Rumor Has It (Longwood U)

Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

SPARROW

I’m talking to Xavi and texting with one of my brothers when a call beeps in. I pull the phone away from my ear and raise a brow at the number.

Wyatt never calls. I only get text messages. “Hey, hold on Xav,” I interrupt. “Another call. Be right back.”

“Sure,” he says, and I swap over.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Wyatt says. “You busy?”

I chuckle. “I mean, that depends on what you want.”

“This guy has been here nearly every time we’re open for the past week. He stays until he’s convinced you’re not coming in and then goes. He’s tried to get into it with other guys, but after the second time he’s backed away as soon as they touch him—I mean, clothes on, not even a kiss—he’s out.”

I laugh. “Is it?—”

“No. It’s not Brandon.”

Oh. Well, that’s interesting. “Who?”

Dak flashes before my eyes a second before Wyatt says his name. My stomach flips with excitement.

Apparently, I don’t answer for a long time because Wyatt asks, “You still there?”

“Yeah. I’m on my way.”

He chuckles. “I’ll let Porter know. He likes your little friend. ”

A burst of jealousy makes me tense but I push it away. “I mean, if he thinks he can get Dak in bed, tell him to try.”

Wyatt snorts. “Your boy is oblivious. I think Porter’s tried.”

I smile unnecessarily wide. “I’ll be there in”—I look around—“fifteen, I guess. I’m on the opposite side of the campus.”

“I’ll let him know.”

I switch the line back to Xavi. “Who was it?” he asks.

“Nosy.”

“I am. Tell me.”

“Rumor,” I say. “One of the guys I hooked up with a couple weeks ago has been in several times and is only interested in me.”

“Ooooh,” he teases, and I can hear the grin in his voice.

I try very hard not to share his excitement and mutter, “Don’t read so much into it. I’m unbeatable, remember? I’m everyone’s favorite challenge.”

He snorts. “Of course you are. You’re gay!”

Yep, I’m pretty sure someone has caught onto that fact by now. Still, I simply shrug.

“You’re going, aren’t you?”

I nod. “Yep.”

“It can’t be for the money,” he muses.

He’s not wrong. I’m not rich, but I’m smart and yeah… I have some money. Not enough that I could live off for the rest of my life, but enough that I definitely don’t need this money.

“You’re talking to me so you can’t be all that bored,” he says.

“You’re riveting.”

“Yes, I am,” Xavi agrees. “You like this guy, don’t you?”

Since he brought it up… “I don’t know this guy,” I say. “I enjoyed his dick and his mouth—not on my dick, mind you, since he ran—and he’s got these really pretty brown eyes. Perfect body. So I mean, yeah, I definitely want to fuck this man. But like him? How can I like someone I don’t know?”

There. I finally said all that shit out loud. To someone who is listening and knows me and will understand.

“That’s a good point,” he agrees and for some illogical reason, I feel defensive. Like I want to shout that I don’t need to know him to like him. Which is more than stupid, since it was my argument in the first place, not Xavi’s. “But sometimes you meet someone and just kind of know. You know?”

“Yeah?” I deadpan. “Like with Enfield?”

“No. That’s the kind of person whose angry walls you need to tear down to find the man that’s hiding behind them.”

I huff.

“I believe in love at first sight,” Xavi continues. “I believe in soulmates.”

“Do you have either?”

“I have something different,” he admits. “I believe in both those things, but I also believe that’s the kind of love that can burn hot and fast, then also fizzle out. I’m not saying it happens all the time. Some of those cases last. But what I have is something we fought hard for. We still fight for it. It’s a conscious choice to make and keep our relationship strong. It’s enduring.”

“So what you’re saying is I’m experiencing love at first sight with my soulmate, but not to get too excited because after this fast burn romance, we’re going to go our separate ways?”

Xavi laughs. “No. But I guess that’s kind of what I said. In my defense, you made me feel like I needed to defend my love.”

I sigh. “No, Xavi. You never have to defend it. I might not be Enfield’s biggest fan, but if he’s treating you well and you’re happy, that’s what I care about.”

“I know. My point was that I do believe in those things and maybe the reason you’re drawn to him when you know you don’t know him at all is one of those things. Did you know it’s believed that there are three different kinds of soulmates?”

