Guardian Homepage: https://www.theguardian.com/
A Guardian Guest story written by Michael Segalov, from the story of Ashley, 28, marketing executive, London.
I didn’t think about him in that way at first, when I moved into the flat-share a few weeks back. I heard there was a room going through a friend and, after one of those awkward housemate interviews, I got the call to tell me the place was mine if I wanted it.
When we’d chatted over beer, one of the boys had mentioned he was gay and I told him that I was, too. He seemed cool – quite good looking, clever, sporty – but I can’t say I fancied him. When I got round to moving my stuff in, he was on holiday. By the time he got back, the new measures had already started. Within a few days, the lockdown was in full swing.
From day one of being back he’s been full on: very touchy-feely and relentlessly flirtatious. He makes a point of helping me stretch when we work out together in the garden. He’ll tiptoe up behind me and put his hands on my hips while I cook.
“I bet I can guess what you’re about to do,” he jokes when I head alone to my room. “Maybe I can give you a helping hand.” He laughs in a way that hides whether or not he’s joking. I’m pretty certain he’s coming on to me, but it’s impossible to be sure. It’s all insinuation and innuendo.
In normal circumstances I wouldn’t hook up with a housemate – it gets messy. Plus, his room is on one side of the flat, mine on the other. The third housemate is right in between – getting off with some privacy would be a logistical nightmare. And it’s possible being a tease is just his character. Imagine how awkward it would be to make a move and be rejected. Still, I think a crush is forming, although maybe that’s just because he’s now my only option. The last few times we’ve had a drink our other housemate has gone to bed early leaving just the two of us. We sit very close, hand-touches-leg, eyes meeting momentarily.
Next time that happens I think I’ll just go for it – the prospect of no sex for months outweighs the risk of potential humiliation. Maybe it’ll add a bit of excitement to our newly mundane existence. And, worst case, I can move out when this is all over. It would just be a relief to have something, well someone, to do.
This story is from a series by Michael Segalov, called Love in the time of corona: ‘This wasn’t how I planned it, but she said yes’, written for the Guardian Newspaper, 12th April 2020.
“Imagine being separated from the one you love. Or stuck with the one you don’t, or being alone? Stories of the heart from behind quarantined walls”
Original Guardian article URL: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/apr/12/love-in-the-time-of-corona-stories-of-the-heart-told-from-behind-quarantined-walls
Guardian Homepage: https://www.theguardian.com/