Chapter Twenty-One
Although he would openly admit to being no saint, Tommy had confided in Mitchell that he had never knowingly trespassed. But right now, four weeks after the wedding, Mitchell had them skulking beneath lamplights on the Victoria Peak trail like a couple of secret agents, waiting until nobody was in sight. Mitchell had begun to enjoy occasionally shocking Tommy.
“We don’t have to do this. You could just tell me,” said Tommy.
“No, this is a rite of passage. You’re the only person I’ve ever brought here,” said Mitchell before hopping over the barrier. “Quick. Now. Follow me.”
Mitchell heard the rustle of leaves behind him as Tommy followed his lead. When the street lighting from the main path began to fade, Mitchell used the light of his phone to find his way.
Lights twinkled below, stars and moonlight reflecting off the harbour waters. After repeatedly searching the carvings on the old rock's surface, he wondered if his had been erased. Until he stumbled across the faded lettering. Reaching out a hand, he showed Tommy the inscription, explaining the Sunday in his past when he had been at his lowest.
“Before I go on, I have something for you. For us,” said Mitchell, pulling Tommy down so they both sat with their backs to the rock. Once they had settled, he reached into his backpack and pulled out two cans with a distinctive blue and silver design.
“One for you,” said Mitchell, handing over a chilled can.
“Moscow Mule? Where the hell did you find it?”
“Let’s just say your sister is very resourceful.”
In unison, they snapped back the ring pulls and clicked their cans together before sipping. Mitchell, never a fan of fruity cocktails, found the taste too sweet for his liking but said nothing, instead enjoying the camaraderie.
“Back to your story,” came Tommy’s voice. “You obviously stayed.”
“I did. Once I’d finished mutilating the rock face, I remember watching the sun finally rise. I’d been sitting the way we are now with my back against the rock when a native bird landed in a bush nearby and started twittering loudly. A nice sound actually, the birdsong resembled laughter. Then another joined the first, adding to the dawn chorus. The two performed some kind of ritual, touching either side of the other’s beak like crossing swords. When they finally flew off, I turned to face the sun of a new day glistening off the skyscrapers and harbour.”
Mitchell pointed down to the dark waters of Victoria Harbour.
“And that’s when it happened. I’m a rational person by nature. I knew I was alone, but I sensed someone else sitting near me. Imagine the way you and I are sitting together right now, but neither of us touching, talking or looking at one another. I can’t hear your breathing above the sound of the wind, or feel the heat coming off your body, but I know you’re there. That’s exactly how I felt. You've been around me enough by now to know that I am not given to flights of fancy. But in that lowest of times, I knew beyond any doubt that Joel sat beside me. I swear I could even smell faint traces of the distinctive lotion he used for his dry skin. And I began to cry, not with sadness, but happiness. Because without needing to turn my head I knew that Joel had always been with me, keeping me company and guiding me. It’s hard to explain but I’d felt the same comforting presence with Joel so often when he was alive, when he and I used to watch a film together or simply sit either end of a sofa with our legs up on the coffee table, reading our books. And in that moment I knew what he was trying to tell me.”
Mitchell turned to see Tommy’s eyes glistening in the moonlight.
“That I was going to be okay. I didn’t need to finish up my contract and go home, because I was already home.”
Mitchell reached a hand out and took Tommy’s fingers in his own.
“That Monday, everything changed,” said Mitchell. “Kate started working for us. Colleagues began inviting me to lunch and social events and introducing me to other native English speakers and friendly locals. Eventually, everything would fall into place. I realised I just needed to be patient.”
“Well, you’re going to have to be patient with me, Mitch,” said Tommy. “I’m not used to being with anyone for more than—”
“Two months. Yes, you told me. Nothing’s guaranteed, Tommy. Daley might lose his sight in the next couple of years. Harold may lose his chance to walk again or even his life. But they’ll both fight because they have partners they care about. I believe that if someone’s worth the effort, exercising patience is the easiest thing in the world. We can tell people we’re friends if that’s easier, as long as I have you in my life.”
“Oh no you don’t. We’re boyfriends. My grandmother already knows and approves.”
Mitchell laughed and squeezed Tommy’s fingers before letting go and reaching into his pocket with his free hand to bring out a scarlet card.
“Talking of which, Mrs Lau gave me this postcard your grandmother sent. When I visited Harold in hospital, he taught me how to say this in Cantonese. I’ve tried to learn parrot fashion, but my accent is probably terrible.”
