Page 63 of Best Served Cold

River winced. “Ow. You gotta be one hell of a pain slut to willingly let someone stick a needle in your dick.”

“He’s definitely a pain slut. I think I am too.”

“That doesn’t shock me.” River grinned. “Remember when you used to touch that bug-zapper thingy because you said it tingled?”

I smiled back. “You were the one who dared me to do it.”

“I didn’t dare you to keep doing it.” He slumped against the back of the couch, mirroring my posture. “Do you like Noah?”

“I don’t know. He…really pisses me off, but I don’t hate him for it.”

“What about the fact that he’s a guy, is that making it weirder?”

“Nah. I don’t give a fuck if he has a dick or not. And if this gets out and people assume I’m gay because we fucked around, then whatever. Let them.”

One thing about River was that while he often misread situations and didn’t fully understand social cues, he was incredibly intuitive when it came to talking out problems. He had a knack for knowing which questions to ask and how far to lead the conversation to help the other person work things out on their own instead of just offering advice or solutions.

“Do you enjoy it?”

“Yes? I mean, it felt good, but I’m not sure why it did.” Sitting up straight, I concentrated on putting my guitar away. “How does it feel when you’re with someone you like? What’s different from just getting off by yourself?”

“I imagine this is different for everyone too, but for me it’s not so much about the physical part, but more about the connection.”

I snapped the guitar case closed, latched it, and laid it against the side of the couch.

“I don’t need to have an emotional connection with someone to enjoy it or anything,” he continued. “But I like making my partners feel good, and it’s easier to do that when I know the person.”

I nodded slowly.

“Is that how you feel with Noah?”

“I think so. But it’s not quite how you described. I like knowing that I’m getting him off. Seeing it, hearing it. That’s the part I enjoy the most.”

“Does it turn you on?”

I nodded.

“What’s tripping you up?” he asked. “What’s the question you keep coming back to?”

“Why him.”

He arched his eyebrow.

“Out of all the people in the world,” I continued, “why is Noah the only person who’s ever made me feel like this? I’ve never once been tempted to kiss someone, never considered sucking a dick, but a few taunts and I’m on my knees for him and not thinking twice about it.”

“I have a theory.”

“Hit me.”

River smirked. “You’re demi.”

“You think?”

He nodded. “And all the anger you’ve been feeling toward him isn’t anger at all.”

“What else could it be?”

“Attraction.”

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