“No, he’s working out.”Adam looked into the middle distance and smiled, presumably at the thought of his bloke with his muscles all pumped up.
Guilt twinged in Si’s chest.“Sorry to drag you away from him.”
“Hey, you’re my best mate.Course I’m going to be here for you.Let’s get inside, though.It’s bloody freezing.”
Pushing open the door of the pub, Si was hit with warm, beer-scented air and the buzz of conversation.Even on a Sunday night, the place was busy, although not packed.His gaze darted to the bar, but he couldn’t see Zig there.“Pint of Becket’s?”he asked Adam.
“Cheers, mate.”Adam followed him to the bar, where they got served almost immediately.
The barman was tall, blond, and fit in a lithe, skinny way.The sort of bloke Si could easily see Zig with, which hurt a lot worse than it should have.
“Oh, it’s you.”He looked at Si strangely.Unhappy, but resigned, maybe?Si was still wondering what that was all about and if he was imagining it, when the barman spoke again.“Zig’s out back.I’ll tell him you’ve come.”
Then he loped over to the door to the back and called out, “Zig?Your boyfriend’s here.”
Beside Si, Adam went still.“Boyfriend?”
“What?No.I told you, we’re just mates.”Si wasn’t sure how convincing he sounded, which was rich seeing as it was the truth, but hearing himself called Zig’s bloke had done weird things to his insides that were putting him off his game.
“So why does Blondie seem to think you’re an item?Mate, youknowit’s a bad idea.I can’t believe you—”
He broke off as Zig appeared behind the bar, looking flustered.“All right, Si?Adam?What can I get you?”
Si took a breath, but Adam got in there first.“How about an explanation of what your mate there called you?”
Zig smiled nervously.“What, Zig?”
Adam darkened, leaning over the bar to get in Zig’s face.“Don’t try to be funny.He said you were Si’s boyfriend.”
“And what did Si say about that?”Zig’s gaze turned to Si, so intense it made him totally lose his train of thought.
It didn’t help that Blondie, as Adam had called him, was standing two feet away staring at the lot of ’em.Gods help anyone who wants to get served in this pub tonight, Si couldn’t stop from thinking.
It seemed he wasn’t the only one.Ange marched over from the other end of the bar.“Is this a pub or some kind of reality soap opera?No, don’t tell me, I don’t want to know.You”—she glared at Blondie—“get back to work.And you”—she turned her steely eye on Zig—“if you’re having a domestic, you have it outside.You’ve got five minutes.”
Zig nodded and left the bar.Si stared after him, then roused himself.Zig would be going out the back, so if Si nipped out the front and round the side, he could meet him in the back alley.He hoped.
Adam’s hand caught his arm before he’d gone two paces.“What the hell are you doing?”
“Having a domestic?”Si tried to smile.“I dunno what’s going on, all right?Gonna talk to Zig.”
Adam shook his head wildly.“Why would you tell me you’re not—”
“Cos it’s true!Cross my heart.Look, I gotta go.He’s only got five minutes.”
This time, Adam let him go, and Si made it out of the pub and round the corner fast as he could.
Si found Zig leaning against the wall next to the bins, his arms wrapped around himself, looking so vulnerable it made Si’s heart ache.Si slowed his pace, not wanting to spook him.“Zig?”
“Sorry.”Zig stared at the ground.
“Right.Uh, what are you sorry for?”
Zig looked up then, his face unreadable this far from the streetlighting.“I let Finn think you and me were together.”
“Oh.”Si’s chest felt weird, and he really wished he’d had a chance to get a drink in.The alley wasn’t the greatest place for a heart-to-heart.The best thing that could be said about it was that the bins didn’t stink, although someone had definitely had a pee here in the not-too-distant past.Muted sounds of conversation and laughter drifted out to them from the pub.“Why?”
“He came on to me, didn’t he?”