Mitchell rattled off the eight syllables the way he had been taught.
“Hold hands with you, grow old with you,” said Tommy, squeezing Mitchell’s hand. “Not bad. Hong Kong’s your home, then?”
“As long as she will have me and as long as I have you.”
“Then we need to make a few changes,” said Tommy, getting up from the ground and dusting off his backside before pulling something from his pocket. Mitchell wondered what Tommy was doing, scratching something on the rock surface until Tommy leant back to admire his handiwork.
“What did you do?”
“I’ve crossed out JASMIN and scratched in TAMSIN.”
“Tamsin? Who or what is Tamsin?”
“Your engraving now reads—Tommy And Mitchell Staying in Hong Kong. I Promise.”
Tommy settled back down next to Mitchell and bumped his shoulder playfully. After moments of staring out into the starlit sky, Tommy linked their arms together and rested his head on Mitchell’s shoulder, intimacy he had never shown before.
“Can you believe Devon and Oscar have been living together for two months?” asked Tommy. They had been to lunch with the pair only a week ago.
“I know,” said Mitchell. “Oscar’s really happy. He says Devon brings out the best in him. And Devon told me after only a week he felt totally at home in Oscar’s place, like—”
“A fish to the slaughter?” added Tommy.
Mitchell’s laughter became a sigh, staunched only when Tommy spoke.
“Maybe we should consider doing the same.”
Mitchell had no words and had temporarily lost the ability to breathe.
“Move in together, I mean,” said Tommy, his silhouette turning to Mitchell. “What do you think?”
“I mean, I would love that,” said Mitchell quietly, his heart filling. “But only if you’re ready. I’d hate you to feel trapped—”
“Look, even before I turned thirty, I had this nagging feeling I’d been missing out. But I couldn’t figure out what I didn’t already have. Enter Mitchell Baxter. Didn’t take long for me to realise that my fiercely guarded independence is also a source of loneliness. But ever since we started hanging out, something’s changed. I find myself looking forward to seeing and talking to you, And when I’m alone, I laugh about times we’ve spent together or things we’ve discussed. It’s been strange but nice actually getting to know someone before jumping their bones.”
“And about the bone-jumping? Am I enough? And how do you feel about waking up next to the same face every morning?”
“Like I said, my motivations have changed. I find these things hard to articulate, but you’re my missing piece, Mitch. I’m more worried that I won’t be enough for you—”
“You are already more than I could ever have hoped for. And to answer your earlier question, I’ve heard that two can live much better and cheaper than one person living alone.”
Mitchell smiled into the night sky. The past four weeks had been his happiest in Hong Kong, having Tommy in his life. They were still cautious around each other, and even though Mitchell had considered them living together, he would never have dared to bring up the idea. Having Tommy thinking along the same lines made his happiness complete.
“I love Hong Kong,” said Tommy. “I know it’s my place of birth but I love living here. Back when I was younger and foreigners asked what country I came from, I would always say Hong Kong, and none of my family ever corrected me. I just hope we’re not relegated to a backwater, an ageing movie star or a has-been that has had her time in the limelight and is now rarely mentioned in the tabloids.”
“Norma Desmond,” said Mitchell.
“I don’t know who that is.”
“Precisely.”
Mitchell felt Tommy shiver next to him and pulled him closer.
“If this is your way of cheering me up, Mitch, I need to tell you it’s not working.”
“Things can change in a heartbeat,” said Mitchell. “Neither of us can predict the future, baby. Maybe we’ll still be here twenty years from now, maybe we won’t. But if that means moving to some other place on the planet, then so be it. Right now, the only place I want to be is by your side.”
“Me too,” said Tommy, who appeared to stifle a yawn beside him.
“Okay, I think we should go. Get you home and into bed—”
“Wait. Look. Shooting stars. Quick, make a wish,” said Tommy, hiking in a breath and using his hand to direct Mitchell’s gaze to the brief light show in the sky. “Do you think one day people might be living up there on the moon or among the stars? Nothing seems beyond the realms of possibility these days. How would you feel about us being extraterrestrial expats living together on another planet?”
“Tommy,” said Mitchell, laughing.
“Yes, Mitch?”
Mitchell smiled as he shook his head, pulled Tommy’s hand down into his own and squeezed before kissing each of the knuckles.
“Don’t point at the moon.”