Page 52 of Unrequited Sloth

“It’s not that funny.”

Sergio looked at him as if to say, “Are you fucking kidding me? This is hilarious!” Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh with him.

“Look, I’m sorry about this. It’s complicated, I know, but Bobby and I aren’t together in that way. It’s just a legal thing, which will be sorted in a few months.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“What do you mean?”

“I wasn’t sure what was going on at first, but now I know the details, I think your husband might be jealous that you’re on a date with another guy.”

“Bobby’s straight.”

They both looked over at Bobby, who was watching them with his jaw clenched.

“Not to keep repeating myself, but are you sure about that?” asked Sergio.

Gabriel was about to say that of course he was, but the way Bobby was looking at them both gave him doubts.

What. The. Fuck.

It was at that moment their food arrived. Gabriel wanted to go back and speak to Bobby, but he had a different idea.

“You can tell me to fuck off, but we both still need to eat, and I’d like to test something.”

Sergio looked over at Bobby again, and then back to Gabriel with a smile.

“Of course, let’s eat.”

They sat down and got comfortable. Gabriel didn’t look over at Bobby, but he could feel his eyes on him. It felt possessive, and Gabriel couldn’t help but feel a bit turned on by it. Thankfully, Sergio was taking the whole thing in his stride. He’d be well within his rights to be pissed off. Gabriel wasn’t convinced about what Sergio had said about Bobby, and believed it was more, “you’re taking my friend,” instead of anything deeper.

Nothing was going to happen with Sergio now. The whole thing was messy, and nobody would want to get involved in it all, but he could still have an enjoyable evening with a handsome guy.

The conversation flowed, and the food was incredible, as it always was here. For what was effectively a restaurant bar in the city, the food was to a high standard. It wasn’t presented in a pretentious way like some restaurants, and you always got generous portions. However, the quality was better than some Michelin-starred restaurants Gabriel had been to. Ryan was an amazing chef, and Gabriel was sure he wasn’t the only one who wondered why he wasn’t working in a high-end restaurant instead, but their loss was a gain for all the customers here.

“Did you want to go somewhere else after here?” asked Sergio.

“Where did you have in mind?”

“Just a drink somewhere else, where we aren’t being watched.”

“You don’t just want to run home and put this down to a terrible night?”

Sergio chuckled. “I’ve had a fun evening. If you were . . . available, then I would ask for another date, and I know you’re not in a relationship with Bobby, but I think you’d like to be.”

Gabriel’s eyes widened, and he felt his face heat. “You must be an excellent lawyer.”

“I am.”

“And cocky.”

“That too.”

They both laughed.

“If he hasn’t been attracted to a guy before, then this will all be new to him. Remember, we went through all that when we were teenagers. Imagine being in your thirties and having those feelings. If you are interested in him in that way, you could nudge things along and see what happens.”

“What if he rejects me? I don’t want to lose him as a friend.”