Scribbles. "I feel like if I were gay I would be better at getting dates than that, but okay."

"I'm adjusting for 'loudly insists that he's definitely straight,' if you weren't doing that I'd have said you dated two thirds of the gay guys at your high school. Next question?" 

"I clearly should have insisted I were straight less! --A lot of questions about sex, but I assume the answer to that is that I didn't."

"You have not had sex with a guy, no." 

He turns the page. "Oh, great, they're asking about Robin. --I can't say 'I loved her a lot and we fucked constantly,' can I."

"You loved her a lot, you talked about poetry, you didn't not have sex but don't say you fucked constantly even if it's true." 

"We did talk about poetry!" Writing writing writing. "Do you want to hear something she wrote?"

"I'd love to, once your work's done. My point is, don't lie, but deemphasize the sex." 

"You're no fun at all," Asher complains. Writing writing. "Now they want to know about the porn I look at. Jeez."

"Lots of one girl two guys threesomes. A little actual gay porn, maybe a little bit of lesbian porn, some nebulous amount of straight porn but if it was kinky at all it was femdom, and you like Tessa Fowler." 

He doesn't look up from the book he's reading, but he makes a face. 

"That's... surprisingly similar to the porn I actually watch. Except I don't like femdom. --Sorry, Marlo, I'd take this conversation elsewhere except they're afraid that if we're alone together I'm going to rip off Sasha's clothes and ravish him."

"Not your fault." He still doesn't look up. 

"God, I wish. Next question?" 

"That's all the pages we have to do today. Wanna hear the poem Robin wrote for me?"

"Yes, I do." 

He recites:

Today when persimmons ripen

Today when fox-kits come out of their den into snow

Today when the spotted egg releases its wren song

Today when the maple sets down its red leaves

Today when windows keep their promise to open

Today when fire keeps its promise to warm

Today when someone you love has died

     or someone you never met has died

Today when someone you love has been born

     or someone you will not meet has been born

Today when rain leaps to the waiting of roots in their dryness

Today when starlight bends to the roofs of the hungry and tired

Today when someone sits long inside his last sorrow

Today when someone steps into the heat of her first embrace

Today, let this light bless you

With these friends let it bless you

With snow-scent and lavender bless you

Let the vow of this day keep itself wildly and wholly

Spoken and silent, surprise you inside your ears

Sleeping and waking, unfold itself inside your eyes

Let its fierceness and tenderness hold you

Let its vastness be undisguised in all your days

He enunciates clearly and speaks slowly and with emotion.

He closes his eyes while Asher is speaking and doesn't open them when Asher finishes. 

"...that's beautiful." 

Lev sets aside his workbook to listen.

"She's a really good poet."

"She is." 

"I still miss her."

"I can tell." He leans against Asher's side. 

Asher tosses an arm around him and pulls him closer.

Asher is warm and gives excellent hugs. 

"...out of curiosity, why does a straight guy watch gay porn?"