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Chapter 2 Brett shifted across the room and Theo caught his reflection in the mirror, standing by the door, watching him. Theo's eyes fell away. "Can I ask you something, Brett?" he asked shyly. "I suppose." Theo took a breath. "How did you know you were gay?" He picked up a can of hairspray and then put it down again. He realised how blunt and stupid the question was but he was so confused that even the simple questions needed to be asked. "I fancied men," Brett replied shortly. "Oh." Not the answer Theo had wanted, of course, but what other one could Brett give? Silence stretched out between them while a million other stupid questions flooded Theo's mind and teased the back of his lips to open and then close again. "Is there something wrong?" Brett asked finally. Theo eyed him in the mirror again, finding the reflected Brett less threatening than the real life one. "Do you have feelings for someone? A guy?" Theo shook his head but he wasn't really saying no. "You're bound to be curious, The'," Brett said wisely. Except Brett was never wise. Theo's suspicions grew a little. "You're in a band with a gay man. Who wouldn't question their sexuality?" "I'm not," Theo said stupidly. |
"Who is it, Theo?" Brett pressed. He caught Theo's eye in the mirror. "Someone I know?" And there it was. The reason why Brett sounded wise when he wasn't. The reason why Theo's suspicious bone had started to itch. It was because Brett himself was suspicious. Did he already know? Theo worried. Or was it just that he could see where Hayden's feelings were being drained? Theo didn't think anyone could know what he felt yet because he didn't even know himself. But maybe by being a gay man Brett just knew who was gay and who was not, even if that person wasn't sure himself. "I don't have feelings for anyone," Theo said quickly. "I was just curious." "Curious is natural," Brett said again. "Just don't go using the wrong someone to find out what you like." Theo turned all the way around this time. He heard the threat in Brett's voice and wanted to see it in his eyes too. Except it wasn't in the brown eyes of his friend, only in his tone. Brett wasn't a violent person, not even argumentative. He was just afraid. He didn't want to lose Hayden. Where did that leave Theo? "You're close to Jerome," Brett said, eyes fluttering shyly, more like his usual self. "You guys are always together. Is it him?" Theo laughed and shook his head, his lip curling up at the thought of loving Jerome in a sexual way. "If the thought of being with men repulses you that much then you can't be gay." But it wasn't men that Theo wanted to be with, there was only one man. And that one man wasn't Jerome. Although he could certainly see why someone would think it might be. He and Jerome were very close. They were best friends, in fact. Jerome was always hugging him, pressing his mouth against his when drunk or excited; they'd been naked in each other's company too many times to remember. Once their tongues had |