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Chapter 7 "Secrets and Surprises"

"So what's the deal with this party again?" Max called out from her bedroom, trying to decide between wearing a short skirt or a tight pair of pants. "Is it a formal affair, or business casual or what?"

"We're just going to Terra's place for drinks." Aiden sighed, checking his watch yet again and growing tired of waiting for the skunk. "It's as casual as it gets, so just put on whatever and let's go. We're going to be late."

"Well excuse me." Max huffed, storming onto the landing in nothing but her underwear, clothes in hand. "I've never met some of these people before and I need to make the right first impression, or else they'll get the wrong idea about me."

"Well then just go like that." Aiden joked "It'll certainly give people an accurate idea about you."

"You are absolutely no help." The skunk scowled before storming back into her room. She reemerged ten minutes later, having finally decided on a pair of tight jeans and a low cut red top. "Alright, I'm ready. Wait, you're going like that?"

Aiden glanced down at the simple jeans and polo shirt he was wearing. "What? This is what I usually wear."

"You look like you're going to work."

"This is what I'm comfortable in, and it gives the right first impression. Now let's go, we're already late."

"Alright already. You know, you can be really impatient sometimes." As she walked past him and out the door, she flicked her tail across his nose to get her point across. His nose twitched at the slight tickle and mysterious hint of peppermint, but quickly recovered, following her out the door and down to his car.

"So, Terra really invited me?" Max asked as they were pulling out of the parking lot. "I wonder why she'd want me to come to her party."

"Because she likes you." Aiden chuckled, as if that answer was obvious. "She wants to be your friend. We all do."

"Really?" Max blushed. "Well, thanks. It would be nice to have more friends again. Especially if I get to go to parties. God, I must sound so pathetic."

"Maybe, but it's okay. We'll have your social life out of the gutter in no time."

"Gee, thanks." She rolled her eyes in response. "So who's going to be there, anyway? Are there going to be any cute guys there?"

"No idea." Aiden shrugged. "Marcus and Terra of course, and Jacob. A few other people from school. Probably some of Terra's friends, too."

"Sounds like a small crowd." The skunk muttered, looking over her outfit again. "Maybe I should have worn the skirt."

"We're not going back so you can change." Aiden was quick to say. "Besides, you look great in that. It's better to leave more to the imagination, anyway."

"Not in my business." She quipped, though she did appreciate the compliment.

They made their way uptown, making idle chat to pass the time. It wasn't long at all before Aiden pulled into a parking garage adjacent to a high end apartment building.

Max let out a long whistle when they walked into the ornately decorated lobby. "Damn, this place is wicked nice. It must cost a small fortune to live here."

"I bet you could afford a place like this." Aiden said as he headed for the elevator. "You make a ridiculous amount of money."

"Unfortunately, these places only care about how much money you make on the books." Max sighed, having tried to get into a building like this before. "You can earn a ton in tips, but if your actual paycheck is low, they won't even talk to you."

"That's somewhat ironic, I guess. Or just unfortunate."

"It's alright. I think I prefer where I'm living now." She grinned at Aiden, who only chuckled in response.

They traveled nearly to the top floor of the building, then made their way down a short hallway to one of the finely decorated doors. "Now I should warn you, this place is really nice."

"Oh just ring the bell. I'm not so easily impressed by big apartments and expensive things and all that."

Aiden chuckled again as he rang the doorbell. Within seconds the door swung open, Marcus and Terra greeting them warmly and ushering them inside.

The large apartment Aiden warned Max about turned out to be a spacious penthouse suite. Fine leather couches and wooden tables adorned the rooms, which was decorated with exotic looking artwork and a few artistic portraits of Terra.

Despite her earlier comment, Max really was taken aback by the size and decor of the place. This was definitely more than she could afford even with her big tips.

Before Max could say a word past hello, Terra had wrapped her arms around the skunk in a warm hug and was dragging her to the sitting area, where a few other women were gossiping over glasses of wine. "I want you to meet some of my friends." The feline explained. "Now, they don't know what you do for a living, and it might not come up, but if it does, I'll back you up on whatever you tell them."

"Okay...thanks." Max wasn't sure quite how to take that, but she wasn't surprised that Terra knew the truth. At least it was nice to have someone on her side.