He’s such a damn romantic. “Are there?”

“Yes. One is the bestie kind. A soul that matches your own—a twin flame—who’s a constant love. The kind that foundations are built from. But it’s a platonic kind of love.”

“If this is your way of telling me you love me…”

He laughs. “Then there’s the first love soulmate. The kind that’s sweeping and consuming and painful. It’s not meant to last forever, but to allow you to grow emotionally and mentally.”

“That sounds tragic. I’d like to skip that one.”

“Mmm. Then there’s the kind that’s written in the stars. Not Romeo and Juliet where you’re destined to die, but your story is so poignant that following generations will tell it as a cautionary tale. The kind that is written about in the constellations and envied by those who hear about it. It’s a fairy tale. A happily ever after.”

“This is a strange turn of conversation,” I comment as I stop at the stairs in front of the frat house. “I’m not sure I want my fairy tale to start with gay chicken.”

Xavi laughs.

“I have to go. I’ll call you later.”

“Good luck. I hope he sucks your dick this time.”

“Your well wishes are one of a kind, beautiful.”

He’s still giggling when the call ends. I send my brother a quick message in return to his three that I haven’t answered yet, telling him I was called into something, and I’d message him in a bit. With my phone in my pocket, I salute the Queen’s guard at the door after he scans my card and follow the cock parade down to Rumor.

Porter greets me and I incline my head.

“You’re quite the wanted man,” he says.

“He wasn’t taking to your hints, huh?” I ask.

He laughs under his breath. “Not even a little. I’ve been slightly amused. Hell, he’s been flirted with by no less than seven guys, and I think he’s entirely oblivious.”

We stand outside the door to the lounge. There are a dozen men waiting for their turn to fuck around with a cock for cash, but my eyes land on Dak and don’t look away. He’s reading a magazine, uninterested in anything else around him.

“That’s where he always sits and remains until he’s certain you’re not here and not coming,” Porter explains. “I offer him a bottle of water after an hour, which I think is some kind of cue for him that he’s already been here too long, and he leaves shortly after.”

“Out of curiosity, do I ever come in after?”

“Nah. You haven’t been since he started showing up after his first time with you. He’s tried a couple others, but literally ran out the door as soon as they came near him. If I had to guess, he’s working through something, but he only wants to work through it with you.”

It shouldn’t make me happy, but fuck if I don’t get all warm and giddy inside as I stare at him. Several seconds go by and he looks up. I know he doesn’t anticipate seeing me because it takes him a double take to see me there. Then he inhales sharply.

Porter chuckles. “I don’t have a room yet, but you two can sit out here if you want.” He gestures to the couch in the wide hall. His phone buzzes and he gently shoves me before walking away.

I’m a regular presence and I appreciate that they all trust me and are comfortable with me being here. It makes me feel good that they recognize I’m a safe person.

I gesture with my head toward the door I’m standing in, and Dak sets down the magazine. He’s dressed in sports pants and a sweatshirt today, both tight and hinting at his figure. His cheeks are a pretty pink when he sees that I’m checking him out.

Which I shouldn’t be; it’s a dead giveaway that I’m gay. But fuck it, I don’t care. Despite all appearances, I don’t try to hide my sexuality. It’s a matter of the kinds of people I’m surrounded with that I’m not seen with anyone.

Dak meets me in the door, and I lead him to the couch in the hall as Porter brings in another man. I offer Dak the seat and then sit beside him.

“They told you I’m here for you, didn’t they?” he asks.

It’s truly impossible not to grin, so I don’t try to hide it. “Maybe.”

“Do you have a summons signal or something?”

“Yes. It’s called a phone number.”

He snorts and bows his head. “I’m sorry. I’m not a stalker—I swear.”

“Don’t take this wrong, but I think that’s what a stalker would say.”

Dak smiles and yep, I was right. Fucking brilliant. The way it transforms his face to make him almost ethereally beautiful is… heart stopping.

“I don’t have an actual reason for you, but I… The minute someone else barely touches me, I panic and run.” His fingers brush my hand as if to explain just how light and innocent that touch has been.

“Why?” I can’t stop myself from asking.

“I don’t know. Believe me, I’ve wasted a lot of time trying to answer that question myself. ”

“So you think fooling around again will answer it?”

