2. Diego #4
Jeong had asked him to be his Big, and Diego had considered it.
Graduate students weren’t required to take littles because most of the big/little events were on weeknights.
Diego had ultimately declined, but they’d gotten coffee a few times on campus and Diego had been impressed with the kid.
Well, he wasn’t really a boy. He was a second semester sophomore, but still seemed young to Diego.
He’d apparently transitioned while living in South Korea, but had always wanted to come to the U.S.
to study architecture. His father was a dual citizen, and Jeong was considering applying for a green card, since transgender laws and health care were better here than in South Korea.
As Diego watched, they began really getting into the music, swaying, and bopping, moving their hips in different directions to create pretty pictures that were more interesting to watch than just grinding.
The fancy moves were also clearly getting them both going if Frankie’s flushed face was anything to go by.
Suddenly, Frankie spun Jeong around and began dancing on him. Diego wondered if his own face looked as shocked and alarmed as Jeong’s did.
It was like watching a car accident. Diego just couldn’t look away as Frankie turned around and looked down at Jeong in confusion.
He was about three inches shorter than Frankie, which made sense since Frankie was a lanky 5’11” and just like Diego, Jeong was on the shorter side of 5’6” or maybe 5’7”.
Diego strained his ears, but he could only hear the girls chatting next to him. He watched as Frankie looked down Jeong’s body and then asked something, his eyebrows raised and mouth turned down.
Jeong took a step away but kept his shoulders square and his head held high as he responded.
Diego watched as Frankie’s expression morphed to realization, and then a soft smile crept across his lips, curling up into a genuine grin as he said something Diego could have sworn was, “Can I still suck it?” Or maybe “fuck it.” Either/or.
Jeong’s shoulders relaxed and he smiled hesitantly up at Frankie who asked something else, eliciting an immediate nod from Jeong. Frankie turned around and began dancing on Jeong again, who wrapped his arms around Frankie’s hips, his hands slowly creeping up his thighs.
Diego needed another drink. He got up and walked back to the bar, filling his cup, downing it, and then filling it again.
As he stood there, purposefully not watching the dance floor, he couldn't help but feel like he’d just received an answer to a question he had never meant to ask.
Diego lost track of time as a few of his fraternity brothers cycled by the bar, wishing Diego a good summer and Diego congratulated the few he knew were graduating.
When he finally got back to his couch, he was pretty drunk, and he somehow missed Frankie walking over to retrieve what must have been his coat from one of the chairs the women from Rainbow Club were occupying.
“Wow, Frankie, he’s cute. You going home with him?” the shorter woman, Lila, asked, winking lasciviously at him.
Diego focused his attention on the dance floor, his back turned to the three as Frankie responded, “I might be. Only one more week left of school; gotta make the best of it, right?”
“I actually assumed you were interested in someone else,” Jamie, the second woman, noted.
“Oh really?” Frankie answered, his voice sounding a little guarded to Diego even over the pounding of the house music.
“Yeah,” Jamie said and Diego could only imagine she was pointing, nodding, or somehow gesturing to someone in the room. Diego got a creeping sensation on the back of his neck like someone was looking at him.
“Her?” Frankie whispered in surprise and Diego’s fist clenched so hard he punctured the plastic cup in his hands.
He could barely even feel the syrupy liquid dripping down his fingers as he waited for someone to say something.
Anything. Because there was no way, absolutely no wa y, that after all this time Frankie would somehow misgender him.
“No, honey, not Linda. I know she’s not your type. I meant…” Lila’s voice dropped so low, Diego missed the end of her sentence. There was another moment of heated silence and Diego glanced up to see Linda, a recent ex-girlfriend of the fraternity president chatting with another junior at the bar.
Diego couldn’t help himself. He flicked a glance over his shoulder for just a moment and caught Jamie and Lila staring at him. Frankie was biting his lip and looking down at the table. Diego snapped his gaze back to look at Linda, but he was no longer really seeing her.
“Well… he is really hot. But… he’s my…” and Diego swore if he said buddy again, he was going to get up and give him a drunken piece of his mind, “…best friend.”
Diego froze, eyes lowering to track the path of a few of the remaining drops of alcohol as they trickled down his wrist.
“So? That’s how most adult relationships start. That’s how we got together,” Lila said.
Diego did his best to file that little revelation about Jamie and Lila away since they were both juniors and would still be here next year. Maybe Diego could do a better job at getting to know them in Rainbow Club.
“Well… you know me. Never looking for anything serious. Besides, I’m leaving for France soon. Wouldn’t want something long distance while I could be sampling some French baguettes—if you know what I mean.”
Diego did his best not to laugh, but Jamie tittered, and Lila guffawed.
“Besides. I think he’s probably sticking around after he graduates, and I’ll be back by then.
I would never risk our future friendship for a dumb hookup.
Jeong though… I’ll probably never see him again, and he is absolutely stunning – and very clearly waiting for me.
So. If you lovely ladies will excuse me, I hope you have a wonderful night. ”
Diego watched out of the corner of his eye as Frankie walked towards Jeong, who was standing by the door, his lightweight jacket in hand.
After they both left, Diego slowly leaned back into the sofa and he accidentally made eye contact with first Lila, then Jamie. They both smiled softly at him and, before he could protest, they left their seats at the makeshift kitchen table and took up bookended seats next to Diego on the couch.
“Oh, honey, you better spill,” Lila said, an evil grin on her candy pink colored lips.
“And not your drink. Here, sugar, let’s go get you cleaned up and you can tell us all about your best friend Frankie,” Jamie said.
Against his better judgment, Diego did just that. He confided in them the many twists and turns their friendship had taken to get to where they were today. Buddies, and apparently best friends. Best friends who would hopefully see each other again one day.