“I had a girlfriend sophomore through senior year in high school. We didn’t last through basic training, and that was mostly on me. I loved her in high school, but halfway through basic, I knew my feelings were in a way high school was where they ended. I’ve dated a lot but not as much as other guys I know because I find the game playing annoying. If I ask a woman out, I know her and know I definitely want to know more about her. Not know how many days she makes me wait to get a return text. Being active military isn’t conducive to relationships, but I saw a woman at the base who was also enlisted. We broke it off before I got out. Had one long-term relationship since, that lasted nearly a year. She wanted marriage and babies and made that plain. I wasn’t ready, which made it plain to me she wasn’t the one. And that’s it.”

I stared at him, liking that he leveled the playing field straight off the bat, making something awkward and not fun at this stage in our relationship something that was quick-hit sharing.

I gave, he got.

He gave, I got.

And he continued doing it.

“I’m not into kink but I am into being creative. That will range from the fact we will not only fuck in a bed, but anywhere we feel like it to light bondage and me willing to talk through shit you might want to explore. And I have a life philosophy. That being, you shouldn’t just be aiming to do it right, or not at all, you should aim to excel at it. And that includes sex.”

Oh my.

“You not into kink?” he asked boldly.

“I, uh…really…never gave it much thought from a practical standpoint.”

“Either of these guys or any guy you’ve been with try to introduce it and you shot him down?”

I shook my head, going on to say, “Which is probably why I didn’t give it much thought. It wasn’t introduced and I’ve never been with a guy long enough to uh…as you say, explore.”

A short nod, no commentary, more questions.

“Any guy tell you he wanted to take you to a sex club? Watch BDSM porn with you?”

I shook my head again, but shared hesitantly, “Though, I watch porn.”

His ear dipped to his shoulder and his voice changed. “Yeah?”

I nodded my head.

“You watch with a guy?” he asked quietly.

I went back to shaking my head.

“You want to?”

“I’m into gay porn,” I told him.

“Well, shit.”

He grinned.

But I sat up straight.

And Axl didn’t miss it.

“What?” he asked.

“Well, I watch BDSM gay porn. Some of it is pretty hard-core.”

“And it’s a watch thing only?”

“If you mean on my laptop, yeah.”