Page 54 of Go the Long Way

"Last I checked, yeah," Jakob replied slowly, cautiously. He tossed the kitchen towel onto the countertop before crossing his arms over his chest. "And… ?"

Had he read the whole situation wrong? Had Ethan been mistaken about those pamphlets Alex had told him about, that camp, all of it?

Alex was welcome to stay, whatever his story was. Jakob just hoped he wasn't about to find himself landed in the middle of a bigoted minefield right here in his own home.

"But — I thought… My dad, he — My… my dad says…" Alex stuttered,somethingso thick in his voice then Jakob couldn't help but glance over.

The kid was gripping the table edge with both hands, knuckles turning white with the force. His shoulders hunched up to practically around his ears as he stared unseeingly at the cutting board of sliced tomatoes in front of him.

"Hmm. Disapproves, huh?" Jakob asked gently, taking an educated guess. Relief washed through him — a scared kid who had been taught some wrong things that needed unlearning was a far different beast than one who was going to serve up casual hatred at every breakfast.

"…yeah," Alex finally admitted with a loud sigh. "You could say that."

"Well, who cares, right?" Jakob replied firmly, andthatcaught Alex's attention. "It's not up to him, and frankly — it's none of his business. We love who we love."

"But… Ilikegirls," Alex said hesitantly.

"Me too," Jakob told him with a simple shrug. "Well — women, I mean."

"And… And guys?"

"Sure. You can like both. Or… more genders, even."

"…Just like that?" Alex asked in an undertone, drawing little trails in the pool of tomato juice and seeds puddled on the cutting board.

"Yeah, just like that," Jakob answered firmly, reaching up to collect the plates from the upper cupboard. "It's okay to like girls, like boys, both, others, none or… whoever you're attracted to. Ornotattracted to. It's okay to want to have sex, or a relationship, or to not want any of that at all. And honestly? Your Dad doesn't get a say on it. It's nothislife — it's yours."

Alex didn't look convinced, chewing on his lip like…

"Something else on your mind?" Jakob hazarded.

"What did you want earlier, anyway? When I was… When I was trying it on?" he asked; his eyes glued to the cutting board, his body tense.

"Oh," Jakob thought back a minute, struggling to remember. "Ethan said you might be looking to learn how to drive. I may not be any good behind the wheel these days, but I taught Cassie, and that went alright. Nash moved the horses from the north pasture this morning so he could drag it, but says it turns out there's a part he needs to order for the tractor. Leaves us with about a week until he gets around to moving the horses back, and the middle of a field's just about the best place to learn the basics in a truck. If you're interested, that is?"

"I… sure," Alex replied, looking surprised. "Yeah. Umm, thanks."

And yet… Based on the way Alex was quietly herding all the tomato seeds to one side of the cutting board with the edge of his knife? Something told Jakob that there was another sort of question currently preying on the kid's mind.

"How — How do you know…" Alex's face screwed up in frustration as he searched for the words to explain whatever was on his mind. "'M not agirl," he finally burst out.

Jakob paused, tilting his head as he watched the teen. "…alright? It's fine if you are, though."

"I'mnot. And — And you and Ethan…"

"…not girls either, as far as I know," Jakob confirmed, fighting to keep a grin off his face at the sheer oddness of the conversation, an amused sort of surrealism curling through his stomach.

"Then… how does it work?"

"…like, the sex-ed stuff?" Jakob asked him, warily.

"No, I know allthat," Alex said quickly, his ears turning as red as the tomato. "I've got the internet, I've seen — " and here Alex just waved the pairing knife in a vague circle, " —porn. I mean like, you guys.Together. But — you're bothguys."

"I feel like we should come back to the porn at some point, make sure you don't have the wrong impression about some stuff. Whole lot they leave out of those in the name of entertainment," Jakob said, giving him alook. "But I'm still not certain I understand your question here."

"Like…guyguys," Alex floundered, making unhelpfully vague gestures in the air that made things about as clear as mud. "You're… You… It's…neitherofyouaretwinks," he finally bit out in a rush.

"No, don't suppose you could say that about either one of us…" drawled Jakob as he tilted his head curiously.