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“You know when you said you were serious about someone, this wasn’t who I imagined you with.” Tim raised an eyebrow at the Chinese woman on Tony’s arm in surprise.
”Jealous?”
“Not really. Just surprised.”
“You’re not racist, are you, Tim?”
“No! Of course, not,” Tim protested.
Tony eyed him. “Then I’d be very careful about the next words out of your mouth.”
“Come on, Tony. You know I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just surprised.”
“I hope you know there are no excuses for that kind of behavior, Tim.” Tony gave McGee a look.
Tim stuttered out a response and Tony waved it off. The truth was, he didn’t really care and he knew Jia didn’t care, but if he admitted that it would reveal that she was just his beard and he wasn’t ready to do that. Honestly, it felt like a former life when they’d met.
Tony had still been working at Baltimore and he’d found Jia when he was investigating a drug ring. She’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time and Tony had ended up rescuing her in exchange for her cooperation with the investigation about what had happened to her and who all was actually involved in the drug ring. He hadn’t thought anything of it when it happened, but years later she’d reappeared in his life and they’d struck up an unlikely friendship.
Jia knew all about his relationship with Gibbs and she had no problem playing his long term girlfriend for any events that needed a woman or where he and Gibbs just weren’t ready to be out. It worked out as Jia loved dancing much like Tony and Abby and Gibbs really didn’t.
Tony waved to Abby and Bishop as they entered the bar. He doubted that Gibbs would show up, but he’d been invited. Tony suspected that Gibbs wouldn’t come simply because he wouldn’t want to see Tony pretending to be interested in someone else.
It was one thing when Tony flirted with a suspect on the job. It was another when it happened in their private life. Even though, Gibbs had given his blessing for this farce that didn’t mean he wanted to actually see it.
Gibbs had been the one to point out that it would be better for Tony’s career if no one knew they were in a relationship. While Gibbs hadn’t been the one to come up with the idea of using a beard, he also hadn’t protested when Tony had suggested it. Still Tony knew Gibbs hated that they couldn’t be open about their relationship.
Both of them understandably had a sense of trepidation when it came to revealing their relationship to the world as a whole. Being gay may be becoming more and more common, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t still discriminated against. Tony hated it.
He wanted to be able to tell the world he was in the best relationship that he’d ever had. Unfortunately, he would be looked down on if people found out that he was dating his boss, especially his male boss. It was even more true in their field, which in a lot of ways was about twenty years behind the rest of society.
Still hopefully, McGee would get off his case now that he’d met Jia. Tony was looking forward to more free time with Gibbs without having to worry whether his Probie was growing suspicious about their relationship.