Page 117 of The Incredible Ordinary

Me.

That much we’ve settled on.

It’s a relief, but it’s also terrifying.

This is uncharted territory for me and a thoroughly explored one for him. The only dick I’m acquainted with is mine. What do I bring to the table other than some fumbling attempts at exploration?

I’ve been straight my whole life. What if I’m no good at being not-so-straight?

What the hell do I have to offer? Because he damn sure deserves more than me trying to figure out what makes my dick hard.

“I can feel you thinking,” he says with a small smile. “I can feel you thinking so hard it’s exhaustingme, so I can’t even begin to imagine what it must feel like inside your head.”

“You know that moment when you have a big essay or project or something due at school?”

Amazingly, he doesn’t look at me like I’ve gone crazy. He just smiles and nods.

“But you left starting it until the very last minute,” I say.

“It happened often enough that I just told myself it was part of my process.”

“So you hand in whatever half-baked nonsense you managed to come up with the previous night, and the moment you do you really start to regret not doing more before the actual class?”

“If you think of this—” He gestures between us. “—as a paper for school, we’re doing something very wrong, because that is not the mood I was going for.”

I press my palm against my mouth and shake my head. “I should’ve… I didn’t do any groundwork, so I’m only now realizing just how terrible of an idea it is to ask a friend to help you explore your sexuality.”

He eyes me for a long moment. His brows furrow and his gaze jumps all over me.

“I disagree,” he finally says.

I stare at him, and he shrugs.

“Something like this takes trust. A friend makes sense.”

I open my mouth to argue.

“No, hear me out,” he says. “We’re friends, so I won’t push you or pressure you or try and coax you into doing something you’re not ready for. I’ve got plenty of experience, so ask me anything. Try anything with me. Explore. This will be between you and me. I’ve never been here before. Never been interested in a friend. To be fair, I’ve never been interested in anybody long term. So this is as much uncharted territory for me as it is for you.”

His gaze locks with mine. Holds.

“I don’t want you to start feeling like I’m using you. Like you’re just a means to an end,” I say.

“Yes, but I don’t mind you exploring with me,” he points out gently.

My shoulders drop.

“That’s kind of messed up, though, isn’t it?”

He shrugs. “Would you rather do it with somebody else?”

“No. I had a perfect date last night, and all I could think about was you. When she asked me to go upstairs after I walked her home, I couldn’t get away fast enough.”

“She was all wrong for you.”

I grin at the tight jealousy in his tone. “You’ve never even met her.”

“Call it a gut instinct.”