“You do?” I say, astounded.
“Sure. You may never get another chance.”
“In case you haven’t noticed.” Radia walks around the counter and approaches her girlfriend. “She and I are not the same.”
“But we make it work,” Chloe says and they press their lips together, arms sliding around one another’s waists.
“So you’d take the sex?” I ask Chloe for clarification.
“Totally. I’d jump their bones.”
“But what about… my hypothetical feelings?”
Chloe hums as she thinks this over, both she and Radia disentangling themselves from each other slightly. “What are you more afraid of? Havingsex with them and getting hurt? Or never having the opportunity to have sex with them, and still potentially getting hurt?”
My mouth falls open and not because I have an eloquent answer ready, but rather because Chloe has just made the most compelling argument yet, and I am apparently very, very eager for compelling arguments.
“You’ll make a good lawyer.” I wag a finger at Chloe.
“The best,” Radia agrees, looking up at her girlfriend proudly. “Although relationship expert, you are still a beginner.”
“Did I say the wrong thing?”
“I mean…” Radia says and then winces.
“It was the perfect advice. From both of you,” I add.
“But whose are you going to take?” Radia challenges me.
“Hypothetically?” I add with a wink.
“Sure, hypothetically, whatever,” Radia rolls her eyes again, “although we all know this is just some guy at the gym who’s accosted you.”
“Oh, you should ask Marcello for his advice!” Chloe declares. “When you’re training together later.”
“Marcello?” Radia makes another face. “Does he give good relationship advice?”
“This is not relationship advice. This is sex advice. Or did I get that wrong?”
“It could be both,” I offer. “That is hypothetically out of my hands.”
“Just ask him. Marcello, I mean,” Chloe says. “He comes across as a bit clueless and hopeless when it comes to sex, orrelationships,” she emphasises that word for Radia, “but he was very sweet when I used to talk to him about Radia.”
“You talked to Marcello about me?”
“Of course!”
“And that didn’t seem to turn out so badly,” I say watching them smile at each other.
“Of course, he’ll have no clue what it’s like questioning his sexuality. That man’s as straight as a piece of uncooked spaghetti.” Chloe laughs at her own joke. “But he’ll listen to you and he’ll try and help.”
“Maybe I will talk to Marcello,” I say, doing my very best to keep a smirk off my lips. I glance at the silver wristwatch on my arm.
Only forty-two minutes to go.
Chapter Seventeen
Marcello
