I've been loving you a long time;
Down all the years, down all the days.
And I've cried for all your troubles,
Smiled at your funny little ways.
We watched our friends grow up together
And we saw them as they fell.
Some of them fell into heaven,
Some of them fell into hell.
Remus liked a lot of things about Grant. His smile, his corkscrew blond curls, his brash, unapologetic sense of humour. Grant was a likeable person. But there was one thing Remus absolutely refused to tolerate.
Grant loved football. He wasn’t a fanatic, but he definitely had more of an interest than Remus really felt was necessary. He supported Queens Park Rangers - and even bought himself a knock-off kit t-shirt one year, plus the blue and white striped scarf. Never one to simply observe, Grant was an occasional gambler too, and on Saturdays he played on a gay men’s team away down in South London.
That was how he met Neil Newman - a tall, good looking football player with spiky hair and thighs you could crack walnuts on - and how Remus met Anthea Luong; Neil’s part-time girlfriend.
“Part-time?!” Remus raised an eyebrow when Grant explained. He was tying up his boot laces, ready to go for practice one Saturday and Neil was coming to pick him up.
“It’s not that unusual,” Grant winked at him, Remus took the point.
“But if Neil’s queer --” Remus tried. Grant lifted a finger,
“Get with the times, sunshine - queer’s out. We are Gay Men, and we are proud.”
Remus rolled his eyes, “Whatever. If Neil’s a Gay Man , then how does Anthea fit in?”
“I reckon he must be bicentennial.”
“You mean bisexual.” Remus corrected.
“No, he’s two hundred years old,” Grant poked his tongue out. “Yes, Mr Literal, bisexual .”
Remus couldn’t really blame Neil for that, once he’d met her too. Anthea was a very attractive girl. She was tiny and springy, with long satin black hair and glittering eyes. Her mouth was like a rosebud, and she had the most beautiful skin Remus had ever seen. She dressed like Cindy Lauper, all frills and dayglo.
“ So nice to meet you,” she grinned, stretching up on her tiptoes to kiss Remus’s cheek in greeting. Neil just gave him a slightly wary nod - Remus was used to that, from Grant’s paramours.
“Tea, everybody?” Grant offered.
“Nah, we’d better get going.” Neil said, rather pointedly, Remus thought. “Want to get there early, don’t we? Warm up.”
“Is that what you call it?” Anthea stuck her tongue out at him. “Remus, can I stay here with you? I’ve got so much I want to talk to you about.”
“You have?!” He stared at her, alarmed. He hadn’t even known Neil had a girlfriend until ten minutes ago.
“Oh yeah, I told Anth here how good you are at astrology.” Grant said cheerfully, pulling his denim jacket on. It looked silly, in shorts and long socks, but everything football related was ridiculous to Remus.
“Astro nomy .” Remus said, “Very different things…”
“S’all stars and that, innit?”
“Well…” he didn’t really have an argument.
