‘Oh, thanks,’ Quinn said. Truth be told, Daniel didn’t lie. His hair, sometimes combed, stuck up from a night of sleep. He’d rolled out of bed and walked downstairs. ‘I had a restless night.’
‘Is it about Noah?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, word has spread that he left.’ Daniel gave Quinn a look of pity. ‘And someone else said that they’d seen him go to yours the night before. Did something happen?’
Great. So now Quinn was the gossip of the town because Noah left in a hurry? Knowing that someone had already whispered about them confirmed Noah’s feelings. The sense of community in Hay was strong, but it acted like a double-edged sword. Quinn loved the community aspect, but Noah wouldn’t, couldn’t. In some ways, Quinn almost wanted to tell Noah that he had validation.
‘It’s not like that.’
‘Do you need to go back to sleep?’
‘No, I’m here for the day.’
‘If you’re sure.’
Quinn headed to the counter, checking emails and doing the regular daily admin. Daniel flitted between the shelves, organising for the customers. As Quinn headed towards the kitchen at the back to make them a coffee, he heard Daniel cough.
‘So, gay sex.’
Quinn spun around, looking at Daniel. ‘Excuse me?’
Daniel, standing at the counter, placed his hands on his hips. ‘Uh … yeah. I’m thinking about doing it.’
Quinn blinked, realising he had sleep around his eyes. He rubbed at them, wishing he’d woken up earlier so that he could be more alert.
‘You’re thinking about having gay sex?’
Daniel cleared his throat. ‘That’s right, and I’m wondering if you have any tips.’
‘I…’ Quinn paused, looking at his watch. Ten minutes until opening. ‘Daniel, I thought you were straight?’
‘I’m … notnotstraight. At least I don’t know if I’m straight.’
‘Do you want to chat?’
‘I thought that’s what I was doing.’ Daniel rubbed at his neck.
‘Normally people don’t open with “so, gay sex”, but I’ll let you off,’ Quinn said. He leaned against the nearest bookshelf. ‘Tell me what you’re thinking.’
‘For a little while now, I’ve wondered if I might be…’ Daniel waved his hands, as if unable to find the word.
‘Gay?’ He shook his head. ‘Bi?’ Again, a no. ‘Pan?’
‘Something other than straight, I guess,’ Daniel said. ‘Um … no offense, but it’s why I took the job.’
‘Oh?’
‘I thought maybe I could start working here and, like, I don’t know, get whatever I felt out of my system,’ Daniel said. ‘Only the more I met people, the more books I put on the shelves, the more I let myself feel what I was feeling. I’m scared.’
‘Absolutely normal.’
‘It is?’
‘Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?’
Daniel struggled to find the words. ‘You seem so … confident? Especially with this fight to save your shop. The way you’re arguing back with people who tell you what to do. I’ve never seen that side of you before. It makes me realise how … secure you seem in who you are.’
