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“I need to tell you something.”
I wrench away from him, my stomach twisting, worry flooding me as I gaze up into his eyes. “What?” I shout back at him, wondering what the hell it could be. He’s been weird for so long. I have been so preoccupied with Hunter being gone, I never thought Seth would be questioning things. Does Seth want to speak to me about our relationship? Does he want to break up?
Calm down, Rachel, I tell myself, but my heart is slamming in my throat, making it very difficult for me to catch my breath. It’s too hot in this house. There are too many people. I need to get out of here.
“Rachel!” Seth calls, but I’m already shoving myself past him, pushing my way through the people. “Rachel!”
I pull at my shirt, wanting to yank it off and throw it away, but I’m only wearing a bra underneath and I’m too sober and self-conscious. I shove my way through the people toward the porch, until finally I’m outside, breathing in the night air, staring up at the clouds littering the night sky.
“Rachel!”
I hear Seth and feel his hand on my arm, but I don’t face him. My eyes prickle with tears, my teeth tug at my bottom lip, waiting for him to tell me the inevitable.
“Rachel, are you all right?”
I’m hardly aware of his arms wrapping around me. He strokes my hair, his hands holding me tight. “Why are you crying?” he whispers.
Shaking my head, I pull away from him. “You’ve been acting so weird.” I’m unable to stop the tears from streaming down my cheeks. His eyes are wide, his brows tented with worry. “Hunter, you, Lucas. It’s like we’re all breaking apart.”
“What are you talking about?” Seth asks while slowly approaching me. “We’re not breaking apart.”
“Yes, we are,” I sob while wiping the tears away from my cheeks, my hands rough against my skin. “Hunter hasn’t responded to any of my texts. Lucas is always working. And you… and you—”
“Nothing’s going on with me,” Seth whispers while taking a tentative step toward me.
“Then why are you acting so weird? Why do I feel like you’re keeping something from me?”
Seth grabs my hand and tugs me toward him. His forehead presses against mine, his gaze holding my stare. The air is so chilly we can see each other’s breath. “I’ve been meaning to have this talk for a while now,” he says softly.
My bottom lip quivers and I watch him swallow, his eyes looking pained.
“Well, go on,” I say, my voice shaky. “Go ahead and tell me you want to—”
“I think I’m bi,” he blurts out.
I blink. “Huh?”
Seth nods. “It’s been on my mind for a while. I-I didn’t know how to tell you, or if my feelings were even right. I’ve been talking with Dr. Forrester about what to do and—”
“You’re bi?” The words leave my lips slowly, as if I don’t even understand what I’m saying. Bi? Seth? I’m waiting for him to start laughing, to tell me that he’s just teasing me, but he’s not laughing. His feet shuffle back and forth as if he’s nervous. He keeps biting his bottom lip, twisting his fingers, shifting his hips. He’s being completely serious. Is that why he’s been acting so weird? My mouth opens, but I don’t even know what to say, where to begin. How long has he been feeling like this? And when did he realize he swings both ways?
How will this affect our relationship?
“There you are!” I hear Alex’s voice from behind and I turn to him, finding him shoving past a group smoking near the door. He holds three red cups in his hands, all filled to the brim with beer close to spilling over.
“You weren’t where I left you,” Alex continues while holding out the cups.
Seth takes two and hands me one, his gaze lingering on me for a moment longer than necessary. He’s worried about me, worried I’m losing it, that I will be upset about this little secret he shared with me. Honestly, I have no clue what to think. He seems quite straight to me, but I guess no one ever truly knows.
“I swear I was looking around that place forever,” Alex rattles on.
Seth glances in his direction and my heart flutters at the way his cheeks flush all the way to the tips of his ears. His shoulders dip forward in a shy way. It’s endearing, and yet, at the same time, makes my stomach twist with anxiety.
“So it’s not my fault if the beer is warm,” Alex finishes.
Seth makes a show of rolling his eyes, yet I can tell he has no heart in it. “Whatever,” he grumbles, but there is no bite in his tone. He’s trying to make a show of being irritated with Alex, when, in fact, I think he’s enjoying being around the track star more than usual.
Something inside me clicks and my eyes widen as I glance between Alex and Seth. Seth likes Alex? I should be more shocked than I am, but honestly it makes sense. The two of them are always bickering like an old married couple. I used to think Seth absolutely hated Alex, but maybe it was a form of flirting—one he wasn’t aware of at the time. And the way Seth has been having sex with me recently has been different. Seth and Alex also pay attention to each other, whereas Lucas and Hunter have always focused only on me.
