Chapter Twenty-Six
Theo
My foot tapped nervously on the floor as I peered out of the window, keeping an eye out for any sign of movement. West was supposed to be here at any moment and I was more nervous than I’d ever been at any point in my life.
I desperately wanted him to arrive so we could get the initial weirdness over with and get on with the rest of the evening, but deep down a nagging voice whispered that the whole thing might be nothing but weirdness.
There was a difference between chatting to someone online and meeting them in person, and just because things had clicked between Laurie and me as soon as we’d met didn’t mean it would be the same with West and me.
The fact that we were related and had technically spent ten years living in the same house didn’t really count because he’d been a kid and we were totally different people now.
I glanced down at my phone, which I was clutching in one hand, checking to see if he’d messaged me. I had it on vibrate, but I didn’t totally trust it to alert me.
West had decided hiring a car would be easiest because he could just take it straight back to Lincoln and drop it off before training on Monday, and while it was definitely the best option, I was now worried he’d get lost or suffer some horrible accident en route.
After all, the roads to Heather Bay were pretty narrow and windy, especially across the moors, and the nights were getting darker.
Plus I knew there were loads of sheep wandering around in certain parts.
What if West got trapped on the road by a horde of sheep and didn’t have enough signal to let me know about his predicament?
If that was the case, I’d blame Will and Jamie because they should know better than letting their sheep go wandering off like that.
I didn’t actually know how big their farm was or what land was theirs. I just knew it was huge and went out onto the moors. Therefore, all sheep on the moors were theirs—that was just the way it worked.
“Do you think he’s gotten lost?” I asked, knowing Laurie was lurking somewhere in the flat. “The car park can be hard to find if you don’t know where you’re going.”
Since there wasn’t any space for a car by the flat, Laurie had told me to get West to park in the little car park for the funeral home.
There were a few visitor’s spaces next to the garages where our two hearses were kept.
There was plenty of lighting and it should’ve been easy enough for West to walk around the edge of the building to find us.
I’d even made sure the security light outside our front door worked, just in case.
“I’m sure he’ll find it just fine,” Laurie said.
I felt his arm brush against my back and realised he’d crept up to stand behind me.
I wanted to tell him off for sneaking around like a sneaky thing, but it wasn’t like I’d been paying attention to anything except what was going on outside the window.
Laurie could’ve been dancing naked and playing the trombone and I still wouldn’t have noticed.
Although if that’d been the case, I’d have hoped he’d tell me so I could watch.
“He’ll be here soon,” Laurie continued. “Why don’t you come and sit down instead of lurking. You know a watched pot never boils.”
“If it’s on the heat, it’ll boil whether I watch it or not. That’s just science.”
“You know what I mean. You’re going to make yourself feel worse if you keep standing here and—” Laurie didn’t get to finish his sentence because a tall, broad figure suddenly appeared around the corner and the security light burst into life, throwing the figure into a bright pool of light.
“He’s here!” I shrieked then took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm myself. It didn’t help. My pulse was racing and I felt light-headed. My palms were sticky and clammy, and I really hoped West didn’t want to go for some crushing, manly handshake or he’d probably be grossed out.
I heard the buzzer sound and I bounced up and down on the spot, trying to shake the nervous energy bubbling up in my muscles. Laurie smiled at me. “Do you want me to answer the door?” he asked.
“No.” I shook my head, still bouncing. “I’ll do it.”
“It’s going to be okay,” Laurie said calmly. “I promise.”
I nodded, muttering, “It’s going to be fine,” under my breath as I made my way down the stairs to the front door, half walking, half hopping.
It wasn’t the safest way to get downstairs, but it was the only way I seemed to be able to walk.
At the bottom of the stairs, I took another deep breath and then pulled the door open.
Standing on the doorstep in a golden pool of light was a boy I hadn’t seen in fourteen years. Only he wasn’t a little boy anymore. He was all grown up.
“Hey, West,” I said, my voice catching on his name.
“Hey, Theo,” he said, smiling down at me. I hadn’t realised quite how tall he was, but in person he was at least a head taller than me. Broader too. But his eyes… his eyes were just like mine. “Long time no see.”
“You could say that.” There was a brief pause as time slowed to a crawl.
