Page 36 of Jacob

“That doesn’t feel possible.There’s no way I wouldn’t know.I haven’t been repressing part of myself for most of my life.I wouldn’t do that.”

“Sexuality isn’t binary.Maybe you’re mostly attracted to women, but a few guys do it for you.If being with guys freaks you out so badly, you can ignore it.”At least until he calmed down.

Taylor snorted.“I wish I could ignore it.”

“What are you talking about?What’s going on?”

Taylor hesitated.It looked like he didn’t want to tell Jacob, which hurt a bit, but Jacob wasn’t going to demand answers.Taylor would tell him when he was ready and not one second sooner.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t feel like it,” he said.“But whatever happened, I’m here for you.I’m not going to leave just because you’re attracted to guys.It doesn’t change the fact that you’re my best friend.It doesn’t change who you are.”

“It has to change something.”

“Why should it?Your sexuality and who you’re attracted to is only a tiny part of you.Since I’m your friend and nothing more, it’s a part I don’t really care about.I want you to be happy with whoever makes you feel that way, and it doesn’t change anything for me if it’s a man or woman.”

Taylor sighed heavily and leaned against the wall.“It’s just a lot.”

“I can see that.”

“I don’t care about you being gay.Like you said, you’re my best friend, and who you’re with doesn’t change that.I’m glad that you met Tony and that you can be happy with him, and I don’t care that Tony’s a man or what you do in your bedroom.”He grimaced.“In fact, please don’t tell me.I wouldn’t be able to look him in the eyes at work.”

“I never had any intention of telling you what Tony and I do in our bedroom.”Jacob had no idea where this conversation was going, but he would allow Taylor to lead it.It was the only way to get answers.

Taylor rubbed his face.“He’s my mate, Jacob.”

It took Jacob a moment to realize who Taylor was talking about.For some reason, his thoughts instantly went to Tony.He’d been in that room, but he couldn’t be Taylor’s mate because he was Jacob’s mate.Gal was bonded, too, which only left one person.

“Ben is your mate?”

Taylor blinked.“Who’s Ben?”

“The panda shifter.Tony let me know his name earlier.”

“That’s good.”

It was, but that wasn’t what Jacob was interested in.“So the panda shifter is your mate?”

“Yeah.”

Jacob didn’t know what to say.He wanted to reassure Taylor that everything would be all right, but he understood why this was a shock.He believed Taylor when he said that he’d never been attracted to guys, although it was clear there was something there.Taylor had mentioned he’d found guys hot and that he’d looked at them.That wasn’t exactly straight.

Jacob was of the opinion that very few people were completely straight.Even those who’d never been with someone of the same sex had probably been attracted to them or thought about it.Society made it easier to be straight, though, so of course that was what people went with.Being straight was considered normal, and most people didn’t think much past that.As long as they could be with someone of the opposite sex, they didn’t need to.

Taylor couldn’t avoid looking deeper this time.If Ben truly was his mate, he’d have to deal with it.

“What am I supposed to do?”Taylor asked.

“I think that, to begin with, you need to breathe.I understand why you’re overwhelmed, but being Ben’s mate doesn’t change who you are.You don’t have to be with him.You don’t even have to go back in that room and see him ever again if you don’t want to.”

“But it would be bad if I didn’t want to be with him.”

“Well, you won’t have another mate, so if you want that kind of bond with someone, you’ll have to accept Ben.”

“I wasn’t looking for my mate,” Taylor moaned.

“You may not have been looking for him, but he found you anyway.You’re going to have to deal with that.Running away from Ben isn’t going to help either of you.You don’t have to decide what you want right now, but you’ll have to eventually.You can’t just ignore all of this, Taylor.”Jacob knew his best friend, so he knew that Taylor would try.This was too important, though.

“I don’t know what to do, but it wouldn’t be fair to him to reject him right off the bat, right?”Taylor asked.

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