Page 7 of Faking It (and falling in love)

“What can I say?” said Alex, “Philippa was my knight in shining armour.”

Philippa rolled her eyes, the comment doing nothing for the warmth in her face. “Hardly. I just stepped in when some terrible letch looked like he was about to paw at you, and you didn’t look at all keen.”

“Well, you’ve made my day. It’s not every day a gorgeous strident lawyer comes to my rescue by declaring me her girlfriend!” Alex gave Philippa a wink.

Charlie’s eyes went wide. “Well now, that was a story worth waiting for. Although I’m tickled by the idea of Fletch needing rescuing. Generally it’s others that need rescuing from her. Ow!” Charlie clutched the ankle Alex had just kicked.

“Oh be quiet. I am a delight,” she said, raising her glass. “Here’s to confusing and confounding boorish straight men.”

“Yes,” said Philippa, clinking her glass, while wondering what Charlie meant about people needing rescuing from Alex.

“Well congratulations, darling,” he said, turning to Philippa. “As comings-out go, that was pretty spectacular. Gerry looked rather starry eyed about the whole thing.”

“Oh God, don’t,” said Philippa. “I have no idea how I’ll explain that at the next gathering. I need him to take me seriously!”

“Then don’t explain,” said Alex, laying a hand on Philippa’s forearm, causing her hairs to stand on end. “Just go with it.”

Philippa wasn’t sure what she meant. Did she mean she wanted tobewith Philippa? “I mean, I don’t really know you very well,” she began, falteringly.

“Ah, all that’s overrated. I’m always available for corporate shindigs, weddings and bar mitzvahs,” shrugged Alex. “It’ll keep me out of trouble.”

Philippa’s stomach dipped slightly. Alex was talking about continuing the charade. Or was she just joking?

Charlie snorted. “Well, perhaps that will halt the endless trail of tearstained women following you around after you sleep with them and abandon them.”

“Shhh,” said Alex with mock anger. “There’s no need for my new girlfriend to know about all that. And anyway, I might be mending my ways.” She took a pensive sip from her cocktail, watched by Philippa, who was trying to keep up.

“Hmmm, I’ll believe it when I see it,” said Charlie, taking another swig from his glass. “In the meantime, we need to get Philippa out onto the scene so she can start breaking hearts herself.”

Philippa laughed, feeling slightly uncomfortable. “Well, I’m not sure about that. I’m just keen to make a few friends who are like me.”

“Oh,” said Alex, putting down her glass and looking serious for a moment. “You’re new?”

Philippa smiled warmly. “Brand new.”

“Well, bab, I’ve got to hand it to you, you didn’t strike me as someone who was in any doubt about who she was or what she wanted back there,” said Alex. She grinned. “I’m sure I can show you the ropes.”

“Oi!” said Charlie.

“I mean I’ll introduce her to a few people, you old mother hen. It would be entirely inappropriate for me to seduce her when she’s freshly laid, as it were.”

“Well, quite,” said Charlie.

“Excuse me,” said Philippa, interjecting into the two friends’ conversation, “I am here, you know. And surely it’s up to me whether or not I’m available to be seduced.” She took a mouthful of the sweet coffee-flavoured martini and tried to look more poised than she felt.

“Fair point,” said Alex, and Charlie nodded, too.

“So, how did you two meet?” asked Philippa, desperate to move the conversation away from herself and the fact that she had shivered slightly when Alex said the word ‘seduce’.

Alex and Charlie gamely took up the story, explaining that Alex had done some freelance work for an organisation Charlie worked for years ago and how they had struck up a friendship.

The conversation flowed freely between the three of them. Charlie went off to the gents and for a moment Alex and Philippa were alone. “Well done,” said Alex, her voice low.

“Well done?” Philippa furrowed her brow.

“Yes. People imagine that coming out is easy and quick and straightforward these days. But everyone has their own story, as I am sure you do. There are always hurdles to cross, and we all do it in our own way. Well done for getting this far and knowing yourself well enough to be who you are.” Alex’s gaze travelled across the bar. Her words were warm, but she was obviously thinking about more than just Philippa.

“Well, thank you. I guess it all came to a bit of a head when my husband – my ex-husband now – retired. I figured it was never too late to make a change. And so I did,” said Philippa.

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