Page 14 of Collin: Episodes 13-15
Collin’s phone rang while he was on the elliptical. His caller ID read Techno Mage. Collin chuckled and picked it up. “Hey, Ash. Did you change your name in my phone?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not even going to ask how. What’s up?”
“How did you know you like guys?”
“Um…” Collin gripped the handhold on his machine and glanced over his shoulder, slowing down a tad. There wasn’t anyone too close by. “Why do you want to know?”
“Because Ellisandre says I have technophilia and that I have more computers than you have men, but I don’t think I do. It’s not the same, right? I mean, I know there are movies about people falling in love with AIs. My computers don’t talk to me like that. I don’t even have one of those virtual computer dating games.”
“Technophilia doesn’t mean sexual attraction. It just means you like technology.” Thank goodness, he wasn’t moving too fast so he could still talk.
“Oh.” Ash was quiet for a moment. “So how do you know if you like people?”
Collin bit his cheeks to keep from saying something inappropriate. “It’s different for everyone. When I was your age, I knew I didn’t want to date girls though, but I didn’t mind the idea of kissing a guy, so I figured I was gay.”
“What if you’re nobody sexual? Like you don’t want to think about doing it with anyone?”
“Then you could be on the ace spectrum. Also totally normal.”
“What is Ellisandre?”
“You would have to ask them.”
Ash made a low negative sound. “Ellisandre’s encryption is airtight. I gotta go. Ms. Linda is here. Bye.” He hung up.
Collin stared at his phone with both eyebrows raised and shook his head. Kids.
After a break and a nap, Mr. Moreau picked out pants and a shirt for Collin and invited him into the kitchen to cook dinner for everyone that night. Hypatia and Matthew would be back over in a couple hours, and Mr. Moreau had planned to make harira chicken soup among other things.
He fussed a little as they set the spices—fresh and dry—on the counter to be prepped into the harira base. “Cumin, red chilis, garlic. Can you get the fresh coriander from the fridge?”
Collin fetched it. “What else?”
“I’ll get the rest. Start peeling the garlic, please. Usually, the mix should be allowed to set for at least half a day, longer if possible, but it will still be good. The leftovers will be even better.”
“Everything you make tastes good.”
Mr. Moreau shook his head. “Wait until I take you to some places. Then you’ll learn just how much more there is for me to master in a kitchen.”
Mr. Moreau started crushing the red chilis. “What do you think of meeting Matthew?”
“He’s kind.” Collin rolled a clove of garlic in his hand, checking that all the papery skin was really off. “He has a lot to give.”
Mr. Moreau took one of Collin’s hands in his and pulled him closer. “It’s one of the reasons I wanted you to meet him. You’re alike in that aspect. Matthew has always been soft, beautiful, perceptive. It was a joy to have him in The Residency.”
“How did Matthew go from being Richard’s submissive to being Hypatia’s?”
“They met during a social event and became friends. Over time, as they got closer, both of them realized it was becoming romantic. Richard and I had had our guesses. Hypatia formally requested Richard train her to be Matthew’s domme. She was one of the first dominants Richard ever trained. I think it was one of the proudest moments in Richard’s life, the day he gave Matthew away to her at the wedding, on their request. Neither Hypatia nor Richard ever wanted Matthew to feel that he had to choose or be without a solid anchor, so he went from one dom to another.”
“Are they exclusive?”
“Mostly. Richard has an agreement with Hypatia to step in with Matthew if she’s ever not in town to care for him. They do occasionally attend play parties, and if Hypatia wants to use Matthew in play in conjunction with someone else, she sometimes chooses to—with those Matthew has indicated he likes. Romantically, they are monogamous.”
How freeing. To have a network of people one could communicate with about daring, vulnerable things and not be shamed for it.
“Do you mind if I ask about the record? It seems important to you. Was it the grandfather who died when you were seven?”
