Luke kissed him on the mouth.“It sure was.I can’t remember when I last felt so in tune with anyone.”
Once they had cleaned up and disposed of the condom, they lay naked on top of the bed, above the covers.The warmth of the day lingered in the bedroom.Through the open window came the sound of the sea against the beach, the distant squawk of gulls.Hudson lay beside Luke, his right leg draped across his thigh, his arm flung carefully across his chest.
“Want to spend the night?”Luke asked.
“If that’s all right with you.”Now that he was here, Hudson had no wish to return to the city.Blyham was becoming oppressive, stifling.Although they were only a few miles away, everything seemed much freer, more welcoming out here.
Less dangerous.
Luke ran his hand along the backs of Hudson’s shoulders.
“It’s more than all right.I can’t think of a better way to spend a Friday night than with you.”
“What about Saturday morning?”
“Well, I’ve always said the nicest part of going to bed with a man is waking up next to him.”
Chapter Thirteen
Night into Morning
By eleven o’clock there was still a hint of daylight in the night sky.Hudson would not have been aware of the fact if he’d been in the city.Even from his balcony, the urban light pollution would have spoiled the sight, but from Luke’s living room, with the patio doors wide open to the elements, he had the perfect opportunity to take it all in.They sat together on the sofa, their bare feet propped on a solid wood coffee table, drinking and enjoying the chilled-out mood.
Luke had made a light tuna Niçoise for dinner, cobbled together from the refrigerator, and they’d spent the rest of the evening just where they were.Hudson could still make out the gentle white caps of waves rippling the surface of the sea just a hundred yards away.
“Doesn’t it ever flood?”he asked.A slight promenade on the other side of the road was all that stood between the sea and the house.
“Not in the time I’ve been here.It was a worry when I first moved in, but even at high tide, the water doesn’t come anywhere close to the road.I guess it’s something to do with the local geography or seabed that I don’t understand.”
The house was small, but Hudson had to admit that what it lacked in size was more than compensated for by the spectacular locations and views.
“Do you plan to stay here long?”he asked.
“As long as I’m working in the area, I can’t see any reason to move.I would hate to go back into the city.I used to live near to where you’re staying now when I first came to Blyham.It was ideal at first.Close to work, to the theatre and galleries.I was younger then, and more eager to go out on the gay scene too.The novelty soon wore off all those things.”
“I get that.I used to be the same.Wherever I went, I wanted to check out the gay scenes, hit the bars and clubs, meet local guys.I’ve barely seen anything since I got here.”
“I could say it’s not as good a scene as it used to be, but that’s probably more to do with me.The bars haven’t changed much in the time I’ve lived here.It didn’t used to be as violent as it is now.I’m not sure how safe I’d feel in the gay triangle at night these days.Especially on my own.I was talking to a guy at work, just a couple of weeks ago, who was followed by a group of guys in a car, taunting him and hurling insults.He had to take shelter in a late-night coffee shop until they got bored and moved on.”
“Assholes.”
“Absolutely.Sadly, there are a lot of them about.”
“Have you always been out to your family?”
“Not always, no.For a long time, in my late teens and early twenties, I wasn’t even out to myself.I found it a struggle.My parents were a dream.They’ve always been open-minded and liberal in their thinking, but it took me a long time to accept myself.I was at uni when I had my first boyfriend.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.Not about your parents, about your self-doubts.”
Luke laughed.“Oh, I had a lot going on as a teenager.My sexuality was a small problem next to everything else.Racism, bullying.The place we lived when I was growing up was not the most tolerant.It was only when I went to university in Manchester that I could relax and finally be myself.”
Hudson stroked his bare thigh.It was good to have Luke open up to him like this.He wanted to know so much more about him.“What did you study?”
“Literature and journalism.”
“I thought you might have said drama.Given how much you love theatre.”
“I do love theatre, but the last thing I want to do is get up on a stage.”He shuddered.“All those people watching.All that expectation.It fills me with horror.I always wanted to be a writer, so that’s the path I followed.”
