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Okay. I could work with that. Not everyone jumped into things as fast as I did—I knew that was a beige-leaning-toward-orange flag of mine.

“How can I help?”

Claude didn’t need to know that I had no chill. Or that stopping so that I could think rationally was a struggle. Truth was, I was turning into a bit of a simp around them. I just wanted to keep doing more of what we’d been doing.

So, while Claude discovered whatever it was they’d discovered about themselves, I’d discovered I was kind of a horn dog.

Fun.

TEN

Claude

Ishould’ve waited until I had some caffeine or something in my body. The pancakes had enough sugar to wake me up, but it didn’t feel the same.

Ugh.

“I meant what I said when I told you I got things out of fucking someone,” I started. Maybe a bit crass, but it was the best I could do at this hour. “I like teasing and learning people’s reactions and using them against the person. It’s fun.”

I caught Arlene squirming. I smirked, quirking an eyebrow in a silent dare for her to say something.

She didn’t.

I didn’t know if I should praise her and tell her she was a good girl, or if I should chastise her for it.

Decisions.

In the end, I guessed it was better for both of our sanities if I just kept talking and made my point. I wasn’t sure what that point was, but that had never stopped me before.

“I don’t look at someone and say, I wanna jump their bones,” I said. “I still don’t. Sex is just something else I can do with someone to learn more about them and feel closer to them.”

“Yeah. That makes sense.”

“Does it?” I raised an eyebrow.

I didn’t want to sound like an asshole, but I was used to more skepticism or questioning glances.

For whatever reason, it made Arlene blush. “I’m not entirely clueless, when I have my wits around me.”

Gosh, that was so endearing.

It made me laugh.

“Good to know.”

“Is it?” She squealed.

It was sweet. More than that, it helped deflate the pressure building in my chest. “I’ve just never been so invested in something sexual before. Sure, it’s not like I have a plethora of experiences, but it’s still…”

I made myself take another bite of the fluffy pancake—not that it was a hardship—while I pondered how to continue.

“It just… I can obsess over labels quite a bit, if you didn’t notice with that last video.”

Arlene nodded, slowly. “Don’t we all, at some point?”

“Yeah.” I snorted. “You’d think I would’ve learned my lesson by now, though.”

“I don’t, actually.” Arlene’s eyes widened, as if she was surprised by her bluntness. In a way, I was too. I appreciated blunt, though. “It’s hard to say ‘fuck labels’ when everyone is holding those labels over our heads.”