When Best Friends Kiss

The Floating - Part 1

"No. I was going to ask if I could come anyway. I'm not trying to hold you back or anything," I assured. "I just want to be a part of your world. What? Do you use this as an opportunity to talk about me?"

Alex knew I was teasing and nudged my rib with his elbow. "Sometimes we talk about sex," he admitted before stepping inside.

Wait, did that mean he and his friends talked about how bad I was?

I chased after Alex. He was already at a table greeting his friends, exchanging waves and air cheek kisses. I'd never met these friends before, though a couple I recognized from Alex's Facebook.

"Everyone, this is Liam. Liam, this is Bradley, Dimitri, Jake, and Bank."

Bradley. He was the guy who Alex said had taught him a lot of supposedly nonsexual things in Toronto. Dimitri and Bank appeared feminine. Jake looked like he lifted and his grey V-neck was pretty tight.

"Glad to meet you all," I said with a smile before realizing I hadn't been introduced as Alex's boyfriend. Was that deliberate?

We sat down and I listened to them chat for a while.

"And then," Jake continued, "she said 'I've always wanted a gay friend.'"

Everyone either rolled their eyes or gasped.

Bank shrugged. "I think girls who like gay guys are cute."

Alex disagreed. "It's so dehumanizing."

"Right!" Bradley agreed. "I'm not gay for you."

Dimitri snickered. "That takes on a whole 'nother meaning."

"You know what I mean."

Bank shook his head. "They don't mean any harm. In Thailand, there are girls who even read comics about us."

"You mean yaoi?" Bradley asked. "Honestly, I read that shit in high school. But it's so unrealistic."

"It's cute!" Bank said.

"They're not allies." Alex frowned. "Thinking we're cute isn't being an ally."

"Thank you!" Bradley applauded and it was kind of irritating me how much they were agreeing.

Bank looked at me. "Liam, what do you think? I want to hear the opinion of a straight guy."

"Liam isn't straight," Alex corrected.

Dimitri laced his fingers, shifted his eyes, and said through his teeth, "He was only fucking girls before you, was he not?"

His crude words grossed me out. I did not 'fuck girls.' I had one girlfriend, who, yeah, I had sex with. Alex's friends were pissing me off.

"Dimitri, really?" Alex snapped.

"That's what we call them, isn't it Alex?"

Bradley jabbed Dimitri and I looked at Alex. His eyes were apologetic before glaring at Dimitri. "That's what YOU call them. I call them bi or whatever they wanna be called." He looked at me. "Don't pay them any mind, Liam. They're clueless."

"Sorry," Dimitri mumbled. He didn't seem particularly sorry, though.

Jake sighed. "Cheers!"

"Why are we cheersing?" Bank asked.

"Because we all need a drink right now."

Bradley and I clinked our glasses of pop with everyone's alcohol and I prayed they'd talk about something I could actually weigh in on.

"Alex said you all talk about sex," I blurted. They stared at me in awe.

"Yes!" Dimitri said, leaning forward with a devilish grin. "What's your favourite position?"