Page 82 of Curious
“Answer the question,” Alden says gently.
I spin to look at him. “You’re the only one in this room besides me who isn’t a lawyer, and you’re making me feel like I’m on a witness stand?”
“I still note that you’re not answering the question,” Noah says with a smile.
“Yes. I love him so much,” I whisper. “So much that it hurts. So much that the idea of leaving him feels like I’d be leaving a part of myself. But as I say that, I’m having trouble understanding why he wants me.”
“Oh, and why is that, Mr. Stubborn?” Charlie asks.
“Because I’m not worth loving,” I mutter. I stare at my shoes.
The room is silent.
Noah comes over to me and tugs me to my feet, then gives me a huge hug. He’s not Camden, but he’s tall and feels comforting. One by one, the rest of my friends wrap their arms around us until we’re in this big group hug, and I start laughing. “You guys. You don’t have to fix my self-esteem issues.”
“Oh, but we do,” August says. “Because you having low self-esteem? That’s bullshit. You are theheartof this office, not just the eyes and ears.”
“And what is someone with a heart? Someone who loves and is worth loving,” Sam says.
The hug eventually disintegrates, and we go back to our seats.
“We know one group hug isn’t going to solve everything,” Noah says. “We can help you with therapy or whatever it is you need to heal. But we hope that this is the first stop on the way to you starting to view yourself the way we do. That you are worthy of love, and that we all love you very much.”
Alden taps my knee. “What if you were to just act like you were worth something. Same as you acted like things would be okay if you had sex with Cam.”
Charlie coughs, and Reyna squeaks. “I like to pretend my brother isn’t … doesn’t … We didn’t need to know that,” she says.
I raise up my hands. “Sorry. But your brother is smoking hot.”
“Anyway,” Danny says, taking over. “Alden’s right.”
Alden smiles. “Thanks.”
“Anytime. I know how old programming can take a while to overcome. But I have two more questions for you.” Danny leans back in his chair.
“Okay,” I say warily. “What are they?”
“Is Camden worth fighting for?”
“Yes,” I say immediately.
“And now, the more important question,” Danny says, looking around the room. “Areyouworth fighting for?”
I open my mouth and close it. “I … um.”
“Spoiler alert: the answer is yes,” August says, eyeing me significantly.
Chills run up and down my spine. “It’s just so uncomfortable to say I’m worth anything.”
“You’re wortheverything,” Alden says, and all my friends nod.
I bite my lip. “Will you settle for me trying to take your word for it for a while?”
They all look at each other. Sam shrugs. “I think that’s fair. What do you guys think?”
“I’m going to lobby for everyone to tell Shelby how much he is loved until he loves himself,” August says.
“Aww, babe,” Noah says, squeezing his hand.
