Page 44 of Curious
Jules puts a hand on my bicep. “I think your husband can take care of himself.”
“I know he can, but I don’t want him to need to.”
Just then, Shelby cranes his neck, looking for me. When he finds me, he waves excitedly, and I sit back down.
I can trust my husband.
Sam looks at me sympathetically. It seems he saw something in my expression that I didn’t realize was there. “That’s one of the tough things about being in a relationship. You have to believe that they really want to be with you.”
Jules reaches over and squeezes his hand on the top of the table. “Even when the world is telling you something else. Or even when everyone outside of your relationship has an opinion about it.”
But what about the opinions of those actually in the relationship, when you’ve agreed it should have an expiration date?
I decide not to think about it and instead to try to figure out a way to let Shelby know that I’m not in any hurry to end things with him.
And I’m kind of talking …ever.
CHAPTER14
Shelby
On Monday, I go to lunch with Alden. “Why are you looking so sad?” he asks, when we get seated at our table.
“It’s complicated.”
He smiles. “Try me.”
“So, okay. You know why Cam and I got married.”
Alden gives me a look. “Yes, I do.”
I scrub my face. “What you don’t know is that …” I stop. Outing someone without their permission isn’t acceptable.
But is it outing when he’s married you and introduced you to random strangers and his family as his husband? When he kisses you in public? When the whole office sees you sitting in his lap at the club and canoodling?
It might still be.
This is confusing.
Alden waits patiently for me to go on.
“This is confidential.”
He nods.
“In Camden’s family, he’s always been the straight one. He married me, sure. He doesn’t have any homophobia—at least not that I can tell. But then he told me he’s ‘straight-ish.’ And he’s curious. He wants to, you know. See if he’s into guys or not.”
“By experimenting with you?” Alden asks.
“Yeah.” My voice cracks. “I don’t know if I’m okay with that.”
“Because you don’t want to do, y’know, stuff with him?”
“No, nothing like that. I want to. Believe me, I want to.” I shiver. “I think he’s so sexy. I’ve just had a lot of bad luck.”
Alden furrows his brows. “Hasn’t he shown he’s a good guy?”
I chuckle wryly. “I realize it’s a weird situation. I guess I feel like I’d still be a bi-curious dude’s guinea pig, and I promised myself I wasn’t going to get involved with any more unavailable men.”
