Page 42 of Studious
Alden nods. “Yeah. Most days.”
If that isn’t a sexy picture. “Me too. Okay.” I knock my shoulder into him playfully. “I think you’re hot. You should have no trouble with this when I’m done with you. The guys will be falling at your feet.”
“I’d settle for one guy.” He sighs. “This has always felt so complicated, and I just want it to be simple. I’m gay, and I’ve never had a physical relationship with anyone. I want to see what the fuss is about.”
“What would you do on your ideal date?”
Alden tilts his head to the side, and it’s adorable. “I don’t know. I’ve been on dates—just not aseconddate. I get nervous in places that I’m not familiar with.”
“We can work on that.” I pause as something occurs to me. “We should be recording some of this. Or I should be taking notes for a video.”
Alden gulps. “You can record my voice. Just keep the camera on you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Can I see the video before you upload?”
“Of course.” I stand. “Hang on.” I stride into my office and come back with a little tripod. “I bought this off Amazon. Let me set it up so I don’t have to hold the camera.”
He settles back on the couch. “Go for it.”
I pull out my phone and set it into the tripod. “Ready?”
He nods.
I smile at him, then turn the camera on and smile at it. “I’m Love Tutor Dan, and I’m here today with my pupil, who’s going to talk about his first homework assignments and receive his next one. I’m going to call my student, um. What should we call you?”
“John.”
“Right. John Doe. John, the first project I asked you to do was to describe your ideal man. How did that go?”
“It was hard. I haven’t really thought about it before, other than he’s a man and he would hopefully like me.”
The camera is focused on my face, with Alden off to the side and out of frame, and I’m sure my genuine affection for him comes across. “Now that you’ve had time to consider the question, who is your ideal man?”
“Well,” he starts, “actually, my ideal man is someone like you.”
My heart rate increases. “But I’m a player.”
“No. Well, maybe you are, but you’re also caring, hot, kind.”
“I promise I didn’t pay him to say this,” I say to the camera, my cheeks heating.
“You didn’t, but you asked me to tell the truth. I’m shy and awkward, and I’m not the kind of guy people give the time of day to. The fact that you’re helping me tells me something.”
“You’re selling yourself short. There’s no way that anyone who gets to know you for real would ever let you go.”
“Wow,” he whispers. “That’s exactly the kind of thing my ideal partner would say.”
For a moment, I’m a little envious of this fictional ideal partner, because he gets to see all of Alden’s sweetness. “Okay, moving on. What do you find hot in a man?”
Alden swallows hard. “I’m not sure. You’re very sexy, but you’re off-limits because you’re my teacher.”
“And because I only do one night, and you’re too good for that.”
“I don’t know. I might not want to be too good,” he says cheekily.
I hold up my hand for him to slap. “Give it here. That’s exactly the kind of attitude that will help. But besides me, who else?”
