Buggrit.So much for not thinking about Zig.Then again, maybe heoughtto be thinking about Zig.Wondering what had brought him here, after six years of silence.A bad breakup, maybe?From some bastard who’d left him thinking fondly of his younger days with Si?Or was it something worse than that?Something that’d end up coming back to bite them both—
The bell on the door jangled, and Si found himself looking straight into his mum’s face.She wasn’t smiling.
Si’s stomach sank.“Ullo, Mum.”He tried to muster a smile.
“Don’t youHellome, young man.Don’t think I haven’t noticed you’ve been ignoring me.”
“Mu-um.I’m at work.Thought you would be too.”
She folded her arms.“Then you should answer your phone in the evening, shouldn’t you?”
Si cringed inside at the thought that she’d taken time off because of him.“I was busy.”
“Busy.WithThat Boy.”Si could hear the capitals.He hoped to gods none of the lads would come back from a job in time to see him getting his ear bashed.
“He’s a grown man now, Mum.So am I, in case you ain’t noticed.”
“Haven’t.And that changes nothing.Do you remember the year after you came back from London?Because I do.Thought you’d never smile again.”
“I was a kid, weren’t I?Things hit you hard at that age.It’s fine now.Water under the bridge and all that.”
“Why’s he here?”
Si shrugged, not sure himself.“Passing through, thought he’d look me up.”The bell jangled again, and a middle-aged bloke walked in.
Mum didn’t seem to notice.“Passing through?So, he’ll be moving on soon?”
“’Spect so.Mum, there’s a customer waiting behind you.”
Mum turned, probably with one of her patented death glares on her face, seeing as the customer took a step back.“You’re not in a hurry, are— Oh, Peter, I didn’t realise it was you.How are you?”
“Fine, fine.”Whoever Peter was, his face and his voice were calling him a liar.“And no, no hurry.”
Mum smiled in a way that had Si’s heart plummeting to his boots.“No, you go ahead.Simon, I’ll speak to youlater.”
Her tone made it clear that turning off his phone again wouldn’t be an option.Not unless he fancied repercussions on a scale that’d make him long for the days when he only had to worry about Mum embarrassing him at work.
After his harrowing morning courtesy of his nearest and dearest, Si half considered begging off his lunch with Sasha and the others.He could nip back home instead.See if Zig was there.And then Si wouldn’t have to say anything about him to Adam and Sash and risk more disapproval.
Right.Cos avoiding them for however long Zig was staying, that’d make perfect sense and in no way cause them to wonder if he’d lost his flippin’ mind.Or go absolutely ballistic on him—and probably Zig—when they found out the truth.
Si dithered so long that he was the last one to get to Sasha’s tattoo studio: Furious Ink.Then again, seeing as how Adam worked there too, it was only Si and Corin who had to travel—
“Scratch?You in there, mate?”Adam waved a hand in front of Si’s face.
Si reared back like a startled sheep.“Oi, where else would I be?”
“Off with the fairies, by the looks of you,” Sasha said, arching both of her ink-dot eyebrows.“Everything all right?”
“Fine.Smashin’.Why wouldn’t it be?You all good?”
“Yeah, we’re good.”That was Adam.Corin, his bloke, who was sitting on the little sofa in the window with his mouth wrapped around a doorstep sandwich, waved.
Sasha gave Si a pointed look.Then she sighed.“What happened to that bacon butty you promised me?Cos if it’s in your pocket, it’s gonna be squished.”
“Bollocks.”He had promised, hadn’t he?“I’ll get it now.Sorry.”It wasn’t like he’d remembered his own lunch, neither.“You want anything, Adam?Corin?”
“Not for me, ta.”Adam was frowning.
