"You're the first person I've ever said that to."
I kissed his forehead. "That's a big step. I'm honored."
"Were you planning to go to the parade on Sunday?"
"Oh, hell no," I answered without thinking. "I'll be working a double the night before, so all I want to do is sleep in."
"Oh." He looked discouraged.
"Shit, I'm sorry. Did you want to go?"
"Yeah, but don't worry about it. I know you'll be tired."
"I didn't mean to be so careless. Tell me what you had in mind."
"Well," Morris explained, "some of our employees are marching in the parade. This afternoon, I went to my manager and asked if I could join them. She looked stunned."
I laughed. "I bet she was. What did she say?"
"That she was surprised, and she'd always gotten the impression that I had a problem with gay people. That stung a little. I don't know what I've said or how I've acted in the past to make her think that. I mean, I've never said anything homophobic. That would be against company policy anyway. But I guess I've been sending out the wrong vibes. It's time to change that."
I looked at him with a fresh set of eyes. He seemed like a new man. Something bold and beautiful was budding inside him. "Damn, I'm just so proud of you. So you're marching in the parade?"
He nodded. "Yeah, and I'd like it if you marched with me."
"Of course. Just tell me when and where and I'll meet you there."
"Thank you. I don't know yet, but she's supposed to text me the details."
"You've come such a long way in a short time."
"I'm just trying to be a little more like you," he said.
I blinked at him. "Wait,me? I'm a 25-year-old with a bachelor's degree in the arts, about ten thousand in student loan debt, and I make just a little more than minimum wage working in a bathhouse. Why would anyone aspire to be like me?"
He dismissed my self-deprecation with the wave of his hand. "I'm not talking about what's in your bank account or what your job title is. I'm talking about you as a person. You seem... Happy with who you are."
"Oh. Well, thanks."
He kissed the side of my palm. "Thankyou."
I shook my head. "All I did was lock your dick up and fuck you."
"You freed me." He chuckled as he stared off into space. "It's funny how that worked out. Handing over control to you... It took away some of the pressure. This enormous weight I carried all the time. You helped me live out these fantasies. Without fear. Without judgment."
I'm not typically an emotional person, but I felt like my heart was trembling. "What you're saying is a testament to why I love working here. Sure, the pay is shit. But this is a place men can go and explore things that society might not understand. You can do anything here. Be anyone you want to be. Try anything you're curious about. And if you don't like it, you can do something else."
Morris took my hands in his. "Speaking of trying new things..."
"Yeah?"
"I think I'm done with chastity." He stopped and searched my eyes, perhaps wondering if I would react negatively.
I smiled and said, "That's cool with me."
"I loved it when we did it. It drove me crazy in the best way. Like, all the anticipation behind it. And then tonight, when I finally got to let it go. It blew my mind."
"But you've outgrown that?"