See Me - 3. Chapter 3: Temptations

Emry sighed and looked up at the house as Merit pulled up along side the street, the place flooded with parked cars everywhere. "I..really don't understand why we're doing this." He looked over at Merit. "I mean, Kane's birthday? You already saw what he did at lunch and I was just sitting at the table. I might get lunged out the window."

"No, you won't...I won't let that happen." He looked over at Emry. "And the point of this...is to make a point, that I'm going to hang out with anyone that I want and like I accept his friends, he has to accept mine." He paused. "And then...the rest will come."

"The rest..." He slowly nodded. "It's okay if you still want to call me a friend, not like we did anything really serious."

"Yes we did." Merit leaned over and grasped Emry by the chin. "You revealed yourself to me...that means something, it should...and it does."

Little did either of them know, Liam had just been crossing the street when he saw that small public display of affection through the front windshield of Merit's car. He stood there and he stared for a second and then quickly looked away and continued on towards the house, not wanting them to know what he saw.

Emry took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay...I'll do this with you, just like I would and want to do anything and everything with you."

Merit smiled. "I want that too, ever since I kissed you...ever since I got to touch you...and eventually...I want to see and touch all of you."

"It'll happen." Emry leaned forward and then stopped short. "We better go in..." He cleared his throat. "Before we get carried away."

"Yeah." He nodded and grabbed the keys out of the ignition and got out of the car with Emry and headed towards the house with him.

There were people hanging out everywhere, both inside and out, the house and the yard was packed and scattered with people. Kane was popular, but not like this. Merit had a feeling he advertised an open house party just to make it look this way.

"You guys made it!" Justin ran over as Merit and Emry walked in and then he laughed. "Sorry...I know I barely know you, Ems..." He paused. "Can I call you that? It's just...I've never had a guy to hang out with before and...my crush on Miki is pointless with Jesse in the way so..."

Emry's eyebrows lifted. "Speed rant." He grinned. "Well, I'll be happy to be your company, I only consider Merit my friend at uh...this very second in time."

"Will you be my..." Justin rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Oh damn, this sounds so lame and old fashion but...my date?"

Emry stared at Justin and then he looked over at Merit and his eyebrows lifted in question.

Merit smiled. "Go ahead...have fun." He wasn't insecure, he knew that Emry liked him just as much, and if anything, keeping him as far from Kane was probably the best idea, for the moment, anyway.

"Awesome." Justin grabbed Emry by the hand and headed off into the crowd. "You want a beer? Like uh..you can have that right? Without going uh...messed up?"

Emry smiled at Merit and then stumbled off after Justin. "Never tried it...and I would hope not, won't find out until we see, right?"

"Good philosophy!" Justin grabbed a beer from the cooler and handed it to Emry. "So...like, I know I never really saw you before but...a freshman, yeah, a freshman. Now that I actually see you...Well, I like what I see."

"Subtle..." Emry twisted the cap off of his beer.

"I'm sorry..." Justin sighed. "I guess I'm just a little nervous." He frowned and looked around. "Truth be told...I come to these things for Miki and Asia...and then they ditch me and I just feel...like nothing, invisible, alone."

He stepped closer to Justin. "Then you're in good company. Don't get me wrong...Merit is great...but his world, the popular world, it's like going to Mars." He lifted his bottle and lightly tapped the tip of it against Justin's bottle. "To being aliens invading Earth?" He grinned.

"I'll drink to that." Justin chuckled and turned his bottle up, sipping with Emry in toast.

Emry looked around and that was when his eyes narrowed in on Trillian who appeared to be hanging out with Jesse. "Want me to do something dangerous and bad?"

Justin stared at Emry and nearly choked on his beer. "Oh my god...you get such a twisted look on that innocent little angel face of yours, the kind where you can just tell those evil little wheels are turning."

He grinned. "That's because that is exactly what is happening." He looked at Justin. "Just have to wait for the right moment, but until then...the build up." He took a sip of his beer and then walked around Justin and headed off.

"Oh my god..." Justin turned around, watching Emry head off towards Trillian and Jesse.

Emry walked over to Jesse and Trillian and he looked over at Jesse and grinned. "Mind if I cut in?" He paused. "Actually...I don't care if you mind...because I'm a bitch like that."

