“Nope. If you’ve got it, flaunt it.”
“I don’t think I’m that brave.”
Dylan tucked his knuckles under Callum’s chin, prompting his boyfriend to look up. “It’s not about being brave, baby.”
“I’m not that confident then.” Callum shifted a little. “It’s just not something I can ever see myself doing.”
“Do you mind thatIdance naked in front of other guys?”
Callum shook his head. “It’s your job.”
“What about you?” Dylan asked. “Do you enjoy being a barman?”
“I’ve only been doing it for a few weeks, but it’s okay, I guess.” He looked away, towards the still too-long queue. “I’m just grateful Michael gave me a chance.”
“Your conviction…” Dylan began tentatively. “It’ll be spent at some point, won’t it?’
“In about eighteen months. Four years total from when I got out.”
Dylan whistled. “That’s a long time.”
“No less than I deserve.” Callum let out a long, loud sigh. “I’d been in trouble a lot by the time I stole that car, so I was classed as a persistent offender. I’d had lots of slaps on the wrists and had been fined a few times, which really pissed Mum off. Then I ended up with a referral order after I got caught vandalising a corner shop. I was supposed to spend a year towing the line and making up for what I’d done. But instead of doing that, I just got angrier and more reckless.” They needed to move along again, and Callum twisted away from Dylan as they did. “Then I took the car, and the judge decided that I’d just keep offending if he didn’t intervene, so he gave me a two year custodial sentence.”
“That sounds harsh.”
Callum shook his head. “No. He was right—I was completely off the rails. I could have killed someone that night, Dylan. I almost killed myself by losing control of the car and smashing it into a house. I caused thousands of pounds of damage to someone’s property and totalled the car.” He balled his hands into fists.
Dylan put his hands over Callum’s and made small, comforting circles with his fingertips.
“It worked,” Callum said. “I was practically eighteen when I got out, so I was warned I’d go to jail if I broke the law again. I didn’t want that, so I started getting my act together.” He grimaced. “Not that it was easy living with Mum, because she seemed to be constantly waiting for me to trip up and end up getting arrested again. I couldn’t live like that, but without a job I couldn’t afford to move out, either. Which is why I eventually asked Ezra if I could stay with him for a while.”
“You still feel guilty, don’t you?”
Callum nodded. “Ezra thinks I should let it go because I’ve served my time and haven’t been in trouble since, but none of that erases what I did.”
Dylan hugged Callum tight. “What would help?”
“I don’t know. It’s too late to go back and ask for forgiveness from the people I stole from or whose property I damaged.”
“Maybe you need to forgive yourself?” Dylan suggested.
“You’re probably right, but that’s easier said than done.”
They moved again, this time into sight of the platform where they would board the ride.
“Why did you get into trouble?” Dylan asked. “You don’t have to answer, but I’d like to understand.”
Callum hunched his shoulders. His expression was so miserable, that Dylan regretted asking the question. Before he could take it back, Callum started to speak.
“When Dad got arrested, I was soangrywith him. Angryanddisgusted.”
Dylan stroked his arm. “How old were you?”
“Fourteen.” Callum sucked in a shuddering breath. “None of my friends wanted to know me. I got ostracised by everyone. We all did. That was bad enough, but my mum and sisterstood by him.” He spat the words out.
Dylan shuddered at the hate and pain in Callum’s voice.
“They were photographed going to the court during the trial,” Callum carried on, keeping his voice low so the conversation remained between them, rather than being shared with anyone else in the queue. “And visiting him in prison—he wasn’t given bail. They spoke out about how unfair it was that he’d made one drunken mistake and now he was going to spend the rest of his life in jail. Like he didn’t deserve it.”
