“Yeah? Sounds fun.”
“It was.” I finish filling my piping bag. “Good club choice.”
Tate nods. “Gen knows all the best places.”
I nod.
“Um, so, Jude is basically fire.”
I chuckle. “Don’t I know it. I live with the guy.”
“But how?” He drags out the last word. “I mean, seriously. How do you not just dry hump him all day?”
“Because I have some dignity. Not much, but enough not to dry hump my straight best friend.”
“Oh.” Tate scrunches his nose. “I forgot about that straight business.”
“I didn’t.”
“You guys have good chemistry though.” He pulls two sheet cakes from the cooler. “I think you’ll be able to pass yourselves off as a couple easily. We just need to build the background for him.”
“I think so.”
“Seriously though, the two of you doing that little bachata to my boyfriend Shawn Mendes’ song. Fire.”
I roll my eyes. “Everything’s fire to you.”
“Incorrect. Lots of things are not fire.” He grins. “But you and Jude…fire.”
I smile, starting my work. “It’s pretend, Tate. When this is all over, we’re just friends again.”
He raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Again, he’s straight.”
A grin spreads over his lips. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Whatever. I know Jude like the back of my hand. He’s never even remotely wavered on that.”
“But you said he doesn’t date.”
“Doesn’t mean he’s not straight.”
“Of course not, but maybe he’s more flexible than you think.” Tate taps his chin. “Isn’t that a thing now? Heteroflexible I think it’s called.”
Starting my rosettes, I glance up. “What the hell is that?”
“Situational sexuality,” Cairo says, coming closer while holding the pie he just pulled from the oven. “It’s basically being mostly straight but open to a different lane if the opportunity presents itself.”
I pause, thinking about that. “Like, a guy only dates women, only seeks women, but then he meets a guy who does it for him so they hook up?”
“Right.” Cairo nods. “It’s like being bisexual, but only in certain situations. You’re not equally or continually attracted to numerous gender identities, but you could be.”
“Hmm. Never heard of that.”
“Can we just not?” Gen demands as he flits into the room. “I hate that term.”
“What term?” I ask.
“Heteroflexible. It’s dripping with bi-phobia.”
“Disagree,” Cairo says. “Sexuality is a spectrum and people fall in different places. Some people may not feel that bisexual fits them, but sexual flexibility does. Why is it bi-phobic?”
Gen crosses his arms. “You know there’s a negative connotation for bi men. Saying you only suck dick in certain situations is diminishing to people who are.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” Cairo says. “For example, one of my friends had a roommate in college who was the epitome of straight. Bit of a womanizer even. He met this guy one night and there was just something different about their connection. They hooked up and he was cool with it. They ended up dating for two years.”
“And then they broke up because homeboy didn’t want to be in a gay relationship long term, right?”
Cairo rolls his eyes while I try to focus on my cake.
“Wrong,” Cairo says. “They broke up because they were both nineteen when they met, and they wanted different things in life by the time they were in the real world. Newsflash, that happens in lots of relationships.”
Gen frowns. “I guess.” It’s silent for a few seconds. “But I went on a date with a guy who kept calling himself that. When I said he was basically bi, he said he wasn’t, but it was like he was offended. So I said, okay hunty, here’s some tea. Your boy is bi. He left right in the middle of drinks. He’s not the only one who reacts that way.”
“You’re not bi, Gen.”
He rolls his eyes. “Focus on the principle. He freaked out over being called bi, but he was on a date with me.”
“Well, he’s an asshole,” Cairo states. “Doesn’t mean everyone is.”
“But—”
“Guys,” Tate says, playing referee as he often does between these two. They love each other, but their conversations can get heated. “I think we all know that we should respect anyone’s identification. We’ve all worked hard to be seen, especially the generations before us. Can’t we respect it if someone feels more comfortable with one label over the other? I have a friend who refuses to label himself at all. Is he less than us who feel comfortable identifying a certain way?”
“Of course not,” Cairo says.
“No, he’s equal,” Gen adds.
Tate smiles. “It’s a big beautiful rainbow where we can all find the place that fits us best.”
“Wise words,” I say, smiling at Tate.
“Why are we arguing about this anyway?” Gen finally asks, diffusing the situation with laughter.
“I was explaining the concept of heteroflexibility to our friend Briar here as it could potentially apply to his fake fiancé,” Cairo says.
“Oh,” Gen says. “Why? Did you hook up?”
I laugh, finishing my row of roses. “No.”
“I was just saying that it’s possible Jude’s sexuality could expand through this process with Briar. He’s being exposed to things he hasn’t been previously.”
“So, if they hook up then Jude is heteroflexible? That’s your theory?” Gen asks.
“That’s not my theory, Gen, but I was saying that Briar shouldn’t close the door completely because sexuality is a spectrum and maybe Jude’s could shift closer to Briar’s.”
Gen is quiet, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. After a few minutes, he nods. “I agree.”
“With what?” I ask.
“Cairo. You shouldn’t write Jude off as only straight. I dated women for a long time before I was willing to accept that I was attracted to men. It took meeting someone I really wanted to be with to get me to wake up.” He smiles. “Sexuality, and our understanding of where it lies, can definitely shift in the right situation.”
Cairo smiles, and they hug it out.
I chuckle as I start decorating my next row. “I’m glad we worked that out, but Jude’s sexuality is not on the table right now. I’m his best friend and that’s it.”
Tate giggles, pointing a finger at me. “You mean to tell us that if Jude wanted to hook up you would say, ‘Oh no. I can’t, Jude. We’re friends.’” I start to speak, but he stops me. “And don’t lie, cuz we’ll know.”
I laugh. “Fair. It doesn’t matter because it won’t happen.”
“He already wrote him off, boys,” Cairo says.
“I didn’t. I’m just saying if Jude woke up one day and was like ‘I really feel like tasting some dick’, I don’t think he’d pick me.”