Purple Ink (SatoGou)

Chapter 10

Serena and May don't seem to mind when I show up with Goh. They're already sitting at the table when we arrive together, because we decided to walk down with each other. They just smile up at us and wave, and once we order and sit down with them, they launch into a conversation with me. While Goh still doesn't speak much, every time I dare a glance at him he's smiling, and he seems more at ease with them than he did yesterday.

Occasionally, I feel Serena's feet knock against mine under the table. After the first few times, I figure out it's intentional. Her eyes are fixed on me, her chin resting on her palm and her elbow on the table, and I give her a tight smile, but unless she outright admits she's interested, I can't shut her down, because I might be wrong about it. Goh seems to notice too, and glances between us, his jaw tight. May seems oblivious, raving about a restaurant she tried yesterday.

After an hour, when we've long since finished our coffees, Serena and May have to leave, to meet with another friend they made while out shopping named Aria. They're standing to leave, walking around the table past me, when Serena slips a folded up piece of paper on the table in front of me. I look up at her, confused, but she just smiles at me, and follows May out, leaving Goh and I alone.

We both look down at the paper, and then up at each other at the same time. I reach out and unfold it, and like I suspected, her number is written across it neatly, each individual number written perfectly. I stare down at it, blinking, unsure how to react. If I weren't in the situation I am in, I might have texted her, just to see what happened, but...

"Bold," Goh says, but his eyes are narrowed. I fold the paper back up and shove it in my pocket, deciding I'll figure out what to do about it later. "Are you gonna text her?"

I wince a little, feeling harsh. "I... No, I don't think so. Not like that, anyway."

"Oh," Goh says, running a finger along the rim of his empty cup. "May?"

I shake my head. Is this an interrogation? My heart sinks as I wonder if he's asking to see if I'm competition, because he does seem friendly with Serena, and does smile at her a lot. "Are you into one of them?" I ask.

He pulls a face like he was about to laugh, and barely stopped himself. "I- No. I'm um..." His face glows red, and he turns away from me, staring down into the mug. "I'm not into... women."

I almost choke. Oh. Oh. He's gay. I don't realise I'm staring, and haven't spoke for a few seconds, until he glances at me, looking like his nerves are completely shot. I blink, trying to clear my head, but his revelation has sparked something to life in my brain, and I almost want to tell him, now that... Now that I know there's a chance. A real chance.

"Oh," I say, swallowing. "Sorry. I didn't realise."

"It's fine," he says down into the mug. "So yeah, she's all yours," he adds, jokingly. But his eyes flick to the side, meeting mine, and I realise he's waiting. My breath catches in my throat as I realise. He's waiting to see if I say that's why I'm not interested, too. But I can't, because I am into women, but also men too. That, at least, I've figured out about myself. I try to think of a way of saying that without outright admitting it, because that seems... forward, and he technically didn't ask.

"I guess she's just not my type," I say, panicking at the silence. "It's um... Both, for me."

His eyes widen, barely enough for me to notice, but I do. I watch as his chest rises and falls, and I wonder if he's feeling what I do- extreme nerves, and extreme butterflies. This is the closest I've come to flirting in person since Lillie, even though it's not really flirting at all. I think I might be sick. My throat is so dry. I need another coffee-