Page 53 of Inevitable
“I knew the moment I saw the way Drew looked at you in that bar,” Bas corrected him. He started sliding the tips of his fingers through Ezra’s hair. “Sometimes time is irrelevant.”
Ezra relaxed into Bas’s touch, Bas’s voice rumbling in his ear that was pressed against Bas’s chest.
“Besides, you said it yourself. We’ll all just go with the flow. We’ll take it day by day and see what happens.”
That was so unlike Ezra’s nature, he was genuinely surprised that idea had come from him. Then again, he supposed everything he’d done since meeting Drew and Bas had been sort of spontaneous, and for the first time in a long while, Ezra enjoyed where he had ended up.
Bas lifted his head from the pillow and sought out Ezra’s mouth in a soft kiss.
Ezra smiled when Bas pulled away.
“You don’t mind kissing,” Ezra said.
“Fucking love it. Your mouth is perfect. Just the right amount of sweet.”
Ezra’s breath hitched as he chuckled. “That’s probably the nicest compliment I’ve ever been given.”
“I meant every word.”
Ezra tapped a rhythm on Bas’s chest with the tips of his fingers. He contemplated if he should say out loud what was on his mind. Maybe he wouldn’t have in the harsh light of the day, but the night had wrapped around him like a cocoon, and Bas’s softly spoken words gave Ezra the courage he might have otherwise lacked to continue.
“I did some research.”
“And what did you find out?” Bas’s tone was light, almost teasing.
“Basically what you told me when we met. That you don’t experience sexual attraction.”
“That’s the gist of it, yeah.”
“Those articles online, they’re just generalizations, though.” Ezra hesitated.
They were quiet for a bit before Bas said, “Ask me.”
“Ask you what?”
“Anything. If you don’t ask, how will you know?”
Ezra took a moment to figure out where to start. Bas had said he could ask anything, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to ask the right questions. The ones that would let him know Bas the best.
“What do you like?”
Bas smiled and pressed a kiss on Ezra’s head. “This, for starters. Being here with you and Drew. I like that very much. Hugs. I like hugging. Hugs are underrated, really. They’re great for comfort, sure, but they’re also great just as hugs. Nothing has to be wrong to hug somebody. Holding each other just for the sake of it… It’s great. And kissing. I like kissing. I like to hold hands, and I like to touch.”
“I like all those things,” Ezra said.
Bas entwined their fingers and kissed the back of Ezra’s hand.
“Perfect fit,” he murmured.
Ezra laughed softly.
“How did you figure it out?” he asked.
Bas was quiet for a little while. “You know how when you’re a teenager, sex is a huge deal? Everybody wants to have it, and everybody lies about having it, and it’s a constant topic, seemingly all the time?”
Ezra nodded. Bas exhaled loudly.
“I never got it. The whole concept of sex seemed kind of blah for me. I tried to find all these excuses. That I’m a late bloomer. That I’m gay and that was why talking about Alicia Williamson’s breasts did nothing for me.” He snorted. “I got something right, at least.”