The Homo Norm - WattPride

thirteen - straight

HE STILLED for a moment. Jules could see the dozens of emotions running through his eyes. Anger, surprise, confusion, worry, disbelief. 

Bryce let go of her hand abruptly, as though he'd just been burned. He shook his head disapprovingly, with a look of slight disgust on his face.

"You shouldn't," he said.

Utter confusion riddled Jules' mind. "I shouldn't what?"

Bryce turned away from her and headed back to where his laptop lay. "You shouldn't like me like that, Jules. You'll get caught."

Her heart constricted at his words and she tried to downplay the hurt in her voice once she spoke. "Get caught by who?"

Bryce kept quiet. Instead, he typed steadily on his laptop. "Come look at this."

Jules raised her eyebrows as she neared him, not knowing what he was getting at. She looked at his laptop and saw search results of what he had typed.

"The Heteros?" she asked.

"It's a small website for a number of revolutionaries who want to advocate for opposite sex relationships and marriage. It started about a month ago, but sadly, those who began the site haven't been heard from since three weeks ago," said Bryce.

"What? Why?" she asked. "How many people are on this site?"

Bryce pointed to the bottom screen of the site. "At this time, only eleven signups."

Jules frowned. She didn't know what to think of the number.

As if reading her mind, Bryce continued. "It's a bad figure. Because last week there were thirty-two signups on the website. The sudden decline of members is . . . questionable."

Jules faced him. "How do you know this? You've been keeping track of this . . ." she waved to the screen. "Heteros thing. Why?"

Bryce went to his drawer chest and pulled out a file. "Not just keeping track. I've been doing my research."

He opened the file and gave it to Jules. All she saw was some gibberish words in a neat font that she couldn't decipher.

"What's this?" she looked up at him instead, not willing to read what was in the file.

"It's what you need to read if you're attracted to me, or the opposite sex for that matter."

She rolled her eyes, closing the file and handing it to Bryce in the process.

"Why?" asked Jules.

A moment of silence ensued. Then . . .

"Because I think you're one of them," said Bryce. "You're straight, aren't you?"