“Eric, stop. You’re impossible. Stop sidetracking me. Plus you’re the one who can’t handle friends with benefits, so the answer is no.”
“Jesus. All right. What?” Eric accepted a piece of blueberry pie from the waitress and drove his fork into it.
“Why do I even bother?” murmured Jerry. He took a dainty sip of his herbal tea, placed the cup down, and rolled up his sleeves. “Okay. Since you aren’t getting what I’m trying to tell you about Will, I guess I need to elaborate.”
Eric nodded curtly, his mouth full of blueberry pie.
“So he’s saying to me how great you are, how lucky I am to have you as a boyfriend, and going on and on. I tried to change the subject and talk about his girlfriend, like, how I was sorry they broke up and all. And….” Jerry stopped and wrinkled his brow.
“And?” Eric prompted.
“Wait. I’m trying to remember. He got all red in the face and said something strange.”
“Oh, don’t tell me. There is no girlfriend?”
“That was it. How did you know? I was about to ask him what he meant but he chose that moment to run into the bathroom and throw up.” Jerry shuddered. “No talking to him after that.”
“That doesn’t mean anything. He said that to me at Thanksgiving, but it’s bogus. Because when I asked him about it, he didn’t even remember saying it.”
“Hmm. Whatever. He was pretty drunk. All I’m saying is you might want to watch yourself around your roomie. Don’t want you breaking his heart or anything.”
“Oh, please,” Eric said. “As if.”
“I’m just sayin’.” Jerry straightened up and smiled cheerfully. “Hey, enough of this. Let’s go to my place and get stoned.”
Eric eyed Jerry suspiciously. “Really? You told me no to going to your place.”
“Baby, you need to mellow out. And so do I, after dealing with your semistraight, very adorable, and totally drunk roommate. So come on. But no hanky-panky.” Jerry stood and waited for Eric to do the same.
“Hanky-panky. You sound like my grandmother,” Eric grumped as he stood and threw some money on the table.
“Only if she’s gay, hot, and beautiful, darling.”
“Yeah, okay. After you, Granny.”
Chapter ELEVEN
“HEY, ROOMIE!”
Eric jumped. Will had snuck up behind their usual spot in the student lounge and spoken loudly right into his ear.
“Agh! Stop doing that.” Eric peered around as Will snickered and settled himself into the adjoining armchair. “Where’s your shadow?”
“Amber? I think I shook her off.” Will snuck a glance behind him. “Warn me if she comes in.”
“Allison probably took her down with a single karate chop. Cat fight over William!” Eric laughed a little too loudly. Will gave him his “are you nuts?” look.
Eric had been watching Will like a hawk ever since Jerry’s revelation. Hung up on him? Eric couldn’t see it, but it was enough to put him on edge, enough to make him even more aware of how attracted he was to Will. Still, he should cool it with the corny hetero jokes. Jerry told him he was overcompensating.
Will stretched and yawned. “Ready to go over the kids?”
Eric checked to make sure the coast was clear of Hutchinson residents. He and Will did a weekly review of each of their freshmen. It helped detect any budding issues or concerns they needed to address. “Yep. You got the list?”
“Yep.” Will pulled out a piece of paper. “Abby.”
“Hmm. I haven’t seen her around much lately. How about you?”
“She came to that get-together thingy we had a few weeks ago and seemed okay.”
Eric swatted Will’s knee. “Thingy? You mean our ‘Yay, we made it through February’ bash, emceed by the Dynamic Duo, aka us?”
Will smirked. “Yeah. That. Okay, next is Alex.”
“He’s fine.”
“Agreed. Andrew.”
“Andrew worries me.” Eric said that every week. He thought about the slight effeminate kid who was so clearly on the rainbow spectrum and yet hadn’t come out to anyone as far as Eric knew. Andrew was a loner and sometimes the target of bullying by the frat guys. Will and Eric worked hard to slap that nonsense down as soon as it erupted. They also traded off checking in with Andrew daily, dropping by his room, trying to seem casual about it.
