If Bel had truly been out of the question, then it should have been easy. A simple, Betan explanation of his preferences, and easy teasing after. But that wasn't actually the case, was it? Because Bel wasn't actually as clear-cut as that, even while Miles had been pining after Elena. And Bel is not so terrible to contemplate in the abstract either, even with their betrayal. He'd just chosen not to face them head on. So he'd jumped every time, because it had been a murky area ...

Oh, god. All the blood is draining from his face, leaving him looking downright gray as a result. He doesn't want to have this realization here and now. Can't he hold onto one scrap of truth in the face of all this?

"Bel was a great captain," he says, rather numbly. "A good friend. If I were interested - I'm very fond of them--" What is he saying? Are those actual words coming out of his mouth? He rakes his fingers through his hair unhappily.