“Then?” I ask archly.
Stef closes his eyes for a moment, his expression shifting to news anchor smooth. “My situation’s complicated,” he says at last.
“Yeah? So’s mine. And I’ve apologized—and will continue to apologize about?—”
“It’s not that.” Stefanos waves me off.
I lift my eyebrows and make a very dedicated effort to shut my mouth. Unable to keep entirely still, I shift against the cushions once more, draping my arm over my head. I wiggle my fingers. He stares.
“Your situation?” I prompt.
“Um, yeah. Complicated. It’s…”
“Jesus, Stef. Out with it.”
Stefanos glares at me, and it’s fucking hot. There’s something really wrong with me that I love provoking people. Patience isn’t really my strong suit.
“Nobody knows I’m gay,” Stefanos confesses, looking away. “Well, almost no one. Maybe I’m bi. I don’t know.”
It’s my turn to stare at him. “Wait. What?”
“Obviously, you know, Theo?—”
“Obviously.”
“And James does too. But no one else does. And… I’ve got to keep it like that.”
Frowning, I sit up and give him a hard look over the phone. “It’s not the Middle Ages, Stef. Princes can be gay. Even Auggie came out.”
Stef shakes his head, looking unhappy. “It’s not because I’m a prince. It’s because my father won’t understand. We’re Greek. He’s very traditional?—”
“Greece is, like, the motherland of homosexuality, I swear. I mean, just look at the Ancient Greeks.”
To his credit, Stef keeps his steady gaze. Resisting the instinctive temptation to provoke him, I sit back and finally remove my arm from over my head.
“The irony hasn’t escaped me.” Stef sighs. “Listen. I should go. I just… I wanted to apologize to you for leaving the way I did when I was in London.”
“I can be discreet,” I say lightly.
Stef gives me a stern look. “You sank a yacht.”
“Oh, what happened to we sank a yacht, hmm?” I drawl.
The reward is a slight twitch of the corner of his mouth. “Theo…”
“So now what?” I frown. “That’s it? Are you freaking out because you’ve been with a man now?”
“No!” Stef shifts uncomfortably. “It’s just… you can get on with your life and getting ready to be a king, and I can figure out how to get a job as an archaeological tour guide, I guess.”
My frown deepens.
“You’ve got a party next weekend,” Stef says softly. “I’ve really got to go now…”
I sigh too. “Go. If you think that will help.”
Troubled, he nods. “Night, Theo.”
“Night.”