“Yeah.” Will knit his eyebrows. “Not much we can do beyond what we’re already doing.”
“I wish he’d come out and get it over with,” Eric blurted and then bit his lip.
Will’s face got red. “Why? It could make more problems for him. Like if his family’s homophobic, they could throw him out. He’s already getting heat from the frat assholes.”
“But he’d find friends inside the queer community. God knows there’s enough of us around.”
“You’re the one who’s always saying people need to come out when they’re ready and not to push them.” Will’s voice rose, and he seemed to be getting upset, which was unusual for chill Will.
“I know, I know. It’s cool. I’d never force him. But I remember when I came out. I was around his age, and it was so liberating. It helped me find my tribe.”
“Your tribe?”
“You know—all the other weirdos and nonconformists. Queers. Artists and creative types. The fringe of society, the marginalized swath of humanity.”
Will snorted. “Very poetic. But as white males, you have to admit we’re privileged compared to, say, a black trans woman.”
“And as a straight white male you’re the most privileged of all,” Eric shot back, then regretted it when Will’s expression grew thunderous. “Sorry. Why are we even having this fight?”
Will dropped his shoulders with a wry smile. “Yeah. I don’t even know. I guess I felt left out of your tribe or something.”
“Are you kidding? You qualify on general coolness. Plus, duh… you’re a creative type, remember? Songwriter and singer. And you have to admit you’re kind of weird, which I love.”
“Aw, jeez.” Will blushed and looked pleased. “You say the nicest things.”
A swelling of emotion formed a lump in Eric’s throat. He wished… he didn’t know what he wished. Will was cool, creative, weird, and so fricking attractive, especially right that moment. “I only say the truth, roomie.” He shifted in his seat. “Hey, let’s get back to the list. I have dress rehearsal soon.”
“That’s right. Are you ready for opening night tomorrow?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Eric said airily and was warmed by the look of admiration that Will shot him.
“I’d be scared shitless.”
“We-ell, I guess I’m kinda nervous,” Eric admitted. “But mostly excited.”
“I’ll be there cheering you on, roomie.”
“I know. And I want you to come to the cast party after. It’s at Ms. Manchini’s house, my theater professor. She always has the best parties. Invite one of your ladies.”
“Um… sure.” Will glanced down at the list. “Jerry gonna be there?”
“Of course.”
“Hmm. Okay, let’s get back to business. Bo.”
“Bo’s fine, right? You’re the expert, with all the gaming stuff you share.”
“Yep. Bo’s doing good. Gamers rule.”
Eric laughed. “Some of them fucking do, for sure. Next.” He settled himself more comfortably into his armchair. Any activity where he got to stare at Will for prolonged lengths of time was a good activity.
THEY FINISHED the list, and Eric picked up his latte and prepared to split. Will stopped him with a hand to his arm.
“Hey, I wanna ask you something.”
“Okay.”
“Were you ever… like, harassed for being gay?”
Eric sat back down. “Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know. I guess talking about Andrew, knowing that assholes exist. Sometimes I wonder how anyone handles it—being out.”
“I mean, yeah. Of course I’
ve been harassed. Jerry and me were walking through the quad one night freshman year and these jerks yelled at us, called us faggots. We weren’t even holding hands.”
“Yeah.”
“You learn to deal with it, mostly ignoring it and knowing you’re far more fabulous than those assholes will ever be.”
Will smiled at him. “True. You are. What about high school?”
“I wasn’t out in high school, but it wasn’t exactly a secret. My high school’s in a liberal area of Northern Virginia and had a GSA and everything, so I never got bullied. Jerry got bullied all the time in Texas, but he refused to be in the closet.”
“Oh yeah, I can’t see Jerry ever hiding who he is.”
“Right? He’s got cojones, that’s for sure.” Eric waited to see if Will had anything else he wanted to ask. Will clenched his fists and tightened his jaw. Eric was riveted on his bulging muscles when Will finally spoke.
“It makes me so fucking angry. You know, that people shit on other people that way. I want to beat them up.”
