Chapter 11

So, this is insanely short. But I figure it’s better than nothing…think of it as a teaser for things to come.

Chapter 11

“This is not fun.”

“Why do you say that?” Claire tries to look innocent as she paints my fingernail some ungodly shade of red.

“You’re painting my fingernails against my will. And each one is a different color!” Sometimes enough is enough.

“I have to try them out on someone before I use them. And Josh is apparently too busy to help me.” Josh does this? And he’s not gay? Shit, he’s got it bad for Claire.

“Why don’t you, you know, use your own fingernails or toenails or whatever.”

Claire looks up from her task, “Because, silly, then I’d have to scrub off all of the ones I don’t like and that’s just annoying.”

“Right. Forgive me if I don’t give a flying fuck.” I hate her. And yet I’m allowing her to paint my pinky finger ‘Seduction No. 8’. I’ve got to find better things to do.

“There’s no need to be harsh.” Claire blows on my pinky finger, and closes the bottle of polish. She scans the plethora of colors for a new one. “So, ‘Popped Cherry’ or ‘Minx’?”

“What color is the ‘Minx’?” Did I just say that?!

“Um, a sort of brownish-red. Not sure if I like it. Bleh.”

I sigh, “Akon thinks it’s a good idea for our families to have dinner together.”

Claire looks way too overjoyed. “Oh really, that’ll be so fun. Can I come?”

I scowl, “With any luck it won’t happen. I mean we’ve only been dating three weeks. Hell, we’ve only known each other for a bit longer than that. I think we should wait until at least the three month mark.” Really, I’m just scared shitless to have his mom and my mom in the same room. I just…don’t think it would be healthy. For anyone.

“Oh whatever. It’s going to happen sometime, might as well be sooner rather than later.”

“You’re supposed to be on my side!”

She smiles, but in a you’re-so-silly-Seth-it-amuses-me-kind-of-way. I hate those smiles. “I’m on your side, but I think you’re being overly dramatic.”

“Me?! Dramatic?! You’ve got to be joking.”

And do you know what she does next? She laughs. I’m going to force feed you Seduction No. 8, 9 and 10 if you keep this up.

“Seth, you and Akon are just getting past the first stage of your relationship. I think a family dinner will lead nicely into the next.” She picks up some blueish-purple color and I reluctantly surrender the pointer finger on my left hand.

“And what’s the first stage?” I probably don’t even want to know.

“The stage where you’re both caught up in the sexual tension. I mean, the furthest you guys have gone is a bit of frottage, something’s got to snap soon. It’s obvious you’re in lust with each other. But I can tell that Akon is going to want to move on to the ‘let’s talk about our feelings stage’ soon. Probably sometime after the first hand-job occurs.” I was right. I didn’t want to know.

“Ew. Don’t talk about these things with me.”

“I’m only trying to help.”

“Whatever. I’m not caught up in any sort of sexual tension.” Denial is my friend.

She snorts, “Uhuh.”

“And doesn’t the ‘feelings’ stage come before the ‘sexual tension’ stage?”

“Every relationship is different. You and Akon were driven by your dicks in the beginning, and not much has changed.” Is she calling me a sex starved slut?!

“What?! I like him. As a person!”

“I know you do, and he’s sickeningly sentimental towards you. But your relationship is strongly based on the physical aspect right now, and not the emotional.”

“And how would you know?”

“I have eyes Seth! Besides it’s a normal for this to occur in homosexual relationships between two men.”

“Have you been reading the Advocate again?”

She huffs and paints my fingernail with more force. Something that I didn’t know was possible. “I’m just trying to help.”

And admittedly, I can see that she is.

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