15. Allen #2
There was movement on the other line, and if Allen didn’t know any better, he would have thought Kingston was dramatically rolling around in his bed.
“So, you had dreams? Urges?” Kingston pried, his gruff voice climbing in octaves. “And when you kissed a guy, you didn’t hate it?”
Allen…didn’t like where this was going.
“That’s right,” said Allen. “I liked it enough that it made me hard, if that spells it out more clearly for you?”
“Fuck,” said Kingston. “Motherfucker. Stupid, slutty brain. What the hell?”
Jake mouthed the words, ‘What the fuck is happening?’ and Allen shook his head because he had no idea.
“Okay, so—” Kingston took a shaky breath and let it out in a sigh. “I shoved Evans against a wall and kissed him, and I thought that would make me realize that I was straight, but I think it did the opposite—”
“You thought kissing a guy would make you straight?” Allen deadpanned, unable to help himself.
“How is that the first thing you’re asking after hearing that he kissed Riley?” Jake hissed, keeping his voice low enough so Kingston couldn’t hear him.
Allen waved his hand to quiet Jake as Kingston snarled his answer.
“I don’t know! I was expecting to hate it enough that I would punch him in the face instead, but now I can’t stop thinking about it. Tell me I’m not gay—there has to be a glitch. Something that will click in my head and make it stop telling me to want more.”
Allen frowned, his amusement vanishing just as quickly as it had appeared. “Do you like Riley?” Allen asked. “As in, do you have feelings for him?”
There was a loud scoff and then, “If wanting to strangle him can count as a feeling, then yes.”
So, Kingston wasn’t demisexual and falling for a friend, which only left one thing.
“Kingston, I think you might just be bisexual. It’s not like you have to like men and women fifty-fifty. You can like women ninety-nine percent, and then find the one percent in a man. That’s totally okay.”
Kingston’s groan was muffled. “Ninety-seven.”
Allen waited for him to continue, but when it became apparent that there would be no further explanation, he decided to push and poke the bear a little.
“So…do you want to kiss Riley again or punch him? I’m still not sure which one you were leaning toward.”
“That makes two of us,” said Kingston. “I don’t think it matters. I can’t like guys, and I can’t fuck my rival. I don’t think that’s what our coach meant when she asked us to bond.”
Allen folded his arms across his chest, not caring if Kingston couldn’t see his expression.
“You can like guys. There’s nothing wrong with having feelings for a man, and I know there are unresolved issues between you, but there’s nothing wrong with liking Riley, either.
He’s charming, sweet, and he takes care of the people he loves.
It’s not like you’re falling for a jackass who treats you like shit. ”
Kingston gave another sigh.
“Okay, so I can want to kiss Evans, and you guys would be cool with that—great. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s straighter than I am. Fuck, I never thought I would say this shit out loud. Am I having a midlife crisis?”
Jake turned away and laughed into his hand, while Allen let out a quiet sigh of his own.
“You can’t be having a midlife crisis,” said Allen. “You’re a baby, so it’s more like a quarter-life crisis.”
“Whatever,” Kingston muttered.
“Did Riley kiss you back?” Allen asked, switching the topic before Kingston became too sour and ran away. “The information is important for me to know when I talk to him in a few minutes, because I’m going to go out on a limb and say you want to kiss him more than you want to punch him.”
Kingston disappeared behind more muffled curses for a moment, and he was curt with his answer when he returned.
“Yes.”
Allen was plotting, already forming ideas in his head about matchmaking potential between Riley and Kingston. His two encounters with Kingston weren’t enough to deduce how compatible they were, but hand-holding all the way to the penthouse had to count for something.
Kingston could have been aggressive like he always was and pushed Riley away, but he allowed the contact and followed his rival to a stranger’s home.
Granted, Riley had looked so terrified that Kingston probably followed out of concern, but then he stayed to hang out with them, talk with them, and even allowed Allen to flirt and tease him.
Now that Kingston was having a bi-awakening on the phone with him, certain parts of the last visit were making more sense. Maybe Kingston coming out as bisexual was less shocking than Allen originally had thought, especially when he recalled the way Kingston had fallen in place with them so easily.
“Let me help you,” Allen said, softening his tone so Kingston would know he was serious.
“I’ll talk to Riley and see where he’s at and report back to you.
If something about Riley is drawing you to him, then he should be the one you explore this attraction with.
You’re going to drive yourself insane until you reach a conclusion on your own. ”
There was thumping on the line, like Kingston was punching a pillow.
