Page 79 of Gratification in Gluttony

Toni’s phone pinged again, and he glanced down at it. Gem fell silent. Toni grimaced apologetically. “Sorry, two seconds, then I’m all yours.”

“It’s fine,” Gem said softly as Toni woke his phone back up.

How attached are you to my brains? Because I’m seconds away from searching out a bullet. (And no, I’m not serious. I’m just being dramatic)

Toni chuckled.

I happen to love your brains even more than your curls. Keep them inside your skull for me, okay?

“Is that Jude?” Gem asked brightly, scooching down the couch to read over Toni’s shoulder. “You’re not sexting, right? ’Cause I don’t wanna know about that.”

“No, he’s just frustrated with school.”

Toni let Gem skim over their conversation, feeling warm and squishy to be sharing this with his best friend.

“He’s kind of sassy, isn’t he?” Gem commented as he scrolled. “Aw, he said your stripes are hot. That’s cute. Okay, he called you ‘good boy,’ and you didn’t tell me? I’m personally offended. Also, go Jude. Way to wield that power, short king. Oh, ew, I don’t wanna know his thoughts on your dicks.”

“Then don’t scroll much higher, or you’ll see things,” Toni warned.

“You’re sexting?” Gem leaned away, pushing Toni’s phone back into his waiting palm. “Well done. Is it hot?”

“Is it hot? This is Toni we’re talking about it,” Toni boasted, and Gem pantomimed throwing up. Dropping the attitude, Toni thumbed lazily through the text thread. “But, uh, yeah, it’s hot. Wednesday, we were talking on the phone, and I asked him about, you know, anatomy stuff. It was very educational.” Toni grinned lasciviously. “Then it got sexy.”

Gem giggled and clapped his upper hands, wrapping his lower arms around his legs, hugging his knees. “I love phone sex.”

“Yeah, it was good.”

They cackled like little kids.

“And what about when you’re together? How has it been the last couple weekends?”

“I slept over last Sunday,” Toni said, and Gem’s jaw dropped.

“And you didn’t tell me?” he screeched. “Way to bury the lead. Spill!”

So Toni spilled, and Gem listened with rapt attention. Halfway through, Toni paused and said, “Wait, you were gonna tell me something, right?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Gem dismissed. “Keep going.”

So Toni shrugged and kept going. And by the end, Gem was simpering. “So you slept together all night but didn’t even fuck? That’s so sweet.”

“I guess.”

“So other than some heavy petting and phone sex, you haven’t actually fucked at all?” Gem clarified.

“Not for lack of trying,” Toni said. “Not that I’m only in it for that. I… I like him, Gemmy. A lot. He’s just so fucking hot. But also kinda confusing.”

Gem propped his chin on his knees. “How so?”

Getting more comfortable, Toni settled in. “Okay, so we flirt a lot. Like, the tension is very real. And then we get hot and heavy, and he seems super into it. But then, all of sudden, he’s like, ‘Oh, gotta catch my train!’ or, ‘Oops, gotta get to class.’ Which is fine. He’s allowed to change his mind, no problem. But then I’m worrying that maybe I did something wrong. Or I’m misreading the situation, and maybe he ain’t that into me.

“Which would be a bummer, but it’s also allowed.” Toni said, and Gem nodded. “It just feels like we’re going one way, and then,boom!Direction change, out of nowhere. And I’m left confused, like I don’t… understand what we’re doing.”

Tonguing his right fang, Gem hummed and took a moment to think. Then he said, “Have you asked him?”

“Asked him what?”

The look Gem gave him was more than a little condescending. “What his expectations are? What he wants? Have you even asked yourself whatyouwant?”

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