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“So, since when did you and Seb have matching rings?”
You look up, startled. “What?”
Sam leaned on the arm of the chair where you were sitting. “Don’t think I wouldn’t notice.”
You blink at him. “Again, what?”
He rolled his eyes, tipping the Joja Cola in his hand at you. “I will admit, I only realized a couple days ago. But come on, you’re wearing the exact same ring on the exact same finger. That has to mean something.”
You narrow your eyes, thinking he surely must have lost his marbles. It was only a matter of time before he snapped, you’d always joked…
But then you freeze. Glancing over at where Sebastian was soundly defeating Abigail at pool, you caught a good look at his right hand as lined up the cue to take his shot.
And there, on his middle finger, rested a simple, jet-black band, stark against his pale skin.
Well, shit.
You hadn’t explained your asexuality to your new friends yet. There had never really been a good time, you weren’t sure how to explain it, and to be quite honest, you were scared of how they’d react. The last time you’d told someone had resulted in a very messy breakup, the repercussions of which becoming one of the main reasons you’d left Zuzu City.
Sam nudged your shoulder, bringing you back to the present, and gave you a suggestive look.
“Come on,” he smirked. “It was only a matter of time…”
You glared at him, feeling your cheeks turn red. “Oh, shut up. It’s nothing like that at all.”
Did the ring even mean the same thing to Sebastian that it did to you? It certainly matched his style, fitting in with his piercings and ebony nails. It wasn’t even the only ring he was wearing.
But it all seemed to align too perfectly to just be chance.
“Uh huh. Suuuure.” Sam’s voice made it perfectly clear that he didn’t believe you.
You shove him off the arm of the couch, making him yelp. “You’re delusional. It’s just a coincidence.”
He raised an eyebrow at you, still clearly skeptical. Your perfectly crafted glare was interrupted by Abigail flopping down onto the couch next to you.
“Well, that was embarrassing,” she said, stretching her arms over her head. “I think I need a drink after that.”
Sebastian followed her over, folding his arms and smirking. “Right, because losing that badly really takes that much out of you.”
Sam grinned at him. “Just because you make it look easy…”
Sebastian rolled his eyes as the rest of you chuckled.
“Well, now that I’ve had my ego boost for the day, I’m gonna head home,” Sebastian said. “I’ve got stuff to finish before Sunday.”
Making a split-second decision, you stood up. “Actually, I might leave too if that’s alright.”
“Sure, whatever.” he said, raising an eyebrow as Sam not-so-subtly nudged you in the side.
Hoping you weren’t blushing too hard, you followed your friend out of the saloon and into the autumn evening. This investigation you were about to conduct was purely to see if you had found a kindred spirit in your lack of sexuality, and not at all because of the beginnings of a crush that had been creeping up the past few weeks. Definitely not.
The two of you strolled through the darkened town, exchanging a few words about the oncoming changing of the seasons and how your crops were faring. But as you approached the bus stop near your farmhouse, you worked up the courage.
“Seb, I uh, actually wanted to ask you something.”
He looked over at you, dark eyes glinting in the moonlight. “Go for it.”
“Um, that black ring you have. It’s… pretty cool. Does it like… mean anything?”
You inwardly winced. Couldn’t have made that any more awkward.
Sebastian slowed, taking a deep breath and running his hand through his raven hair.
“Yeah. It’s kinda complicated, but the short version is I don’t want to fuck anybody.” He glanced at you. “But based on your eloquently worded question, I’m guessing you already had your suspicions.”
You went red for the third time that night. “You caught me. I actually have one, too.” You held out your right hand so he could see the unadorned band on your middle finger.
He blinked at it. “Well, how about that,” he muttered. “You’re asexual?”
You nodded, giving him a small smile, which he returned.
“That’s actually kinda comforting. I’d say I’d never met another one before now, but that’s not surprising, given the amount of people in this small-ass town.” He gave a slight chuckle. “Is that what Sam was bugging you about earlier? The matching rings?”
“Yup.” You both stopped in front of your house, not wanting to end the conversation quite yet. “Honestly I’m surprised neither of us had noticed before now.”
He smirked, then looked up at you, expression serious again. “Are you… aromantic too?”
You met his eyes, a funny feeling flickering in your chest. “No.”
He visibly relaxed. “That’s a relief.”
You looked at each other for a moment before you managed to get the question out. “Are… are you?”
In response, he took a step closer and reached for your hand, stopping so that only your rings brushed against each other. You swallowed, his warmth and proximity making your heart pound.
And then he pulled away, allowing you to breathe again.
“See you around, Farmer.” The familiar nickname echoed in your ears as he vanished into the darkness.
You leaned back against your door, feeling a grin creep across your face. Sam was going to lose his mind.