Page 22 of Primary Seduction
“Where are we going?” he asked when he caught up.
“There is a tour I’m booked on. I’ve just booked you on too. It’s down here, she said.”
They turned the corner and came to stand with some other people who were milling around and chatting as if waiting for something. They didn’t have to wait long.
“Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you’re all doing well today. Welcome to the ‘Bridging Binaries’ tour. This is the first stop on our tour of the four museums this afternoon. I will be taking you on an exploration of the spectrum of LGBTQ identities that exist across the different ages and cultures. I will be telling stories of non-normative gender and sexual identities using a variety of objects relating to the LGBTQ genre…” the tour guide carried on, but Trent had stopped listening. He turned to look at Max and found him already looking at him, biting his lip and with mischief in his eyes.
“Seriously, Max?” Trent whisper, glaring at him.
“But it’s my birthday, Trent,” Max said with puppy dog eyes and a pout fit for a drama queen.
Trent rolled his eyes and blew out a breath. “Fine.”
Max clapped his hands together quietly. “Yay! This will be fun.”
Trent wasn’t so sure, but he’d deal with it. Max wanted to do this, so they’d do it.
****
Three hours later, sitting on the sofa at home, Trent’s feet were killing him, but he would begrudgingly admit he’d had fun. The tour guides had been a little by-the-book, but Max had expanded on it with comments, information and funny anecdotes to the different artefacts. Trent found out after they’d finished that Max had been on the tour several times before, but he enjoyed the story-telling aspect of it and said he never got bored. Trent’s eyes had been opened about some things—which would forevermore be unremarked upon—but Max was a wealth of information.
He had never had any issues with others being gay or bisexual or lesbian or any other word people wanted to use to describe themselves. He looked at the person’s personality, and if they appeared to be kind and polite and, basically, a nice person, then he’d give them the benefit of the doubt. Didn’t matter what they identified as.
Now, Trish on the other hand. Well, she hated anything to do with “that world” as she always called it. She hated Asher, and just because Logan hung around with him, she hated Logan too. She would never meet up with them, and whenever she did accidentally meet them on the street or whatever, she would stay as far away from them as she could and not talk—almost as if she was afraid to catch something. Another reason why they’d divorced.
But that didn’t matter anymore. The only thing he worried about was her opinions rubbing off ontheirkids. Trent had to believe that the kids knew better. He hoped so anyway.
Thinking about his children made him realise he’d still not heard back from Jocelyn. He picked up his phone and settled back onto the sofa, propping his feet on the coffee table. Max had invited Trent to join him at Zak’s house, but Trent had declined, wanting Max to be able to spend his time with his friends. In all honesty, he was partially relieved he wasn’t going—he needed a breather from Max’s presence. His head was still all over the place and several times during the tour, he found himself thinking about them together, which kept throwing his head in a spin.
He decided to see if he could catch Jocelyn first, and then he’d call Samuel. He needed an ear.
“Hi, Dad,” Jocelyn said quietly when she answered.
Trent closed his eyes in relief when he heard her actual voice and not the answer message. “Hey, sweetheart. How are you?”
“I’m all right.”
Trent was not expecting miracles with this phone call, but maybe he could get her to talk a little. “How’s uni?”
“It’s good. Have a lot of work to do but I’m managing.”
“That’s great. Well, not about the amount of work, but that you’re managing.”Trent stop babbling. “Are you still enjoying it?”
“Yeah, it’s great. I’m really enjoying the psychology side of things. I don’t mind the work really, it’s fascinating.” Jocelyn’s voice was full of joy and excitement, and Trent was over the moon for her.
“I’m so glad you’re enjoying it. You’ll make a great social worker. I know you will.” Trent loved this girl so much; she was so giving and patient and kind—perfect for the job she wanted to do.
“Thanks, Dad.”
Trent cleared his throat of the potential tears he could shed at the almost normal conversation they were having. “So, it’s your birthday next month. Any ideas what you’d like?”
“Um, not really. There are a couple of textbooks I’d like to get…”
“I’m not buying you textbooks for your birthday.” Trent interrupted. “If you need textbooks, let me know and I will give you the money for them. But I’m not buying them for your birthday.” Trent shook his head.
“But I know you don’t have a lot of money…”
“Jocelyn. Birthdays are for giving things you’d like to have—not for things youneedto have. What stupidly, crazy item has caught your eye lately that you decided you’d like to have one day?”
