“All right, mate.”
* * *
Jodi smelt him before he saw him. The faint scent of cigarettes and sarcasm was the same as the flashback he’d had on the train—the one that had driven Rupert to tell Jodi’s key worker that he might be having panic attacks again. It had taken Jodi three whole days to confess that the heat staining his cheeks had been the symptom of something else altogether, and another week after that to forgive Rupert’s amusement at his confession.
“I’ve met that bloke. He’d make me red in the face too.”
Rupert didn’t often make jokes like that. Jodi liked it when he did, though. Rupert was sexy as hell, he just didn’t know it.
Cass slid onto the stool next to Jodi’s. He said nothing, just regarded Jodi with piercing blue eyes.
Jodi tilted his head sideways. “How did your chefs know who I was when I asked for you?”
“Nero remembered your face. He was around when we knew each other.”
“Did I know him?”
“Only by sight. You thought he was hot, though.”
“He is.”
Cass chuckled, then his expression sobered. “I asked him to check Rupert knew you were here. Last I heard you’d moved away, so I was worried.”
“He knows I’m here. He got called up to the Grenfell site, so I came with him.”
“Fuck me, that’s some horrible shit.”
“I know.”
A poignant silence stretched between them, barely a heartbeat, but pronounced enough to make Jodi shiver.
Cass laid an electric hand on his arm. “Cold?”
“No.”
“Do you need anything?”
“No.”
“So…” It was Cass’s turn to tilt his head. “What brings you here, then? I mean, I’m glad to see you, but I was fairly sure I’d never hear from you again.”
Jodi bit his lip. An hour ago, rocking up at Cass’s place of work and taking a second-hand trip down memory lane had seemed the best idea in the world, but he’d neglected to gather his opening lines.Start with the truth.“I’m sorry I didn’t recognise you.”
“When?”
Jodi shrugged. “I don’t know. Ever?”
“Trust me, mate. You did once.”
“Rupert told me.”
“Yeah?”
“He said I used to fuck you and your boyfriend before I met him.”
Cass blinked. “That was blunt of him.”
“True, though, right? And to be honest, mate, that’s all that matters to me these days.”
