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I nod. “Yeah. After the team karaoke night. Alex told me I should give him a chance, and then I just…told him.”
“That wasweeksago,” she says, clearly still floored by this revelation. “You told someone else you’re gay weeks ago and? I’m only just hearing about it now?”
She has a point. Ordinarily I’d have been on the phone to her as soon as I got back from driving Archie home that night, panicking about what I’d just confided in him. But I didn’t feel the need to do that this time; despite my less than enthusiastic?acceptance of him into our team, I instinctively knew he was someone I could trust.
I shrug. “It’s like you said—I’ve been really busy lately. You know, with the season underway, and these extra training sessions with Archie, and we’ve been hanging out a bit as well…”
“Wait a minute—is Archie Milligan now your go-to person? Are you piling all your shit onto him now?”
I offer a fond smile, amused by her attempt not to come across as jealous or possessive. “Don’t worry, you’re still my number one shit-scooper.”?
“Yeah, but you could be having sex with Archie,” she points out, letting out a wry snort. She’s joking, of course, but my face must give something away because her laughter cuts off abruptly and her eyes widen like saucers. “Oh my god. Holy fucking shit. You want to have sex with him, don’t you?”
“What? No I don’t!” Bloody hell, why did my voice go all high and squeaky all of a sudden?
Courtney grins at me like the cat that got the cream. “You so do. You want to fuck the hell out of him.”
“He’snineteen,” I remind her.
“So? He’s fit as, babes. You should go for it.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I mutter, taking a long sip of my tea.
“What’s so ridiculous about that? I’m sure he’d be up for it. Even his parents said he has a crush on you.”
I roll my eyes. “Had,” I correct. “A childhood crush—which, for the record, makes me feel about a hundred. But I’m sure he’s well and truly over it by now. I mean, I don’t still fantasise about Robbie Williams.”
“Please, if Robbie wanted to have a go you wouldnotbe turning him down.”
“Speaking of people named Williams, I’m pretty sure Archie’s into Alex now,” I tell her, trying not to let on how irritated I am about this particular situation.
“Now you’re the one being ridiculous,” Courtney says. “Alex is straight.” Then her brows draw together in thought. “Right?”
I sigh. “Yeah, as far as I know, he’s straight. But that doesn’t mean Archie’s not into him.”
I’m not about to go into all the details of the flirting and how strange it’s felt since he stopped—she certainly doesn’t need any more ammunition.
“Well, if it’s bothering you, maybe you should try talking to him?” she suggests.
“It’s notbotheringme,” I protest, that weird squeaky quality returning to my voice.
She lets out a wry breath of laughter and takes our empty mugs over to the sink. “Okay then. You want to watch a movie?”
I nod, glad she’s not about to force me to talk the issue out. She knows me well enough to realise my walls are about to slam into place. I don’t want to analyse the reasons behind this feeling of irritation and unease I get every time I think of Archie being interested in Alex. It’s none of my business who Archie Milligan is interested in. None at all.
We end up watching one of Courtney’s chick flicks, but I’m pretty zoned out for most of it. It’s an old one that has something to do with a girl pretending to be engaged to a guy in a coma. Because that’s something sane people do…
When the end credits finally roll, I glance over to Courtney to see her dabbing at her eyes.
My brow furrows in concern. “Why are you crying?”
“It’s just such a sweet movie. I always love that end scene.”
I grunt in disagreement. “Sweet? More like psychotic. That woman belongs in jail. Surely that’s some kind of fraud.”
Courtney sighs. “I forgot who I was sitting with for a moment. I swear, Tom, there’s not a romantic bone in your body.”
“Not liking a creepy stalker movie doesn’t mean I’m not romantic,” I say defensively.
