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KWAN
Ichecked my phone the moment I woke, but there’d been no response from Beau at all. I was saddened and disappointed at the same time, but I knew this situation was of my own making. I’d ignored the guy and now warred with myself on how I’d dealt with this whole thing.
I wouldn’t blame him if he never spoke to me again; more’s the pity. Something had stirred in me, though, when I’d seen the guy being pushed around by this dick of a boss. I hated bullies, and this guy had abuser written all over him. I knew what he’d been insinuating with his underhand comments, and the man’s depravity had sickened me. He’d looked sleazy, dirty even, and the thought of what Beau might have had to do made me shiver.
It also made me more determined to make sure he was okay, especially after last night, but first, I had to deal with Kasem and, quite possibly, Saul.
Cho had already got up; I could hear the shower running. He always was an early riser, unlike me. I preferred to stay in bed until the last possible minute. I looked over at the other bed to see it empty too. Maybe Sammy had gone down to breakfast already. I yawned and stretched, feeling the pain in my wrist. It was definitely better but would take a couple of days to heal. The knuckles seemed better too.
The shower turned off, and mere minutes later, the door opened , Cho stepping out, a towel tightly tied around his waist. I’d been attracted to him. He was my best mate, and I think he might have been the first person I came out to, although I’m pretty sure he’d suspected for a few months, maybe even years.
“Sammy at breakfast?” I asked, climbing out of the warm bed.
“Yeah, probably. He’d left by the time I got up. You taking a shower?”
I nodded, wishing I could have an extra half an hour.
“Water's still hot anyway. I’m just going to get changed and go for food. I’ll see you down there.”
Cho was lying when he said the water was still hot; there was barely any left. I showered quickly, doing my best to restrap my wrist. I’d need to get Sammy to do it again before rehearsals.
When I got downstairs, I sat at the table with Cho and Sammy, looking around for the others. Li and Kasem sat at another table, but there was no sign of Saul. He often didn’t make it down this early. It was just after 9 a.m. after all,and with the amount he’d put away last night, I wondered how he got up some mornings.
No doubt, he’d be at the rehearsal, though. He rarely missed those, constantly pushing us. Not that I minded, I loved dancing.
“So, they look mighty cosy,” Cho said, nodding over to where Kasem and Li sat. “I wonder what they’re talking about.”
The glances they were throwing our way, I had no doubt we were the topic of conversation, but it didn’t bother me. I didn’t really care. Kasem could do his worst, tell Saul if he wanted to, but I was done being told who I could or couldn’t see. Thinking about Beau with his boss had made me realize I should be doing what I wanted to instead of being forced to do something I really didn’t.
Kasem and Li stood and walked over to where we sat, a smirk on both of their faces. Since when had Li joined forces with Kasem? That’s what I wanted to know. He was one of the founding members, had been with us from the start, and not once had he ever shown any interest in Kasem…until now.
“So, boys!” The condescension dripping from Kasem’s voice was unmistakable. “How did you sleep? Did you have a fun time all together? Who knew you were into threesomes?”
Li looked between us all, now with a slightly uncomfortable look on his face.
I was about to stand and put him in his place, but Cho spoke instead.
“Just walk on by, Kasem. Your homophobia is showing. I don’t understand why it’s such a problem for you. Or maybe I do.” Cho looked at him, one eyebrow raised. I sniggered and felt the heat of Kasem’s gaze.
He said nothing, though, and strode out of the dining room, Li close on his heels.
“Well, that was interesting, and do you know what my theory is?” Cho looked over at me, and I shook my head. Sammy stayed quiet as usual.
“I think he’s gay himself or certainly bi. I’m not quite sure which yet, but I’ve seen him looking at you, watching you, and sometimes, he doesn’t look so hostile. I swear I see something more in his eyes.”
I snorted. “Don’t be fucking ridiculous.”
“What? I know what I’ve seen, but I have no proof. So, when he says he’s going to tell Saul, well, I just think that maybe it wouldn’t be in his interest to do that.”
We carried on eating for a while in silence, enjoying the full English. We might be Asian in descent, but we still loved our bacon and eggs.
It was a full five minutes before Cho spoke again.
“Did you hear from that guy? Beau, did you say his name was?”
I fished my phone out of my pocket and checked the messages. I could see the text had been delivered but not read, so I supposed that was something. He wasn’t deliberately ignoring me anyway. Maybe he hadn’t got up yet. Maybe he was having a morning in bed with his boyfriend. I quickly dismissed that thought for as little as I’d known the guy, barely speaking to him, he hadn’t seemed the type to cheat. I mean, I could be wrong. He could be a serial cheater, but he just hadn’t struck me as being like that.
“Nothing, but he hasn’t read it so, I don’t know. I shouldn’t have ignored him. I’m wondering whether or not that guy was his boyfriend. I know they were close to each other, but I just didn’t get that vibe from him. That he’d cheat.”