“And if Riley is confident in his sexuality and not interested,” Allen continued, pausing to wait for the thumping to stop before he spoke again.
“Then you can talk things out with Jake and me, and we’ll help you decide if it’s just a Riley thing, or if it’s something else. We’ll be your safe space, Kingston.”
Jake nodded, silently agreeing with Allen’s offer.
“Pipsqueak—”
“Allen,” Allen interjected. “Don’t get all defensive with me because I’m being nice, Sloan.”
“Allen,” Kingston corrected, sounding put-off. “You’re…too fucking nice. Jake is a lucky guy.”
Too nice? Kingston was so cutely oblivious.
“And don’t worry about what other people will think,” Jake added, finally joining the conversation. “If you do decide you like guys and someone gives you shit about it, tell us—even if it’s Riley. Allen and I will take care of it.”
Kingston’s silence was loud, and Allen swore he could sense the relief from the younger man pulsing through the phone.
“Yeah—okay,” Kingston murmured. “I’m still freaking the fuck out about this, and I’m still debating leaving the country to escape my embarrassment, but I appreciate it. Don’t expect much from Evans. He already shut me down hard, hence the spiralling.”
The way Riley described Kingston usually matched his gruff exterior, but Allen wasn’t seeing any of that now. Out of the two of them, he would have expected Riley to be the first to admit a shift in his sexuality, but Kingston’s vulnerability and trust surprised Allen.
Jake’s pinched expression suggested he was thinking the same thing.
“Try to relax and do something to distract yourself,” Allen ordered, leaving no room for Kingston to argue. “I’ll text you when I get to the bottom of things. Don’t you dare start packing your bags and buying plane tickets.”
A quiet sniffle from Kingston broke Allen’s heart. He didn’t know what it felt like to have a life-altering realization like this because he had always known who he was, but he knew it had to be terrifying for Kingston.
If the situation were reversed and Jake had been a gorgeous woman knocking over his panty display, Allen would be losing his mind, too.
“No tickets,” Kingston agreed. “Breathe and masturbate. Got it.”
Jake’s eyes went so wide that Allen couldn’t hold back his laugh. Kingston’s abrupt way of talking was getting great reactions from the stoic man.
“Talk soon,” said Allen.
“Right. Okay, thanks.”
The call dropped without a goodbye, and Allen lowered his hand in disbelief. “Did you know?” Allen asked Jake.
Jake’s mouth fell into a pouty frown. “I was trying to say before Sloan called that there were vibes that day. I wasn’t sure if Kingston was interested in Riles or us, but I guess that question has been answered now.”
Allen nodded. “And now we know why Riley was so worked up when he got here. It makes sense that Kingston was attracted to Riley since he knew we were together, but I wasn’t thinking about that during the time. I thought Kingston ran away because I was accidentally too flirty with him.”
Jake shrugged, and Allen knew he was missing something.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Allen coaxed softly. “Did you catch something I didn’t?”
Jake’s frown carved deeper into his face as he groaned and dipped his head. “It’s just—I could’ve sworn he wasn’t only watching Riley,” he muttered. “But I’m probably reading into it too much.”
Allen knew Jake’s social cues were hit or miss, but his instincts weren’t as bad as he thought they were. Still, the thought of Kingston having an interest in all of them was a revelation he hadn’t been expecting.
“The four of us?” Allen asked. “And that…doesn’t bother you?”
He wasn’t asking Jake if he was monogamous or not, but Allen was curious to hear his answer. Their relationship was so new that they hadn’t had time to talk about boundaries or hard lines yet, but he assumed threesomes were off the table because of how possessive he was.
Then again, Jake didn’t seem to care when Riley snuggled Allen. And he hadn’t cared when Kingston started cozying up to him. If anything, Riley was the possessive one—even going as far as forcing his sweaty jersey over Allen’s head to stake his goddamn claim.
Jake lifted his gaze and met Allen’s eyes.
“If Sloan—Kingston had acted like he did the first time we met him and started a fight, I would have been bothered by the way he stared at you. But he didn’t, and he seemed sad.
I felt…protective of him, like I am with you and Riley.
Is that weird? Please tell me if it’s weird. ”
Allen hushed him and kissed Jake’s frowning mouth. “No, not at all. I know forming connections with new people is hard for you, but your feelings are valid. I felt the same way about Kingston as soon as he started acting timid and polite around us.”