned closer, his serious, midnight-black gaze boring into me.

“One day, I hope you feel comfortable enough to tell me about that. And full disclosure since we’re sharing and being all heartfelt and shit, my mom is gay. My other mother, Maya—” He choked up at saying her name. “She died last year. Ovarian cancer.”

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