“No. I’m wondering if I can even get to the point of fooling around before I lose my shit and run away like a damn pussy.”

I drop my hand on his thigh and feel the shiver that races through him. He’ll definitely get to that point easily enough. “I think you’re being hard on yourself. This isn’t meant as an insult to your skills, but it’s very obvious you’ve never been with a man before. It’s definitely okay to feel a lot of different ways about it, including the struggle to come to terms with this change.”

“Okay, I have gay dads,” he says, and I grin. “I’m cool with the sexuality thing. Just so it’s out there. True, I’ve never thought I’d ever be attracted to a man, but that’s not bothering me. It’s not really the thing that’s making me… act weird. I’m confused because it’s just you. Like… is that even a thing?”

“As a child of a gay household, how exposed were you to the wider LGBTQIA+ community?”

He looks at me with confusion. “I mean, a lot of my parents’ friends were gay. My roommate is pan. My best friend is gay. I think I’m fairly well exposed. Why?”

“Then you’re familiar with demisexual?”

“Yes, but cool your shit. I don’t know you.”

I laugh, appreciating his sense of humor. Especially when that fucking smile is added to it. “I’m saying that for demisexuals, it’s kind of the same thing even if under different circumstances. They can be indifferent to everyone until the right person makes them catch feelings. That can be a single person, a couple people, whatever. But everything changes for that person. Right?”

“Is there a term that describes it this way? Hard for just a single man?”

“I don’t know. Probably. You’re definitely not alone in this, Dak. It’s not an anomaly, even if it feels that way.”

He sighs and drops back onto the couch. “Yeah, okay.”

“Feel better?”

“Do you get paid for counseling?”

I chuckle. “No. I get paid for beating out every one of you fuckers who think you can outgay me.”

Dak’s eyes narrow .

“But there’s no pressure. You don’t have to stay if you’re feeling like you have some answers now.”

“Oh no,” he says, and his cheeks immediately turn pink. “I’m still interested to know if it was a one-time thing or if it truly is an only with you thing. I don’t care about beating you, River. I don’t even care about the money.”

I smile. “I never thought you did.”

“If it wasn’t a fluke and I do get hard again, I’m giving this a fifty-fifty chance of the cameras freaking me out again, though. Fair warning.”

“It’s cute you’re trying to pretend you’re not already hard,” I tease, glancing at the very evident chubby in his pants. Before he feels he needs to say anything, I add, “Remember what I said. It’s just a game. The cameramen are different players. They’re not there. It’s just you and me. Right?”

Dak inhales deeply. “You want to get laid, don’t you?”

“It’s also cute you think I need to come here to get laid. Even by a man.”

He rolls his eyes, but I don’t miss his flush. I love his flush.

“Why do you do this?” he asks after we’ve sat quietly for a few minutes.

“Good question,” I answer.

When I don’t say more, he elbows me gently. “You’re not going to tell me?”

“I would tell you if I had a true answer., but I don’t know. To pass the time. Occasionally learn something new about myself. To satisfy my ‘fans,’ whoever they are. To further DIK’s hypothesis that every man is a little gay if they’re willing to be honest with themselves.” I shrug. “I don’t have an answer. Classes are boring… I need something to entertain myself with and pass the time. If I manage some orgasms out of that, and a little pocket cash, then cool.”

“It doesn’t bother you that it’s with a bunch of guys?”

Yeah, he definitely hasn’t figured it out yet. I shake my head and don’t offer anything further. “I don’t come here often,” I tell him.

“I know. It’s a little frustrating not having your gay for pay schedule. I’ve wasted a lot of time here.”

I snort. “There was an easier way to find out. ”

“Oh?”

“We’ve run into each other before. You could have just asked when I’d be back.”

“I wasn’t ready to admit I was going to come back that time at the arena,” he says. “This is…”

I nod.

Porter appears in front of us. “You two ready?”

Getting to my feet, I stretch my hands over my head. “Yep. Let’s fuck, Dak. You want top or bottom first?”

His face turns a pretty lobster red and he shakes his head.

“Too far. Got it. No sex today,” I say.

Porter chuckles.

“Slow down, hot stuff,” Dak mutters. “I still need to get past sucking your dick.”

Oh yeah, I like his sense of humor.