Page 214
What’s bigger than huge?
I’m ripped from my pointless musing when Cooper chuckles, and when I look up, I find him combing his hand through his hair. But unlike what I would have expected after confessing something so monumental, there isn’t an ounce of stress or panic in his expression.
“He said that he’s always suspected, and that it’s not a big deal.”
“Wow, okay. That’s unexpected.”
“Yeah, I guess he used to know me pretty well back in the day. He obviously saw more than I gave him credit for.”
“And he never said anything?”
“No. He said…he said it was my business.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
“I really fucked up when I turned on him. All these years…” He releases a heavy breath. “I could have had him on my side.”
“Yeah, maybe. But you’ve got him there again now, right? That’s what really matters.”
“Yeah, I guess. I’ll forever regret my actions back then.”
“We all do things we regret,” I say, pain slicing through my chest.
“Yeah. Doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.”
“So…how do you feel?”
He takes a moment to think.
“I feel…lighter. Like, maybe if Kodie accepts me, others will too. Maybe all of this doesn’t need to be as terrifying as I’ve made it out to be in my head.”
I walk toward him, happiness blooming inside me, and the second we’re within touching distance, I pull him in for a hug.
“I’m so proud of you.”
57
COOPER
When I woke the next morning in Garrett’s bed with his head resting on my chest and his breath tickling over my skin, I felt better than I have in a long time. And it wasn’t just because of the incredible food he’d cooked or the even better sex we had afterward, or even the cuddling on the couch as we watched a movie.
Of course, Garrett had a lot to do with my mood, but mostly, it was Kodie.
The way he looked me in the eye and told me he didn’t care who I loved as long as they made me happy and treated me right.
It never occurred to me that my best friend might have noticed things when I was at the height of figuring myself out as a hormonally fueled teenager.
He never said a single word about it back then, but it turns out, it was because he didn’t care.
No, not that he didn’t care. He did care; he was my best friend. But my sexuality wasn’t an issue, and it still isn’t now.
Even two mornings on, it still blows my mind.
Over the years, I’ve obsessed over what people’s reactions might be. Shock, horror, disappointment—that one is the one that really stings—but never did I predict such indifference, such support.
It still makes my head spin.