Okay. That was hot. And sweet. Eric almost said, “You can come to my defense anytime, big boy,” but he reined himself in. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” He checked the time. “Wow, I gotta fly. See you later.”
“Yeah. Later.”
Chapter TWELVE
“WHOOOOO!” ERIC pumped his fist and shook his butt to the music. Opening night had gone great, he was at his theater professor’s elegant home getting drunk on celebratory champagne, all of his friends were there dancing, and life was good.
Tyrone danced with him, laughing and whooping. “We did it, baby! And we were great.”
“Yes, we were,” Eric yelled.
When the song ended, he went in pursuit of another drink. As he got to the side of the room where the booze was lined up in shiny bottles, he saw Will standing there.
“Well, hey there, roomie, I didn’t see you come in. How’d you like the play?”
“Awesome. You were amazing.” But Will’s face didn’t match his words. He had a funny expression. “Um… Eric—”
“Have some champagne.” Eric filled a glass for Will and then saw Will’s friend Allison who had appeared behind him. He was in such a good mood he could even be gracious to her. “Oh hi. Allison, right? Want some bubbly?” He felt Will’s hand on his arm.
“Can we go somewhere for a second?” Will asked. He looked worried.
“Sure.” Eric set down his drink and followed Will into the den, which was empty at the moment. “What’s up?”
“Did you and Jerry—uh, did you guys, like, break up?”
“Break up? Not that I know of.”
Oh, shit. Eric remembered too late that Jerry had told him not to count on him being Eric’s pretend boyfriend for the cast party, because he had plans for Ted, one of the cast members who Jerry had been crushing on and who had finally gotten interested—none of which Eric had recalled when he invited Will to the party.
Will seemed miserable for him. “He uh…he’s um… no, forget I said—”
“Don’t tell me. Let me guess. You saw Jerry and Ted together in a corner somewhere?”
Will gaped at him. “You know?”
“Come here.” Eric pulled Will over to a sofa and thought quickly as they sat down. “Jerry and I… um… we decided a few weeks ago to date other people. So I’m not that surprised.”
A series of emotions crossed Will’s face. “Wow.”
“Yeah. Sorry I didn’t tell you before. It’s not that big a deal.” Damn. That made him sound like kind of an asshole. Eric cleared his throat and tried for a pained-yet-brave expression. “That’s what I try to tell myself.”
“Are you okay?” Will’s face had settled into a surprisingly cheerful expression despite his obvious concern for Eric.
“Oh sure. I mean, I will be. Eventually.”
“Sorry, man.” Will put his hand on Eric’s arm, and Eric watched, mesmerized, as Will leaned toward him, and his face got closer and closer and—
Tyrone burst into the room with Allison behind him.
“Come on, kiddies! One more dance and then we’re going out for pancakes.”
“SO THAT’S why I think the Kinsey Scale is a crock,” Cara said, arm around her girlfriend Lane while she forked up her pancakes with her other hand. “You can’t put numbers on something as personal as sexuality.”
Cara and Lane were fellow theater majors who had crushed it as Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked. Eric thought it was cool that they were partners in real life.
“But the Kinsey research was a breakthrough,” Eric protested. “Like, before that, everyone was either hetero or homo, and there was no in-between. Just the fact that they developed a scale, you know? Like it’s a lot more fluid.”
“Except for queens like you and me, baby,” Tyrone quipped.
“What’s the scale again? Zero to one hundred?” Allison asked.
“No, no. The original one was zero to six where zero is exclusively hetero and six is exclusively homo, and bisexuals are three,” Cara said. “Kinsey is pretty outdated now. For instance, the scale leaves out asexuals, but Eric’s right that it was a huge breakthrough for its time.”
“So what are all y’all? I’m a six,” Tyrone said proudly.
“If zero is totally straight, then I’m probably a one,” Allison said. “Kind of open but pretty much boringly hetero.”
Cara sipped her coffee. “I’m gonna say three, only because I’m protesting.”
“And there was that one guy,” observed Lane, and she laughed when Cara scowled at her.
