Page 16 of Tameron

Another gentle pat on my knee. “I know you were, and I don’t think you were offensive or elitist…but I can also see why he’d feel differently. For a long time, hearing people forced the Deaf community to assimilate into the hearing world and use oral language only, so there’s also a cultural and emotional attachment to ASL. It matters for more reasons than being a mere communication tool. Does that make sense?”

It did, but why had my teacher never given me that context? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have worded it like that. Or I would’ve at least been more sensitive to the issue. Now I felt like a total asshole. “He never told me any of this. I know I still have a lot to learn, but this would’ve been really helpful to know.”

“I’m sorry he didn’t, and I agree it would’ve been good if he’d talked more about that aspect. Still, he shouldn’t have failed you for that. Even if you’d told him ASL sucked, you still should’ve been graded on your performance, not on your opinion.”

“Fat lotta good that does me now,” I muttered. “I’m gonna have to retake the test. And if I wanna pass, I guess I’ll have to change it into a whole damn ode to ASL. Which sucks because it is really goddamn hard to learn, and I should be able to say so without getting punished for it.”

A peek at Dayton told me he was fighting to hold in his laughter. “It’s okay,” I told him, sighing. “You can laugh at me. I’m being dramatic.”

“You should bring some of that dramatic flair into your facial expressions,” he teased me, and I had to give him points for being witty there. Not that I would admit it.

“Har har.”

“I don’t think you have to change it into an ode. If you would acknowledge the vital importance of ASL to the Deaf community, that would go a long way toward appeasing him. Just show him you understand that aspect. And I’m happy to practice with you… If you want.”

My head shot up. “What?”

“I can practice ASL with you…if you want. Or help you with that assignment. If you need help, that is. I’m not saying you do, but if you felt you did, I could watch it for you and give feedback?”

Was he rambling? Why on earth would Dayton be rambling? He almost sounded like he was…nervous. But why would he be?

Oh wait. I’d taken his head off a few times before, so he was probably mentally bracing himself for me being an asshole again. Not gonna lie. That gave me a solid rush of guilt. “That’s very nice of you to offer.”

Pure surprise flashed over his face, which only reinforced the guilt. Had he done it on purpose? Nah, that wasn’t like him. Expressive face, that was all.

Then his face fell. “That sounds like a polite introduction to saying no.”

It had been, but how had he known? Was I really that predictable? That grated on me, especially after he’d already made me feel guilty. So obviously, I couldn’t give him the satisfaction of being right. “I was gonna accept, actually. Unless you’re withdrawing your offer.”

“Accept? For real?”

“Jesus, you don’t need to make it sound like it’s a miracle.”

“Well, no offense, but it kinda is. I thought for sure you were gonna say no.”

“So maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do.” I couldn’t help sounding a little smug.

“Maybe.” He didn’t sound convinced. “But I’m happy to help, so let me know when you want to get together.”

Get together? Oh, to practice. “I will.”

He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I have some new pictures of Knives for you.”

I leaned in as he unlocked his phone and opened the Photo app. The first thing I saw was a shirtless picture of him posing in front of a mirror.

Oh, that was a really nice shot. The soft lighting perfectly accentuated his build rather than creating harsh lines and shadows. I could easily see why people would find him attractive, even if I wasn’t into men.

“Taking new pics for Grindr, I see?”

“And what if I was?”

I pointed at the picture. “If you turn a little more to the right, your angle would be better for showing off your arms and shoulders without looking like the Hulk.”

When he didn’t respond, I looked at him, and he was blinking. “Sorry, I needed a moment to process. You’re giving me tips for pictures now?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Because…because I thought you were about to mock me for being on Grindr.”

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