Jesse looked over at Emry and then he looked over at Trillian. "God only knows what he wants." He glanced at Emry. "Enjoy yourself...I need another beer anyway." He walked off and faded into the crowd.

Trillian grinned. "You didn't mean that."

"How do you know? You don't know me." He looked over at him.

"Maybe not...but I get people vibes...and you aren't a bitch." He said.

"Then your vibes are wired all wrong, might want to get them checked out tomorrow." He shrugged and stepped closer. "Or...I could see if I could Hotwire you...get you going." He grinned. "Unless, of course, you're scared...for whatever reason or another."

Maybe it was Emry that could read people's vibes? Because he knew how to bait Trillian, he never backed down to what he deemed a dare, and this sounded like one. "I'm not scared...So, how is this going to work?"

"Well, you're lucky that I always have my tools with me, though I could always take you to my shop, though I doubt that is in your realm of plans for the night. So...I could get you running from here...and by the time I'm done, you will be ready for anyone." He grinned.

Trillian grinned and lightly chuckled. "I liked that...you have a way with words little freshman, keep that up and you'll be a boss senior."

That was when Emry looked up when a good song came over the loud speakers and he grinned. "Now is the best time." He reached out his hand. "Going to let me Hotwire you...or not?"

Trillian grinned and he grabbed Emry's hand and yanked him forward. "There's never a dare I won't take...and never a line I won't cross."

Justin's eyes widened and he looked around, knowing that this could lead to big trouble and now he wondered where Merit was, he needed someone to jump into this before it went any further. He headed off through the crowd, cursing under his breath. Hell he didn't know Merit beyond the fact that he was the quiet one of the popular crowd, where the hell would he be?

"I can't believe you brought him to my fucking birthday party...of all the things to bring him to." Kane narrowed his eyes at Merit and he crossed his arms. "You already know how I feel about this."

"And you know how I feel about it." Merit sighed. "Why? How come you get to pick everyone who gets accepted and no one else does? It's not fair."

"That's because I don't pick fags to be in our group." Kane waved his hands out, wanting to yell at Merit but he kept his voice calm. "Don't you get that? Bring Miki into the group, I'd find a way to be cool with it, nothing wrong with her, other than the fact that she hangs out with that bitch, China...and I could even deal with her better than Emry, anyone, but him!" He sighed, his voice slightly raised by the end of it.

"Asia..." Merit frowned as he corrected Kane. "I...don't know what else to say...I just don't."

"Guys..." Justin walked over to the pool table that was located in a recreation room that lead right off from the large living space where the actual party was being held. He looked between Merit and Kane.

"What is your problem with it? You know, Kane...basic psychology...someone who has that big of a problem with it...has some kind of issue with it themselves, aside from just hating people like that. I mean you hate Asia so fucking bad, but you'd accept her before Emry?" Merit shook his head. "I'd start really thinking..."

Kane's eyes widened and he grabbed a pool stick. "Do you really want to finish that? Do you want to take this in that fucking direction?! Because I'm telling you right now, I'd advise against it!"

"Guys!" Justin screamed and both Kane and Merit looked at him. He sighed and looked over at Kane. "You'll be happy to know..." He then looked at Merit. "And you'll be unhappy to know...that when Asia sees Emry...she is going to kick his fucking ass."

"Why?" Merit asked.

"Follow me and find out." Justin turned around and headed off.

"I got to fucking see this...." Kane grinned and ran off after Justin, and Merit immediately ran off with Kane as the two followed Justin to find the scene that was awaiting them, and more importantly, a scene that was awaiting Asia to discover.

And there was Emry, his arms around Trillian's neck, chest to chest with Trillian's hands on his hips as they grinded together. Emry grinned and spun around, his hips swayed within Trillian's grip as he grinded back against him, his arms lifting up and back and around his neck again as the two danced to the song.

"Oh my god..." Kane grinned. "Asia is going to kick his ass." His eyes widened. "I didn't know Trill would do that."

Emry spun around again and he ran his hands down Trillian's chest. "How far will you go?" He asked, those hips continued to shake side to side in rhythm as Trillian's hands slightly lifted Emry's shirt, fingers gliding over his skin at his waist line.

