Page 37 of Love Limits

Ash was going to continue the conversation, but that was when Landon wandered in. He looked tired and rumpled.

He gave Ash a quick wave and a too-bright smile that didn’t reach his eyes, then headed toward the other end of the table to check in with Bruce. Then he got sucked into a conversation with a couple that Ash only knew peripherally, laughing and being the usual sparkling center of attention.

Marco followed Ash’s gaze, then caught their attention while Landon’s back was turned. Is that your guy?

Ha! No. That’s Landon, the other coordinator.

You’re watching him very closely.

Well, I might have an eensy little crush on him. He’s sexy and confident and… it’s that whole thing where I don’t know if I want to be him or sleep with him. But I was mostly watching him right now because he’s not-dating the best friend of the guy that I’m not-dating, and I can’t find the best friend.

Marco laughed again.

Sounds complicated.

Yeah. I don’t even know Landon that well. I just want to. They shrugged. I met my not-Daddy because Landon invited me over for a game night, but that’s really all the time I’ve spent with him.

Ash looked around for Dustin. They knew Dustin and Landon had spent the night together because Zhong had mentioned it.

When he arrived a few minutes later, he looked even more stressed than Landon. He sat down next to Ash and tossed a sweatshirt over the adjacent chair, presumably to save the seat. Landon was still flitting around the room being the life of the party.

Hey Dustin, meet Marco, Ash introduced him.

They chatted a bit, but Dustin didn’t talk much. He seemed to be a quiet guy, and his nervousness this morning was contagious.

Alright, Ash was done with the awkwardness. They turned to Marco. Tell me about yourself. What brought you to our fine city and what do you do? They threw in a little extra smile and leaned in close. Now that they knew it wasn’t going anywhere, it was fun to flirt a bit.

Ash kept things light, trying to draw the other two out. They tossed in a few stories about pup night and the Caregiver/little community, mostly in case Marco was interested or Dustin was curious. Or in case Dustin wanted to mention to Zhong how much fun it would be to be Ash’s Daddy.

Dustin certainly seemed fascinated by it all, and clearly too shy to ask any questions, and he was clearly distracted by Landon.

Marco humored Ash, but he didn’t bring up his predicament with his sub again. Maybe it was too much to share with another stranger. Ash hoped to get his number and hang out some more, though. He seemed like a nice guy, and there weren’t that many Deaf kinky folks in the area.

Landon finally came back and perched on Dustin’s lap like he belonged there. He launched right into the light flirtation though, chatting up Marco and drawing Ash in, too.

Behind him, Dustin was visibly restraining his hurt and frustration. And seriously? It was a dick move. Even if they were being casual, sitting on someone’s lap and flirting with someone else wasn’t cool unless both people were into it.

It might be a game for Landon, but it wasn’t one that Dustin looked like he wanted to play.

The thing was, it wasn’t like Landon to be cruel. Ash didn’t know him closely, but he’d always seemed kind and respectful. There was also something sad that kept sneaking across his face. He kept looking at Dustin even while he flirted his way around the rest of the room.

The two of them needed to get their shit together or call it off if it wasn’t working.

Ash tried to keep the conversation light, but the tension was getting to them. When their food came, Landon wandered off to the end of the table, since he’d ordered while he was hanging out down there.

Ash was about to say something, though they weren’t sure what, when Marco beat them to it. You should tell your boyfriend that you don’t like it when he flirts with other people.

He’s not my boyfriend. Dustin looked defeated.

God, the three of them were a fucking mess this morning. Dustin was in good company, even if he didn’t know it.

But you want him to be? Marco’s hands moved gently through the question.

I don’t think that’s what he wants, so it doesn’t matter.

Ash privately didn’t think so. They’d never seen Landon so worked up about anyone, and they’d been watching him for a long time. If anything, it looked like he wanted Dustin too much and was running from it.

The two of them still needed to communicate better, though.