Page 51 of Just Like You
The only thing I could do. Because perhaps Juliet had been right. Perhaps deep down? I was someone who could mean something.
The thoughts were blowing around in my head, scrambling everything in front of me. I was walking in a straight line, then turned around and walked straight back as I took a phone call from Juliet and could barely get a word out.
“Kieron, are you alright?” She laughed as I once again mumbled out something incoherent.
“I’m wondering if I should fly to São Paulo and knock some sense into Julian,” I admitted as her laughter died out.
“You talked to him?”
“He just rang. He’s fuming. Thinks I have lied to him; I think about Gina. I can only assume, but I, I…I managed to stay calm. It felt, like I got… Do you think I did the right thing?”
“Hey, back up, I have no idea what you’re on about. So he ghosted you because you lied?”
“No!” I shrieked. “He thinks I’m with Gina. I think. It wasn’t very clear.”
“Kieron, the whole fucking world thinks you’re with Gina. Did you not talk to him about that?”
“We spent four days fucking, Jules! It wasn’t like…well. I… Shit. I should have mentioned that, shouldn’t I? Didn’t think it was… Like. I wasn’t even… I was having a good time, not sat around worrying about Gina.”
“She has, like, half a zillion followers. People are aware of her, and if they pay attention? You tend to pop up in conversation.”
“It’s not like that.”
“You know that. The world doesn’t. Julian probably didn’t. Not everyone follows celebrities with giant boobs. Especially perhaps gay men who have no interest in such things.”
“Gay men like boobs. It’s not… Fuck. I have fucked up, haven’t I?”
“Yes. You probably have. But you know what, Kieron?”
“Juliet,” I whined. I did that a lot. What the hell had I become?
“For once, you are aware that you’re being a dick. And that, my darling, is progress. Proud mama here.”
I grinned. She did that to me.
“You know, I appreciate you,” I said awkwardly.
“You can tell me you love me, you know. I know you do. We’re just that kind of people, aren’t we? Easy friendships.”
“Is it?”
“Well, it should be awkward. But. You know. Remember when I caught you fucking that intern in the photocopy room?”
“Awkward. There are unwritten rules about things like that. Rules like,Juliet, we don’t mention it again, remember?”
“We do. Because I needed help back then, and there you were with your cock up an arse. I didn’t have much experience with men’s backsides, and you were more than willing to purchase my silence. For a few little titbits of information.”
“I knew absolutely nothing about pegging.” I smiled as I said it.
“But you did. You and I had such a fun evening, and you showed me all the sites and all the different kinds of equipment I could use. It was very enlightening.”
“I was just scared you were going to turn the conversation around and stick stuff up my arse, right there.”
“Would I?” She snorted.
“It was very inappropriate, Jules.”
“Of course it was. It still is. It’s you and me.”