"What do you mean?" He asked, a grin on his face.

Emry reached up and grabbed one of the two gold chains that Trillian wore around his neck, yanking him closer. "Do it...I dare you."

Trillian's eyes slightly widened. "You trying to break my bling?"

"If it breaks that easily...it's a fucking knock off, and if you don't take this risk...so are you." Emry grinned, knowing the trouble he was asking for and really it wasn't the trouble he was looking for, it was the attention, and it wasn't dancing with Trillian that would bring him that attention, he planned for a big event tonight and if things went the way he hoped, he would get it.

Trillian then wrapped both arms around Emry and spun him around and slammed him back against the wall and dived forward, pressing his body against Emry's and that was when he pressed a deep and heated kiss to his lips.

Asia was talking to Miki and Jesse, however her eyes shifted over Miki's shoulder and her eyes widened as she saw a sight that sent her blood boiling. "Oh my god!"

Miki stared at Asia and her eyebrows lifted. "What?" She looked at Jesse. "When she has that look, it isn't anything good."

Jesse looked at Miki and then looked off across the room. "That's why..."

Miki turned around and dropped her drink on the floor when she saw Trillian with Emry pinned up against the wall, kissing him like two dogs in heat and Kane, Justin, and Merit on the other side, watching the show just as they now were. Good thing it was a red plastic cup, or the mess would have been worse.

"That bitch!" Asia walked around Miki and stormed across the room and it looked as if her eyes were going to pop out of her head. "The fuck do you think you're doing?!" She screamed, and despite the music, people around could hear and attention came upon them, in fact someone even cut the music so everyone could hear this drama unfold.

Trillian broke the kiss and started to turn his head, however that was when Emry grasped him by the jaw and grinned. "You took a risk...although, I think I'll cover you in the consequence department." He slipped away from Trillian and looked at Asia.

"He's not thinking he's doing anything, he's actually doing it, or he was until you came over here, got everyone staring and totally got the music killed." Emry grinned at her.

Asia looked over at Trillian. "I'll fucking deal with you later." She pulled her hand out of her purse and a set of gold knuckles were worn as her gaze shifted towards Emry. "Bitches come first and I'm about to knock this bitch down."

Emry waved his hands out. "Bring it on...I bet that's painted gold."

Asia threw her purse down and stepped forward and drew her fist back and swung her arm around and punched Emry across the face.

Emry's eyes widened and he started to step back and then he stumbled, once he was hit, blood flew and he fell to the side and landed on the floor, blood soaking his mouth and staining the carpet.

"Anything painted about that?! You little slut!" Asia screamed.

"Guys, stop!" Merit started to run forward only for Kane to grab his arm.

"Let this play out!" Kane laughed. "Fucking awesome birthday!"

Emry laid there for a moment and then forced himself up onto his hands and feet and he turned around and looked at her, wiping his mouth off, blood swiped across his arm and he grinned. "Gold knuckles...slightly more original than brass..."

He then turned around and grabbed the X-Box 360 controller from the entertainment center and twisted around and slapped Asia across the face with it and sent her face swinging to the side, he let go of the controller and it flew across the room and hit the wall, shattering.

Asia stumbled towards the side and that was when Emry stepped forward and shoved her down and onto the floor and he laughed.

"Beat down by an X-Box...Now there is originality...Give me a hundred points?" He went to turn around, however that was when Emry suddenly dropped to the floor.

Merit yanked away from Kane and ran over as he fell to Emry's side and watched as he began to jerk and convulse, going into a seizure. He rolled him over onto his side and lightly held his arms around him, knowing not to hold onto him too tightly.

Asia looked at him. "Stupid bitch, that's what you get for trying to beat me down!" She held her face with her hand and stood up, then she pointed at Trillian. "Now you! What the fuck were you thinking?!"

Trillian looked down at Emry with a devastated expression on his face, blaming himself for this happening, knowing he got the worst end of it. He looked up at Asia. "I was actually thinking he was a nice and fun person...Could you ever say that about yourself? Take a time out from being mean and nasty long enough? It was just fun! That's all it was." He turned around and disappeared through the crowd.

