Page 34 of The Player's Lounge

“Steele, why?

“As inQ.Steele.” His eyes widened before a frown folded into his brow. “You… you were the one who wrote to me a few months ago, before we got big on TikTok, telling me I was too old to be a rapper. Or something like that, anyway.”

Quint winced. He had? He tried to search his memory, but ended up shaking his head, and the words that followed were genuine. “Well, that’s why I had to leave. The company was starting to become faceless. I was signing rejection letters on behalf of people like Kris that were too busy pandering to those bloody docu-soap stars to bother with real talent like yourself.”

“Nice save,” said Leo, his smile sayingjust a small save, though.

“I’m truly sorry.” Quint distractedly touched his arm.

Leo looked down and seemed comfortable with it, much to Quint’s relief.

“Really, it’s fine.” Leo winked at him.

“Hey, it looks like it pushed you into becoming TikTok sensations, though, so in a way I did you a favour,andI’d never seen your stuff.”

“You’ve never seen our stuff? That’s outrageous.”

Quint cringed inwardly and shrugged an apology as Leo feigned shock.

As they walked past one of the bird enclosures at Regent’s Park Zoo on their right, a commotion drifted over, a fluttering, which gave Quint an idea. “You like animals, right?”

An instant smile came to Leo’s face. “Yeah, how did you know?”

Quint knew. They looked after many animals back on Vondiv’d. They used to go for walks through the hills, searching out wildlife, leaving food for desperate feral creatures that they wished they could tame.

Leo’s attention focussed towards the enclosure in the zoo, and he rose onto the tips of his toes to no doubt see if he could see what else was over the wall. “So, why did you ask if I liked animals? I’ve got that vegan vibe, haven’t I?”

“You’re vegan?”

Of course he was. They both used to be. Eating animals or using them in any way for food just wasn’t a thing Vondiv’dian people even thought about doing. Leo was the sort of person who would have stood by those principles. Quint however had succumbed to the joys of a good steak and had managed to silence any guilt he felt about it. It was just what the majority of people did here and he couldn’t see it ending any time soon.

“I’m more vegan in attitude. I can’t resist a dirty burger from time to time,” chuckled Leo. “Naughty, I know.”

Quint laughed, partly in relief so that he wouldn’t have to feel too bad when eating a bacon sandwich on a Sunday, hungover with Leo sitting opposite him in his dressing gown at their breakfast bar, a glimpse of his chest beckoning them back to bed.

He slapped himself out of that fantasy before continuing to sell his idea. “So, the reason I asked about whether or not you liked animals is that there’s a zoo in the park.”

“And you thought, as a vegan, I’d like to go and look at a load of animals locked up in their cages?”

“No, I mean, yes. Sort of. They’re treated quite well in there. I think? Actually, now you put it like that, maybe let’s not, eh?”

Leo’s face softened as he exhaled a chesty laugh. “I’m joking, you wally. Come on, let’s go to the zoo.”

ChapterSixteen

Quint bought the tickets, and after making their way through the turnstiles, they walked through to a central meeting point.

“Hmm. Where to start?” said Leo, tapping his chin.

“I’m thinking ice cream.”

“Be rude not to, wouldn’t it? I hope they’ve got some vegan options, or I’m walking.”

Leo winked at Quint as he playfully punched him on the arm.

Quint led them over to the kiosk and ordered a tub with a couple of scoops each, adopting the strategy of ordering different flavours so that they could sample as much of the menu as possible between them. He made sure they agreed on their choices, just to make sure all four flavours were to both of their tastes.

After chasing the last of the melted ice cream around the bottom of the pot with his plastic spoon and tightly sucking it into his mouth, Leo made the first suggestion. “Reptile house?”

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