Then I threw myself into my brother’s arms. He squeezed me tightly, and my spine popped.
A maelstrom of emotions rose up inside me: love, fear, grief, joy, and a hundred others I had no words for.
It was overwhelming and terrifying and perfect all at once, and my eyes stung as tears welled up in them.
I gripped West tighter, suddenly very aware of how broad and solid he was. It was like hugging a brick wall.
“You made it okay, then?” I asked, slowly letting him go and stepping back, wiping the tears from my eyes.
“Yeah.” He nodded as he spoke. His voice was slightly deeper in person, and it was very soothing and warm. “The roads were a little narrower than I expected, and I made a wrong turn on the way in, but that’s because I wasn’t paying attention.”
“It’s a bit of a maze at times,” I said before letting out a breathless laugh. “You should come in. Otherwise I’ll just keep talking and we’ll be stood out here all night!”
“Sure, yeah…” West bent down and picked up the overnight bag on the floor next to him. “Lead on.”
I ushered him inside and directed him up the stairs while I locked and bolted the door behind us.
My nerves were still there, but they’d subsided to a strange hum under my skin, like I was suddenly made of bees.
I followed West up the stairs, and when I reached the top, I saw him politely shaking hands with Laurie, who was smiling but with an accompanying gothic glare that said, I can and will throw you into a fiery furnace if you put a toe out of line.
It was kinda hot. I’d never had anyone care about me so much that they went all sexy and protective. But also, I didn’t want him to scare my poor brother away as soon as he’d walked in the front door.
Laurie saw me looking and his expression softened slightly. “Can I get you a drink? Dinner won’t be too long.”
“Er, yeah, that’d be great, thanks,” West said with a nervous grin. His eyes were looking around the room and I wondered if I should’ve warned him about the taxidermy. I’d definitely mentioned it was something I liked, but I couldn’t remember how much I’d told him about my collection.
Laurie listed off a selection of drinks, and West opted for some Coke while I asked for some pink lemonade.
I often mixed it with vodka or wine, but tonight I’d decided it would be easier to stay sober.
I wasn’t a super lightweight, because I’d gotten used to drinking Laurie’s ridiculous measures over the years, but I still didn’t want to get drunk and say something stupid.
“That’s Lord Featherby, right?” West asked, pointing at my beloved raven.
“Yes! How’d you know his name?”
West blushed slightly, which looked adorably out of place on his broad features. “I, er, might’ve done a bit of Instagram stalking. You posted about him ages ago. And then yesterday… something about dusting?”
I giggled. “Yes, his lordship wasn’t particularly helpful with the housework, which is quite rude because he lives here rent-free and everything.” For a second I wondered if West would think it was weird that I talked about Featherby as if he was still alive, but then he just burst out laughing.
“Freeloader,” he said. “Mind you, my housemates aren’t much better. Mason’s fucking awful at housework. I’m really glad we decided to all chip in and hire a cleaner because otherwise Mason’d only clean when we couldn’t see the floor and we’d run out of dishes.”
“I just get told off for not doing it properly,” I said with an eyeroll. “But that’s only because our dishwasher’s a piece of shit and only washes things if you’ve rinsed them off properly first. And that’s not the point of having a dishwasher!”
“I wish our house had one,” West said. “But whoever last did the kitchen didn’t put one in. Mind you that was probably years ago, looking at it.”
“Is it weird renting with a load of guys from the team?”
“It could be worse. There’s only four of us, and we’ve all got our own space. Sometimes I wish we had more than two bathrooms and a bigger kitchen, but yeah, could be worse.”
“Do you get on with the other two?” I asked, walking over to the sofa and sitting down in my customary spot, folding my legs under me properly so I didn’t accidentally show off my underwear or the pretty rope garter Laurie had tied to help me stay calm.
I still loved the feel of the rope against my bare skin and the way it brushed against the inside of my other thigh. I hoped I never got too used to it.
I patted the cushion next to me and West came and sat.
“Jonny’s nice—he’s pretty funny and I can never beat him on Call of Duty.
Then there’s Guy. He’s a bit of a wanker sometimes but he’s all right.
He thinks he’s better than us, but you kinda have to ignore him.
Mind you, if someone elbowed him in the face in the scrum, I wouldn’t be mad. ”
I grinned and then sat bolt upright, waving my hand as I remembered what West had been doing today. “Oh! How was your game? Did you win?”