Asia glared and she looked around at everyone and then turned around and stormed off in the opposite direction as Justin, Miki and Jesse came closer to the scene to see Emry continue to convulse and jerk within Merit's arms.

"Someone fucking time it!" Merit screamed, knowing that it was only supposed to go on for so long until it was an emergency.

It was then that a scrawny blonde kid emerged from the crowd with short but messy and slightly wild blonde hair, brushed this way and that on the top. He took a deep breath. "It's been nearly two minutes."

Merit frowned, that was the deadline. "Someone call a fucking ambulance! Now!"

Miki pulled out her cell phone. "I got it!" She screamed and started dialing for emergency services.

"Great...now this ruins my party." Kane mumbled, knowing if he said such a thing out loud, he would really get back fire, kids like Emry always got sympathy by the majority.

Merit walked into the room and he slowly approached the bed, grabbing the side bar as he looked down at Emry, the room was dark, all but the florescent light above his bed. A deep breath was taken and then he sighed, shaking his head.

"Why would you do something like that?" He mumbled.

It was then that Emry visibly swallowed and his eyebrows shifted closer before his eyes slowly opened and then quickly fluttered due to the light above the bed.

"You're awake." Merit looked up. "You're at the hospital...you had a seizure...and then the ambulance came and...you went into a sleep episode, thankfully, but they gave you medicine anyway." He explained.

"I knew that would happen." He looked up at Merit. "I knew it would all happen...I did it on purpose."

"What?" Why?" He asked, staring down at him.

"I wanted to make a scene, be the memorable moment of the party...." He sighed and looked down, diverting his eyes away from the light and towards his feet. "I didn't care that it would trigger an attack, that it possibly could, I wanted to make my mark."

Merit slowly shook his head. "Well you did."

"I'm sorry...I just want to be like everyone else, I want that so much." He looked up. "That kiss...it meant nothing."

"I'd hope not...Trillian called it fun, though he did seem sorry, he was actually mad at Asia for doing what she did to you." Merit turned and used his foot to pull the chair close to the bed and he lowered the side bar of the bed. Once that was done, he sat in the chair.

Emry closed his eyes. "After a sleep attack...it always takes time to get everything working, it's like being a stiff doll, kind of catatonic sort of." He took a deep breath and rolled his head to the side and his eyes fluttered a little more. "Merit...I want to be with you...I really want that."

"Yeah...but then...I have to think about who wants you...and their reasons." He looked up. "Justin wants you...just because he doesn't know of anyone else, I even think Trillian likes you in some way, just the way he was after it all happened."

"Probably just because Asia is a bitch." Emry closed his eyes. "It's not a compliment to me."

Merit slightly smiled and reached beneath the blankets and took Emry's hand into his own. "Can't say that doesn't make me happy, unfortunately."

It was then that Lana and Cedric stormed into the room. "Emry!" Lana spoke up and moved over to the bed. "You're okay!"

Emry looked up at Lana and he grinned. "I always survive, drama queen." He looked up. "Merit...that's my dad and...this is my sister."

Merit looked over at Lana. "We uh...know each other in passing." He quickly withdrew his hand from Emry's as his gaze shifted to Cedric. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Please...no formalities...I hate them." Cedric grinned and sat on the edge of the bed at Emry's feet. "Thank you, for making sure he got the help he needed."

"It was only the right thing to do." Merit stood up. "I'll be back..." He looked over at Emry. "..let you be with your family." He headed out of the room as Lana quickly took Merit's place in the chair.

"Okay...but don't stay gone too long." Emry smiled after Merit and he looked at his dad and then over at his sister and he picked up the remote. "Anyone want to buzz room service?" He grinned.

"Merit..." Liam called out from where he stood in the hall just outside Emry's room.

Merit stopped in his stride and turned around, appearing surprised and rather confused as to why Liam was there. "Uh...hey. What are you doing here?" He asked, walking towards him.

"Figured I would check out what was going on." He crossed his arms.

"Well...isn't that obvious? Emry danced with Trillian and got into a knock out with Asi..."

"Not that." Liam interrupted him and shook his head. "Before...long before."

"I don't know what you mean." Merit shrugged and dipped his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans.

"In the car...before you guys went into the party...you two looked quite a bit...close, maybe too close."

