Page 34 of Bean

Nash chuckled. “If you’re looking for a happy ending, then sure.”

“It’s just sex.”

“Sure it is.”

“Whatever.”

“Once upon a time…” Nash started. “There was a cute young man who worked as a cook in a bar. His name was Bean, and he’d recently accepted he was bisexual and was now eager to get some experience with another man. One day after work, he met a dashing stranger.”

I flipped through my book until I found the description of Jarek. “He looked like a silver bear with gray in his chest hair and softness in all the right places. His eyes were a brilliant blue.”

“You could see his chest hair when you met him?” Nash asked.

“Creative liberty. Whatever.”

“It’s your story. Okay, who made the first move?”

“It must’ve been him, but I can’t remember. Maybe he asked if he could sit down? I vaguely recall I misunderstood something and he was sweet about it.”

“We’ll go with that. His eyes were a brilliant blue, and Bean was instantly enraptured.”

“Enraptured?” I snorted. “You’ve been reading too many romance novels.”

“Enraptured.” Nash shot me a look. “When the handsome stranger asked if he could share Bean’s table, he eagerly agreed. Their eyes connected, and something stirred inside Bean. A deep longing to get to know this man better.”

Dang, Nash was good at this. Really good. “When the handsome stranger told Bean his name, he forgot it promptly, but it didn’t matter. Their connection was strong enough to survive that little mishap.”

“The stranger invited Bean to come home with him. Bean, smart as he was, texted his friend Nash the address.”

Oh, I’d forgotten that part. “I did, didn’t I?”

“You did. Both times. Very proud of you for remembering that.”

It always made me feel good when Nash said things like that, like he somehow lit up my insides. That probably spoke volumes about my character and how desperate I was for approval, but whatever. He wouldn’t abuse it.

“Their encounter was beautiful, almost magical,” I picked the story back up. I was having fun with this. “The stranger was patient with Bean and helped him through his nerves. He made it an amazing first experience, and Bean was so grateful.”

“They parted ways, but their story wasn’t over yet. They met again in the same place, in the same way. Alas, Bean could not recall their first meeting, and for a moment, everything seemed lost,” Nash said with dramatic flair. “But just in time, Bean realized what was happening and begged the stranger fora second chance. This time, he wrote his name down. Jarek. The handsome silver bear was named Jarek.”

I quickly checked my notes again. “They had another passionate encounter, where Jarek showed Bean how to…” I shot Nash a look sideways. I hadn’t shared those details with him. Not that I didn’t trust him, but sex was still so awkward for me to talk about. But if I wanted to remember it all—and I really, really did—I’d have to be honest.

“I won’t tell a soul, kid. You know that.”

I nodded, relieved he understood. “Jarek showed Bean how to pleasure him orally, and it was perfect. When Bean asked for notes on what to improve, Jarek assured him there were none.”

“Good man.”

“Me or him?”

“Both.”

“Oh, okay. Erm, how do we end this? It’s not exactly a happy ending, right?”

“It still can be. You’re texting with him about a repeat, right?”

I checked my text messages. “Yes, but our schedules aren’t lining up. Hopefully sometime next week.”

“After two perfect hookups, Bean wasn’t sure what the future would hold for him and Jarek, but he knew their story wasn’t over just yet…”