Bert pressed a kiss to your lips before letting his head fall back onto the pillow beside yours. You looked over at him, still flushed and somewhat breathless, and smiled. God, you loved that man. The candle at your bedside cast a fluttering light over his bare chest, the slightest hint of sweat shining against his skin.

"What're you lookin' at?" he asked playfully.

You could feel the love radiating from every inch of your body as you replied, "Nothing much."

"Oi! I work hard for this body, y'know!"

You smiled and snuggled into the curve of his arm, fitting just so against his torso. Your fingers rested over the center of his chest. "I know."

He lightly kissed the crown of your head as you both settled into each other, the sheets pooled at your waist and your legs entwined. As your heartbeat began to slow and even out, it occurred to you that there was something about yourself you'd never told Bert. You'd been meaning to, especially since you were fairly certain he'd react to it kindly, if the looks he often spared Cec were anything to go by. There wasn't any casual way to bring it up in conversation. So you steadied yourself with a deep breath and tilted your head back to look him in the eyes.

Bert raised his brows and looked at you quizzically, a cigarette caught between his teeth. He grunted, wordlessly asking what was on your mind. You smiled. "I have something to tell you," you blurted.

"Not sure I like the sound o' that."

"It's not bad."

He extinguished his match with a few flicks of his wrist and tossed it onto the table. "Alrigh'. What's on your mind?"

Eyes focused on the sparse hairs across his chest, you lightly trailed your fingertips over Bert's skin. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you for a little while now. At first I wasn't sure how to tell you and then I wasn't sure how you'd react, so I put it off. But I think after tonight, I shouldn't put it off anymore-"

"If you're seein' someone else, just spit it out," he said, not unkindly.

"What? No! Bert, you're the only person I'm interested in. But, uh..., speaking of people I might be interested in..." You sighed. "Look, this isn't something I'm ashamed of, in case that's what you might think. And I'm pretty sure you'll react alright to this, but even so I can't help being a little nervous," you rambled.

Your name fell from his lips as a warning, urging you to stop your rambling and just tell him the secret bubbling up inside you. "We'll be here all night if you don't get a move on."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

Bert grinned. "Depends on what we're doin', eh? Just tell me!"

"You're not the only person I've ever been with!"

The cabbie raised his eyebrows and chuckled, exhaling a tiny puff of smoke. "Is that all? I coulda told you that ten minutes ago."

"Not just with men," you said seriously.

You looked at each other in silence for a few moments. "What, with ladies too?"

"Many ladies."

Setting his cigarette aside on the table, Bert turned onto his side to face you properly. He took your head in his hands and leaned forward to kiss your forehead, then your temple, then trailed down to your cheek and finally your lips. His fingers ran through your hair and he smiled his usual, cheeky smile. "Me too, love."

"You? With women? I never would've guessed," you said dryly.

"You know wha' I meant."

You smiled and nodded. "I take it you don't mind about me, then?"

"Course not."

You snuggled even closer to your lover, drawing your body into a little ball against his warmth. "So, are there any men that strike your fancy? Other than Cec?"

Bert humphed indignantly. "I would never!"

"I'm not blind and I'm not stupid, Bert."

Bert settled on his back and gazed up at the ceiling, his arm draped around your shoulders. "Then you should know that any feelings I have or had for Cec are long gone. We're friends now. That's all." He grabbed his cigarette again. "We used to fool around together, before he met Alice."

"I figured as much."

"But now I've got you. An' I wouldn't want anyone else." He took a long drag of his cigarette. "Although, now that I think about it, there is this one fella-"

You lightly smacked him in the chest. "I knew it!"

"Hush!"

"Who? Is it anyone I know?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. That Detective Inspector fella. He's a handsome bloke."

You grabbed Bert by the shoulder and rolled him on top of you, moving your hand to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. He put his cigarette out on your tabletop, but you loved him too much to bother chastising him. His lips fell against yours and you sighed into his mouth. "We should invite him round for a shag or two sometime," you suggested.

Bert nuzzled your throat with his nose, leaving kisses and marks in his wake. "Or three or four."