“Don’t have to make such a big fuckin’ deal about it, Davies.” Bren redresses, and I move to do the same.
“You were good,” I say, wanting him to know how much I enjoyed it.
“We should probably get goin’. It’s late. I’ll meet you at the back school gate tomorrow. 8:30.” Bren starts to walk away.
“Okay. Hey Bren.” He stops and looks back. “Come here for a minute.”
“What for?”
“Just come here.”
He rolls his eyes but walks back towards me. I pull him into my arms before he can object, and I hold him tight to my chest.
“What the fuck, Davies?”
I ignore him and he doesn’t fight me. For all his macho bullshit I know he wants this. I can feel it, sure and steady in my gut.
“This is fuckin’ gay,” he says but at the same time he circles his arms around my waist.
“Well, I'm gay.”
At that, he pulls away and starts walking in the direction of his house.
“Later Davies,” he yells without a backwards glance.
I watch until I can no longer make out his receding form, then turn in the other direction to head home. One day you’ll be mine Brendan Young. One day.
Chapter 4
Kyle
Now
It turns out Jeff’s a decent guy, helping me choose a completely new, and more tasteful, bathroom. I decide on a timeless and elegant design that is primarily white with touches of black, including a freestanding soaking tub that is romantic andsophisticated. To avoid being a total bitch, I decide to keep one thing James wanted, and select a rain showerhead that matches the new theme.
Jeff is surprisingly chatty for a straight man, is of average height, and perhaps in his mid-thirties. Deciding to take advantage of the situation, I cultivate a keen interest in Beautiful Bathrooms,andJeff’s boss, asking as many questions as I think I can get away with.
To my credit, I discover that Bren’s husband’s name is Chris, and they’ve been married six or seven years. Bren started the business about the same time he got married, and it seems to be going great—the businessandthe marriage. I’m happy to hear the business is going well, but not so much about the marriage. Chris is an accountant, and he does the bookkeeping for the business, which Jeff reckons saves them loads of money. They don’t have any kids and live in Frankston North, not far from the Beautiful Bathrooms showroom. It’s hard to believe Bren has laid down roots so close to his childhood foster home, with all the fucking trauma and shit memories.
For the life of me I can’t wrap my head around Bren being married to an accountant, so as soon as Jeff leaves, I open my laptop and spend the rest of the morning researching. Well, stalking to be more precise. I’ve never dared to stalk Bren online before, too scared of what I might find, although it has crossed my mind many, many times. Turns out it wouldn’t have yielded much information anyway—Bren has no social media to speak of, and the only evidence of him on the internet is his business website and associated reviews.
Chris Walker, however, is a slightly different story.
Chris has multiple platforms going—unfortunately, most are set to private—but I do discover that Chris works for Waterstone Financial Services in Frankston. Even though I’m not one hundred percent sure why I’m doing it, I record the businessname and address. After that, I study his profile photos—immediately wishing I didn’t—because there’s not only a romantic wedding photo, but one of Chris kissing Bren’s cheek while Bren smiles at the camera like the happiest man on the motherfucking earth.
I try to swallow down my jealousy, but I may as well be eating razor blades. At least I now know what this Chris looks like. He’s a couple of inches taller than Bren, reddish-brown hair, and has a slim build. I can’t deny that his green eyesarekind of nice, but, overall, Chris is only slightly above average-looking. The clean-cut, boy-next-door type, leaning slightly towards femme in a way that only other queers recognise. Chris does seem a little on the sub side for Bren’s taste, but maybe Chris’s outward appearance is just deceiving. I’d need to see him walk and talk and interact to get a clearer picture.
Since there’s no way I’m giving up after one ignored text, I call Bren after lunch. It rings and rings and eventually goes to voicemail, so I leave a message.
“Hey Bren, I didn’t hear back from you last night. I’d love to catch up for a beer or a coffee. It’s been, what, twenty years, man…” I hesitate, unsure how to wrap it up. “Um…can you text me? Or call? Either is fine… It was really great seeing you.”
Embarrassed by the emotion creeping into my voice, I quickly end the call and throw my phone down on the table. My message went from sounding like an old drinking buddy to a jilted lover in the space of ten seconds. Fuck, I’m an idiot.
In the afternoon, I get some housework done, hit the gym, and then pick Lu up from school. When I get a text from James saying he’s working late at the office, a stupid idea pops into my head, and I tell Lu I’m going out for a drink with a friend.
What the hell I’m doing, I have no clue. But I have more energy than I’ve had in years, sparks of excitement dancing over my skin.
When I pull into Beautiful Bathrooms, I’m pleased to see Bren’s Ute is the only vehicle left in the parking lot. I turn off the ignition and wait, the setting sun casting a warm orange glow across the building’s large windows. I’m nervous as hell and glad when Bren appears five minutes later. Without questioning myself further, I step out of my car and walk towards him.
