27. Eggplant Emoji
Neil
Thursday could not come fast enough. I missed Sawyer with an intensity that surprised me. Princess Bubblegum did help me to be less lonely, but I’d been so used to living with so many people—first family and then roommates—that the empty apartment made me antsy.
When I’d first moved in, I’d been so excited to have a space that was one-hundred percent mine. I hadn’t looked for a place with roommates since I wouldn’t have been able to meet them ahead of time, and moving in with people I hadn’t met was risky because of my trans status.
Sawyer texted me over the next few days—funny memes, strings of (to my eyes) random emojis, pictures of his sketches, photos of his cat, and even occasionally actual words.
With his permission, I sent him back a selfie of me holding Bubblegum. His texts were a nice way to break up the day; I always knew there’d be one waiting for me anytime I stopped from work. And I was working a lot . I tried not to do too much since I’d promised Sawyer, but I didn’t have many other things to do in the evening. I took Bubblegum out for long walks on the beach, which meant also buying shorts and light shirts for the heat. I unpacked a few more boxes, but the small apartment still didn’t feel like home.
Then, Wednesday, he showed up unannounced and asked if I could top him. I was ready to jump him right there in the lobby. So many cis guys assumed all trans guys were bottoms, but Sawyer hadn’t. He’d asked like a gentleman.
Now, I knew I couldn’t wait until Thursday. Plus, I selfishly didn’t want to share him.
Hands shaking because this was really forward of me, I texted Sawyer.
Me: I really don’t want to have to share you tomorrow night.
Sawyer: Ha, I had the same thought. Want me to tell Hector and Leo to take a hike?
Me: I was actually thinking… you up to anything tonight?
Sawyer: [vampire emoji] [eggplant emoji] [balloon emoji]
I blinked at the random string of nonsense. Wait, Sawyer had said the eggplant emoji was a dick. Why would a vampire want dick? They just sucked… blood. Okay. I rolled my eyes.
Dick sucking...
Now, the balloon. Party?
Dick sucking party? Hilarious.
Me: … Am I invited to this party?
Sawyer: Are you kidding? You’re the guest of honor.
I was thinking dinner at Books and Bites, then… party.
My face went red hot, and I let out a giggle. Arthur, sitting next to me, frowned at me over his shoulder. I clapped a hand over my mouth and grabbed Bubblegum, making a break for the stairs before I burst out in hysterical cackles.
I texted back my enthusiastic agreement while Bubblegum took her sweet time picking out a place to pee.
Now, I just had to survive to the end of the day without spontaneously combusting from pent-up lust. I did it, but it was a near thing.
Bubblegum seemed to sense my tension and was an unholy terror for the rest of the afternoon, yapping and growling at me from her bed under the desk. After I got home, I ran her around the block a few times to wear her out before leaving her in her crate with a toy. I felt bad about that, but I was sure Sawyer wasn’t ready to see her yet.
Sawyer picked me up in his hatchback. His car was cleaner than mine, although sand gathered in the cracks of the seats, and the inside smelled like the ocean. I gave Sawyer a grin as I slid in. He leaned over the center console and I met him in the middle with a kiss on the lips.
“You look great,” he said as he settled back into his seat. “But you’ve got some…” Sawyer gestured at my chest.
I looked down. White dog hair clung to my dress shirt. Sighing, I almost wished I carried a purse just for constant lint roller access. I loved Bubblegum, but I was always covered in dog hair lately.
Winking at me, Sawyer underhand-tossed me a mini lint roller. Then he pursed his lips as he examined me with a critical eye. “Do you want to grab an overnight bag?”
I paused mid-act, lint roller frozen on my chest, and bit my lip. “I thought maybe we could come back here for the night. I don’t want to leave Bubblegum alone for that long.”
Sawyer gave a tight nod and a shaky smile.
“Don’t worry, I’ll put her muzzle on while she’s in the room with you,” I hastened to assure him.
Now Sawyer’s smile grew wider and actually reached his eyes. “Cool.”
The date at Books and Bites was even better than last time because, unlike last time, this time, the date part wasn’t subtext, so I was free to reach across the table to take his hand and rest my head on his shoulder as we walked along the boardwalk back to Sawyer’s car.
Sawyer pulled me to a stop to lead me a few steps off the boardwalk. His hands on my hips, Sawyer hooked two fingers through my belt loops until I settled against his chest. My heart skipped a beat as his hands slipped lower to cup my ass, then his lips met mine, and my mind blue-screened. I moaned into his mouth as his tongue tangled with mine, and his hands squeezed the globes of my ass.
I struggled to catch my breath after Sawyer pulled away.
“So glad we changed our plans,” Sawyer whispered into my hair. “I don’t think I could last through a drag show after that kiss.”
“Same,” I whispered back. “Should we head back to my place?”