Secrets that Kill (boyxboy)

Redefining Attraction

"So...?"

"Yes, Nathaniel?"

Nate glanced out the window, feeling totally weird and embarrassed about asking Erik about something like this. He had to know, though. He'd only ever seen him with girls, so one could only assume...

"So what's the deal with, you know..."

"No, I don't. A little elaboration, perhaps?"

Nate flushed, blushing deeply.

"Well, I mean, I've only, like, seen you with girls. I mean, you have a lot of ex-girlfriends. So, uh, what's the deal there?"

An amused smirk spread across Erik's face as he glanced over at Nate.

"What do you think?"

If at all possible, Nate turned even redder. "How the hell should I know! Don't you think that's why I'm asking!"

"Well, I'm sure you've come to some sort of conclusion." Erik mused, his smirk growing even wider.

Nate looked away again, taking a deep breath before glancing back at Erik. He couldn't believe he was going to say this. He really couldn't. But it was the only conclusion that made any sense, which was sad, really, considering it had come from Amber.

"Well, Amber and I were talking about it, a long time ago of course...and, like, she had this idea. See, she thinks I might be...your exception."

Erik raised an eyebrow, letting out a small chuckle. "My exception? Please, familiarize me with this concept. I've never quite heard of it before."

Stupid Amber. He knew the whole idea sounded ridiculous. So much for 'everyone knowing about it'.

"Well, the way Amber explained it, it's like, you're either attracted to guys or girls, right? Well, there's this one person that's the exception to that rule. Like, maybe, in your case, you'd normally like girls, but I'd be you're exception."

"Intriguing theory, though not at all applicable in my case."

Nate fidgeted in his seat nervously. He wasn't sure what he was hoping to hear from Erik. Maybe that he was asexual, except in his case, which was ridiculous, really. Nate had never considered himself the jealous type, but this sure as hell sounded the illogical thoughts of some overpossessive, insecure boyfriend. How utterly charming.

"So, uh, what are you then?"

"Does it really matter?"

Nate bit down on his lip. He was right. It shouldn't matter, there was no valid reason for it to, but it so did. And he wasn't even sure why. Maybe it was because he wanted to know who his competition was, which sounded petty at best. Or maybe it was just a sheer matter of curiosity. After all, it was kind of important to know the sexual preference of your significant other. He had a sinking feeling, though, that he wanted to know as just another way to assure himself that it was biologically possible for Erik to view him in that way.

"I guess not. But I still want to know."

Erik tilted his head to the side, a pensive look spreading across his face. "I suppose there's no harm in humoring you. I've never quite bothered to explore the issue, to be honest. The whole thing's always seemed rather insignificant to me."

Nate blinked, his brows creasing in confusion. "What? How can whether you're attracted to guys or girls be insignificant?"

"Well, what bearing does it have, really? Attraction is a complex thing, Nathaniel. I've never bothered to burden myself with the social boundaries surrounding it. I've simply accepted the fact that I am attracted to certain individuals, their gender not playing a factor in the matter."