As Max was dragged off, Aiden leisurely made his way around the room, making sure to say hello to a few friends and classmates before finding Marcus and Jacob. "So I guess you patched things up with Max, huh?" Marcus grinned, nudging the fox in the side with his elbow. "Good thing, too. Terra would have been really bummed if Max hadn't come."

"Yeah, that would have been a real tragedy." Aiden replied with a sarcastic grin. "But yes, we had a little talk and sorted everything out."

"You guys had a fight?" Jacob asked, sipping his beer. "That can happen when you live with someone, or so I've heard."

"It's not that big of a deal, really."

"He slept with Max's best friend." Marcus interjected, causing Jacob to nearly choke on his drink. "Yeah, the ol' dog just couldn't keep it in his pants."

"Marcus!" Aiden scolded in hushed tones, checking around to make sure no one else heard. "Didn't I say that this wasn't to leave the office?"

"I thought that was just the other part." Marcus just shrugged as though it wasn't a big deal. "Besides, I only told Jacob. You know he can keep a secret."

"Other part?" Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Dare I ask?"

"Oh yeah. The chick he slept with is a hermatador." Marcus announced before Aiden could stop him.

"A...what?" Jacob turned to Aiden, completely perplexed. "You slept with a bull fighter?"

But Aiden was too busy face palming to answer.

"That's not what I said." Marcus corrected. "He slept with one of those, y'know, dick-chicks."

"Marcus!" Aiden was louder this time, giving the feline a shot in the arm. "That part was definitely meant to never leave the office."

"Sorry." Marcus apologized, rubbing his arm, though his smirk told Aiden he didn't mean it. "What's the big deal if Jacob knows? You won't tell anyone, right?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, right." Jacob was still processing this new information. "Oh, you meant a hermaphrodite?"

"That's what I said."

"Right." Jacob turned his focus to Aiden. "So if I've got this right, you slept with that hybrid girlfriend of Max's, and she's a hermaphrodite?"

"That pretty much sums it up." Aiden shrugged. "And that led to this whole big fight with Max. But now we've sorted everything out, so it's not really a big deal."

"It seems I've missed a lot this past week." Jacob calmly rubbed his chin, his thoughts forming as he analyzed the news. "Did you go in knowing she was...different?"

"No, I didn't know." Aiden sighed, realizing he was stuck with the conversation now. "It sort of came up during the course of events."

"I bet it did." Marcus chuckled, but the others just ignored his bad innuendo.

"So what was it like?" Jacob pressed on, trying to sound as though he was simply curious. "Did it get in your way, or were you mostly able to ignore it."

"Honestly, it didn't bother me." Aiden admitted quietly. "I'm surprised myself, but I was okay with it. I mostly ignored that it was even there."

"That's not what you told me." Marcus interjected. "He told me that he liked it so much, he sucked her off."

"Marcus, I hope you step on a Lego."

"Oh don't be like that." Marcus grinned, throwing his arms around Aiden's and Jacob's shoulders and pulling them close. "We're like the Three Amigos. Important stuff like this should be shared and properly discussed with all of us. Right Jacob?"

But Jacob didn't respond. He was just staring slack jawed at Aiden, not believing what he just heard. "But, I thought you were straight."

"I am." Aiden countered. "This was just a one time thing. I just got caught up in the moment and got a little impulsive. I doubt it will ever happen again."

"Oh right, that makes sense." Jacob grinned half-heartedly, but a small amount of jealousy and sorrow passed through his mind. "Of course, y'know, it wouldn't be too bad if it did happen again, right? Maybe you're just discovering a new part of yourself."

"That's what I said." Marcus jumped in. "Either that or you've really got the hots for this Cheryl chick. I'll have to meet her sometime and see if she's good enough for you."

"Yeah well, after everything that's happened, I'm not sure dating Cheryl would be a good idea. I don't need Max watching over me like hawk, making sure I don't screw anything up."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Marcus laughed. "That would really suck."

As the two laughed it off, Jacob could only fake a chuckle. He still couldn't believe, or even dare to hope, that Aiden had inadvertently dipped his toe in the water, so to speak. He knew it was wrong to think this, to plot about his friend for personal pleasure, but Jacob couldn't help but wonder how much more it would take to pull Aiden over to his side, and if he could really build up the nerve to try.

"By the way, Max, I just love your outfit." One of Terra's friends, a sheep named Emily, complimented her. "You look really sexy in it."

