Tomasz laughed before leaning in toward me.
“Okay. Basics.” He held up one finger. “First of all? Relax. Nobody’s expecting you to arrive with a doctoral thesis. Second: yes, use condoms. Yes, use lots of lube. Like, an unreasonable amount. If you think you have enough, you probably don’t.” He pointed at himself proudly. “This message has been brought to you by your local Gay Fairy Godmother.”
I choked on air. “Absolutely not.”
“Oh, absolutely yes.”
“You are how old? Youcannotcall yourself a fairy godmother.”
“I think I can, even if my… magic wand doesnotbelong in a fairy tale.”
I gaped at him. “I didnotneed that picture in my head.” Then I snorted. “Magic wand? Can you say ‘delusions of grandeur’? And that sounds like a really bad Dad joke.” Not that my dad wouldevercome up with a line like that.
Mom would tease the hell out of him.
His eyes gleamed. “I’d shut up now if I were you. Because unlike you,Idid not have to Google this like a man trying to achieve a passing grade.”
“I hate this conversation.”
“No, you hate that I’m right.” He cocked his head. “The point here is not to achieve technical perfection.” Tomasz shrugged. “It’s that nobody gets hurt.”
I looked down at my coffee.
Somehow that felt a lot more important than anything I’d found on WebMD.
Tomasz’s breathing hitched once more. “Oh wow,” he muttered. “You’re gone.”
“Not listening.”
“You’re researching emotional gay sex on WebMD. You areextremelygone.” Then he paused. “If it makes you feel better, first times are usually awkward anyway.”
“Why would that make me feel better?”
“It takes the pressure off.”
“I’m an Olympic athlete. I don’t knowhowto take pressure off.”
Tomasz looked me in the eye. “That is the most heterosexual thing you’ve ever said.”
That was enough to finally crack through my tension. I laughed, letting it roll out of me.
Tomasz smiled, but when he looked at me again, there was real affection in his eyes.
“For what it’s worth,” he said in a low voice, “the fact you care this much probably means he’s safe with you.”
There was a lump in my throat. Tomasz could tease me until my cheeks were scarlet, but what he’d just said was the thing I needed to hear most.
Then he laid his hand on my arm. “And before you ask, I will not breathe a word of this to anyone. Because Davorinneedsto be safe. I understand this better than most.”
“Thank you.” My voice shook a little. My phone buzzed, and I glanced at the screen.
“And that’s my cue to leave.” Tomasz stood. His eyes sparkled. “Have fun.” And then he was out of there.
I returned my attention to the phone.
Luka: thirty minutes? Your room?
I sent him a thumbs up. A moment later, he was typing again.
