Page 23 of Love is Strange
“We arenotfucked up. Don’t say that ever again,” I answer.
“What, you think we’renormal? You’re delusional. I’m not going to stand here and pretend that I didn’t like it, but I’m also not going to stand here trying to convince myself that this is anything other than fucked up.”
“We both know that you don’t really mean that.”
At that moment, there is a knock on our door. I stand, rooted to the spot, scared out of my mind at who is on the other side of that door and why they’re here. Griffin is right, this is fucked up and we need to figure a way out of it, fast.
Griffin
Graham walksover to the door and opens it slightly. Van is there with a look of hatred on his face.
“What’s up, man?” Graham asks.
“Oh, heyGigi,” Van answers.
“Van, please, come in so we can explain. Please,” Graham begs.
I am surprised when he actually listens and enters the room.
I am sitting on my bed and Graham walks over to his desk and takes a seat in his desk chair. Van stands, stiff as a board, next to the door.
“Listen, Van,” Graham starts,” I really don’t know what to say to you. There is nothing that I am going to be able to say to try and make you believe that you didn’t see what you saw. But can you find it in yourself to keep this secret for us?”
“God, you guys,” Van starts, an almost pained expression on his face. “I feel like I have so many questions, but I have no idea where to start!”
“Griffin? What the fuck dude? What are you? Gay? Bi? We just had a fucking orgy with three girls the other night. Oh my God, were you picturing you and me together that night? Were you picturing you and Graham together that night? Does this have something to do with why you ran out right after you got off?”
“Oh my God, don’t even answer any of those questions… I don’t want to know.”
He turns around with his hands up in the air in frustration and heads toward the door. He opens it but then stops. He closes it and turns back around.
“How long has this been going on? Your whole lives? Did something happen to you when you were little or something?”
“Today was the first time,” I answer.
“Yeah, right.” Van spits back.
“I swear, Van. I’ve never lied to you.”
Van moves forward and motions his hands to Graham and then to me, back to Graham, then back to me.
“What the fuck do you call this?” he asks in exasperation.
“This is different. I didn’t know about,” I move my hands back and forth between Graham and me, “whatever this is until just after that night with the girls.”
“I mean, what? Did it take you cumming in Gigi’s pussy to trigger an epiphany or something?
“I was having issues getting and staying hard with Gigi. I’ve had this issue a lot in the past, but I was usually at a party, drinking before hooking up with girls. I’ve always blamed it on the alcohol. I truly believed that’s what was happening.
“But the other night when it was all of us, that was the first time there has ever been another guy around. Gigi was doing okay, but it wasn’t until I saw the girls and you that I was really able to get hard.”
“Ewww,” Van turns a gross shade of green and looks as if he’s going to lose his cookies at any moment.
“But,” I interrupt Van before he has a chance to run away and puke, “it wasn’t until I noticed Graham watching us from above that I was able to finish.”
Van turns from green to white and looks like he’s ready to pass out. I hop off of my bed and move him back toward my desk so he can sit in the chair. He takes a seat and puts his head between his hands. His elbows resting on his knees.
The three of us sit in silence. I have no idea what to say next. I hope Graham stays quiet, too. I am dying to know what Van is thinking. He’s my best friend. He and I can usually talk about anything.
