Both Sides of the Story [cake au.]

eleven

a/n: this chapter feels a bit confusing, so please let me know if it is

Another thing Calum didn't realise was that spending evenings at Luke's would soon become a regular event.

It was the fourth night in two months that Calum was at Luke's on a Friday evening. The girls were both already tucked away in bed, and the two of them were curled up on the couch together, Calum's arm around Luke's shoulders and Luke's head on his chest. A blanket was thrown over them haphazardly and they were watching a dumb show, something they had randomly found and decided to stick to for lack of a show. On the screen, the main character and her best friend were talking about a guy when one of them spouts the line, "Jeez, what kind of guy doesn't want sex?!", queuing the laugh track.

Calum snorted at that, thinking nothing of the joke, but he felt Luke freeze up beside him.

"Luke, you alright?"

"Uh, yeah. Um..." He pulled away from Calum and stood up. "I'm going to get water."

Calum shrugged it off and continued watching the television.

When Luke returned, Calum expected him to sit back down beside him, but no. Instead, he sat on the other end of the couch.

"Luke?" Calum asked again, reaching for the remote, and turned down the volume. "What's going on?"

Luke bit his lip, taking a deep breath. "I need to tell you something. Look, Cal, I like you a lot, but- But I..."

"Luke..."

"But we're most likely on two different wavelengths when it comes to what's going on between us."

"What are you talking about?" Calum frowned. "Do you not want to be with me...?"

"It's not that." Luke shook his head. "I'm asexual. It's not, like, a huge deal, I guess, but I'm that guy on tv. I'm that guy that people are making fun of, because I don't want to sleep with people. I don't know why I'm like this. Something's just... Something's just not right in my head, I suppose. It's just, I feel like I need to tell you this now, before things get more serious."

Calum didn't really know how to answer. "Okay..." He was scared of saying the wrong thing. "Can you tell me more...?"

Luke seemed surprised. "Wait, you want to know more?"

Calum shrugged, confused. "Yes, why? I mean, tell me whatever you feel like telling me."

"Well, I don't know... I just don't like sex. For me, it's not at all necessary in a relationship. Lovea nd sex are two completely different things in my mind."

He had his arms around himself and eyes cast downwards. Calum took a deep breath, sitting straighter.

They didn't say anything for a moment. So much made sense now, to Calum, but so much was still confusing. "So... You've never had sex?"

Luke bit at his lip. "Well, I have a few times. I didn't like the experience."

"Really?"

Luke shrugged. "It's more about feeling good than anything else, right? But it wasn't something that made me feel good. It was just... Weird and uncomfortable."

"Have you ever dated someone... Someone like you?"

"No." Luke visibly winced, turning his head away. "I never really met anyone like me. Well, I mean, Mikey is asexual, but he's straight and he's my friend, and on top of that, he likes having sex." Luke's voice was strained.

"Ah?" Calum was growing more and more confused, but he knew he had said the wrong thing. "I'm sorry. I don't - I just want to know more. I don't want to offend you."