Holding On & Letting Go [✓] (Boyxboy)

Chapter Twelve

"Troye, honey. It's time to wake up."

Rolling over, I groan at the sunlight infiltrating my bedroom. "What time is it?"

"Nearly eleven." Mum responds. "I made you breakfast. It's in the kitchen."

"Thanks." I murmur, shutting my eyes.

Mum sits down on the bed and looks around. "Not much has changed, huh?"

She looks around at the grey walls of my childhood bedroom, each space filled with posters or photographs. Nothing had changed since I'd moved out. "I'm still waking you up after a night of partying."

I scoff. "Last night was hardly a party. You made me watch a horror movie."

"It beats playing poker." Mum laughs and I groan in response.

Mum rubs my back gently. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I peer up at her from under the covers. "Talk about what?"

"Well Jack ran out of here pretty fast last night and then you announced that you were staying over before going to bed. Did you guys have a fight?"

Burying my head under the pillow, I turn on my side. "I don't want to talk about it."

"You and Jack never fight." Mum continues, rubbing slow circles on my shoulder. "Troye, please talk to me."

Sighing, I roll over to face her. "It was nothing, mum." I mutter. "We just had a disagreement."

"About what?"

I look away and mum sighs. She looks down at me with a concerned expression. "Honey, I just want to help. You and Jack are thick as thieves. He ran out of here last night like he was on fire. Not to mention, he left you stranded without a car."

Looking away, I whisper, "He kissed me."

"What?" Mum stands up in shock. "When?"

"Last night behind the pool house."

"Wow," Mum breathes.

I sit up, raising an eyebrow. "You're not surprised."

Guilt takes over my mother's features. "Well, I-"

"Oh my god." I whisper. "You knew, didn't you? You knew he likes me."

"Troye, I-"

"God dammit!" I throw back the covers and stand up, running a hand through my hair. "Everyone knew but me, didn't they? Aria, you, hell, I bet even dad knows."

Mum looks away and I gape. "You've got to be kidding me."

My mother stands up. "Troye," she says. "You have to understand, Jack never wanted to get in the way of what you and Cameron had."

"Cameron's dead, mum!" I shout, causing her to flinch. "He's been dead for three years! Jack had three years to tell me!"

"The timing wasn't right." she replies gently. "Back in high school, I knew there was something between you two, whether it was one-sided or not. Jack came to me when he was in his senior year."

"He did?"

She nods. "He was distraught, Troye. He knew you loved Cameron and he would never do anything to jeopardise that. You have to understand his point of view. You may not be grieving anymore but you still haven't really let Cameron go. Jack was the one sitting back watching you go through all of this and he wanted to so badly to help you. He came to me."