Sal couldn't vent to Russell. Not only was he unable to call him, but he'd only get a bunch of "I don't minds" out of him. Which very well could have been lies. No, there was one person better suited for this conversation. Sal dialed Savannah's number.
"Today was awful," he said, after they exchanged hellos. "I-"
"Hang on. I'll be right over."
Sal was met with the dial tone.
Exactly 15 minutes later, his bedroom door opened. He jumped and saw Savannah closing the door behind herself. "Can't you knock? What if I was changing?"
"You always lock the door when you change," she said.
"I used to," Sal said, holding his head high. "But maybe I don't anymore. Maybe I change with the door wide open now."
Savannah sat on his bed, pulling him into a hug. "What happened?"
Sal explained how he unknowingly went on a date, confessed his sexuality, and the things Ray had to say about asexuals dating. Savannah sat cross-legged, giving him her undivided attention. Her lip curled upon hearing the insults Ray had thrown at him, and by the time he finished, she seemed ready to track Ray down and smack him.
But instead of proposing they track down and smack Ray, Savannah gave him another hug. "He sounds like an ass."
Sal nodded. "But he's right, isn't he? Russell probably feels ugly because I don't want to do him. And I really don't want to do him. What should I do?"
"You're asking an aromantic asexual for relationship advice," Savannah reminded him. "You'd know better than me."
"You're right. I need a romantic sexual's advice." He furrowed his brow, trying to think of any romantic sexuals he knew who could give him advice. Sal refused to have such a conversation with parental figures, so Tyler, Brenda, and Michelle were out. As much as he and Terry got along, he didn't feel close enough to pour his heart out. Mouser was neutered. His mother was dead, and also a parental figure.
"What about Stewart?" Savannah asked.
"Stewart! Sav, you're a genius." Sal pulled out his phone and called Stewart.
"Hello?"
"Hey Stewart, it's me."
"Sal? Is it really you?"
"Yep."
"Gee, what do you want from me?"
Sal scoffed. "What makes you think I want something from you? Can't I call an old friend to catch up?"
"Well, yeah. It's just that, nobody ever calls me unless they want something. You really wanna catch up?" Stewart's voice picked up. He sounded thrilled.
"Sure," Sal said. "Let's start with-"
"Golly, things have been amazing. My pa got me a summer job at his company, so that I'll have money and accounting experience. And you'll never guess what happened."
Sal rubbed his forehead. "What happened?"
"I got a girlfriend!"
"What!" Sal nearly fell over, and held onto his dresser to steady himself. "A girlfriend? You?"
"She's real swell. Her name's Shirley."
"Surely not."
"Yeah, and I'm glad you called. I've never been in a relationship and I want to take things further, but I'm worried it's too soon. How long did it take you and Russell to go all the way?"
"All the..." Sal's eyes widened, and he had to tighten his hold on the dresser. "We haven't!"
"Really? Gee, it's been over half a year, hasn't it? I mean, Shirley and I are at second base, and we've only been together a fortnight."
Second base? Sal could never keep track of what base was what, but he had a feeling he was still on first. He forced himself to chuckle. "I'm kind of asexual, in case you've forgotten."
"I haven't," Stewart said. "But I heard some aces will still home-run it. I thought maybe you had."
Sal lowered his voice. "No, I haven't. And I don't plan to."
"Well that's something. Does Russell know that?"
"Yes."
"And he's still dating you? That's amazing! I don't think I could ever be in a sexless relationship. I'd feel ugly and unwanted."
"Thanks. You're a real help."
"No problem." Stewart sounded as if he'd never been happier in his life. "Sorry, I have to go now. Shirley and I are going to Johnny Rocket's for burgers and milkshakes. We can talk more later. Bye!"
"Bye," Sal said to the dial tone. He hung up, then sat on the edge of his bed, tossing his phone aside. He knew he should be happy for Stewart, but his fears were officially confirmed. He rubbed his temples.
Savannah looked at Sal. "What'd he say?"
"That he has a girlfriend he wants to do but he's worried it's too soon and asked me how long it took for me and Russell to get to that point."
"Oh."
"He said he couldn't be in a sexless relationship. He'd feel ugly and unwanted." Sal buried his face in his hands. He tried imagining himself performing sexual acts with Russell, but the thought alone filled him with nausea. "I can't do it."
"He's been with you for so long," Savannah said, resting her hand on his shoulder. "If sex is such a big deal to him, wouldn't he have dumped you in the beginning?"
Sal shrugged.
"I don't know Russell very well, but judging from that, I think he loves you more than sex."
Sal thought about Russell's feelings towards teenagers being in love and laughed. "You really don't know Russell."
"I'm telling you, it's rare to find a non-ace who's willing to give up sex. Especially when they haven't been together long."
Sal still wasn't convinced, but dropped it. Savannah barely knew Russell. What would she know? He stared at his desk, where he and Russell had first played Turbo Pug so many months ago. And yet it felt like years. He pulled his knees to his chest. "I'm still making him feel ugly. Stewart would feel ugly. I trust his judgment."
"Hmm..." Savannah tapped at her chin, brow furrowed. "Sometimes when I take the bus, men will hit on me, and get offended when I tell them I'm not interested. It's like their self-esteem is getting crushed because someone isn't attracted to them."
"So non-aces feel ugly when someone isn't attracted to them." The whole concept seemed bizarre. Sal stroked his chin, trying to imagine what it was like. He slapped his hands on his thighs. "I'm Russell's boyfriend, and I'm not attracted to him sexually. So he must feel hideous. I'll have to change that."
"How?" Savannah asked. "You shouldn't force yourself to-"
"No, there must be other ways to make someone feel sexy, without doing the sex. Now think." Sal poked her forehead. "What, other than sex, makes someone feel sexy?"
Savannah leaned forward, resting her chin on her clasped hands. "Telling them they look sexy?"
"Good start." Sal made a mental note of it, although it seemed too easy. "That might not be enough though. I've done eight months worth of damage."
Savannah got off the bed, and started pacing.
Sal watched her walk back and forth, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Movies," he prompted. "What do they do in movies?"
"Make out," Savannah said.
"We do that all the time."
"Thanks for sharing." Savannah stopped. "Sometimes they talk dirty."
"Talk dirty." That sounded easy enough to pull off, although he wasn't sure he had it in him. Then again, he seemed to be a natural flirt, given Tina's comments during lunch. Yes, talking dirty should be a piece of cake.
"And undress each other."
He winced. "I can't."
"Can you handle sliding your hand up his shirt? That might make him feel desirable."
"I've already done that," he mumbled. He could feel his face reddening, and had to tear his thoughts away from-
"Have you touched his butt?"
The thoughts flew out of his mind. "God no!" He paused. The action didn't seem too terrifying, as long as Russell had pants on. He'd have to give himself time to get comfortable with the idea first. "Maybe I can try that."
"It's a start," Savannah said.
Sal nodded. "A start indeed."
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