Honestly, I’d like to throat punch his father. He either has no idea or doesn’t care about the mental state he’s put his son in.
Felton doesn’t deserve that. Despite all the nastiness he’s apparently been surrounded with, he’s a great guy. The kind of guy that congratulates a rookie on his first pro goal, even when it was against him.
We pile into the bus, and I take a seat with Denny. Felton smiles at me when he meets my eyes on the way by, before he drops into a seat with Dasan.
“He looks happier,” Denny says quietly.
I nod and glance back at Felton. He’s laughing at something Willits said, shoving Willits away.
Turning to face the front again, I nod. “You?” I ask.
His gaze shifts to Zenia in the seat beside us with Nason Jordan. He’s talking to Jordan, but as if he knows Denny’s eyes are on him, he glances our way and smiles.
“I’mfine.”
“Is that a hint that he’s not?”
It’s loud enough on the bus with the adrenaline of our win still flowing that I’m not entirely concerned with being overheard.
“I think that he’s trying to be, but maybe he is still struggling a bit,” Denny says.
“But you’re not,” I confirm.
He smirks. “A good fuck is a good fuck. I’m realizing I don’t really care who’s beneath me or which hole I’m sticking it in.”
“You’ve been listening to Kroy,” I say, chuckling.
Denny laughs under his breath. “That fucker is totally right and if I take away all the outside influences of what’s expected of me and assumed of me, and really think about whatIlike and want… I’m not sure after this recent… endeavor, that I truly care about the gender of the person I’m fucking.”
His voice is low as he speaks, and I find myself smiling.
“Of course, I think I need more than the two times to know for sure,” he tries to say seriously while hiding his smirk. “It requires more research to be sure. It could very well only be during group activities that I don’t care. Maybe it’ll be vastly different one on one. And I’m not entirely sure where to start withthat,so right now, it’s just a hypothesis.”
I nod, glancing at Zenia again. He’s absorbed in the conversation with Nason, not paying any attention to us. Which is fine. Good.
“Kroy seemed indifferent,” I comment. We haven’t had much of an opportunity to hang out or speak much since our latest gang bang—which I supervised more than participated in. It’s just that time of year. We always get a little distance between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Holidays and family shit. “What about Carson? Have you spoken to him?”
Denny shrugs, shaking his head. “No. But he sounded… surprised and amused more than anything. And concerned forhim.” He gestures with a nod of his head backward, indicating Felton.
“There’s a chance that we react to each other more than whoever we’re with,” I muse as the bus doors shut and we get ready to head back to the hotel. “We’re good friends and hang out a lot. We’re emotionally bonded and shit,” I muse, making Denny look at me with a bemused smile. “There’s a chance that we respond to each other more than who we’re with.”
He glances around the bus for a minute before leaning in. “You’re saying we turn each other on?” he asks in a near whisper.
I laugh. “No. Well… yeah, I guess. Empathy is when one person absorbs another person’s emotions. You familiar with the concept?” Denny gives me a weird look, but nods. “When you’re close with someone, you tend to share their emotions. You’re happy when they’re happy. You feel their sadness when they’re upset. When someone hurts them, you get angry on their behalf. Following?”
Denny sighs. “Yes. I see where you’re going with this.”
“I’m not sure it’s going to make Zen feel better about the situation, but I think it explains a lot about how we operate with the same… target. We have very different tastes. I can tell you that more than half the girls we bring back wouldneverdo it for me. But the fact they do it for one or two of you changes how I feel about the situation.”
“Huh,” he says and stares absently at Zenia for a minute. “I think that would help ease his mind, actually.”
“Does it change how you feel about the situation, or are you still considering further research?”
Denny grins. “Still considering research. I don’t think you’re wrong, though. For the record. But I’ve thought a lot about what Kroy said, and it’s made me reevaluate a lot of things about myself. This is my conclusion, though maybe I’ll have to take into consideration this conversation as well.”
“Should we check in on Carson?” I ask. “Zen is close, so it’s easy enough to keep an eye on him. But unless we pointedly get together, I rarely hear from Carson or Kroy this time of year.”
He tilts his head. “Maybe. He and Kroy work near each other, don’t they? Maybe we can see if Kroy will check in on him. Make it less obvious.”
