Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
He can’t see who I am, but I still back out in panic.
Only now I realize the man kneeling is the other Spartan. Guess it wasn’t annoyance Logan was eying him with back at the house. I still find it impossible to comprehend what is going on tonight.
Logan is cheating on Cassian? But… Cassian is cheating too?
How is this real? Did I step into an alternate universe or a soap opera?
I need to find Aaron so he can pinch me or I’ll be rocking in some corner in a minute.
A part of me fears what could happen if I bumped into Cassian now, so I need to be quick. Too bad I haven’t established any spot where Aaron and I could meet. I left my phone in his car along with my clothes, since the troll costume has no pockets, so the only thing I can do is seek him out.
Inside the building, the party is in full swing, as if nothing life-altering happened. People drink, chat, dance, and it’s so loud I can barely hear anything beyond the singer’s voice, but I am a changed man, and the girls in sexy costumes, who would have previously caught my eye are invisible now.
It's madness, but I choose not to engage with my identity crisis until I can find the giant bunch of balloon grapes.
At least Aaron’s costume should make him easy enough to find. I go through several rooms filled with college students, but then loud laughter and cheering draws me to the kitchen, and there he is.
Wallflowering with a red cup, in the farthest spot from the action at the counter, Aaron is a spectator of the mating ritual rather than a participant. Guys and girls are egging each other on to drink more colorful shots, and he watches as if this were a human zoo. A few of the balloons making up his costume have popped and now hang from him like burst condoms.
He looks no less filled with wrath than before.
I’m so upset I don’t know if I can control my voice, but he sees me before I decide to speak and dashes toward me as if I were his savior.
“Oh, my god! Did you do it?”
I only manage to nod and let out an embarrassing whimper.
One of his painted eyebrows twitches up, moved by his actual eyebrow. “Was it… bad?”
“N-no.”
“Did he recognize you?” he tries to guess again.
“N-no,” I utter.
Aaron squints at me. “Are you having a nervous breakdown or a sexuality revelation?”
I grab my helmet, finding it hard to breathe. “Both?”
Aaron grabs my wrist, and as a crowd of girls cheers on a guy in a lousy Superman costume, we leave through the kitchen door and push past a small group of smokers using the lawn.
“Deep breaths,” Aaron advises and his grip gets firmer as I stumble on the uneven ground, not used to the thick soles of my rented shoes.
I wish I could talk about this to Cass, but I made everything way too complicates, and now I’m stuck in a hell of my own making.
I do follow Aaron’s advice though, and it makes me feel a bit better.
When we get to his car, I’m finally able to speak.
“He kissed me back, and then I walked in on Logan cheating, and I liked it. The kiss, not seeing Logan getting a BJ. But then Cass wanted more, so… he’s cheating too? And I’m gay. I think I’m gay.”
Another balloon pops when Aaron slides into the driver’s seat, and he mumbles something that sounds like a curse, but once the doors close, his attention is on me. “You’re gay? Did it feel better than kissing girls?” he asks and pulls out a weird-looking card out of his wallet. It has a sharp edge on one side, and he uses it to deflate another balloon.
I struggle to pull my seatbelt over the armor and now wish to change into my clothes more than ever, but it has to wait. I do pull off my mask and helmet though, and it’s a relief to feel cool air on my sweaty skin.
“So much better. It was everything.”
“I knew it,” Aaron says and pops another balloon. With all of them hanging limply, his front reminds me of a dog feeding her puppies, but it’s just a passing thought. What really matters is that Aaron thought I was gay all along.
“Say what? How the fuck would you know that if I didn’t? I’m still very, very unsure of everything myself. Like, am I just gay for Cass? What do I even want from him? Would he want me, Matt? Or is he just into trolls?”
Aaron rolls his eyes and hides the card in his wallet, seemingly satisfied with the current state of his costume. “Oh, please. Straight people don’t ask themselves if they’re gay. Straight people don’t devise elaborate plans to kiss their same-sex friend. Also, have you already taken an internet quiz to find out if you’re gay?”