Page 17 of It Starts With Summer

Ben shook his head, taking a bite of his pancakes.“I identify pansexual.I’m attracted to lots of different people.Reading a lot of queer books opened my eyes to what should have been obvious — that attraction to me doesn’t really relate to gender.”

I nodded, chewing on my thumbnail as I thought about that.“It’s giving me some curiosities.But I don’t know how to figure out what it means.Am I bisexual if I’m enjoying reading about queer ogre sex?Or does something else about the story turn me on?”

Ben glanced behind me and his eyebrows shot up.I looked up to see Parker approaching.My cheeks grew hot as I wondered if he’d heard me speaking about being bisexual, though there was nothing to be embarrassed about.Parker was gay.He wouldn’t judge my sexuality.

Parker set down a tray with a plate of eggs and bacon on it and slid into the chair beside me, looking from me to Ben and back.

“Why do you guys look so embarrassed?”Parker bit into a slice of bacon as he studied us.

“You didn’t overhear what Ravi was saying, did you?”Ben asked.

Parker grinned and nudged me with his elbow.“I get you.I’d wanna fuck that mage even if I wasn’t gay.That telepathic shit he does is hot.”

“Mm, I like how Julong takes control of that twat Maledrel,” Ben said, grinning.“That scene where he has him tied up and begging.Whew.”He fanned himself.

“He isn’t a twat, he’s misunderstood!”I insisted."I liked his character."

“I wonder if dragon cock is different from human cock,” Parker mused.“I love all cocks, so I assume I’d enjoy it either way.”

Ben laughed.“Slut.”

“That I am,” Parker said, winking, for some reason, at me.The counselor next to me bumped into me, and his touch felt uncomfortable.I scooted my chair closer to Parker.I didn’t like to be touched by strangers, but Parker was safe, probably because he was my friend.

I cleared my throat, shaking off that thought.“You guys are right.I’m sure that scene would be hot to anyone.The way they bond psychically, the way they understand each other, that was what was sexy.”Taking a bite of my muffin, I thought about it for a moment.“Then again, I’ve only ever had sex with women, so I suppose I don’t know for sure until I try.”

Parker choked on his water, which was probably a coincidence.I patted him on the back, and when he recovered, he was eying me.“What do you want to try, Ravi?”

Frowning, I set down my fork.“I don’t know.Would a hand job be enough to tell me if I liked guys?”

Ben's eyes crinkled as he let out a loud laugh, his shoulders shaking.“You could just kiss a guy,” he said, grinning at me."But nah.Going straight for a hand job, huh?"

I shrugged."Kissing is overrated.But I do enjoy having my dick touched."Ben looked my way and we cracked up again.Parker stayed silent, staring at me, a smile playing around his lips.That couldn’t possibly mean he wanted to touch my dick.Could it?

And that, of course, was when Sutton walked up.Was this whole day timed so that people would appear right as I was at my most awkward?He ignored me as he took the empty seat next to Ben.

Parker was sitting close enough to me that I felt his knee brush mine as he shifted in his seat, his jovial expression disappearing, his body going stiff enough that I could feel the tightness in his right shoulder as it pressed against my left.I shouldn’t have been okay with him touching me like that.I didn’t like unexpected touches.

But it was Parker, and he was hurting.Fucking Sutton.I narrowed my eyes at the big jock, who continued to act as if I wasn’t there.

“Hey, Sutton,” Ben said.“We were just talking about the Mages of Aleron.Did you finish it?”

Sutton glared at him.“I told you, I don’t read.”

Ben smirked and widened his eyes at me.“Someone’s in a good mood this morning.”

Parker, who would usually tell a joke, said nothing.And for a reason I would never be able to explain, I reached out and squeezed Parker’s thigh.And then I couldn’t take that back, couldn’t remove my hand.It felt so damn awkward, and yet right.It was almost as if Parker’s thigh was where my hand was supposed to rest while I was eating soggy pancakes in a summer camp lodge.

“We have both cabins at the lake today,” Ben said.“You should be in a good mood, Sutton.”

“Fuck off,” Sutton muttered, and I had to wonder what he was so angry about.Maybe he’d also accidentally put his hand on someone’s thigh.

I froze like that, with the heat of Parker’s thick, muscled thigh seeping through his shorts to my fingertips.I could feel his heartbeat… or maybe it was my heart pounding, making my hand throb.Because this wasn’t the kind of touch that was appropriate between friends.

Parker said nothing, didn’t call me out of my awkwardness.But he relaxed a little.Under my hand, the tight muscle became just a little softer.And he slid his chair towards me, so that were pressed close.Perhaps there was someone annoying sitting on his other side.I peeked past him and realized he was at the end of the table.

That, ridiculously, made me smile.

Parker picked up his fork and started to eat, pointedly ignoring Sutton.Ben cast Sutton a dark, indecipherable look.And Sutton said nothing more, just ducked his chin and stared at his food.

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