"Anything we can help with?" his dad asked. "You know you can talk to us about anything."
Except the all too real possibility that he wanted to screw his brother. "I'm worried about the dance school," he said, which wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't the true reason behind his odd behaviour, either. "I'm wondering what else I can do to help."
Deborah wandered over and put her hands on his cheeks, accidentally transferring a bit of jam to his face. "You're already doing so much," she told him. "You teach more hours than we pay you for, you've come up with an amazing set of lesson ideas," she glanced over her shoulder at her husband as she spoke. "And you're working with Luc on the social media side of things. We couldn't ask you for anything more." She kissed his forehead.
Adam tensed to stop himself from shivering. It felt wrong having her kiss him, when less than half an hour ago Luc's mouth and tongue had been all over him.
He cleared his throat. "If there is anything else I can do, tell me, okay?"
"Right away," she assured him.
"I'm going to see Mason on Monday," he told them both. He wasn't sure why he hadn't mentioned it before. "I figured half term was a good chance to catch up with him, as there aren't any regular classes on."
"That's a bit out of the blue, isn't it?" his dad asked.
Adam shook his head. "Not really. It's not like Mason and I haven't kept in touch. He wants me to see his new ballet. He's got a named part this time."
His mum smiled. "Oh, that's wonderful for him. Congratulate him from us, will you?"
"Sure." He stepped into the kitchen properly, trailing his fingertips along the kitchen table. "It's okay if I go, isn't it? I'll only be gone for two or three days."
"Of course," his mum replied.
"We'll cover your exam coaching," his dad said.
"Thanks." Adam hadn't even seen the half term coaching timetable, though he knew there was one. He hoped his parents wouldn't have to juggle it too much to make up for his absence, but he had to get away.
"Right," his mum said, wrapping the last of the sandwiches in foil. "That's tea sorted. Are you good to go?"
"Yeah, let me just grab my bag."
He jogged down to the cellar to pick up the bag that contained his ballet and tap shoes, plus a change of clothes and a fresh towel. When he returned to the kitchen, his mum handed him a full water bottle, then he followed his parents out of the kitchen, towards the front door.
Luc was just coming down the stairs. He gave them all a wave goodbye, but it was Adam his gaze snagged on. Adam found himself staring back, his throat tightening. His lips tingled at the memory of kissing Luc and Christ, he wanted to do it again. He looked away sharply and hunched his shoulders, pushing away his undesirable thoughts.
Chapter Thirteen
Luc
Sunday was a lazy day in the Earnshaw house. There were no dance lessons, so the family relaxed in the house. They got up late, ate brunch rather than breakfast, watched TV or did gardening if the weather was nice enough. Adam spent some time in the cellar, dancing. Whilst that would normally have seemed like a great way to spend a Sunday, Luc was frustrated. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Adam alone since they'd been interrupted a couple of days earlier, which meant he had no idea where he stood with his stepbrother. The not knowing was killing him. Plus, of course, he was hopeful for a repeat. But for that to happen, they'd need the house to themselves, which wasn't an easy task.
Adam was in the cellar when Luc decided to approach his parents. They were both in the sitting room, cuddled up on the sofa watching a black and white movie on the TV. They didn't have cable, Sky, or Netflix, only the Freeview channels, which Luc found pretty limiting. He'd been grateful for his laptop to help entertain him when he hadn't been able to find anything else on.
"Hey, I was thinking, when was the last time you two went out on a date?" he asked, as he sat down in the armchair opposite the sofa.
Ken's eyebrow arched. "How old do you think we are? Sixteen?"
Luc chuckled. "You know what I mean. When did you last go out, just the two of you. You know, for a meal, or to see a film or something?"
"That sort of thing costs a lot of money," his mum said quietly. "We don't need to do things like that."
"Well, I think you should," Luc said. "And I want to treat you." He shifted so he could pull his wallet out of his back pocket.
His mum waved her hand. "You don't need to do that."
"I kind of do, Mum. I know I hurt you when I left home and didn't call much. This is my way of apologising to you." He looked at Ken. "To both of you."
"I don't know..." Ken began.
