Page 52 of Flirt
Asher swallowed past thelump in his throat as he lost himself in the icy blue of Cameron’s eyes. As a writer, he was supposed to have the right words, the pretty, poetic ones. Yet, somehow, it was Cameron who always knew exactly what to say.
I am so completely gone for this guy.
Which only made what he had to say that much harder. Luke had told him to trust that Cameron would stick around, even after he learned the ugly truth about Asher’s past. Whether he believed that or not, the decision had been made for him.
“I don’t even know how to start,” he admitted.
“Why don’t you tell me how you met Kyle?” Cameron suggested.
To do that, he had to go back even further. “I grew up in this small town in West Virginia with ultra-conservative parents. Long story short, they caught me kissing a boy when I was fourteen. My mom cried, my dad beat my ass, then they kicked me out.”
Cameron didn’t apologize for something he couldn’t control. He didn’t offer platitudes or empty condolences. He just nodded.
“We weren’t close, even before that,” Asher continued. “They had me because that was what was expected of them, but I always knew I was just in the way. I was afraid because I didn’t know where to go or really how to take care of myself at that age, but it didn’t hurt. I don’t miss them.”
He didn’t. It had been years since he’d even thought about his parents.
“Was it a good kiss?”
Asher grinned. Cameron always surprised him. “No. It was my first, and it was sloppy and clumsy.”
Humming in the back of his throat, Cameron arched into him and pressed their lips together, lingering for a few seconds. “Don’t worry. You got better.”
Asher barked out a surprised laugh, then claimed Cameron’s mouth again. Partly for comfort, but mostly because he just liked kissing him. “What about your first kiss?”
“It was with a girl.” Grinning, Cameron wiggled his eyebrows playfully. “Charity Jessup, behind the bleachers during a football game. I was twelve, and it was…uninspiring.”
Asher couldn’t help it. He laughed again.
“What happened after your parents kicked you out?”
That sobered him instantly. “I had a little money saved up from mowing lawns and walking dogs, things like that. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to get me to New York.”
There hadn’t been any family he could turn to, no friends to help him. In his teenage mind, New York was where people went to live their dreams, even if he hadn’t had a specific dream at that age.
“That’s where you met Kyle,” Cameron prodded gently.
“Yes, but not right away. I spent a couple of months on the street, scrounging for food, stealing what I couldn’t find. I got picked up for shoplifting, but instead of juvie, the judge gave me probation and sent me to live at a youth shelter. I ran away the first chance I had.”
Cameron moved over to press against his side and rested his head on Asher’s shoulder. “Was the shelter bad?”
“No.” If he had only stayed, none of what followed would have happened. “I was messed up, though. I didn’t want a family. I didn’t want rules.”
Cameron patted Asher’s chest over his T-shirt. “I understand.”
From anyone else, he would have called bullshit, but he believed it when Cameron said he understood. “I’d been back on the streets for about a year and a half when I met this man named Mitchell Faraday.” He paused in his story and shook his head. It was kind of a miracle he hadn’t ended up dead. “I tried to lift his wallet. He caught me, and I thought for sure he was going to call the cops.”
“But he didn’t.” Cameron’s eyebrows drew together, but if he recognized the name, he didn’t mention it.
“No. Instead, he took me to this café around the corner and bought me a burger and a milkshake. He was only twenty-six at the time, but I remember thinking he really had his shit together.”
“I’m guessing he was also hot.” Cameron pursed his lips and arched both eyebrows.
Despite the aching in his temples and the pressure building in his chest, Asher grinned. “Yeah, he was hot. When he offered me a place to stay, I jumped at it.”
“Naturally. I think anyone in your position would have done the same.”
Asher shook his head. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want Cameron to make it okay for him. “I was stupid. I thought he loved me.”
