Chapter Twenty-Four
“Hey, you’re Julian, right?”
Julian turned around to see a pretty brunette approaching him, her broad smile showing off a line of perfectly straight teeth.
He wasn’t sure what it was about the way she smiled that unnerved him, but he was on edge immediately. Maybe because she knew his name, and he had no idea who she was.
“I, uh… yeah,” Julian responded, giving himself a moment to catch up. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure if we-”
“I’m one of Isaac’s long line of ex-girlfriends,” she said. Julian’s stomach sank.
Isaac had told him last night that one of his exes was at the tournament, but that he didn’t really want to talk about it. Now, Julian wished he’d pressed a little more.
Hedidknow it was the same one who’d confronted him last week and upset him so much. Julian wasn’t inclined to even bother playing nice with someone like that.
“Adriana, right?” he said after scouring his brain for her name. The look in her eyes told him he’d gotten it right, which was nothing short of a minor miracle.
“Yeah, I’ve heard enough about you to know that I don’t wanna talk to you. Good luck with the rest of the tournament,” Julian said, turning to leave.
“Wait,” she said, putting a hand on Julian’s arm.
Julian froze, the grip too strong for him to simply slip out of it. His instinct was to avoid hurting a woman, even if she was the one who’d grabbed him, so he didn’t want to force her to let go.
“You don’t really believe he’s just… suddenly bi, do you?” she asked. “And that he’s been saving himself all this time for his frumpy little friend?”
A lump formed in Julian’s throat.
If there was any thought that could have gotten more to the core of his deepest insecurities about his relationship with Isaac, he hadn’t come across it yet.
“He is bi,” Julian said, because he believed that. Hehadto believe it, he owed that much to Isaac. Besides, straight men tended to have a lot less sex with other men than Isaac had over the past week.
So. Julian wasn’t unsure about that part, not really.
The part he’d been struggling with the entire time was believing that Isaac might wanthim, when everyone else he’d ever been with was… stunningly beautiful.
Even if he immediately didn’t like Adriana, Julian couldn’t pretend she wasn’t gorgeous. He didn’t even have to be attracted to women to know that she was cover-model beautiful.
Like all Isaac’s other girlfriends. Because he could have whoever he wanted.
“This is a publicity stunt,” Adriana responded. “Come on, you don’t think he’s not loving the attention? Salivating over the prospect of how many girls would appreciate an open-minded guy? Of advertising opportunities with brands who want to look diverse and accepting?”
“It’s not like that,” Julian objected. It might havestartedthat way, but…
There was something between them now. It was real.
Wasn’t it?
The doubts he’d had in the beginning started creeping back up Julian’s spine, sending a shiver down it in their wake. What if…
“Oh, the look on yourface,” Adriana said, her voice suddenly soft and sympathetic. “He’s letting you think there’s a real connection between you. Have you had sex?”
Julian’s eyes widened. He didn’t plan on answering, but he knew that the look on his face gave enough of an answer.
“Right, of course, he’s still Isaac. He’s never cared who he got off with before, as long as he got off.” Adriana shrugged. “I’m sorry. But if it helps, you’re not the first. I bet he even set up one of those quirky just-for-you dates, huh? One that wasso special.”
Julian swallowed. He remembered Isaac standing in his living room with a box of Lego, grinning at him, telling him that he’d wanted to do something special.
But that had been… it had been such a nice thing, and it had been just between them, something from their shared past.
