"I'm Not Crazy"

V.

"So you have a girlfriend?" The man, Riley, demanded with a look that told me he was aware of how ridiculous he was being. His eyes were on me fleetingly. They were quieter than his tone when he looked back at his fiancé. "Seriously, Basil?"

Bird, who might have actually been called Basil, laughed slightly with closed lips, like they couldn't quite stop themselves. They had a light in their eyes, watching Riley's face harden in frustration that didn't quite meet the softness of his gaze.

"She is a friend," Bird/Basil said calmly, glancing my way. Their lips were still curled in slight amusement.

I enjoyed hearing that, although I was pretty sure we were seldom more than acquaintances. I was currently too inebriated to do more than feel the glee it elicited, so I did not give it much more thought. I just watched the exchange like tennis. The scary man that Bird had chased away was almost completely lost from my memories.

"A friend that you're fucking," Riley accused. He looked at me suspiciously. His eyes were not amused like Bird/Basils, but they weren't exactly angry. He almost looked hurt, although words didn't seem to know how to convey exactly where the hurt came from. I was certain he wouldn't be able to explain it. "You know she looks like a child, right?"

"No," Bird/Basil said with a slight shake of the head. "You know that isn't true."

I thought about the dancers. I thought about mentioning that I was not a sexual being, that nobody had ever actually looked at my adult body with lust, and that there was no chance that Bird/Basil and I could have possibly done such a thing. I didn't voice it, because Riley seemed to already know all of those things.

"Why are all of your friends so weird?" he demanded.

"That's impolite," Bird/Basil said, glancing at me apologetically. "He doesn't mean that in a bad way."

"You left me," Riley replied, his tone changed to pull back Bird/Basil's attention. His forhead creased. The hurt became more visible.

"I thought you'd fallen asleep, darling," Bird/Basil said. That time, their voice was honey, sweet and pointed at the man like a soft caress. I thought the word darling made even my own stomach warmer, although that could have just been the alcohol.

"You told me you weren't working tonight," Riley added, although instead of an argument it now felt as though he were simply narrating the events for his own clarity. "I woke up to the door closing. You left me there alone."

"Bryn—"

"Bryn picked up the night shift," he cut them off. "And the cat was sleeping. You left me, and I was the only one awake."

His eyebrows were creased further. His tension felt sharp and breakable. I deduced that this man did not enjoy being left alone. There was clearly a discussion that premeditated this one. There were agreements. These were people that knew eachother well. They had a life, and promises they kept to eachother and this conflict was a real one. A promise had been broken. Riley was voicing his feelings on the matter. Bird/Basil was listening. There was so much compassion in their face. They didn't even seem to mind that Riley was escalated. Bird/Basil seemed to see and appreciate that Riley was actually attempting to be quite level about the whole thing.

It was like a study in human interaction, right infront of me. I thought that my Psychology in Human Relations professor would have been having a fantastic time watching.

"I'm sorry," Bird/Basil said, and they grabbed the man's hand gently in their own. "But you have to stop drawing attentions to yourself."

Riley grit his teeth and said nothing.