“Oh,” he says, his posture softening. His shoulders drop to where they should be. “I’m Olly.”
I don’t know where to go next, and although Olly is being less rabbit-in-the-headlights than he was a moment ago, he’s still inching backwards with every step closer I get. Part of me wants to check over my shoulder to see if Lando has any advice, but another part of me prays there are no witnesses.
I scratch the back of my head. Should I even attempt the eye-fuck?
“Is that your boyfriend?” Olly says, pointing behind me.
Lando coolly leans against a pillar, his amaretto and Coke held in his long elegant fingers at hip height. He gives us a delicate wave. So effortlessly cool.
“No. No, we’re not . . . He’s not . . .”
“He’s fucking hot,” Olly says, without taking his eyes away from Lando.
Awesome, so not only am I playing second fiddle to Mathias and my siblings and everyone else I’ve ever met, but now I’m going to be second choice when trying to hook up with randomers.
“Yeah, he is,” I say, because as annoying as that is, it doesn’t stop it from being true.
“Is he a switch?”
“A what?”
Olly tilts his head to the side as though I’m the one speaking a different language to him. “Does he ever top?”
“Huh? I don’t know. No. I don’t think so.” I’m suddenly feeling defensive of Lando, and of my own terrible grasp on gay culture.
“Do you?” Olly places his hand on my forearm, and my nervous system floods itself with adrenaline.
This is it.
My fight-or-flight moment.
I just need to stay cool.
Need to channel Lando’s suaveness.
Fight, I’m gonna fight. I’m gonna—
I turn one hundred and eighty degrees and make arun for it.
“What the fuck happened there?” Lando kicks himself off from the pillar.
“I dunno,” I say, covering my face with my hands. “I can’t do this. I’m very, very terrible at it.”
“So what happened?” he says again.
“He asked me to top.”
“That little slut!” Lando says, laughing like he’s never been in Olly’s position. “Do you know what that means?”
“Yes, I know what that means. I’m not that naive.”
He holds up his hands in surrender.
“So, do I win?”
“Of course not. I said you needed to get off with a guy or get his number. You only win if you can do either of those things.”
“What’s the prize?”