Eric smiled. “You two are cute. I’m a six, obviously.” He looked across at Will, who appeared to be concentrating on his food. He was glad Jerry wasn’t there to jump in with his unfounded opinions of Will’s sexuality. “Well, roomie? Zero for you? Or maybe a one?”
“Hmm, I’ll say three,” Will mumbled.
“Excuse me?” Eric’s lips went numb, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t from the salsa on his huevos rancheros.
Tyrone’s eyes lit up. “Three? As in bi? Well, well.” He shot Eric a significant glance.
“Three? Are you sure?” Eric’s world began to tilt on its axis.
“Ooo, I don’t know why, but that’s really hot,” Allison said as she moved closer to Will in the booth.
Will turned his head and smiled at her. Was she putting her hand on his thigh? Oh God, who cares? Will could have all the hetero relationships he wanted. But no fucking way he’s bi. Eric caught himself focusing on Will’s mouth. He clenched his fists and shifted in his seat.
At that moment the universe offered deliverance in the form of Jake, a cute guy they all knew from theater classes. He had recently broken up with his long-term boyfriend, and he stood by their booth, looking particularly twinky and delicious.
“Hi, all. Got room for one more?”
“Sure,” Eric said enthusiastically as he slid over in the booth so Jake could jam in with them. Jake wedged his shoulder and thigh firmly against his. “So what are you eating?” Eric asked in a seductive tone.
“Mmmm, that’s a loaded question,” Jake tossed back, and they laughed.
Eric glanced over to find Will staring. Flushing, Will turned to Allison, who had her hand on his arm, and whispered something in her ear that made her blush and giggle.
Two can play at this game, roomie. Eric smiled alluringly at Jake. “Loaded, hmm?” He picked up a piece of bacon and held it out to him. “Want some meat?”
Jake opened his mouth and tore off part of the slice with his teeth, and Eric smirked.
When he glanced across the restaurant, Eric caught Jerry’s eye from the booth where he was cozied up with Ted. “Oh, really?” Jerry mouthed.
Ex-boyfriends were the worst. Eric returned his attention to Jake and tried not to notice Will laughing with his cute little girlfriend right across the table.
He also tried not to notice the little voice that told him he was fooling himself. Eric had absolutely no desire to sl
eep with Jake. He’d apparently given up on casual sex this year without even noticing. He was too busy hanging out with his distracting roommate.
Life was a blast sometimes.
“SO, DID you want to tell me something, Will?” Eric wiped the traces of his stage makeup from his face and studied himself in the mirror while Will lounged on his bed and plinked on his guitar. The adrenaline coursed through Eric’s body once again at the memory of Will declaring himself a three, the sneaky little fucker.
Despite their flirtations with Jake and Allison at the pancake house, they’d both ended up back in their dorm room for the night, like they always did now that Will wasn’t spending weekends with Jessie. They talked a good game, but neither of them seemed interested in getting any action.
“About what?” Will acted relaxed, but Eric caught the trace of challenge in his voice.
“You know what.” Damn. The guy announces he’s a Kinsey three—as in bi, as in attracted to both women and men—and now he wants to play dumb? “Were you serious about being a three? Because I’ve only ever seen you with girls.”
“Yeah. So?”
“So… I don’t know. How come you never told me?”
“Why should I? Why would you care?”
“Why? Jeez, don’t you see it changes everything…. Oh. Oh, wait. You say you’re a three, but you’ve never been with a guy. So it’s kinda academic. Maybe you think of yourself as bi-curious, but not curious enough to do anything about it. That’s it.” He chuckled with relief. “Believe me, honey, if you really were attracted to men, you would have tried it out by now.”
When the silence became prolonged, Eric turned from the mirror. Will’s guitar sat on the floor, and he was lying with his back to Eric. Okay, then. Conversation over.
Wait. Was this Will coming out? If so, Eric wasn’t being very encouraging. Maybe that’s why Will had been talking so much about coming out yesterday. He cleared his throat. “Will?”
Silence. Then, face to the wall, Will said, “What?”
“Um. Are you trying to say you’re bisexual? For real?”
The Kinsey Scale Page 5