Chapter Ten
As soon as the words had left his lips, Dave regretted the impulse.
“Okay, forget I asked. Because why would you want to take a train to Bromley for cheesecake? And even if you did, I have no idea what time the trains stop to bring you back to wherever it is you live. And I was being selfish. It was just the thought of going back to an empty house, what with Chris staying at Ethan’s. So let’s just order the churros and—”
“Dave. How about you take a breath long enough for me to get a word in?”
He fell silent.
“Okay.” Jeff took a sip of water, then clasped his hands on the table.
“I love the idea of going to your place for cheesecake. The last train leaves Bromley at 00.50—I checked. I live in a ground floor studio flat in Dagenham. No, you’re not being selfish.
I totally get how it could feel strange not having Chris in the house.
Much as I love the idea of churros and chocolate sauce, my waistline wouldn’t.
And if we put the champagne in the freezer when we get to your place, I reckon that by the time we’ve finished the cheesecake, it will be cold enough to crack open, so you can share it with me—unless it’s exploded by then. ”
Dave’s heartbeat climbed down a little. “I was trying to sound relaxed about it, but once I’d actually said it… I won’t keep you up too late, in case you’re working tomorrow.”
“Which I am, but my shift doesn’t start until one.” Jeff smiled. “Besides, you’re extending my birthday.”
“Then let’s go.”
Jeff signalled to the waiter, and once he’d confirmed they had Amy’s card details, Jeff gave him a tip, picked up his bag of champagne, and they left the restaurant. It was a cold night, and Dave pulled his coat tight around him.
“We can get a taxi to Victoria from Waterloo,” Jeff suggested. They kept up a brisk pace, dodging through the crowds that were headed in the opposite direction.
“I’ve got a confession,” Dave said after a minute of walking.
“Oh? Should I be worried?”
“I bought you a birthday card, but I left it at the house. I meant to pick it up, but it went clean out of my head.”
Jeff laughed. “Aha. This is why we’re going to your place.” Dave laughed too. After a moment, he continued. “You said you couldn’t stand Matt when you first met. Why?” His breath plumed in the frosty air.
Dave chuckled. “I was in the supermarket on campus. I’d gone in to buy a loaf of bread.
You know what happens, right? You go in for one item, and then you see more things you need.
I hadn’t bothered to use a basket—not for one loaf—but by the time I got to the till, I regretted it.
My arms were full, with stuff balanced precariously.
You can guess what happened next. It was like a game of dominoes.
All it took was for one item to fall, and the rest followed.
So there I was, frantically trying to pick up everything, when this voice said, ‘Either use a basket, or buy less.’” He smiled.
“Matt was standing there with this knowing smile. I thanked him for the suggestion, then told him if that was all the help he intended giving, he could stuff his advice where the sun doesn’t shine. ”
Jeff laughed. “Not exactly love at first sight then.”
Dave snorted. “I thought he was a smug git. Then a few weeks later, I ran into him at the student bar—literally. I was going in as he was coming out. The first words out of his mouth as he lay sprawled on the floor, rubbing his head? It was a quote from a Gary Larson cartoon. ‘The coconut-like sound of their heads colliding secretly delighted the bird.’ Of course, I didn’t know it was a quote, not then, and I thought I was dealing with a nut-job.
It wasn’t till months later he showed me the cartoon of a man, a cat, and a dog, all bending down to retrieve a ball at the same time, watched by a caged parrot.
” He chuckled. “My first introduction to Larson. Then I discovered we had a similar sense of humour.”
He halted at the curb, and stuck his hand out to stop a passing black cab. He gave the driver their destination, and they climbed in the back.
“So what broke the ice?” Jeff asked.
Dave sighed. “He bought me a drink, because he said it had been his fault—he’d been looking at a text on his phone.
I said okay, and we got talking. Once he’d stopped annoying me, I could see he was actually rather good-looking.
One drink became a night of them, and a lot of talking.
Then he confessed he’d been trying to find me again, ever since the episode in the supermarket. The rest is history.”
“Had there been anyone else before Matt?”
Dave shook his head. “I didn’t go out much.
I was a very boring student. I don’t even remember why I’d gone to the bar that night, because I wasn’t a drinker, unlike most of the guys on my course.
Any excuse for a pint or seven, that lot.
So I guess it was fate.” He peered through the window. “Ah. Here we are.”
They got out, and Dave paid the driver. The next train to Bromley was about to leave, so it was a mad scramble to get to the ticket barrier in time. They tapped their Oyster cards and got onto the train with seconds to spare. Jeff grabbed the first two empty seats, and they collapsed into them.
“Was Chris excited about tonight?”
Dave smiled. “Yes, but not about going to Ethan’s. He was more interested in my having dinner with you.” He turned his head to peer at Jeff. “You have a fan there.”
Jeff flushed. “He’s amazing. I was going to ask. Is there something I can get him for Christmas? I’d like to buy him a present.”
Warmth flooded through him. “That’s very kind. You don’t have to.”
“But I want to. Any ideas what he’d like?”
Dave nodded. “His school bag got torn on Friday. I know it’s a boring gift, but he’ll need a new one when he goes back to school in January. I haven’t had time to shop for one.”
Jeff’s eyes lit up. “I know just what to get him. I saw it on EBay.” He shook his head. “Only four days till Christmas. Time goes so fast.”
