Before Udo had the chance to reply, Edi and Colin barged over.
“I’m getting some of these pastries for the coach,” Edi said.
“He probably won’t eat them,” Colin replied.
“No, I meant— Oh, it’s ajoke,” Edi said.
Udo stared at Steven. One thing was for sure. The journey home was going to be long.
And it was. Udo had bagged a double seat to himself. Yet he couldn’t focus on anything but the back of Steven’s head. He tried to get some sleep to no avail.
Steven’s confession hadn’t come as a surprise. Yet now the words were out in the open, Udo should respond. Yet, he didn’t know what to say. Deep down he wanted Steven more than any man he’d met. His generous spirit was everything Udo had ever dreamt of.
Then Alex’s face would dance into his thoughts. When that had all gone wrong he’d simply extracted himself from the situation. Having an affair with assistant manager was a tangled web he might never get out of.
After the coach had dropped them off at Newby Park, Udo drove through the countryside. He cursed himself for not going to Steven’s. So what if something had developed? He hadn’t been with anyone since Alex. If nothing else, he was horny.
“Scheiße!”
He pulled over onto the grass verge of the lane. Switching the engine off, he wound down his window to let the fresh air in.
On one side of him were trees. The other a field with somevery uninterested sheep grazing. Everything was complete silence.
Udo got out of the car and went over to the fence. The grass stretched to a small stream far in the distance.
The last time he’d been this emotional about a man had been Alex. Their first date had been in Covent Garden. It had gone from lunch to dinner to bed.
Alex’s handsome face filled his mind.
“No!” he cried out.
The sheep lifted their heads and stared. How dare he come and disturb their dinner.
“I will not let you take my future from me,” he said, quietly this time.
He meant it too. He absolutely refused to let Alex and Max hurt him anymore. He’d left the club he had always planned to finish his career in. Wasn’t that enough?
And a man like Steven didn’t come along very often. He didn’t need Udo for money or status or power.
He dashed to the car and grabbed his phone. With a shaking hand, he connected the call.
Steven answered on the second ring.
“You’re never home already.”
Udo took a breath. “Send me your postcode.”
“What?”
“Send me your postcode. We need this.”
Udo terminated the call. He could hardly focus on anything as he waited. Now the quiet became claustrophobic. What if Steven didn’t reply? How long would he sit here for?
His phone buzzed.
Udo opened the message.
ELEVEN
