He held out his hand, counting off his fingers. “You’re happy, for one. Two, I know that smile. That smile tells me something happened with, I’m assuming, your bus guy. And three, you can’t lie for shit.”

There was no point denying it. “We’ve been talking. On the bus. But just for five minutes, each day. That’s it. Nothing too exciting. But…”

“But?”

“But he’s interesting. And he’s cute.”

“And he’s asexual?”

I frowned up at him. “Not that it matters, but yes. Well, we haven’t discussed it since the meeting, but he went to a support group for asexuals and he had a bit of a freak-out because he realised it was his truth, so yes. I’m thinking he is.”

“I just don’t want to see you go through all that shit again, that’s all.”

“I know. And I appreciate that. But it shouldn’t matter.”

“But it kind of does.”

I sighed and let my agreement go unsaid. We both knew he was right.

“Maybe you should ask him,” Michael said before sipping his coffee. He left me alone with that, and I knew he had a point.

“Maybe I should.”

I lifted my bag onto my lap and Jordan smiled as he sat next to me. He wore a red scarf today, matching his red shoes, and the colour complemented the pink of his cheeks perfectly.

“Good afternoon,” I said, unable to hide my smile. I ignored the feeling in my belly that felt a lot like butterflies.

“Hi,” he replied. “Thanks again for the seat. It’s cold out there today.”

“It is,” I said, nodding to the dark and gloomy Sydney sky. “Makes running in the evenings a bit brisk.”

“You run?” he asked. “Like, willingly? For fun?”

“Well, I don’t know if fun is the right word. Exercise, mostly. It helps to clear my head, and I do enjoy it, so maybe a little bit of fun. I take it you’re not a fan.”

“Hmm, running,” he pondered. “Actually, I run late for most things. I run my mouth off all the time. I have a run-in with some arsehole customers on the regular. I run errands. Oh, and I have actually had to run to the bathroom a few times, which is why I now no longer eat dairy.”

I laughed at that.

Smiling, he added, “Wasn’t pretty. But general running for cardiovascular exercise, not so much.”

The bus stopped at the lights at Cleveland Street and my stop was up next, so if I wanted to ask him about the asexual thing, I needed to do it now.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Uh, sure,” he said, making it sound like a question. “I have soy in my coffee, if you’re wondering about the dairy thing. Sometimes almond milk if I want to live dangerously.”