“I believe you,” Jude reassures me with a genuine smile. “I think the feeling is mutual, but I just had to get past the initial discomfort of…well, you know.”
“The fact that I have a penis? Yeah, I know.”
Jude scrunches their face. “Please don’t ruin the moment.”
“Apparently, I can’t help myself. It’s a real problem.”
“Clearly.” Jude pulls away and straightens in their chair. “Now, I guess we should get back to this project, then.”
“If we must.”
Friday, September 5, 2025
Am I a terrible person if I say that Oliver’s asexuality is one of the best things to ever happen to me?
Probably.
But it doesn’t make it less true.
All my hesitation towards him, due to lingering trust issues with men, is gone. I have nothing to fear now. I no longer have to police myself or hold back physical affection because Oliver won’t objectify me. I am free to be my true self around him without fear of rejection or misinterpretation.
Now that I know Oliver is queer, my intuition about him being different from other guys makes complete sense. Iknew—somewhere deep down in my soul, my heart, my gut, somewhere—that Oliver was safe. Somehow, I knew he was decent, kind, and genuine. My instinct was finally right about someone.
Maybe I’m not as broken as I thought I was.
“How’s this spot?” Oliver asks.
“Looks good to me!”
Every other Friday, The Village hosts a “Movie Night On The Green,” held in one of the two enclosed green spaces between the halls of our dormitory. Historically, I’ve never considered attending, either because of the weather or my overwhelming workload. This week, however, a cold front has finally reached Atlanta, bringing highs into the seventies and lows into the low sixties, making the weather perfect for evening activities. Plus, with my current schedule, I’ve been able to keep up with my coursework without issue. So when Oliver invited me this week, I had no reason to decline.
What I wasn’t expecting, though, was that I was the only one who didn’t.
“Is this blanket going to be big enough for everyone?” I ask as Oliver spreads his multicolored, water-resistant picnic blanket. It looks big enough for two or three people at most.
“Should be,” Oliver says through a grunt. “But if you’re worried, you can tell Celeste to bring another one.”
“Celeste is working tonight.”
“Oh. Well, it might just be us, then,” Oliver says, brows furrowing. “Theo is back up in Specter for work. Vimlesh said he was busy, and Max told me he already had plans.”
I snicker. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure Max is on a date of some kind, but he probably won’t mention it unless it goes well.”
“What about your girlfriend?” Oliver asks, dropping to his knees to smooth out the creases on his blanket.
I shake my head. “She’s working, too.”
“Damn,” Oliver mutters, sounding defeated. He glances up at me with his giant puppy-dog eyes. “Well, hey, we don’t have to do this if you don’t?—”
“No, no, I’m good!” I insist. “I don’t have anything better going on, do you?”
“Nope.”
“And I mean, we’re already down here,” I continue, joining him on the picnic blanket. “The weather is gorgeous. We claimed a great spot to see the movie, and I’m pretty sure Papa Geien’s Deli has a table over there.”
Oliver’s eyes go wide, and he practically leaps to his feet. “Really? Where?”
I laugh. “Over there,” I point to the line of tables set up by the entrance to Lanier Hall. “You should go get some before the line gets too crazy! I’ll hold down the fort here.”