“It does when you’re our age. So, what are your plans for Christmas?”
“I usually go to Amy’s. We don’t do a huge celebration. No turkey, for one thing. We tend to graze on paté, cheese, snacks…” Jeff bit his lip. “I bet you can roast a turkey too.”
Dave smiled. “Christmas dinner was always important. I’ll be honest, the last two years, my heart wasn’t in it.
This year though… I’ve ordered a turkey, to be picked up on Christmas Eve.
And Chris wants to help me prepare the meal.
” Memories of Matt volunteering to peel vegetables and slice turkey no longer hurt him as they’d done in the past.
“Does Chris know Janine carried him?”
Dave nodded. “When he was six, he asked why he had a dad and a papa, but no mum. So we sat him down and explained as best we could. The next time he saw Janine, he gave her such a hug, and thanked her. I swear, it’s one of the few times I’ve seen her cry.
” He chuckled. “The next day he went to school and proudly told all his class that he had a mum and two dads.”
The train slowed as it approached Shortlands station, and they got up to stand by the door. As they stepped down onto the platform, Jeff peered into his bag.
“I think this might need to lie down for a while. It’s got so shaken up, I have visions of giving your furniture a coat of champagne when I pop the cork.”
“We don’t have to drink it tonight,” Dave told him. “You could save it for New Year’s Eve.”
Jeff arched his eyebrows. “To drink it all by myself? No thank you. I’d rather share it with you. Besides, how often do you drink vintage champagne?”
Dave had to admit he’d never had the pleasure.
They walked along Station Road, past the bowling club and the recreation ground, before taking the path through Martins Hill Park that led to the house.
“Oh, that’s pretty,” Jeff exclaimed, pointing to where coloured lights covered the trees around the monument.
There were tiny white lights wound in and out of the railings that surrounded it.
“I love your neighbourhood,” he murmured.
“To have all this on your doorstep. If I lived here, I’d never want to move.
” He shivered. “It’s got colder. Do you think they’re right, and we’re going to have snow? ”
Dave groaned. “Chris saw that on TV. He says he wants to build a snowman in the park if it does.”
“Like the animation, The Snowman?”
Dave laughed. “Oh no. Much more ambitious. He wants to make Yoda.” They reached the gate, and Dave opened it to let Jeff in, then followed him to the front door. Once inside, he hurried into the sitting room to light a fire.
“Put the champagne in the fridge. The freezer is too risky. And you’ll find the cheesecake in there.”
“I’ve found my card too,” Jeff replied. “It was on the kitchen table. Can I open it?”
“Before you do…” Dave held up his hands. “I had no idea what you were going to order tonight, okay? I might have Googled the menu, but…”
Jeff gave him a puzzled stare. “Okay, now I’m intrigued.” He tore open the envelope, and burst into a peal of laughter. “Oh my God, that is so weird.”
Dave had chosen a card with a picture of a man and a duck in the middle of a desert, a picnic rug on the sand between them.
The man was commenting on how they were down to their last few supplies—some pancakes, a few slivers of cucumber, and some hoisin sauce.
His last comment was ‘Then what’s going to become of us? ’
Jeff cackled. “And right now, the duck is deciding it’s time to evolve into something carnivorous.” He shook his head. “What are the odds on that?” Then his eyes twinkled. “And now I get why you asked if I was really going to order the duck.”
Dave returned to his task of lighting the fire.
“You know where the plates are. Cut us two slices, and we’ll eat them in here.
” Sometimes it was hard to believe they’d only met four weeks ago: it felt as though he’d known Jeff for much longer.
Their conversation on the way home from the restaurant had felt comfortable.
He got up from the rug and went over to the bookcase that contained his DVDs.
He smiled as he plucked one from the shelf.
“I’ve got the perfect accompaniment for the dessert.
” He loaded the DVD into the machine, and sat on the couch facing the TV screen.
When Jeff walked into the room, he pressed Play, Skip, and suddenly Bill Hicks was saying that Fundamentalist Christians believed dinosaur fossils had been put there by God to test their faith, their belief that the world was a mere twelve thousand years old.
Anyone have trouble sleeping restfully with that thought in their head?
God’s running around burying fossils: “Ho ho! We’ll see who believes in me now, ha ha!
I’m a prankster God. I am killing me, ho ho ho! ”
Jeff was laughing in seconds. “Oh wow, I love this one.” He joined Dave on the couch, and they ate cheesecake and laughed.
When the DVD came to an end, Jeff let out a contented sigh.
“Something I should explain about my birthdays. Growing up, I never had a birthday party. It was rare that I was given presents, all because Christmas was only a few days away. So today was… the best birthday ever. My sister pulled a fast one, you had dinner with me, you made me laugh….” His face glowed. “Just perfect.”
“I didn’t get you a present,” Dave murmured.
Jeff’s eyes were warm. “Yeah, you did. My gift came wrapped in a long coat and a striped scarf.”
Dave had no idea whether it was the logs crackling or the electricity between them as he leaned closer. Jeff was moving too, and the moment his hand touched Dave’s neck, soft as a whisper, Dave couldn’t hold back a second longer. “Jeff…”
Then Jeff closed the gap, their lips met, and it felt so good to be kissing him.
God, I’ve missed this. Dave’s throat seized, and his heart hammered.
He broke the kiss and pulled back. “I… I’m sorry.”