Merit stared at him and then he slightly turned around and looked at the wall. "Okay...before you go mud slinging, first of all, Kane isn't here to bark his orders." He looked at Liam. "So, is it safe for me to assume that you aren't his little side kick drone and you do what you do, not under his command, but under your own free will?"

Liam's eyes slightly narrowed. "Kane isn't here."

"Emry isn't here...and don't get technical about him being in the building." Merit stared him down.

"So it's you and me, we're friends. I'll tell you something personal about me, something that has nothing to do with Kane. You talk about my own free will? Well it's my own free will to dislike being lied to, it's under my free will to hate the idea that a friend doesn't feel like he can trust me."

"Could I?" He stared at Liam. "I haven't admitted a thing and we're discussing your accusation and under the pretenses of that, you don't seem to like it one bit. So, hypothetically speaking, if that were the case, what reason would I have to trust you?"

"Maybe you don't...but we have been friends for a really long time, maybe you should." Liam crossed his arms.

"Here's what is real and what I will clue you in on." He stepped slightly closer and leaned forward. "Emry didn't rat you out." He eased back. "Yeah, he had to tell the police how his medication ended up at my sisters crime scene. Do I think you or Kane did it? Of course not, drugs get tossed around at a party, but he only accused Kane of stealing his meds."

Liam stared at Merit and his arms shifted and he clearly tensed up. "Why?"

"Why? Not that you deserve it...but he crushed on you, even as you held him down, let Kane beat the crap out of him, made him want to cry and he couldn't even do that!" His voice slightly raised and he took a breath, feeling the anger rising.

"And he still liked you enough to protect you...So, I think you owe him as much as a visit. At least he deserves the time, he deserves to have his feelings acknowledged...maybe then he can let go."

Merit stepped back. "I promised to come back, but when his dad and his sister leaves, I hope you do the right thing, I'll give you the opening." He turned around and headed off down the hall.

Liam stood there, surprised by everything that Merit had said. His arms fell from their fold and he looked down the hall, seeing Lana and a man, he assumed to be their father, heading out, just after Merit rounded the corner out of sight. Emry protected him? Maybe they both deserved to understand each other, he had meant it when he said he wasn't Kane's drone, he made his own choices, most of the time.

Emry looked up and his eyebrows lifted when he saw Liam walking into the room. "Where is Merit? Why are you here?"

"He decided to take a walk...I guess." Liam headed over towards the bed in a beat around the bush sort of walk, deciding not to sit down. His head finally shifted so that he could look Emry in the eyes. "He told me you didn't rat me out to the cops. He said...you told them that Kane beat you up, stole your meds, just him alone."

Emry stared at Liam and then he looked down and lightly fiddled with the remote control. "That's what I told them..."

"Did you also tell Merit that you had a crush on me? It's probably a dumb question to ask and yet it should be asked at the same time, for starters...of course you would if you protected me, at the same time, why crush on me when...I've been horrible to you?"

Emry stared straight across the room, his eyes watered up and a tear spilled down his cheek. "Maybe you haven't figured it out for yourself yet...but you don't choose who you care for." He looked up at him. "And maybe that's not the right way to even put it, I know nothing about you, so how could I care about you?" He shrugged. "I could want to care, I could want the chance to care..."

"And why?" Liam asked. "Why? I don't understand why..."

"Clearly, and as I said...you don't choose, your feelings go their own way and...sometimes they betray you. Your mind, your feelings, your wants, sometimes they can all go against each other." He looked down. "You don't have to worry though, I'm not going to bother you or anything."

Liam stepped to the side and sat down in the chair. "Because you have Merit now?"

Emry looked up and over at Liam. "Is that what he said?"

"Does it matter what he said? I'm talking to you." Liam stared him down.

Emry stared at Liam and took in a breath, choosing his next words carefully. "Merit has been very great to me...and he gave me a place to go, as much as I love my sister and my dad, I got to escape my mom...and that was a blessing."

He half grinned. "Merit has been great to you." He sighed and shook his head. "That doesn't tell me what I need to know."

"All you need to know is how I feel about you, what is between us...regardless of the great distance to which that exists." He looked over at him. "It will never be and..." He trailed off. "You hurt me...and I saved you...and that is how the cards will fall."

