Snafu

The Talk 2.0 - Part 2

"It's not necessary for you to pay me," Cole finally found his voice to make that point clear. "It's not like I'll only have sex with people if they pay me. And I really...I always wondered what it would be like to have sex with someone who isn't paying me, honestly. Last night was...I really enjoyed it." Cole smiled down at where his toes curled in the rug, feeling a little sorry for himself, even though he always pretended not to. "It felt different."

"You've never just had sex?" Gideon plucked that particular detail out with deadly precision. "As in, you've never had sex outside of getting paid?"

Cole kept his eyes lowered and shook his head. "Not like...no, not really. I fooled around a bit with some guys in high school, but we never really... and then after I started working, I just didn't have time or well...the drive. I guess, technically, Logan didn't pay me, but..."

"You were sleeping with that fucker?"

"Well..." Cole shoved his hands under the sweatshirt and pressed them to his stomach, which ached a little again now that his righteous indignation at Gideon's offer had subsided. It probably hurt because he had not eaten breakfast yet. He was sure that was the reason.

Gideon went silent. He was so silent for so long that Cole began to think maybe he should not have admitted any of that to him. Didn't people always pretend they have more experience in these things? He had technically been having intercourse for years. He was experienced. But...

He peeked at Gideon and found that he was still staring out the window, one hand over his mouth and the other on his hip. Finally, he spoke. "I fucked you on the floor."

"Well, we didn't actually fuck." Cole hedged, fingers twisting together beneath the sweatshirt. "I really liked it." Maybe he should not have, but...

"We should have talked first." Gideon groaned, then dropped his hands to his sides. "I am glad you liked it, at least."

"Gideon, I-"

Gideon suddenly spun on his heel and stalked across the room, which startled Cole enough to make him swallow his words and flinch back a step. He tripped over the armchair behind him, arms and legs flying up as he went over the arm and landed on the cushion. But Gideon was heading for the liquor cart, not him. He narrowed his eyes at Cole's sprawled figure, then scowled at the bottle of whiskey as he poured some into a glass.

Cole straightened himself to sit normally in the chair and stared into the depths of the fireplace – ears burning with embarrassment. Now Gideon was angry. Everything they were saying to each other seemed to be coming out all wrong. He should have just admitted right away that he also wanted to have sex again. Gideon had done it so easily, so why had he hesitated?

"Okay." Gideon sat in the chair across from Cole, even though he clearly wanted to keep pacing about the room. His heel tapped a million miles an hour, knee jiggling. "I apologize. I should not have brought any of that stuff up. Hell, I should not have touched you last night. I should have realized that it wouldn't be as simple with you as just having sex. I wish I could give you that, but obviously, I can't."

Abruptly, Cole felt tears burning at the backs of his eyeballs. Frustration had him in a chokehold, and he did not know what to do or say to fix any of this. Because all he wanted was just to have simple fucking sex with Gideon. He thought he had figured it out last night, but this morning, it seemed complicated again. He sniffed angrily.

"Oh shit," Gideon muttered as a tear slipped down Cole's cheek despite his efforts to fight them back. He sat his whiskey glass aside and leaned forward in the chair like he wanted to reach for Cole but then stopped himself at the last minute. "Oh fuck. Okay."