They couldn’t stop their scoff. “Oh, please. That was utterly humiliating!”
When he spoke again, he sounded hurt. “Being with me was humiliating?”
This time, they did look up, already shaking their head. “No, that’s not—”
“Because you’re a Vysov and I’m… me?” There was a bite to his tone, his mismatched eyes guarded.
“No,” they repeated, holding his gaze. “I’m not ashamed of you. I’m ashamed of myself, of how I acted.”
He didn’t look like he believed them, so they swallowed their pride and laid it all on the table. What did they have to lose at this point that wouldn’t also be lost by their silence?
“I practically threw myself at you. I was desperate and pathetic, and I choked a lot because I’ve never actually done that before, which I know isn’t very appealing. But at the same time, I kind of liked the choking-part and the you-coming-on-my-face-part, which adds a whole other layer of shame, because maybe I’m a sexual deviant or something!”
With a mortified squeak, they slapped a hand over their mouth. Okay, maybe they still had some dignity left to lose, after all.
Shifting his weight, Dex uncrossed his arms and clasped his hands in front of his hips as he cleared his throat noisily. “Uh, okay. Well, from my perspective, I thought it was really… hot. So, like, no judgment from me on the whole deviancy-thing. Or the virgin-thing, either. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
They straightened and dropped their hand. “Really?”
He nodded. “Mhm.”
“So you don’t care that I’m a virgin?”
He rolled his eyes. “I know virginity can mean something to some people, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s mostly a sexist social construct.”
“Right. And you don’t think I’m pathetic?” they asked, and he shook his head. “Or, like, desperate?”
He barked a strained laugh. “Trust me, enthusiasm is always appreciated.”
“And the… messy choking?”
“Oh my gods, you’re killing me,” he whimpered as he slid down the dresser until his ass met the carpet, legs pressed tightly together. “Let’s just agree that everything that happened out there before you got sad was hot. Okay? The kneeling and the moaning and the choking, it was all just very nice.”
Oddly enough, that helped.
“Oh, that makes me feel better,” they said honestly, and Dex offered them a thumbs-up. They returned it, then they twisted the corner of the pillowcase to give their hands something to do.
“Was that the reason for the freak-out? Because you thought you gave me theick?”
“It was a very big worry, yes,” they admitted, and he laughed. “Don’t laugh at me!”
He shook his head, even as he continued laughing. “I’m not laughing at you. I just—Cya, you’re just—how could I ever get theickfrom you? I’m crazy about you.”
The words wrapped around them like a warm blanket, and they gaped at him. “You are?”
“Yeah, you spoiled, little lunatic,” he said, still snickering. “I’m so into you, it’s unreal. You’re smart and you’re funny and you’re gorgeous, and I like you. So much.”
A fresh wave of tears stung their eyes. “You do?”
Dex nodded, smile so gentle and indulgent.
“Well, that’s… that’s perfectly lovely. Thank you.”
His smile glitched. “Uh, you’re welcome, I guess.”
Too late, they realized their blunder, and they hurried to correct it. “Oh shit, that’s not—I didn’t mean to insinuate that I didn’t—that I don’t also… I mean, Dex, you have to know that I…”
When they drifted off, he shrugged. “I thought I did, but now, I’m not so sure.”
