Page 31 of Unruly
He walks off and I focus on Farnsworth, who looks stunned. His brow is creased but his mouth is hanging open while he apparently puzzles out what just happened.
“You okay?”
His eyes snap to me and his expression softens. “Yes. I, um… That was…” He shakes his head.
“Modern hookup culture.”
“He seemed to think we could just go into the bathroom and, and… In a public establishment. I have never heard of such indecency.”
Snickering, I take a seat and hand Farnsworth one of the drinks. “It’s more common than you’d think, although this placeisn’t usually like that. That’s more of a nightclub thing in my experience.”
“Still, in a public place?”
“Heck yeah.”
“Have you ever…um…”
“Sure, when I was younger. Not so much anymore. I like to vet my hookups more now.”
“Vet your hookups,” he repeats.
I lean closer. “I like to make sure they aren’t jerks or dangerous first. I’m also more careful with my sexual health than I used to be.”
I can tell from his expression that everything I just said might as well have been in a different language. “So, you know that people can get infections through casual sex, right?”
“Oh, yes, that was true in my time as well.”
“Yeah, well, it still is. I get tested quarterly and I’m on PrEP, which helps a lot, but I’m less down to hook up in a dirty bathroom than I used to be. Sometimes guys pretend to be into guys so they can hurt you.”
Farnsworth nods. “That sounds dangerous.”
“It can be. Most of the time it’s not, it’s just a good time, but the older I get the more careful I am.”
“I can’t even imagine doing something like that outside of the privacy of my home.”
“Maybe you should give it a try while you’re Above.”
He flinches like I just threw something at him. “What? With who? How?”
“You just had an offer.”
He cringes. “Eww. Absolutely not. He wasn’t my type anyway.”
“No? What is your type, Farnsworth?”
He opens his mouth but snaps it shut again, looking down at his drink. “What is this concoction?”
“Don’t know. Told the bartender to surprise me. He makes great drinks though.”
Farnsworth slowly lifts his glass to his lips and takes a tiny sip. His face immediately lights up and he actually laughs softly, almost a giggle. “Oh my.” He takes another sip, smiling broader now. “This is delightful.”
I taste my drink too, nodding as the bright, fruity flavor explodes on my tongue. It tastes a bit like grape Kool-Aid but with a hell of a kick. “That’s nice.”
Farnsworth takes another, bigger drink this time. “Delicious.”
“Are you hungry? They have some mean hot wings here.”
Farnsworth shakes his head. “This is fine, but don’t let me stop you.”
