A smile spreads. “Good morning, Alpha.”
“Today seems like a good day to teach you what omegaverse is. What do you think?”
“How are you going to do that?”
“There’s a library on Bane, and it’s filled with queer books.”
“Really?” I ask. “How many books are there?”
“If I remember correctly, there are approximately ten thousand books within the library. And if I’m not making this up, they have e-readers that you can download books on andborrow while there. Since there’s not widely available wifi for the masses who don’t have electronics anyway, they can’t be used for much else.”
“Are there really that many queer books?” I ask, pulling back to look at Dasan in surprise. His smile makes my stomach flip.
“I don’t know. I anticipate that there are other things like non-fiction, science, and whatever mixed in. But what I appreciate about the library’s website is that these aren’t just traditionally published queer books. If we were only counting them, there wouldn’t be anywhere near ten thousand. However, if we add in the independently published queer books? Maybe.”
“Huh,” I say. “I can’t imagine that many gay books.”
“Oh no. You misunderstand. I didn’t say anything aboutgaybooks. I said queer. So anything other than the heteronormative lifestyle, right? Bisexual individuals in straight-presenting relationships is still a queer book because it has a queer character as a main character. I’m not going to get into the argument about main character versus side character though. Personally, a book with two cis straight characters and a gay brother who has been banished from the family and maybe gets a paragraph of page time doesn’t count as a queer book with a queer character, but that’s just me.”
I frown.
“But transgender characters? Intersex characters? Pansexual characters? Polyamorous relationships? There are a lot of things that define a queer book.”
“Ah. Sorry.”
Dasan kisses my nose. “Don’t be.”
“You sound like you’ve been… This is going to come out wrong because I was going to say you’ve been queer a long time.”
He laughs. “I have been, though not… I’ve never embraced it. I’ve had moments and experiences here and there, but… I don’t know. I guess I’ve never found a man that I wanted an actualrelationship with, so I never truly owned that part of me. Out loud, I’ve always said I’m straight, but in my head, that assertion has always been followed up withmostly. It’s not out of shame or fear or whatever that I haven’t claimed my sexuality, though. I guess I’ve never felt bisexual. Those moments happened, then I moved on. Thinking a man is good looking never truly made me feel like that’s a bisexual thought. I think it’s toxic sexuality if you think it’sgayto acknowledge someone of the same sex as attractive. I don’t think doing so necessarily means you’re bisexual or gay or anything. I’m running in circles, aren’t I?”
“No. I’m following along. I get it.”
“Now, with you, I feel confident in the word. I feel like I can own it. That it’s mine. I’m proudly bisexual, andnowI think I feel comfortable enough to say that I’ve always been. I’m aware that this is a me thing and there will be some people who will get their panties in a twist, but you know what? They don’t get to label my sexuality any more than I get to label theirs, so they can just fuck right off and mind their own business.”
“Wow. Hostile.”
Dasan sighs. “I’ve been friends with Felton long enough to become defensive.”
“I see that and also, that’s bullshit.”
“It is. But let’s move on to something less divisive. Plan today—breakfast, library, come back and read, ride my dick. Sound good?”
I smile broadly. “Yes. I’ll order breakfast.”
“Okay, good.” Dasan begins to push up, but I hold him back.
“Wait. I said I’d order. You don’t have to get up.”
He gives me an amused but super sexy smile, and my insides turn to molten fire. “I have to piss, darling,” Dasan says as he pulls my mouth to his. My cheeks flush. “Unless you think you can take a leak for me, this is something I need to get up for.”
“Fine. If you must.”
Chuckling, he climbs out of bed, and I watch the most gorgeous person in the world walk into the water closet. Taking a breath, I get up and order food to be delivered. Then I’m back on the bed where Dasan has returned.
“Morning ritual, omega.”
I don’t care for this morning and evening ritual thing. I’m running out of things I like about my body, though there are plenty of things I don’t like. That list hasn’t been exhausted yet.