"Cards..." Liam nodded. "That's how they will fall? Well, does that mean the game is over?"

Emry grinned. "That was a pathetic play off line." He rolled his eyes and looked up at Liam. "Just take the figure of speech for what it is and what it means, okay?"

"It's not a figure of speech." Liam shook his head. "You're in Merit's life...and Merit is my friend, so long as you are in his life, you are in mine. You'll be sitting at a table with us...riding in the car, hanging out..." He trailed off. "Though, this is all assuming Kane doesn't pitch the biggest bitch fit in the world."

"Assuming he doesn't...I still don't see how it will affect you." Emry shook his head. "I already said...I'm not after you, I never came after you, I had feelings...they were in silence."

"Emry...there may be things you understand that I don't, at the same time, there might be things that I know, things that you don't understand, things that you couldn't. You say the cards have fallen, I've seen your hand..."

He leaned forward and grasped Emry's hand, seeing how he suddenly tensed up, feeling the way Emry's fingers curled around his hand and he lightly squeezed Emry's hand. "Mine fell face first, back up." He paused. "Or would you rather be in that position?"

Liam let go of Emry's hand and then turned around and headed out of the room, leaving Emry with quick gasps of air as Merit walked back in moments later with a couple of soda's.

"What happened?" Merit asked.

"Uh...I'm not exactly sure." He looked over at Merit. "I think the world either went into the twilight zone or...I passed out and I'm having the most vivid dream in the world."

Merit sat the soda's on the table and sat in the chair next to the bed. "Trust me, you're awake, if you were dreaming, I wouldn't ask what your dad's name is, I would already know, more than likely."

"True..." Emry looked up. "His name is Cedric." He leaned back into the pillows and sighed.

"Emry...did Liam do something bad? Did he say something? Make you upset? Because I'm pretty fucking pissed at him as it is."

He looked over at Merit. "Well, he actually didn't hurt my feelings at all. He was either messing with my head for whatever reason...or fucking hell, he was serious."

Merit's eyes narrowed in question and suspicion.

Emry frowned. "You're not going to like it." He rolled his head slightly to the other side. "I made some remark about the cards falling as they did, a kind of finishing statement, a conclusion...and he took it and..." He shrugged. "Well, he made a couple of very suggestive statements, not to sound all formal."

Merit opened his soda and he stared at Emry as he pulled the cap off the bottle. "Maybe he was trying to dig at you for the truth about me. He was making accusations in the hall, obviously Siera hasn't said anything to him."

"He did fish about you...and I simply told him you did good things for me, getting me away from my awful mom, which isn't a lie, really." Emry looked at him. "And he went on to say that so long as I was in your life, I would be in his and I basically told him I wasn't going to bother him and the cards fell as they were and he said...his cards fell face down back up and left me with asking if I'd rather be in that position."

Merit nearly choked on his drink as he took a sip and yanked the bottle away and he coughed a couple of times. "He seriously said that?"

"Be careful." Emry frowned. "My translation? I got a secret, and I just obviously hinted at what it was. Either he's just as in the closet as you are, or technically more, since at least I know and Siera knows..."

"Or..mind games and fishing." Merit coughed again and made a face. "Seriously, don't read too much into it. I've known Liam for a long time and if he were gay, I'd have to say he would be very thick skinned to go on the hate path with Kane."

He shrugged and shook his head. "It doesn't matter to me one way or the other. Merit...I am with you, in fact...if I still had any amount of a crush on him...it was just killed when he asked me if I liked being face down, back up." A grin slowly appeared and he chuckled. "Not very romantic."

"Wait...him helping to beat you up doesn't kill the crush, but that does?" Merit's eyebrows lifted.

"I'm a weird kid, comes with the package." Emry smiled and shrugged, grabbing his soda and twisting the cap off, taking a sip.

"Knock knock..." Trillian lightly tapped his knuckles against the open door to Emry's room and he stood at the door, as if waiting for some kind of permission to walk in.

Emry looked away from the television and he saw Trillian. "Wow...you were the last one I expected to see. And no busted lip or black eye? How did you manage?"

"I ran really fast...but Asia will give you a chase." He grinned, joking. He walked into the room and pulled a bouquet of assorted flowers from behind his back. "I just...well, I hoped if no one else did..."

