Before I can thank everyone, Harrison holds up his hands. “Whoa, guys, we have to cool down the compliments. Oliver’s head can only get so big before it explodes.”
“Oh, is that why I’m getting a headache?” I ask, gripping the sides of my skull.
“Oh, now you’ve done it,” Harry shouts. “Everyone, take cover!”
“Damn, I knew I should have brought extra brain matter,” Wren mutters.
“So, Olli-pops,” Wren says, laying their head back on their pillow as we’re both settling in for the night. “What’s on your mind?”
I frown down at them from my bed. “What do you mean?”
They open their eyes to look at me. “You’ve seemed a bit off all day. Do you expect me to believe you’re preoccupied with school shit? Come on. What’s up?”
A smile creeps over my face. Of course Wren would recognize that something was up. “Okay, yeah, there is something.”
Wren folds their arms behind their head. “I’m all ears.”
After a deep breath, I just say it. “I’m asexual.”
Wren studies me for a moment, then grins. “Hell yeah, dude. That makes complete sense.”
Whoa, that was not the reaction I was expecting. “Really?”
“Absolutely! I totally see it.”
I laugh. “Wow.”
“What? Are you surprised by my lack of surprise?”
“Honestly, yeah. I’ve only officially come out to two other people, and neither could really wrap their head around it.”
“One of them was Theo, wasn’t it?”
I nod. “He’s convinced that I’m actually into Jude, though.”
Wren’s eyes narrow. “Why’s that?”
“Because Jude and I are really close, like, in a way I’ve never had with another person before.”
Wren bites their bottom lip.
“But we’re friends,” I continue. “Best friends, even. I don’t want anything about that to change. Plus, Jude has a girlfriend, and they’re only into girls, so even if I weren’t ace, I wouldn’t pursue anything more with them than what we already have.”
Wren nods but still looks skeptical. “So, when did you figure out you were ace?”
“Almost as soon as I learned about it.” I give Wren a quick recap of everything, including meeting Quinn and hearing her story.
“That’s cool. Did she identify as ace or aroace?”
“Just ace,” I answer. “She clarified later that she’d probably identify as demiromantic, which means that she can only experience romantic attraction to someone after they’ve established a strong emotional bond. I just thought that was the average person’s experience with romance, but apparently not.”
Wren shifts on the air mattress, making loud noises that sound like flatulence, but I bravely resist the urge to make any jokes. “So, would you also consider yourself demiromantic?” they ask.
I let out a dramatic sigh. “Dude, I don’t know. I’m probably aroace, too, but who knows. One identity is enough for now.”
“That’s fair.”
After a few moments, I turn to look at them. “What about you? Like, I know you’ve said you’re bisexual, but do you experience romantic attraction, too?”
