Page 24 of Oblivious Roommate

His smile drops, and I hate myself for being the cause of it twice over. “Yeah, things didn’t quite go as planned,” he says, leading the way down a narrow path between the trees.

The past couple of days have been dry, so the woods look bright with color, bejeweled with leaves in so many shades, yet all I care about is the man walking in front of me.

“Oh? How so?” Maybe he broke up with Logan and I won’t even have to tell him about the cheating. As I finish my sandwich, at least my body is happy again.

“Things are more complicated than I’d like, you know. I’m wondering if what I’m doing is what I actually want.”

I frown. "You mean your degree?” I’m not sure anymore what this conversation is about but I’m always happy to be there for him.

He lets out an exasperated sigh and slows down so I can walk alongside him. “No. It’s... it’s just that I’m not sure what to do about Logan,” he finally admits, and my heart soars all the way to the bright sky above.

“What did he do? Does this have something to do with the mace?” I ask to show just how oblivious I am to where he got it.

Also, I’d kind of love to sneak my hand into his pocket and hold it there, but that’s a new thought for me to dissect another time.

Cass’s eyes linger on mine. They are such a beautiful shade of green, as if he’s carrying the forest with him wherever he goes. “Yeah. It does have something to do with the mace. I met someone last night, and now I’m wondering if I should tell Logan.”

I bite my lip, unsure what to say despite wanting to yell that Logan is an asshole-cheater-douche. Even the birds seem to chirp in encouragement, but I settle on something more normal.

“Who did you meet?”

Do you want to kiss again? We could literally do it right here.

But Cass has no idea the masked troll was me, and his eyes dart toward a boulder covered with moss, as if he were ashamed. “It was this guy, dressed as a troll. He was flirting with me, and we ended up kissing. I know my relationship with Logan’s open, but there was something different about that dude. I’m not sure how that whole thing makes me feel.”

I push my hands into my pockets, and while stress is eating me up from the inside, I love our hike already. Just me and him in the woods, the scent of fall, squirrels jumping from one branch to the other. I have a sudden urge to go camping with him, yet have no idea how I could now possibly not get a boner when alone in a tent with him.

I used to think I admire him, that I have a healthy appreciation of my male friend. How could I not see it that I’m actually crushing on him?

Only then my brain circles back to what I just heard. “Wait. What? You have an open relationship with him?”

His eyes shut, and the length of his lashes becomes more obvious. “Yes, that’s what he wanted from the start. It’s not really my thing, but he's an exclusive top, so I agreed.” He blinks. “Sorry, is this weirding you out?”

“No, no! I want you to tell me stuff. I just… He’s a what?” I think I might know, but I don’t want some stupid misunderstanding.

He stares at me with hands on his hips, as if asking, Do you really wanna know? But when I say nothing, he shrugs. “In anal sex, he’s always the one… giving.”

I would have understood giving head, but now I’m confused. “Like… Giving himself?”

Cass scowls. “No… eh… the top is the one who gives dick, and the bottom is the one who receives dick inside him. So… yeah, he only ever tops, and I like both.”

My brain melts a little, because now I’m thinking of Cass giving dick, and moments later, the vision is overtaken by him saying that he likes both. I’m glad my pants aren’t tight because I remember standing between his legs the other day after I lifted him to the counter, and arousal trails down my body.

“Okay, okay, I’m with you.” I frown, forcing myself to zero in on the slug making its way over a fallen tree trunk. I think of licking its bitter, slimy body, and that helps me relax.

“Look, maybe I shouldn’t have gone into the specifics. It’s just that we aren’t quite compatible in bed. But he also isn’t the kind of guy who goes all in and makes the other person’s life his. Makes sense to have some separation, but I… I don’t know. Something is lacking, you know?” he asks as sadness once again passes over his features.

I want to throttle Logan for not only taking Cass away from me, but also for not succeeding at making him happy.

“So are you saying that you want to be closer and exclusive with him, or that he’s an ass and now you want this other guy?”

Cass bursts out laughing and keeps walking forward. At least I did something right by lifting his mood. “He’s not an ass. I do like him, but if he can’t really commit, then I’m not sure if this is for me in the long run, you know? I like sex like any other guy, but I guess I want someone to be… my person.” He swallows, meeting my eyes.

I should not read too much into it.

“Someone you can top too.” I wink and laugh, because I’m so glad to see him smiling again, but it’s overwhelming to hear all this. I don’t even know what I would like to do with another guy. If Cass were up for it, I’d love for us to make out and rub our dicks together, but everything else is fuzzy.

And what if we’re incompatible in that department? What if I don’t want to bottom either? I haven’t given it much thought, since all I did know was that I wanted to touch him.