Ruth (Roy's POV) – Fits in Chapter 9: Dinner

They got home and did a little tidying; Roy had been very happy to discover that Jamie was a neat person – he'd wondered about it since the other man could be fucking oblivious sometimes, but Jamie had shrugged and said he used to clean their flat while his mum worked. Roy had loved having Jamie stay – he didn't want the other man to move out, it was actually fucking…nice, having him in his house. Even though he'd told Jamie that, he wasn't sure how long Jamie would continue to want to stay.

The party was going well, everyone was there, he had a pile of food and a bigger pile of indoor plants – the numpties. He turned around and saw Isaac making fucking eyes at his sister.

"No!" Roy grunted, pulling his sister away from Richard and Isaac.

"Why?" Ruth asked, laughing. "You know you're a footballer too, right; they can't all be bad guys."

"We are," Roy grunted. He turned and glared at Isaac, he caught Richard in the same glare, but he'd seen that look in their Captain's eyes and no fucking way was that happening.

"You like Isaac," Ruth said, allowing herself to be lead away from the party and outside. "What's up with you?"

"I need to talk and no one's out here."

"What did Phoebe do?"

"It's not about Phoebe?"

"What did Jamie do."

Roy's fingers flexed and he kept going until they were at the end of the garden where there was a flat bench under a tree. All around there were fucking strings of lights because Phoebe had said it would be cool and he could admit it was fucking lovely out here in summer. He and Jamie had had a picnic on the lawn with Phoebe last time she'd spent the night.

"So, it's about Jamie."

He encouraged her to sit down firmly and used her shoulder to help him get down. "Do you know what he did today?"

"Nope, what happened?"

He turned and grunted at her. "I know you fucking do."

"Oh," she grinned. "You mean when he told the world he likes all people regardless of sexual organ and then made moon eyes at you?"

"I didn't know he was bisexual."

"I think you have that wrong, he called Phoebe to make him a pansexual flag, explained that he didn't know that was a thing and likes it better because there is no 'annuity' to it. He's such a smart fella but he butchers the English language so well. All night, he and Dani are running around sprouting facts about bisexuality and pansexuality like they memorised the Wikipedia pages."

"They probably fucking did," Roy said with a sigh.

Ruth laughed.

"He said bisexual," Roy said.

"He said you taught him a new word."

"Yeah, I sent him a link and he is thinking about tweeting out a correction."

Ruth laughed. "So, what's wrong with him doing that; coming out?"

"Nothing, but I didn't know."

"How?"

"What?"

"How," she turned and elbowed him. "How did you not know, he looks at you like you're the goddess…fuck, what's the male version of Aphrodite or Helen of Troy?"

"I don't fucking know."

"Oh, oh, Heracles."

Roy grunted. "I need to tell you something."

"I thought you were."

"For fuck's sake, Ruth, I'm trying to be fucking honest and fucking vulnerable here and you're not fucking helping."

She immediately threw her arm around his shoulder. "Sorry, Roy, I'm listening, and you know I'm always here for you."

"I'm bisexual."

"Okay."

"You're not surprised?"

"I…umm…I remember when…I remember that conversation Dad had with you."

Roy tensed.

"I had just snuck back in from seeing Justin Meyer."

"Fucking Justin Meyer."

Ruth laughed and then hugged him closer. "I never knew how to talk to you about it."

Roy nodded. "He was right, if I had have been openly bi back then, I'd have been fucked but things are different now and I was able to ignore it. I didn't mind just sleeping with women and all but now…" Roy wasn't sure how to finish.

"I figure there are two possible issues in front of you, the fact you're in love with Jamie or that you're in love with Jamie and are jealous about the fact he's able to come out like you never could."

"You know I'm in love with him?"

"Yeah, since the moment you said you were training with him."

"I didn't love him then."

"If he hadn't been the prickiest prick to have every pricked on a football field, you'd have admitted to how much you wanted him when he showed up at Richmond. I get it, he's fit, and that way his stubble comes in so dark…" Ruth let out a sigh. And his hair is all soft and wavy when he's not styled it."

"Fuck off, you can't say that shit."

Ruth laughed. "Don't worry, he's all yours. To be honest, I thought you'd crack at that pool party – his thighs in those shorts were epic, O'Brien's wife, Keeley and I were all talking about them."

"You were what?"

Ruth laughed. "You know they are amazing thighs."

Roy refused to respond to that even though he'd had several thoughts about those thighs and what he could do to them and on them and…"I didn't know he was open to sleeping with men."

"How?" Ruth asked. "The man practically wears his love like a second skin. The present at Uncle Day, the way he moved in here and snapped your stupid fucking arse out of your stupid fucking melodrama after the surgery, the fact he watches you all the damn time, the fact that I'm pretty sure watching you and Keeley broke his heart and not for the reason he let everyone think. The fact that no one has ever looked at me like you look at one another and I'm jealous as fuck but I'm also so fucking happy that you can have that."

Roy pulled her into his side. "You could start dating again."

"Not the point, now that you know that sexual orientation-wise he is a viable option what are you going to do?"

"I asked you to come out here so I could tell you I was planning to tell him I had feelings."

"Good, I'm proud of you."

"Proud of me?"

"Yeah, you ran away from Keeley when things got hard but you're running at Jamie even though it's not something you've ever had before. And you know that Jamie and you could be forever."

"Fuck."

"Exactly," she said, leaning over and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Phoebe loves him."

"I know."

"She's a good judge of character."

"I'm his fucking manager."

"And…what are you gonna do about it?"

"Quit."

"Fuck off."

"No, seriously, I like him more than I like my job and I think I can get a coaching job somewhere else if I needed to."

"Fuck off."

"Ruth."

"No, fuck right off, you love this job, and you might love him more but for fuck's sake don't do that without having a fucking conversation with Rebecca and Jamie, fuckhead."

Roy thought about it and had to admit his little sister wasn't a complete pain in his arse…no, she was but sometimes she was also right.

"Fucking fine, I'll talk to people first."

"Good," Ruth said. They sat together in silent for a long time until she elbowed him. "Tell me about Isaac."

He stood and started stalking off immediately. "Fuck no."

Ruth's laughter followed him inside.

TBC...