"I modeled those pants last season." The other girl, Renee, a tall Dalmatian, added. "They really do look fabulous on you."

"Well, thank you both." Max gushed, blushing profusely. "I admit it took me forever to decide what to wear to this. Now I'm glad I picked this outfit."

"I think you made a good choice." Terra confirmed with a grin. "It shows off just the right amount of fur if you ask me. Gets their attention without giving them too much."

Max just chuckled, sipping from her glass of wine. She was getting along surprisingly well with this small group of models, their love of fashion and such giving them plenty to talk about. She had to admit, she was having a lot of fun. It felt good to be social and have friends again.

"So, how long have you been modeling?" Renee asked rather casually. "I don't think I've seen any of your work before."

"Oh, I'm not a model." Max answered nervously. She had been hoping that they wouldn't talk about jobs or work.

"Well you must be doing something lucrative to afford jewelry like that. That is real gold, right?"

"Ah, yes it is." Max reflexively touched her earrings and necklace, and glanced at her bracelet. "It's all twenty four karat, and the stone in my necklace is a genuine sapphire. It's not really as expensive as it looks though."

"More than some can afford." The Dalmatian smirked, sipping her wine with mild interest.

"So, what do you do?" Emily pressed with genuine curiosity. "With your looks, I bet you're some kind of T.V. star or something, right?"

"Well, I'm a star in some sense." Max glanced nervously at Terra, who gave her a supportive nod. The skunk knew that whatever she said, the Siamese would support her. And her first instinct was to lie, like she had been doing for years now. But as she glanced around the room she saw Aiden standing with his own friends and looking rather comfortable and relaxed. 'Could I really make real friends if I start out lying?' She wondered, watching as Aiden suddenly punched Marcus in the arm. 'I bet they don't lie to each other. And a real friend would support me and respect my choices anyway, like Cheryl and Terra...and Aiden.' She looked back at the two models and took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she believed would be the inevitable worst. "I'm an exotic dancer."

The two just stared at her, clearly surprised by her response. Max could feel a lump forming in her throat, afraid that they were seconds away from laughter and ridicule.

"Exotic dancer?" Emily finally broke the silence. "You mean like belly dancing? Or that fan dancing they do in the Middle East? I wish I knew how to do that."

"No, you dope." Renee sighed. "She means she's a stripper. She dances and takes her clothes off for money." The Dalmatian turned her attention to Max. "Somewhere nice I hope. You don't work in one of those sleazy dive clubs, do you?"

"Oh no! I would never even enter a place like that. I work over at Stardock 69, as a table dancer."

"Not bad. That place has a lot of style and class."

"Oh, I love going there!" Emily clapped excitedly. "The guys there are total hotties. I could blow a months pay in that place."

"Maybe Max could introduce us to a couple of the performers." Terra slyly suggested, throwing a wink the skunk's way. "Set up a private session with some of our favorite guys."

"I dunno if..."

"Could you introduce us to Blaze?" Emily asked, practically begging. "He's really hot, and I just wanna touch his muscles, just once."

"He's that stallion with the red mane, right?" Renee wet her lips, clearly thinking about the male dancer. "There's a different part of him I'd like to touch, and more than just once."

"You two are horrible." Terra laughed. "You're gonna get the poor girl fired."

'I better not tell them Blaze is gay.' Max thought as she laughed along. 'It'll break their hearts, and might ruin his business.'

"Seriously though, how do you get a job like that?" Renee inquired after the laughter subsided. "Do you just walk in and say hi, I'd like to be a stripper?"

"Well, I don't know about the others, but I originally came on as a waitress. I served drinks and bused tables, wearing nothing but bikinis and skimpy lingerie. Not that I minded that; I like showing off some fur. It was a pretty good job, too, though the tips sucked since everyone was paying the strippers.

"Then, one day, I guess I was just noticed by the right people. Mistress Vanessa decided that my...assets...could be put to better use elsewhere. Next thing I knew I had been promoted to a table dancer position, making a bit more money and getting a LOT more in tips."

"And you enjoy it, taking your clothes off for money?"

"Oh yes." Max replied with a smile. "Though I usually don't think of it that way. I prefer to say that I perform for people. But it is a lot of fun. I get to meet all kinds of interesting people while expressing myself in a way I enjoy. Being up there, with all those people watching my every move, I love it. It's very...exciting." Her eyes gazed off into the distance a bit as she really thought about it, about eyes watching her half naked body sway and gyrate on the table. "I love every minute of it."

