“Too bloody right.” Mal’s eyes flashed with anger. “He was a dirtbag. I should have listened to my gut.”
“I’m a big boy. I take responsibility for my own actions.” Steve smiled as he tried to reassure his friend. He hated that Mal felt somehow responsible for Steve letting Richard into his life, as if he should have seen his true nature and somehow rescued his friend from the situation.
“So that’s why you moved into the new place?” Corey asked.
“Yeah. I couldn’t afford the rent of the two-bedder on my own, and I didn’t want a flatmate.” Steve tried to inject some positivity into his tone. “But I like the new apartment and it’s a fresh start.”
When Steve had been dumped on his arse, the guys had rallied around him. They’d offered him rooms in their own homes, but he’d needed some space and time to himself. He’d needed to retreat to lick his wounds in private. Now, he truly did love living by himself, not having to tiptoe around Richard.Argh!Steve shook his head to clear thoughts of Richard away. He truly thought he’d moved beyond all this, but Christmas and being with his friends was bringing back all sorts of unwanted memories.
As if sensing Steve’s discomfort, Corey changed the subject. “Back to that first Christmas?”
“Yeah,” Mal picked up the story again. “Steve’s family is in Adelaide, Ken’s are in Brisbane, and Douglas is from New Zealand. That year we all couldn’t get home so we decided to have an ‘orphans’ Christmas.’”
“But you’re from Sydney, right?” Corey asked Mal.
Mal’s face clouded over. “I’m an orphan too. At least, my parents wish I was. Or probably more accurately, they wish they were childless.”
It didn’t surprise Steve when Corey reached out and covered Mal’s hand with his own. Corey was one of the most sensitive guys Steve had met. “I’m sorry,” Corey whispered.
Mal looked up from the tabletop that had held his focus. He’d steeled his expression. “That’s okay. I’m used to it now. I haven’t had Christmas with my family—that family—for years.”
Ken wrapped one of his large arms around Mal’s shoulders and squeezed. “You’re with your true family now—the family of your heart—and we’ll always be here to celebrate special occasions with you.”
The table hushed for a moment as the guys all glanced at one another and nodded. Steve couldn’t ask for a better group of friends—Douglas gripping Matt’s hand, Ken with his arm slung over Mal’s shoulder, and Corey.
Corey, the newest addition, looked like he was fast becoming one of their close-knit group. He always seemed to pick up on people’s moods and was a great listener. He was studying Steve from across the table, a gentle smile lighting up his whole face. He really was beautiful—inside and out.
“Here’s to good friends,” Mal toasted, interrupting Steve’s thoughts. Steve raised his own beer and touched it to his buddy’s. “Friends oldandnew,” Mal said with an accompanying wink, as their bottles clinked.
The sombre mood broke, and light-hearted conversation resumed.
“So why aren’t you at home having Christmas with your family?” Matt asked Corey as he leaned back in his seat.
Corey took a sip of beer before answering. “We didn’t have much going on for Christmas this year. My brother’s working in the UK so there was no way he was travelling all the way home, and my sister, Sylvia, is spending the day with her husband’s family. My parents’ restaurant is open most of the year, but they close to the public on Christmas Day, so Mum and Dad have the staff and their families in for lunch. They’ll be too busy to miss me much. Plus, this one,” Corey indicated Mal, “insisted I come.”
“Yeah?” Douglas asked.
“He promised it would be well worth my while.”
“That I did,” Mal said with a chuckle as he looked up and winked at Steve.
What is it with all the winking?
