The Realist

by Riley Hart

Marcus To listeners of The Vers, a queer podcast I host with my three best friends, I'm known as The Realist-I accept life the way it is, believe in honesty over sugarcoating, and okay, I can maybe be a little bossy. If you asked The Vers guys, they'd tell you I'm a caretaker who's always thinking of others, but they also give over-the-top hugs and don't believe me when I say feelings are the worst. It's why I have no business offering Kai Lewis a place to stay when he's in need. He's a flirt who makes no secret about wanting in my bed...somewhere I'd like to have him if he wasn't the employee of one of my closest friends. But he's too trusting and leaps before he thinks, so at least he won't get taken advantage of if he's with me. Now he's always around, wearing shorts that leave nothing to the imagination and saying he wants to take care of me because I'm always doing it for others. It's not long before I can't resist him-a man who likes listening in the bedroom but is stubborn in other situations. Kai is sweet and funny and gets me to open up to him. Maybe this whole relationship thing wouldn't be so bad...if he wasn't nine years younger...and leaving Southern California soon...or if I had any idea what I was doing. The Realist is an age-gap, forced-proximity romance with a bossy realist and a sunshiny flirt who has Marcus wrapped around his finger.