don’t. And I’m not going to push you too hard
on this today. But we will talk about it.”
“Thanks.”
“But
you’re going to have to spill, what about this guy?”
“ This guy has a name.”
“I
know. But hey, I get to bug the
rest of them about who they date. It’s
probably why I only found out Maeve was married a year after the ceremony.”
“That’s
just because you were so drunk.”
“Maybe
I was. But now I get to shit-stir
you.”
“I
guess that’s true equality in the making,” Dec said, but with a smile.
“Is
he a good guy?”
Without
hesitation, Dec said, “He’s the best.”
“And
he’s worth all the shit you’re going through right now?”
The
thought of Simon’s cheeky grin and his boisterous laugh made Dec smile without
even realising it. Luckily Derek
decided not to tease him about it. For now, anyway. “Yes.”
“Then
why are you ignoring him?”
Ouch.
“It
just doesn’t make sense to me. Although
I guess you did say you were scared?”
“Not
of him. Just everything else around
us.”
“But
you said he was worth it, so just fucking call him. You’ve been miserable long enough.”
The
pain in his chest increased. “Who
said I was miserable before?”
Derek
reached out and gently took him by the shoulder. “Dec, you haven’t seen the change in you
since this all blew up. You were
always laidback, but there was still a tenseness to
you. Even the past few months I’ve
seen it come and go, but I now know why. I’m not saying it’s the be all and end all of your problems, but you’re
obviously happy with this guy—“
“Simon.”
“Simon. So let him make you happier .”
“It
would be nice,” Dec said, letting himself imagine a time past all this crap. It was hard to make out, so far off in
the distance, but a speck was better than what he had been seeing only hours
before.
“Yeah,
it would be fucking nice. So, Simon. Call
him. Better still, go and see him. A phone call won’t cut it, you’ve been fucking
him around for too long. And I
doubt you want to bring him here just yet for all of us to pounce on him.”
Dec
paled at subjecting Simon to that – if Simon was still willing, after having been thrown to the wolves. “Okay, so will you go already and let me
call him?”
“Sure.” Derek stood, and surveyed the contents
of his cup. “This has gone
cold. Do you want another?”
Dec
handed his mug over, having forgotten to drink any of it. “Thanks.”
“I
don’t see you picking up that phone yet.”
“Just
go!”
Derek
laughed, and Dec called him back before he shut the door. “You’re not too bad a brother, you know
that?”
Derek
smirked. “Don’t go all gay on me,
bro.”
“Get
stuffed.”
Alone
again, but filled with a new sense of purpose, Dec picked up his mobile and
hoped Simon would be as amenable as his brother had just proved himself.
His
hand slightly shaking, he pressed Simon’s number and waited for him to answer.
Sean
Kennedy is a procrastinator, a hider, and writes far too infrequently for his
own liking. It probably comes from
living in the most isolated city in the world, but hey, they have quokkas so it
all balances out in the end. Sean
is extremely happy that Twin Peaks is
returning to our television screens, but there will be blood if Cooper and
Audrey don’t end up together.
Visit
him at http://www.seankennedybooks.com
BOOKS BY SEAN KENNEDY
TIGERS AND DEVILS
TIGERLAND
WINGS OF EQUITY
DASH AND DINGO: THE SEARCH FOR THE TASMANIAN TIGER (with Catt Ford)
This story was part of the TIGERS AND DEVILS series
C. J. Cherryh
Learning to Kill: Stories
John O'Riley
Brenda Sinclair
Christopher George
Stephen Lloyd Jones
Karl Iagnemma
Celya Bowers
Jill Gregory
Aria Cunningham