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"Wait, where did you wander off to last night, again?" Tyler set down his fork and stared at Matt from across the table.
"I told you," Matt answered between bites of his ommelette. "I spent last night in the woods with Jeremy Gilbert. It was-- incredible." A grin swept across Matt's face.
Tyler stared at him for a moment, frowning. "Is this some sort of joke?"
Matt shook his head. "Nope."
Tyler's fingers wandered up and down the handle of his fork, his eyes still fixed on his friend. "But what does that mean exactly?"
"Well, we-- we slept together." Matt shrugged.
"Slept as in both fell asleep on the ground under the trees or slept as in naked, sexy sleeping?"
"Oh, the second one." Matt's eyes seemed to glow as he looked up to meet Tyler's gaze.
Tyler found himself perplexed for a number of reasons. "You mean you-- and Jeremy Gilbert--" He raised his eyebrows.
Matt nodded. He had no regrets about the previous evening and he didn't really care who knew. His expression faded, however, when he realized that Jeremy might not want him to be telling people.
"How did that even become a possibility?" Tyler hadn't noticed the change in Matt's face. "Like-- how do you even get to a place where-- I--" Tyler threw up his hands in exasperation.
Matt shrugged again, suddenly unsure if he should tell Tyler the story. But the more he considered it, the more he realized that giving Tyler less information might lead him to seeking answers from Jeremy. He figured he could tell Tyler everything - he was his best friend after all.
"Well, you remember I was clearly too drunk to drive, right?"
Tyler nodded with a grin. Drunk would have been a bit of an understatement when Tyler had last seen him.
"And Jeremy offered to drive me home. But when we got into the car, he was acting a bit strange and said that he was too high to drive." Matt watched as Tyler nodded - he knew that there were a number of joints being passed around the party. "Most everyone else was already gone at this point, so we decided our only option was to walk."
"You were going to walk all the way back to town while you were drunk and high?"
"Never said it was the most intelligent of plans, did I?" Matt chuckled. "Jeremy seemed to be distracted the whole way, like there was something he wanted to tell me, but he didn't know if he should. So eventually, I just confronted him on it and he told me he found me attractive."
Tyler settled back in his chair. "Jeremy Gilbert said that, huh? Jeremy Gilbert who dated your sister?" He regretted that second question. Matt's sister was still somewhat of a sore subject, but it was the first thing that had come to Tyler's mind.
"The same, yes. He thought I wouldn't take the news very well, but-- I mean, I think at the time I blamed it on the alcohol-- I told him I'd always been a bit curious about being with another guy."
Tyler's eyes narrowed. "Really, though?"
"Well, yeah," Matt answered. "You mean you've never wondered? Honestly?"
"I mean-- I just--" Tyler realized Matt had a point, but his own curiosity was so fleeting he'd wondered if it was genuine. "Not enough to actively wonder and definitely not enough to pursue it."
"I didn't exactly pursue it, you know. It pursued me." Matt took in a slow breath. "So, after I said that, we talked about it some more and decided to give it a go."
"So wait-- you-- did you fuck him?"
"Don't say it like it's so incredibly scandalous, Ty," Matt responded slowly. "But, yes, I did. And I wouldn't mind-- in fact, I'd have to say I'd like to do it again."
Tyler eyed him for a moment. "So, you're gay, then?"
"No," Matt snapped back quickly.
"But you--"
"It's not like that. It's about Jeremy and him alone." Matt stared beyond Tyler, suddenly refusing to make eye contact with him.
"How do you know?"
"I don't find other guys attractive." Matt sipped his orange juice, working hard to keep his hand steady. He'd been excited to tell Tyler his news, but now he was beginning to wish he hadn't.
"Not even me?" Tyler stood from his chair and carried his plate to the nearby counter top.
"Don't take it personally." Matt looked up just as Tyler's t-shirt dropped to the floor. He was faced with Tyler's bare torso - a sight he'd seen many times before in a number of different contexts. "Tyler, what are you doing?"
"Maybe I'm a little bit curious, too." Tyler walked behind Matt and put his hands on Matt's shoulders.
Matt shrugged and reached up to shoo Tyler's hands away. "Please don't. Don't make fun of me."
"I'm not," Tyler replied softly as he sat in the chair next to him. "Believe me. I'm not trying to make fun of you at all."
"I like Jeremy." Matt's gaze dropped to his empty plate.
"But how do you really know? If he's the only guy you've been with, you've nothing to compare it to." Tyler reached a hand up to place it back on Matt's shoulder.
Matt found himself considering Tyler's words for a moment. "I guess I don't know, but I definitely want to know. And besides, the last thing I'd ever want to do is mess up our friendship with something like this."
"So you're saying you do find me attractive?" Tyler grinned.
"You're not bad." Matt turned to face him and chuckled. "For an asshole."
Tyler punched him lightly in the chest. "Hey, now." They both smiled at each other for a moment. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
"Well, neither of us really said much on the walk back to the car this morning or on the drive home. I was thinking I'd stop by his house later today so we could talk about it."
"So soon?" Tyler's tone expressed his disapproval with the timeline. "You said he brought it up first, no? Then maybe you should wait for him to come to you. Or at least give him another night to sleep on it."
Matt considered Tyler's advice. "You're probably right." He stood and placed his dishes next to Tyler's. "I should go get ready for work. Tell your mom thanks for brunch."
"Certainly." Tyler smiled weakly as he watched his friend walk out of the room. He turned so he could see him out the window as he walked to his car. Tyler had settled on a plan of his own for the afternoon that likely made him a terrible friend - but there was something about curiosity that seemed to make everyone do things they probably wouldn't otherwise.