8. Bobby #2
Deciding not to put things off too long, he agreed to meet Dillon in the West End for coffee mid-afternoon.
Neutral turf was best for this conversation, so things couldn’t get physical again like they had in Las Vegas.
Thankfully, Gabriel had been there to calm him down.
Bobby needed to let him know what had happened yesterday, before Alex shared her warped version of events.
How was he supposed to frame it? “Your sister thinks we’re fucking,” would not be something he’d want to hear.
It was clear Gabriel adored his sister and wouldn’t want to be in the middle of all this.
Yesterday had been awful. He’d hated seeing Alex upset, but then he was angry at her accusations too.
There were worse people he could be accused of having an affair with than Gabriel Mensah, but it just wasn’t true.
All Gabriel had been was a friend when Bobby needed one.
He hoped this mess wouldn’t stop them being friends going forward.
He would really miss Gabriel if he were suddenly gone from his life.
Bobby groaned as he got out of bed. He needed to hit the gym.
After all the drinking and eating over the last few days, he felt sluggish.
The hotel room also looked like a bombsite, with his suitcase open and clothes all over the place.
He needed to hang them up and find a launderette for the dirty ones.
The storage unit was within walking distance, which had been deliberate.
He had twenty-four-hour access in case he needed something.
None of the furniture had been his, so there was nothing bulky he’d had to move yesterday, but he had a lot of trainers.
It was one of his weaknesses. He’d bought seven new pairs in Las Vegas.
Once everything was sorted with his clothes, he could head to the gym and then go straight to meet Dillon.
Bobby walked into the chain coffee shop.
The place was massive, but he spotted Dillon quickly.
The guy looked like a squashed potato. What Alex saw in him he wasn’t sure, but now wasn’t the time to be an arsehole.
They’d known each other since they were eighteen, and Bobby just needed to understand why he’d done it.
“Do you want anything?” he asked Dillon.
“Does it look like it?” he replied, pointing at his half-empty coffee cup.
How long had he been here? Bobby was five minutes early. He sat down opposite him.
“Are you not getting something?”
“No. I don’t intend to stay long.”
“Suits me. We just need to get our story straight.”
“Our what?”
“It would be best if we didn’t announce that Alex and I are together straight away. Her parents don’t need to know about how we got together, just like they don’t need to know you’re fucking her brother.”
“That’s not true,” he hissed through gritted teeth. He didn’t want everyone knowing his business, even if they were mostly tourists.
“Let’s look at the facts, shall we? Gabriel’s had a thing for you ever since you met Alex.”
“What?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know.”
“Apparently he has form for converting supposed straight guys.”
“Well, he hasn’t converted me, and big deal if he has a thing for me. He’s a handsome guy. I’m flattered.”
“I bet you are, especially when he’s on his knees where he belongs, sucking your dick.”
“What the fuck do you mean by that?”
“I think you know what a blow job is.”
“Not that. The ‘on his knees where he belongs’ part. What do you mean by that?”
“Alex said he likes to be the bitch in the relationship.”
“Does Alex know you’re a homophobic twat?”
“I’m not homophobic. I just don’t think they should rub it in people’s faces. Keep that shit private.”
Rage was pulsing through Bobby’s body. Had Dillon been like this the whole time he’d known him, and he’d just been oblivious?
“Why did you do it, Dillon?”
“Do what?”
“What do you think? Fuck my fiancé.”
“Don’t talk about her like that.”
“Just tell me why. We’ve known each other for thirteen years. Why would you do this?”
“For fuck’s sake, you really are a pussy, aren’t you? It must be all that cum you’ve been swallowing.”
Bobby gripped the table. He wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of his former best friend right now.
Part of him had hoped there might be a reason he would understand why Dillon had done this, and with some time, they could still be friends.
Ryan had said Bobby always saw the best in people, and he hadn’t meant it as a compliment.
After what Dillon had done, Bobby could understand why Ryan didn’t trust people easily.
“Is that all you asked me to come here for? To tell me not to say anything about you and Alex to her parents?”
“Yes. You’ll keep my secret, and I’ll keep yours. It won’t be for long. I have a plan, and then you can do what you want. I won’t care.”
Why did that sound ominous, but for Alex rather than Bobby? He didn’t want to ask any follow-up questions and risk escalating things again. Dillon smiled at him and downed his coffee before standing up. He leaned down to speak quietly to Bobby.
“Double up on the rubbers with a guy like Gabriel. Best not to chance it.”
Bobby grabbed him by the collar and saw Dillon’s eyes widen.
“Talk about him like that again, and not only will our deal be off, but I’ll break your face.”
Bobby pushed him away and turned so his back was to him. He felt Dillon hover for a few seconds, probably trying to think of something he could say, but he didn’t.
Once Bobby was certain he’d left, he pulled out his phone. He needed to speak to Gabriel so he knew what was going on, before he found out another way.