“Kevin, what the—” I shook my head. “Wait, hold on, back up.”
“We’ve been dating for three months now, and I’m… I mean, I’m happy,” Kevin said with a shrug. The poor man was dying of nerves. That wasn’t the important part right now.
“Holdon,” I said. “You know I’m not—I am not dating Bridget.”
“You’re—what?” He looked like I’d just punched him in the gut. Samuel looked suddenly like he wasn’t supposed to be here and was nervous about it. I felt like throwing up.
“Jesus Christ, don’t tell me Mom thinks—Kevin.Is that what this is about?”
They exchanged anxious looks. “You were on a date together when I found you,” Kevin said defensively. “She just about ripped my hand off when I touched you.”
“Oh, my god.” I put a hand to my forehead. “Shit, okay, hold on. Back up. I’m… okay. One thing at a time. Hi, Samuel. Sam? I don’t know what you prefer. It’s nice to meet you. I’m… I’m happy for you.”
They didn’t look convinced. Oh, god, my brother was trying to come out to me and I was being a jackass.
“No, I’m sorry. Really, I am happy for you. I support you completely. Wait, so—” I shook my head. “You mean Mom’s been coming to terms with me being in a relationship with a woman?”
“She said you were insisting on moving in with your girlfriend back here instead of staying with the family,” Kevin said. “She was apoplectic.”
And now she was coming around enough that she insisted I invite Bridget. Oh, god, it made sense—why she sounded so resigned but was insisting on it. She was making a concerted effort to support me. On my girlfriend I didn’t have. Iwasbisexual, but she’d… she’d gotten the right answer by the wrong method. I didn’t know how to reverse-come-out.I’m not dating Bridget, but coincidentally yes I am bisexual, but also I wouldn’t be caught dead dating someone around my family and bringing a girlfriend around to see you?Kevin was grateful for me doing the legwork of getting Mother to come around on a queer kid, even though I’d done it by mistake. I felt like I was suddenly in the middle of a spinning-plates act that I hadn’t even been the one to set up.
“I’m—” I put a hand to my forehead. “She’s just an old coworker. I don’t think she’s even… I think she’s straight. I mean, I don’t know. It’s not as though I asked her. Can you imagine? Rolling on up to my new roommate’s apartment sayinghello, do you fancy the ladies?”
“So you weren’t on a date together,” Kevin said skeptically.
“No, it was just—she’d just about saved my life giving me this place to stay, and I was paying her back with dinner.”
“Saved your life? You know you could have stayed with Mom.”
“We’re not dating. I mean, I’m not…” I rubbed my forehead. “I don’t know what’s happening right now. I’m not…”
“You’re not gay,” he said.
“No, I am. This is not how I thought this would happen. If I’m being frank, I didn’t think this would happen at all. Let alone while you’re also coming out. I’m bisexual. I’m also not in a place to date anyone. Especially not someone here. Especiallynot my roommate.” I sighed heavily, a whoosh of air as I slumped back against the couch back. “Okay, that’s done and settled. Congratulations to both of us. It’s really nice to meet you, Samuel. Sam?”
Samuel lit up—seemed like he was the type to bounce back easily. “Sam’s good. Nice to meet you, Vicky. Or do you prefer Victoria?”
“Only my family calls me Vicky. So only if you’re that serious with Kevin.”
“Ooh, she’s issuing a challenge,” Sam said, nudging Kevin’s side. “Do I have your permission?”
Kevin laughed. “Are you asking to marry me? That’s a bit quick.”
“Oh, I just got rejected,” Sam mock-gasped. “Well, Miss Victoria Jameson, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
I laughed despite myself, despite… everything. They were cute.Cute.Ugh. That was what Kevin had called me and Bridget, when I was talking about our musical tastes lining up. That would be cute, if we were a couple. We were not. “If you’re debating between Vicky andMiss Victoria Jameson,please, it’s Vicky,” I said, and Sam grinned.
“In that case, Miss Vicky Jameson, I’m honored.”
“Oh, god. That’s worse.” And speaking of worse, the door cracked ahead of me, and I got a nervous knot at the sight of Bridget stepping out of her room, and she smiled at me. Kevin spoke up.
“Is that Bridget?” he said, and Bridget went wary at the sound of her voice before I could see the moment she placed Kevin’s voice, briefly flashing embarrassed. Probably still thinking about the time she’d told my brother to back off and not to touch me. I really didn’t know how to express that, even though hewasmy brother, the fact that she’d done that was thesweetest thing I’d ever experienced and I didn’t know how to process it.
“Big family reunion on the couch?” Bridget said, coming cheerily over and dropping on the couch next to me. I stiffened slightly, suddenly keenly aware of how close we were sitting and whether that looked like it meant anything.
“Hi, Bridget, this is Kevin and, uh—” I blanked. Kevin gave me a dry smile.
“My boyfriend, Sam,” he said. I felt a soft spot of relief when Bridget didn’t so much as blink, beaming.