"I couldn't do it." Emily stated, breaking Max's brief fantasy. "I don't care how much you paid me, I couldn't get naked in front of strangers. That's just too embarrassing."

"Didn't you model that really skimpy bathing suite last year?" Renee asked the sheep with a sly grin. "That thing barely covered your nips, and you didn't complain then."

"Yeah, well I wasn't naked." Emily countered matter-of-factly, then turned back to Max. "You're really brave to be able to do that so easily. I kinda respect that."

"It is kind of impressive." Renee agreed. "You must be pretty flexible, too. Would you mind if I asked to see some of your moves?"

"Oh yeah! Show us some good moves for making men drool!" Emily demanded excitedly, adding to the pressure.

"What? Right here and now?" Max blushed, glancing around the room.

"Go for it." Even Terra was encouraging her now. "I doubt any of those guys will mind."

"Alright." Max conceded as she stood up. "But just so you know, I won't take my top off for less than a hundred."

The girls all laughed as Max began demonstrating a few basic, hip swaying moves the others could use on any boyfriends they may have had. It wasn't long before Emily got up and joined her, and the young skunk found herself teaching the sheep a few, sexier moves. All the while they joked and laughed and drank, and Max quickly felt welcomed in their little circle, a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. She'd have to thank Aiden sometime for introducing her to such wonderful, open-minded people.

A few hours and several drinks later, the party was finally starting to wind down, with several guests getting ready to go home for the night.

"You're leaving already, Jacob?" Marcus asked as he clapped the raccoon on the back. "C'mon, let's keep things going all night, like we used to in college."

"We're not in college anymore." Jacob countered. "At least, I'm not. Besides, I have to get to bed if I'm going to get to church tomorrow."

"I still can't believe you go to church. I'd figure you'd avoid that place like the plague."

"Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I've lost my faith." Jacob announced somewhat proudly. "Besides, it's a Methodist church. They don't care as much about that kind of stuff."

"Whatever you say, man." Marcus conceded, giving his friend a hug. "Take care on the drive home."

"Of course." As Marcus walked off to rejoin the party Jacob saw Aiden nearby. He hesitated for a moment, feeling a conflict building within himself. But he did his best to ignore it as he approached the fox. "Well, Aiden, I'm heading out."

"You're leaving?" Aiden asked as he checked the time. "Wow, it's later than I thought. I should probably head home too."

"That might be a good idea. It looks like Max might be having a bit too much fun."

Aiden glanced across the room to see the skunk laughing and stumbling about, her clothes a bit disheveled. She occasionally grabbed the hem of her shirt and started to lift it, stopping just under her breasts, one step away from flashing everyone in the room., then dropped the shirt again with a bout of giggling. "Yeah, it looks like she may have hit her limit."

"You should probably take her home before she does something she'll regret tomorrow."

"Yeah. I never thought I'd have to save her from herself." Aiden chuckled, then turned to give Jacob a hug. "You get home safe."

"Of-of course." Jacob stuttered, his heart pounding a bit from the embrace. He made sure to hug the fox tight, enjoying this as much as he could. It felt good, too good, to be wrapped in Aiden's strong arms, to pick up that slightest hint of his scent. Jacob never wanted to let go.

Aiden broke the hug much sooner than the coon would have liked. "I'll see you later, Jacob. I better go stop that girl before she really starts stripping."

"Yeah, see you later." Jacob chuckled, and as Aiden walked off, he couldn't help but watch his friend's tail sway as he walked. 'Maybe someday.' he thought as he made for the door, trying his best to hide his disappointment, and his slight arousal.

Max certainly was having a great time, stumbling about and laughing at every little thing as she threatened to strip right there in front of everyone. It didn't help when Emily, who also seemed to have had too much to drink, got up and started dancing with the skunk. With the encouragement of the others, Max and Emily were soon grinding on each other to imaginary music. Aiden walked up just in time to catch Max as she stumbled over, nearly falling on her ample ass.

"Oh, hi Aiden." She giggled, leaning against the fox for support. "I'm having a lot of fun."

"I can see that." He chuckled, helping her steady herself. "How much have you had to drink, exactly?"

"I took it easy, I promise." Max held up here hand as if swearing an oath. "I only had, like, three glasses of wine...I think. Maybe four?"

