What's better than sex? To Naomi, it's going out with friends for delicious food, winning softball games, and having a whirlwind romance with her close friend. The only problem: despite a decade of friendship, she has yet to come out to him as asexu...
Why did her thoughts all tumble out when she was feeling awkward?
Brinny wore a small smile and didn't seem to mind. "When is it?"
"Oh, that'd be helpful, eh?" Naomi laughed to herself. "This Saturday evening. I'll send you the details, and you can think about it. No pressure. And don't be intimidated by the potluck. Any food is welcome from pop-it-in-the-oven dishes to store-bought, homemade, or bags of snacks. I can't cook to save my life, so I'm setting up a bake-your-own pita pizza station."
"That's cute. I'll try to make it. Is it fancy or?"
"Very casual. Come as you are, bring a lawn chair if you have one and drinks. Rusty is welcome too. I have a fenced-off running area for my dog, Cleo, so you can relax while he's occupied. Cleo's usually okay with smaller dogs, even if they're energetic."
"Thanks, Naomi. It sounds fun." Her enthusiasm seemed genuine, which was nice, as Naomi didn't want to be on bad terms with her boyfriend's friends.
On Saturday afternoon, Kieran and Jake arrived early to help Naomi and Shivanna set up. Jake stared at the mess of plates, glasses, and the bin of cutlery on the kitchen table with his hands on his hips and his fingers tapping at his sides.
"None of these matches. There aren't even clear sets."
"We had to hit two thrift shops, but it'll keep that disposable crap out of the landfills." Shivanna grinned.
Jake paled and took a deep breath.
"Don't sweat it. I grabbed stuff from our place." Kieran held out a box with a place setting worth of dishes. "And if it gets too busy or intense, I can drive you home."
Jake smoothed his hands over his plain t-shirt, straightening it, and nodded. His eyes darted around the dining room, kitchen, and living room.
"Shivanna's making salsa and guacamole from scratch if you want to help her," Kieran said.
Jake turned to Shivanna with a serious demeanour. "Would you like help?"
She smiled. "Of course. One recipe is off your app."
That livened Jake up as he determined which one and rambled off facts about how the ingredients coalesced together. They wandered into the kitchen. When Naomi had invited Jake, he'd seemed eager to attend, but she regretted he was so uncomfortable. He wasn't like this during his first visit.
Naomi leaned up to whisper to Kieran, "Is he going to be okay?"
"We'll see." Kieran gathered up the metal forks from the cutlery bin. "He gets social anxiety, which worsens with new people and crowded places, or anticipation of them, but he wanted to come."
Naomi focused on finding the spoons. "He seemed okay at game night and approached us at the grocery store ages ago."
"He controls everything for game night: the space, the guest list, and activities. His focus is almost always on playing the games. The grocery store was a quiet location on a dead night. He explained it to me once or twice, but if he has a defined role, like an app developer promoting his product, it's easier for him to socialize because he knows what he's supposed to say. It's small talk with thinking up and responding to various conversation topics with new people that he finds difficult. He'll be fine with Shivanna because they can discuss recipes and food."
"I hope today's okay for him. The guest list kept growing. Did Brinny mention if she's coming?"
"She did, and she is." He smiled wider than he would have last month.
Was that excitement because he wasn't enjoying Naomi's company as much anymore? Was he having second thoughts about having an asexual girlfriend like Greg and Luke had?
She inhaled until her chest was full of air and let it all out.
Kieran is not like your exes. Kieran communicates, and you both love spending time together. He's met your family, is excited to help host this party, and enthusiastically responds to any mention of your shared future.
He set down the forks on a tea towel on the table. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah." She exhaled, and he raised an eyebrow. "We're good, right? You're happy... with us?"
He chuckled to himself. "Is that a serious question?" After she nodded, he removed the cutlery from her hand to hold both in his. "We're beyond good. It's been years since I've been this happy or connected to anyone. Did I make you think otherwise?"
She shook her head. "After three weeks in your first relationship with an asexual person, I want to check if this is still what you want."
He let go of her hand to stroke her cheek. "Yes, with absolute certainty. Is it what you want?"
"Yes."
After he looked at her lips and into her eyes, she gave him her unspoken permission with a smile. He kissed her with enough tenderness for her knees to wobble and for her lungs to struggle to breathe. He was her oxygen and her stability. As he pulled only his mouth away and toiled to catch his breath, she sensed she was the same for him. Their foreheads rested together, and their noses brushed each other.
A person chuckled in the kitchen, and Jake said, "Good thing they're not on food duty or we'd be eating next week."
Kieran lifted his hand off Naomi's back for a second, and Shivanna laughed.
Jake scoffed. "Real mature, brother. You are a guest in this home."
"That was exclusively for you. Let me be happy and enjoy this." Kieran softened his voice and stroked Naomi's cheek. "This is the best feeling in the world."
As her heart did a full round-off and aerials in her chest, she had to agree.
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I had to break this chapter in two as well. The longer part where Kieran gets to meet everyone is coming on Saturday.
Thanks for reading and all your wonderful comments. They're what make this story so fun to write :D
