“No fucking way!” Radia puts her hands on her hips, just under the suit jacket she’s wearing.
“Yeah, I’m bisexual,” I say and a surge of pride takes me by surprise. To say that out loud feels… nice.
“Bloody brilliant.” Radia smiles at me and for a second I think she’s going to shake my hand or hug me or something but then her face drops. “Oh, he’s such a fucking numpty!”
“What? Who is?” I ask.
“Giles.” She brings her hand to her forehead, massaging just below the fold of her hijab.
“Why? What’s he done?” Chloe asks.
“What’s hedoing,” Radia corrects her. “He’s on a date. Right now. As we speak.”
“A date? With who?” Chloe steps closer as she questions Radia.
“With Tony,” I say reluctantly. “A guy from the gym.”
When Chloe turns to me, she’s frowning. “And how do you know that?”
I feel heat in my cheeks. “I saw a text on Giles’ phone. I wasn’t snooping. I just picked it up and it was on the front screen. They were making plans to go for a drink.”
“He left just half an hour ago,” Radia explains. “He put on far too much cologne and stank the shop out, but even when he left, he looked like he was walking to a jail cell.”
A burst of hope erupts in my chest, literally lifting my ribcage. “He didn’t want to go?”
“No.” Radia shakes her head. “He was miserable all day. When I pushed him on it he said…”
She trails off and does more shifty eye movements between Chloe and I.
“What did he say?” It’s my turn to step closer.
“I probably shouldn’t say more. I feel like I’m betraying his confidence.”
“Well, technically you already did that when you told me what he said the other day,” Chloe mutters.
“You told Marcello!” Radia points out.
Chloe sticks out her tongue at her girlfriend and even I can see the heat in Radia’s stern but loving look that is her only response.
“You've both shared things maybe you shouldn’t have,” I conclude. “But please don’t stop now. I need to know why Giles didn’t want to go on this date.”
“He told me he was doing it because hehasto,” Radia explains. “And I tried to get him to explain what he meant by that but he said it was too complicated.”
“Too complicated?” I repeat.
Radia shrugs. “I then asked him if it had anything to do with you,” she nods at me, “but he said he didn’t want to talk about it. And honestly, I didn’t think any more of it. I thought you were straight so I thought it was a good idea he try and move on from whatever it is he feels for you, but now you’ve just thrown a massive bisexual spanner in my logic.”
“So what are you going to do?” Chloe asks and it takes me a moment to realise she’s talking to me.
“What can I do? He’s on a date with another man.”
“Who he doesn’t like,” Radia adds.
“Because he likes you.” Chloe nods at me.
“Why didn’t he tell me?” I muse out loud again. “Why didn’t he tell me he liked me?”
“Because he thought you were straight, dummy.” Chloe tuts.
