“On my God. I love them. Which one should I wear for dinner tonight?”
“None of them,” said Langdon. “Just wear one tomorrow for the march.”
“No. I can wear all three. One tonight. One for the day tomorrow, and I can be like Cher and do a costume change for the evening.”
“Just open mine, brat.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
Langdon scowled at him. The others cracked up laughing.
Jason opened the wrapper, with a sense of apprehension given the look of glee on Langdon’s face. That was never a good sign. It was another nondescript box, but smaller. He opened it, and his jaw dropped in shock.
“What the fuck is this?” he said, pulling out a gigantic rubber fist.
Everyone howled with laughter. What the fuck was he supposed to do with this?
“How is that gonna fit anywhere? It’s almost bigger than me.”
Langdon could barely breathe for laughing. He was such a twat, but Jason couldn’t help but join them. He’d bought enough gag gifts over the years for his brothers, and Langdon usually bore the brunt. This was payback.
“Here you go,” said Langdon, passing over a card.
Jason raised an eyebrow, expecting this to deliver some knockout punch, but was pleasantly surprised. It was a gift card for one of the local sex shops where he was a regular customer. He liked his toys.
“You can find something to help get you ready for Thanos!”
“Thanos?”
Langdon nodded at the giant fist. Jason looked closer and saw it was wearing a crude version of the infinity stones, although they were in Pride colours, probably for copyright reasons. Jason loved a superhero film, so this was a gag gift, but with some thought behind it. That was typical Langdon.
Jason bounded over and gave him a hug. Langdon grunted his displeasure, but reciprocated, secretly loving it.
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“Fuck off,” said Langdon, pushing him away.
This made them all laugh, even Langdon. They finished up breakfast, which Langdon had made, being the chef of the group. Over the next hour, they all left for their respective workplaces. Jason had plans for his day and was meeting Jane for lunch. She didn’t work Fridays, and wanted to talk to him about something. Not a line you use on an ADHD person, but he knew it couldn’t be a bad thing. She wouldn’t leave him dangling. It was their rule. If it was bad news, she had to tell him straight away. That’s why she was the best boss he’d everhad, and why it had been a no-brainer to work for her again when he moved to London.
Jason was doing his own solo fashion show in the living area as he modelled his new T-shirts. They all looked fabulous; Charlie had the best taste. As he sashayed from the front door to the sofa, the buzzer sounded and caused him to squeal. He had been in the zone, feeling his fabulousness, and now his heart was racing like the clappers. It was the postman, and he had to sign for something, so he buzzed the man up. He immediately thought about a fabulous porn film he’d watched when the postman delivered anextra-largepackage.
Please be hot. Please be hot.
He was chanting in his head, manifesting a mid-morning dicking. It was his birthday after all, and it would be a crime against nature if he didn’t get pounded at some point today. Sadly, the postman was ancient, and not in a good way. Jason loved being manhandled by an older man, but he drew the line at necrophilia. All he did was feel guilty that the poor guy had climbed all those stairs.
He took the post and signed for them, wondering why the postie’s eyes had widened, then realised he was wearing the“Mr Do Me Right Now”T-shirt – oops! Jason couldn’t resist giving the old guy a flirty wink before he closed the door. He recognised the handwriting on his first card, which was from his mother. The prison stamp was another giveaway. He’d look at that later. She would not ruin his cheerful mood. The other card had the address printed and was the one he’d had to sign for. He opened it and was sure his heart stopped beating:Happy Birthday, Husband!
It had taken two years, but Grant had found him. Was it because of the divorce conversation? Had someone contacted him? Jason was surprised it had taken Grant this long to find him. He didn’t want to open the card and see what he’d written, it would just get in his head, but his brain was no doubtcoming up with far worse things than what was actually there. He opened it.
My Baby,
Happy Birthday on your special day. I’m so proud of everything you’ve achieved and can’t wait to celebrate with you. Enjoy your dinner at KC’s and we’ll talk soon. Happy marching tomorrow!
Lots of love,
Your loving husband xxx
Jason burst into tears and ran to his room, throwing himself on the bed. How did Grant know all his plans for today? Which of his brothers had betrayed him? Nobody else knew what they had planned, did they? Did that mean Langdon knew about him and Grant? Why was be being so nice earlier if he knew? Jason felt like his head was going to explode, and he was struggling to breathe. He stood up and walked back into the living area. Unable to process anything, he started walking back and forth the entire length of the flat, focussing on his breathing. His brain was going a hundred miles an hour, thoughts spiralling to dark places. Why had one of his brothers betrayed him? It was the only explanation as to how Grant knew his plans. Where was Grant now? Was he going to knock on the door, or was he still in Liverpool? What was he going to do with Jason? They were still married. Could he force Jason to go back home with him? No, Jason could make his own choices, but he knew Grant wasn’t someone who took no for an answer.