"I honestly had no idea she was such a lightweight." Terra giggled, feeling quite buzzed herself. "It's a good thing she's such a happy drunk."

"I'm not drunk."

"I'm not surprised, actually." Aiden shook his head with a sigh. "She's not technically legal yet, so she can't drink whenever she wants to. She's probably pretty inexperienced compared to the rest of us."

"You're not twenty-one?" Terra asked, suddenly a little concerned. "If I had known, I wouldn't have let you get this drunk."

"I'm not drunk." Max repeated, more indignantly this time. "I'm just a little loopy, but really, I'm fine."

"I'm sure you are." Aiden nodded, agreeing with her to keep her calm. "But I think it's getting a bit late. We should probably get going."

"Already?" The skunk pouted, her body rocking back and forth involuntarily. "But it's so early. I don't wanna go yet."

"It's almost midnight." Aiden countered calmly. "And trust me, you're going to want as much time as possible to sleep this off and recover before work tomorrow."

Max just grumbled in response, crossing her arms defiantly. But at that moment she leaned a little too far over, falling into Aiden yet again.

Terra quickly got up and held the intoxicated skunk in a hug. "Maybe you should go get some sleep, Hun. I promise we'll do this again real soon. I'll take you out for drinks on your birthday, okay?"

"But that's not until September." She muttered, ready to argue more. But realizing that she was outnumbered, she decided not to fight it anymore. "Alright, let's go then. I guess I am a little sleepy."

After a quick round of farewells, Aiden helped Max stumble her way back down to the car. Max didn't say anything at first, too busy trying not to nod off to the gentle hum and sway of the car, until a question came to mind that she just had to ask. "Am I really that drunk?"

"Yeah, I think you are." Aiden chuckled. "You were probably one drink away from giving everyone a free show."

Max didn't respond at first, then suddenly burst into laughter once it sank into her brain. "Oh man, that'd probably've been bad, huh? I got a reputation to maintain after all." She turned to Aiden, offering him an exaggerated smile. "Thanks for stoppin' me, then. And thanks for bringing me in the first place. I had a great time."

"Don't mention it." Aiden smiled back, truly glad she had enjoyed herself. He was just hoping her hangover wouldn't be too bad in the morning.

By the time they got home, the combination of alcohol and growing exhaustion left Max half asleep and barely able to walk on her own. Aiden resorted to carrying the skunk on his back, forced to listen to her incoherent muttering in his ear all the way to their apartment. Some of the few words he was able to make out were "Gotta pee...", which made him pick up the pace just a bit.

She reiterated the fact more clearly as they walked through he door, and Aiden quickly set her down on her own paws, leaning her against a wall as he went to close and latch the door. "Alright, we're here. Go pee already."

But she didn't move. She just leaned against the wall with her eyes closed and let out a soft moan. Aiden didn't think twice about it until he heard the pattering sound of liquid hitting the floor. He glanced down to see a puddle quickly forming around Max's paws, her pants darkening with urine around the crotch and down the legs as she relieved herself right in front of him. "That feels good..." she muttered, oblivious to what was going on.

"You have got to be kidding me." Aiden groaned, slapping his palm against his forehead in dismay. He could only watch as the puddle continued to grow, not wanting to move her now and spread the mess halfway across the apartment. When she was finally done, Max was slumped against the wall, fast asleep, still standing in a puddle of her own piss. "Not exactly how I saw this day ending." Aiden sighed, sucking it up and stepping in the still warm puddle to pick the girl up and carry her to the bathroom.

"What am I gonna do with you?" He muttered, sitting her on the toilet. "And which mess do I clean up first?"

He decided to take care of the passed out skunk first, kneeling down before her and undoing her belt. "Sorry about this." He said before pulling down her pants and tossing them into the tub. He glanced over at her red, pee soaked panties and sighed, trying to ignore the strong smell and slight bulge he felt in his own pants. "I guess those have to go, too." Slowly he reached up and grabbed the waistband, feeling a mix of guilt and excitement, and pulled her panties off.

"Wow." He muttered, glancing at her exposed crotch." She really did pierce her clit." He quickly looked away as reason overtook wonderment. "Come on, man. it's not right to take advantage like that. Just cleaned her up and move on." Trying to remain focused, he grabbed some toilet paper and tried to gently dry off her legs. The fox gradually worked his way up, hesitating when he got to her pussy. "Sorry again, Max." he whispered, trying to gently dry off her crotch without causing too much stimulation. She shifted and moaned in response, which only made Aiden feel more guilty.

