Page 21 of Still Bruised
Oh, fuck.
Jude climbed off the two men. He tossed out a quick thanks before he headed for the hallway. After snatching his clothes from his backpack, he tugged on his shorts and raced out of the apartment, glad he’d left his shoes on. He’d planned to stay and have more fun, but the fuck if he was sticking around and watching his best friend get his guts rearranged.
Anton was a bottom?
That wasn’t information Jude was prepared to know.
The elevator opened, and an older couple stood there. Their eyes went wide at the sight of him shirtless. Sighing, he climbed on and turned his back to them. As the elevator doors closed, he slid the backpack down and pulled out a pack of wet wipes and hand sanitizer. Once his hands were relatively clean, he dragged on his t-shirt.
Without a backwards glance, he rushed off the elevator as soon as it hit the lobby. It took an hour and a half, as well as a train change, before he made it back home to Eastfield. When he arrived at his apartment above the shop, he immediately took a shower, wishing he could wash the image of Anton from his mind. He pulled on pajama bottoms, collapsed on the couch, and turned on ESPN.
The door downstairs opened and closed. Jude tensed.
Anton soon appeared at the top of the stairs.
Jude couldn’t look at him. He focused on the television without hearing a word said.
Anton walked closer, reached for the remote, and turned it off.
Awkward silence stretched between them for a few seconds. Jude continued staring at the black tv screen.
“Why’d you run out of there like the apartment was on fire?”
“Because,”Jude said, waving a hand toward Anton. “No one wants to witness their brother getting railed.”
“Wearen’tbrothers. And you know I’m bi.”
“While you know just about everything about me, sharing what my come face looks like isn’t something Ieverplanned to show you,” Jude said.
Anton chuckled as he sat down on the coffee table facing Jude. “I didn’t know you went to parties like that.”
Jude scoffed. “As if I knew you did?”
Silence stretched again.
“It’s recent,” Jude said. “A guy I’ve fucked around with on Grindr invited to me to my first a few months back. I’ve only been to a couple more since.”
“I started going a few years back,” Anton replied. He paused a moment, but Jude sensed he wanted to say more. “I stopped when I started seeing Liza but started up again when we broke up."
“Ah,” Jude said.
“I’d appreciate it if you kept it to yourself about me bottoming.”
Jude’s gaze whipped to Anton’s. “Do you really think I’m going to tell someone, Ant?”
Anton shrugged. “Iknowyou wouldn’t, but it felt like it needed to be said anyway.” Anton paused, rubbing his palms down his thighs. “Some women are uncomfortable when they find out I’m bi. They almost always assume I’m a top and I don’t tell them otherwise.” Anton sighed. “In my experience, women tend to freak out when they find out you’ve bottomed. A top, they can stomach, it seems.”
“Sounds like heteronormative bullshit to me.” Jude said.
Jude didn’t want to admit he was surprised learning Anton bottomed because it was the same heteronormative bullshit that had led him to that assumption. It didn’t help that most bi guys he knew personally were tops.
Anton chuckled. “Heteronormative bullshit. I wish I’d used that with Liza.”
Jude frowned.
“A few months back, Liza walked in on me under a guy. She said I wasless of a manin her eyes after that. In her mind, I’d taken the woman’s role in bed.”
“Fuckher,” Jude said. “Just because you bottom doesn’t mean you’re not a man.”
