his napkin.
“I’m selling the flat.”
Ceri shivered despite the warmth. “Oh, are you leaving?” His voice shook. “Where are you going?” He waited while Mick chewed the mouthful of roll he’d just bitten off. Time appeared to stand still, and even the breeze seemed to be waiting before it blew through the trees once more.
“I’m not sure what I’m doing yet, but I can’t stay there. I realized that after you left. You were right, there’s nothing of me in that place. I guess I’d tried to hang onto Alfie, but Sally’s helped me to look at things properly.”
“Sally? Wasn’t she your friend from school?”
“Yes, that’s right. She’s back in Cheltenham with her husband, and she called me last weekend. We met up. She’s exactly the same as she ever was, and we talked for ages. I’m staying with her now, and she helped me get rid of Alfie’s stuff.”
Ceri shook his head, not sure he had heard correctly. “Wow! A lot has happened. I didn’t think…”
Mick placed a hand on his. “I could do it? Me neither, but Sally has helped me put things into perspective. I’ve also got an appointment to talk to a counsellor about my problems; he had a cancellation. I’ve been reading about it. I’m not sure what I have is really OCD, but I have behaviour rituals like a lot of people. There are also issues linked to grief, and how you deal with the death of someone close to you. The thing is, even though I’ve been on my own for three years, I’ve never truly been by myself.”
“But you say you’re staying with Sally?” Ceri asked.
“That’s true, but I intend to rent somewhere eventually. I’m staying there until the flat is sold and I decide where I want to be. There’s nothing to keep me in Cheltenham. I could go anywhere.”
“Oh, right, I see,” Ceri murmured. He stared at the pattern on the table, unable to look Mick in the eye, afraid of what he might see, until Mick stretched out his hand and lifted Ceri’s chin with his fingers.
Mick scrutinised his face. “There’s no reason for you to stay here either, is there?”
Hope surged through his body and he sat up straight. “No, there isn’t. Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting? We haven’t known each other for very long, and you said we didn’t know much about each other and that you needed to be alone, so I thought you meant …”
Mick placed a finger on Ceri’s lips. “I’ve lived on my own with Alfie’s ghost for three years. I’ve shunned company because I’ve never been good at it. I preferred living in my head with Carlos and the Space Pirates, but now I need something different. I’m hoping you need it too.”
Ceri wondered what was coming next when Mick took a deep breath. His bright blue eyes seemed to be trying to gaze into the depths of Ceri’s soul. He longed to reach out his tongue and taste him; instead, he reached up and took Mick’s hand in his own and waited for Mick to speak.
“I love you, Ceri. You gave me hope and showed me things about myself.” He looked around and lowered his voice. “And I don’t just mean the sex, although that was fantastic as well. I’m really hoping we get to do some more of that!”
“Really?” Ceri said, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. “Because I was kinda hoping for more sex too. In fact, I wish we could go off together right now.” He stopped. He hadn’t said it, and he needed to. He took Mick’s hand, not caring who saw. “I love you, too, by the way.” He was rewarded with a huge grin and gleaming eyes.
“Good. But about the other thing. It’s a bit tricky. Sally’s at home. She’s a few weeks away from giving birth to her first baby.”
“And I’ve only got one room, and I’m definitely not taking you there,” Ceri said. “We could go to a hotel.”
“I want to, Ceri, you know I do, but I need to get myself together and decide what to do. One thing I have decided is to send one of my stories off to a
“I’m selling the flat.”
Ceri shivered despite the warmth. “Oh, are you leaving?” His voice shook. “Where are you going?” He waited while Mick chewed the mouthful of roll he’d just bitten off. Time appeared to stand still, and even the breeze seemed to be waiting before it blew through the trees once more.
“I’m not sure what I’m doing yet, but I can’t stay there. I realized that after you left. You were right, there’s nothing of me in that place. I guess I’d tried to hang onto Alfie, but Sally’s helped me to look at things properly.”
“Sally? Wasn’t she your friend from school?”
“Yes, that’s right. She’s back in Cheltenham with her husband, and she called me last weekend. We met up. She’s exactly the same as she ever was, and we talked for ages. I’m staying with her now, and she helped me get rid of Alfie’s stuff.”
Ceri shook his head, not sure he had heard correctly. “Wow! A lot has happened. I didn’t think…”
Mick placed a hand on his. “I could do it? Me neither, but Sally has helped me put things into perspective. I’ve also got an appointment to talk to a counsellor about my problems; he had a cancellation. I’ve been reading about it. I’m not sure what I have is really OCD, but I have behaviour rituals like a lot of people. There are also issues linked to grief, and how you deal with the death of someone close to you. The thing is, even though I’ve been on my own for three years, I’ve never truly been by myself.”
“But you say you’re staying with Sally?” Ceri asked.
“That’s true, but I intend to rent somewhere eventually. I’m staying there until the flat is sold and I decide where I want to be. There’s nothing to keep me in Cheltenham. I could go anywhere.”
“Oh, right, I see,” Ceri murmured. He stared at the pattern on the table, unable to look Mick in the eye, afraid of what he might see, until Mick stretched out his hand and lifted Ceri’s chin with his fingers.
Mick scrutinised his face. “There’s no reason for you to stay here either, is there?”
Hope surged through his body and he sat up straight. “No, there isn’t. Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting? We haven’t known each other for very long, and you said we didn’t know much about each other and that you needed to be alone, so I thought you meant …”
Mick placed a finger on Ceri’s lips. “I’ve lived on my own with Alfie’s ghost for three years. I’ve shunned company because I’ve never been good at it. I preferred living in my head with Carlos and the Space Pirates, but now I need something different. I’m hoping you need it too.”
Ceri wondered what was coming next when Mick took a deep breath. His bright blue eyes seemed to be trying to gaze into the depths of Ceri’s soul. He longed to reach out his tongue and taste him; instead, he reached up and took Mick’s hand in his own and waited for Mick to speak.
“I love you, Ceri. You gave me hope and showed me things about myself.” He looked around and lowered his voice. “And I don’t just mean the sex, although that was fantastic as well. I’m really hoping we get to do some more of that!”
“Really?” Ceri said, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. “Because I was kinda hoping for more sex too. In fact, I wish we could go off together right now.” He stopped. He hadn’t said it, and he needed to. He took Mick’s hand, not caring who saw. “I love you, too, by the way.” He was rewarded with a huge grin and gleaming eyes.
“Good. But about the other thing. It’s a bit tricky. Sally’s at home. She’s a few weeks away from giving birth to her first baby.”
“And I’ve only got one room, and I’m definitely not taking you there,” Ceri said. “We could go to a hotel.”
“I want to, Ceri, you know I do, but I need to get myself together and decide what to do. One thing I have decided is to send one of my stories off to a
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