Looking for Group - Alexis Hall Page 0,31

woman, played the alto sax.”

Drew was definitely way too hungover for this. “Uh?”

“That was long before the internet. People misrepresent themselves, consciously or otherwise, all the time.”

“Can we come back to the bit where your mum tells you stories about her lesbian affairs?”

“You know your parents have had sex right?”

He put his hands over his ears and rocked. “I don’t like to think about it.”

“It’s just sex.”

“It’s your parents.”

“Sometimes you have a very strange attitude to things, Andrew.”

“If Sanee was here, he’d understand.”

Tinuviel sighed. “Before you went weird, I was trying to point out that the only extra information you have about someone when you meet them in person is what they look like. So, if we’re disregarding the munter theory, I don’t see what you’re so worried about.”

“Okay,” he tried again. “But the thing is, if we ditch all the prejudice stuff, there are still things you can tell by looking at someone that you can’t tell over the internet. Like, if they’re twelve or a man.”

“I think you’re oversimplifying gender identity a bit.”

He groaned. “I don’t know why I thought I should talk to you about this stuff.”

“Well, because Sanee would say you were an idiot. Whereas I’ve spent the last ten minutes telling you that it’s probably fine, and you should see what happens. Which is blatantly what you want to hear.”

“Oh.”

She looked up and smiled. “Come on, Drew, if you really like this girl, what’s the harm? I mean, obviously, meet in a public place and tell someone where you’re going, but really, if she turns out to be twelve or a man, then what have you lost?”

Drew thought about it. And, actually, she was sort of right. Either he would meet a great girl who he also fancied, and that would be cool, or he would meet a great girl who he didn’t fancy, which might be a bit awkward and make him feel shallow, but at least he’d know. Or none of the above in which case he’d still know, and that would be better than . . . than . . . not.

“Thanks, T.”

“Anytime. I hope she’s whatever you think you’re supposed to expect her to be.”

Drew had another medusa date with Solace that night, and told himself very firmly that he was going to take the opportunity to come clean, and ask if she wanted to meet up in real life.

He did not take the opportunity to come clean and ask if she wanted to meet up in real life.

Part of the problem was that there wasn’t a good time to do it. He kept trying, but it would have seemed really weird to bring it up of nowhere when they were battling crabmen or uncovering hidden demon cults. But mostly he was just enjoying playing the game and being with Solace so much that he forgot he was supposed to be on a mission.

So, what with one thing and another, both Saturday and Sunday slipped by without him making anything that remotely resembled a move. As they were wishing each other goodnight and he was kicking himself for not saying anything again, he realised he was genuinely afraid of messing this up. Because Tinuviel had sort of been wrong. He did have something to lose, and that was the time he spent with Solace now, which was turning into the highlight of his day. And if he asked her on a date and she freaked out, that would spoil everything. And if they met up and it didn’t work, then that would spoil everything too. And maybe he didn’t want to know if she was really a twelve-year-old French boy because this was good enough that it didn’t seem to matter.

While he was finishing off his chair on Monday, with Sanee texting Steff at the next terminal, it occurred to him he actually hadn’t had a girlfriend in ages. It had been the best part of a year since he’d broken up with Abby, who’d been his obligatory disastrous first-year fling. Admittedly, he’d kind of been busy with other things, but it had been nice having someone who was sort of there for you, and not just in a knocking-on-your-mate’s-door-on-a-Saturday-morning way.

He’d never had the super squidgy twu-wuv-forevah thing that Sanee and Steff had, and he wasn’t sure he wanted it. His previous relationships—and, to be fair, there were only a couple—had been basically okay, with no expectations that they’d really wind up going anywhere. But he hoped there was some middle