“It was good,” West said. “Really close, but we just got them. Took us right until the end because they scored a couple of early tries and put us on the back foot, but we got there in the end. Didn’t think we were going to, but Charlie just got it over the line.”
“That’s awesome, though! Congratulations!” I leant over and hugged him. It was slightly awkward because of the angle and I ended up faceplanting into his chest. “Oops, sorry! I didn’t mean to just stick my face in your pecs.”
West chuckled. “You’re fine. I’m probably a lot bigger than you remember.”
“Er, yeah! But it looks good on you, though.” I still couldn’t get over how grown up he looked, so different from the lanky kid I remembered. It was like they were two completely different people, and I supposed they were.
I sat up just as Laurie walked through with the drinks and I noticed he’d used the nice glasses, which were stemless wine glasses made of black glass with silver skeleton hands at the base that looked like they were holding the glass. “Thank you, are you going to sit down?”
Laurie nodded. “For a few minutes while dinner finishes.”
He walked towards the high-backed armchair near the fireplace and West immediately went to stand up. “Do you want to sit here?”
“No, thank you,” Laurie said, his smile warmer this time. “You two stay there. Then I can get up and down without disturbing you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.” Laurie sat and crossed one leg over the other, and it made me think of a gothic king on his throne.
Usually in the evenings he was far more casual unless we were working or going out, but tonight he’d put on a fresh shirt with a ruffled collar, a waistcoat with a subtle pattern, and a pair of pinstriped trousers.
He’d also put on all the silver rings he usually wore during the week, brushed his hair out, and done his make-up, except he’d gone for a dark, smoky eye instead of the full-on, classic goth make-up he did occasionally.
He looked ridiculously sexy all dressed up and sat in his chair, a casual power emanating from him as he watched us. If West hadn’t been here, I’d have dropped to my knees in front of Laurie and begged him to use me.
I swallowed and attempted to turn my thoughts away from my sexy as fuck boyfriend, whose tiny smirk suggested he knew exactly what I was thinking about.
“Do you need anything for recovery?” I asked West, tearing my gaze away from my love and focusing on my brother.
“Laurie said you might need like, an ice bath or lots of protein or something.”
“Definitely no more ice baths.” West shuddered.
“We have them at the club and after matches, and I’m never going to have one voluntarily.
Just dinner would be great, thanks, and I have to make sure I drink lots and get plenty of sleep.
Tomorrow I’ll have to stretch, maybe do some light exercise, but it’s pretty flexible.
I don’t want to ruin any plans you have by spending all morning doing recovery. ”
“Firstly, your recovery is more important than anything I have planned, so do whatever you need! We can go down to the sea if want. There’s a leisure centre too if you need a gym.
I’m sure they’ll do you, like, a day pass.
Spencer would know—I can ask him. They have a pool too,” I said, trying to think of options.
Heather Bay wasn’t a beacon of sporting excellence, but there should be something West could use.
West’s face lit up at the sound of the sea. “Can we go down to the beach? I don’t mind if it’s cold. I can’t remember the last time I went to the beach.”
“Of course! We can paddle, build a sandcastle, get ice cream. It’ll be so fun.”
“Awesome!” He took a sip of his drink and then clicked his fingers. “Oh, I’ve got a present for you.”
“For me?” I asked, slightly shocked. I hadn’t expected him to get me a present. I hadn’t gotten him anything. Should I have?
“Yeah, it’s nothing big, just a thank you for letting me stay.
” He stood up and walked over to where he’d left his overnight bag, bending down to unzip it.
I couldn’t see what he pulled out but I waited in fascination until he turned around and handed me a small pink gift bag over the back of the sofa.
“If you don’t like it, just say. I can send it back. ”
“Thank you.” My heart fluttered as I pulled out some pink tissue paper then gasped as I saw what was underneath, lifting it out to carefully examine it.
It was a small stuffed white mouse wearing a top hat and holding a tiny bouquet of pink paper flowers.
I looked up at West, who smiled shyly at me. “Is it okay?”
I bit my lip and nodded as my eyes prickled with tears that threatened to start falling like rain. “It’s perfect. It’s the most perfect thing ever and I love it.”