Emry grinned. "And the bad boy has a soft and sensitive side." He shook his head. "Be serious with me, what did I do? To get this side of you?"

Trillian laid the flowers on the rolling table near Emry's bed. "Well...I should of got something to put them in." He shrugged. "You didn't do anything..." He stepped closer. "Okay well...you showed me what it was like to...actually be at a party with someone, to actually be liked. You did really like me, right? At least for the night?"

"Why?" Emry asked.

"Most of the time...I feel like just one more piece of bling for Asia...like a pet that she just drags around." He said.

"Well, I did need you to get Asia started..." Emry shifted over and patted the edge of the bed.

Trillian sat down and he looked at Emry. "So I was just..collateral damage?"

He looked at Trillian and shook his head. "No, I liked you...and that's what made it better, worth it." He smiled. "I'd do it all over again, no offense to Justin, but I had a better time with you, short...but better." He shrugged. "Why does it matter? You aren't into guys, are you? I mean...it was just a dare."

"True." Trillian looked up at him. "Except...there was something about you and...to anyone else, if I even admitted it, I might say I hate it...but I couldn't tell you that lie."

His eyebrows lifted and then a grin slowly appeared. "Okay...I've heard of gay for pay...but for circumstance or...rather...for me?" He shook his head. "Trillian, I didn't do anything special, I just...pissed your girlfriend off."

"Yeah, but if she'd actually been with me, you wouldn't of been able to do that." He shrugged.

Emry was quiet for several moments, toying with the cord to the remote. "So, what? You want the attention? You liked the attention?" He looked up at him. "Better to get it from who you can than to not get it at all?" He sighed and shook his head. "I don't mean to sound...bitchy, but...you don't just...be straight and make an...exception."

"How do you know?" Trillian asked. "There are plenty of gay guys out in the world today married, love their wives and aren't sexually attracted to them."

"So, you aren't attracted to me?" Emry asked.

He almost laughed, for a second a grin broke out and then faded. "Okay...I haven't even thought about that, there are so many things I haven't considered. I just feel like...there is this opportunity in front of me and I don't even know what to do with it...and that's probably because of all of these questions you're asking me."

"You know...it's new to me too." He dropped the remote on his lap. "In fact...relationships or being with someone...it's all new to me."

"You've never been with anyone?" He looked up at Emry.

"Well, would you be in such a hurry if you worried about having a seizure everywhere? Which I so happened to do as I tried to make a classy exit..." His eyes shifted down. "Or how about this...the fact that right after orgasm...I could go cataleptic...I just found that out."

He frowned. "Emry...if someone cares about you, those things won't matter, they would take care of you. I felt so horrible about what happened...but Merit dived in, became hero."

"So, what do you want, Trillian? What am I supposed to do with this?" He looked up at him.

"I would never consider this with anyone else...and you seem really close to Merit...but I have to ask because I just see an opportunity here." Trillian looked up. "Maybe we could experiment? And I don't just mean sexually, actually that's not even at the front of my mind."

"You realize you would lose Asia forever? She doesn't seem like the forgiving type to me, plus she would probably see you as a reputation killer, tainted gold, metaphorically speaking."

"So? If Asia meant that much, I wouldn't have these thoughts." Trillian shook his head. "Question is...are you willing to risk Merit? And don't think I don't know, maybe everyone else is clueless...but I'm good at reading people."

"That's really hard...Merit has done nothing wrong, he doesn't deserve to be hurt, he's done so much right, everything right." He looked up. "The only reason I could justify it...would be to blame his hater friends...which is so unfair."

"But...didn't his hater friends not just...beat you up, but steal your medication? There is a safety risk involved, and I think Merit's a nice guy...maybe a little too nice. We have two things in common, that event happened before either of us really met you, but if it were me, I would have made them sorry they even looked at you wrong."

"It's tempting.." Emry frowned. "You're tempting..." He looked up at Trillian. "I'm so mad at you...because you just put me in a very horrible position and gave me a very hard decision, someone who did so much right for me, and someone who could offer me things that can be so attractive, and the idea of being the one to take Asia's boyfriend, not a bad bonus." He shook his head. "Bad position."