CHAPTER THREE
To say he was surprised by Riley’s text was an understatement. After being given the brush-off for the past week, reading the words,Do you fancy coming out for a pint later?was the last thing Alex expected. For a second he thought about sending something sarcastic in return, but he knew Riley well enough to recognise this was his olive branch—his way of saying he was sorry. This time Alex wanted a little more in the way of an apology, though, or at the very least an explanation for the radio silence. If Riley thought he could get away with buying him a pint and forgetting about it, then he was in for a shock.
Alex typed out his reply, feeling better already.
Yep, sounds good. 7.30 at the lamb?
That pub sat roughly equidistant between their houses, so Alex figured he was being generous by not suggesting the one at the end of his street.
Yeah ok.
His dad wandered into the break room where Alex sat having his lunch. “You nearly done?” He gestured at Alex’s half-eaten sandwich. “I could do with a hand on Mrs Roberts’s Toyota if you don’t mind cutting your lunch short?”
Alex nodded as he chewed and then swallowed. “Yeah, okay. Give me five minutes.”
“Thanks. You can leave at five tonight, since you’ve only had half your break.”
That would give him plenty of time to shower, change, and actually eat something decent before meeting Riley. Alex grinned. “That’d be great. Thanks, Dad.” He shoved the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and stood to chuck the wrapper in the bin.
His dad eyed him curiously. “You look ten times better than you have lately. Hot date tonight?”
“No, just meeting Riley for a pint.”
“Ahh.” His dad nodded in understanding as if that explained everything.
Alex arched an eyebrow as he headed towards the door. “What does that mean?”
His dad rolled his eyes. “Usually he’s at my house as much as you are, but I haven’t seen him since you came back from the lodge. Thought you’d had a lovers’ tiff.”
“Get lost.” Alex bustled his dad out of the way and opened the door. “We’re fine. Just been busy.”
“Of course. Whatever you say.”
Both sets of parents had long since given up asking if he and Riley were a couple, finally accepting they were just friends. Alex’s dad still took the piss regardless, and it was as comforting as it was annoying. It was his dad’s way of showing to Alex and anyone else in the vicinity that he didn’t give a shit that his son was gay and had no tolerance for anyone who did.
A couple of guys at the garage had learnt that the hard way—his dad didn’t stand for any kind of bullying in the workplace, homophobic or otherwise. Alex suspected that in such a male-dominated profession it wasn’t always like that.
That wasn’t to say the mechanics there didn’t swear like sailors and take the piss out of each other, because once out of earshot of customers, the language was extremely colourful and made Alex laugh—they were very inventive, a great bunch.
He wondered if they’d have to cut back on that once Sophie started next year. His sister was keen to join the family business as soon as she left school, and she already helped out at the weekends. It’d be weird working with both his dad and his sister, but he was sort of looking forward to it.
The rest of the day went surprisingly quickly considering Alex was keen to get home, go out, and clear the air with Riley. Despite telling his dad they were fine, he still had a nagging feeling that they really weren’t.
After showering and demolishing the roast dinner his mum had made, Alex grabbed his keys and wallet and headed back into the kitchen.
His mum stood at the worktop making two mugs of tea. She looked up and smiled when Alex walked in. “Thanks for loading the dishwasher.”
“No problem.” He leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m off to meet Ri. Might be back late, but I’ve got my key.” He felt his pocket to double-check. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d had to wake his parents up to let him in, which at twenty-three years of age was sort of embarrassing. If he could afford a place of his own, it would be so much better. Not that he wasn’t grateful for his parents still putting him up, but it’d be nice to have his own space.
She turned to put the milk back in the fridge and patted his arm. “Be careful.”
Alex smiled. “Will do.”
The area they lived in was relatively quiet, not somewhere he had to watch his back, but he never totally relaxed. “Night.”
“Night, love.”
The cool December air had him zipping up his jacket and shoving his hands in his pockets. His mum insisted it was mild compared to what it used to be like, but as far as Alex was concerned, it was cold. The walk to the pub took about fifteen minutes, and he’d warmed up considerably by the time he got there. The outside shone like a neon beacon: reindeer and holly sprigs stuck in the windows, with lights shaped like bells and Christmas trees adorning the street lamps up and down the road. An array of mismatched fairy lights hung on the roof, and a huge wreath covered half of the door.