He finished up quickly then picked up the unconscious girl and brought her up to her room. Max continued to mutter in her sleep as he carefully laid her down in her bed, then slipped on a clean pair of panties, for her own humility. "Good night, Max. Sleep well." He whispered, pulling the covers up.

"G'night, big brother." She yawned back as Aiden made for the door. He stopped and glanced back at her, feeling an odd tug inside, and he couldn't help but smile at her sleeping form, looking rather cute and innocent in the moonlight. He did feel a bit like a big brother right then, and that feeling kept him in good spirits as he went downstairs to finish cleaning up her mess.

"Honey, I'm home." Jacob announced as he walked through his apartment door. Of course, no one was there to respond. Normally the silence wouldn't bother him, but he was feeling particularly lonely tonight, so the first thing Jacob did was to put on a Pink Floyd LP to drown out the quiet and help him mellow out. Looking to get comfortable, he pulled off his shirt, then grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Guess it's just you and me tonight, Pink." The raccoon needlessly informed the turntable as he fell into his couch. He knew he should just go to bed, but his brain was in full gear, thoughts racing through his mind at top speed, keeping him distracted and awake. He picked up a nearby picture of Aiden; an artistic photo he had taken of the fox as part of a school assignment. He had gotten Aiden to pose topless for the picture, like a Hollister Co. model, showing off his well toned body. Naturally it was one of Jacob's favorites.

He gazed at the photo for a while, letting his thoughts coalesce in his mind. He still couldn't believe that Aiden had done anything, with anyone, with a dick that wasn't his own. In college the fox had come across as your typical straight guy. He and Marcus would talk about women and sex quite often, but always seem a little weirded out if Jacob mentioned any of his own gay exploits, especially if he tried to get into details. Guys like that could rarely even look at another person's dick, never mind sucking it off.

"It's not fair." He muttered, placing the photo back on the table. "I've known him for years, and I kept my hands to myself all this time, said nothing about how I really feel, all out of respect. And when you finally do try something new, it's with some herm chick you barely even know?" Jacob hated himself for feeling this way. Aiden was his friend after all. He knew how difficult it could be to discover something new about yourself, and how important the support of a friend can be. But right now all he could think was 'Why couldn't it have been me?'.

"Maybe it still can be, right Aiden?" He asked the photo with a pathetic chuckle. "If you're open to a herm, you might be willing to experiment even further. And as your friend, it's important that I support you and help you in every way that I can." He couldn't help but laugh at himself, knowing how hopelessly pathetic he sounded. "I should just move on already."

Jacob glanced at the photo again, and felt a slight rush as he gazed upon Aiden's attractive form. "But I can't give up without trying. I need to know if I at least have a shot." With new found resolve, he straightened up in his seat, finishing off his water with a single gulp. "Yes, I must try. I pledge to myself, as God as my witness, that I will try to seduce Aiden. And if he rejects me, I will accept it and move on. But if he accepts me..." he glanced back at the photo one last time, and smiled softly. "Then we'll just see where it goes from there."

"But how?" He asked himself, getting up and pacing around his small apartment. "If I just ask him out, he'll say no for sure. I'll have to warm him up to the idea first."

His mind went to work, planning and plotting ways to try and seduce Aiden without being too forward or having it backfire. "Maybe if I just spend some one on one time with him. We never really do that anymore. If I can get him alone, I can show him that the two of us can have a good time together, and show him that being with a man can be just as satisfying, even more satisfying than being with a woman, then maybe I'll have a chance."

His tail twitched as he mulled that idea over in his head. "It's not such a bad idea, really. And it gives me plenty of time to see how responsive he is to me, safely, without too much threat to ruining our friendship." A smile crossed his muzzle as the idea took root. "Once this semester is over, and Aiden's summer vacation begins, I should be able to take some of his free time, even to just chill together. I'll be able to show him how much I care, and maybe even get him to fall for me." His smile grew wider, his pale blue-grey eyes almost twinkling with excitement. "This could really work. And then, oh Aiden, I hope I can be in your arms forever."

He walked over and fell into his bed, hugging a pillow close to his chest. "I promise, I'll be the best lover you've ever had...Aiden."