Page 69 of Bloom

I took my phone and dialled Cory’s number. He answered on the fourth ring. “This better be good,” he said. “You’re interrupting a very good thing right now.”

“Uh, we just had a condom break,” I said. “We’re heading to the clinic on Crown Street.”

I looked at Keats and he nodded quickly.

There was a brief pause on the phone, then the sound of muffled movement. I could hear Cory say something to someone, then he spoke to me. “I’ll meet you there.”

The clinic was tuckedin a long, narrow building. There was a small waiting room at the front with the service desk, a long hall down the right-hand side with examination rooms off it. When we walked in, Keats kept his hand on the small of my back and he gave our details, and we sat down in the waiting room to fill in our paperwork. When that was done, Keats handed our clipboards back and fell back into the seat beside me.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Sure. You?”

He shrugged. “I thought when you said you’d call Cory, it meant you didn’t want me to come with you.” His expression was sad, worried.

I patted his leg. “I thought you looked a bit dejected.”

He let out a sigh. “You’re taking this way better than me.”

Before I could reply, the door opened and Cory burst through. He wore his black skinny jeans and a purple T-shirt, and he sagged when he saw us. Then a man came in behind him. Tall, dark, and handsome, and somewhat familiar.

“Okay, my raw-dogging kings,” Cory said. “Don’t panic, I’m here.”

“Oh god,” Keats said, slumping back in his seat.

“I don’t think someone’s at the joking stage just yet,” I said, giving Cory a pointed look.

He looked at Keats and winced. “Sorry.”

I then looked to the guy with Cory. He was standing back a little. “Hi. Sorry, don’t mind Cory’s lack of manners. I’m Linden, and this is Keats.”

He gave a nod. “Amon.”

“Ah, I did meet you once before,” I said. “At whichever club that was. Sorry for interrupting your night.”

Cory hooked his arm through Amon’s and led him to a spare seat. “You did interrupt,” Cory said. “Though we clearly weren’t having as much fun as you two. Tell me what happened?”

“Condom broke,” I said. “Not much more to explain than that.”

“Full- or mid-use?”

Keats groaned, but I answered. “Full.”

“And sexual histories were discussed, right?” Cory pressed. “Your statuses were disclosed prior to any of this, right?”

There was a beat of silence before a woman with a clipboard came out. “Keats and Linden?” she asked. “Together or separate appointments?”

“Together,” I said, taking Keats’ hand and standing up.

May as well get it over and done with.

She led us down the hall to one open door and waited for us both to walk in. We sat and relayed what had happened.

“Sexual history since your last screening?” she asked, looking at me first.

“I was tested over a month ago. No one but Keats since then.”

Then she looked at Keats.