He held up the award and walked back to his seat with applause ringing in his ears.
Newt was crying when he reached him. River pulled him into his arms and kissed him again.
When Misha Denning won best director forMedway Boys,River put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. Misha talked about films opening hearts, making people think about their lives and where they were going, and howMedway Boysdid all of that. He thanked the studio, the cast, the crew, the man who’d written the book, his parents, his siblings…
He was gracious and River hoped he’d not sounded too self-indulgent when he’d spoken.
ThenMedway Boyswon best picture and it felt as if the theatre exploded. River was back on the stage along with Connor, the producer, Omid, Misha and a couple of other key members of the crew.
Bloody hell! What a night!
~~~
Immediately after the ceremony, the winners—and River had dragged Newt along—had headed upstairs to the Governors Ball to havetheir statuettes engraved. Newt had never seen as many photographers. When River had his name put on his Oscar, Newt realised plaques had been engraved beforehand with the name of every nominee, otherwise they’d have been there for hours. It was just a matter of fitting the plaque in place, giving it a polish and handing it over again.
They’d been whisked away to an after party in a limo and River hadn’t stopped talking.
“Told you,” Newt said when he could get a word in edgeways.
“So did I,” Max said. “I have to admit, when Omid won, I thought you’d had it. You’re the first openly gay actor to win an Oscar for Best Actor. You’ve made history. Your speech was…lovely. What you said…”
“That you were a pain-in-the-neck?” River slid his fingers into Newt’s.
“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I wasn’t. I hope I’ve got more right than I’ve got wrong with you.”
“You were a father when I needed one. I could forgive you for almost anything for being that. You nearly fucked up with Newt, but then I wouldn’t have met him if it hadn’t been for you. But don’t fuck up again.”
Max chuckled. “Enjoy the night. You too, Newt.”
From the moment they arrived at the party, River had been engulfed by people. Max had disappeared and Newt had wandered around until he’d found a quiet-ish place to stand. He had a glass of champagne in his hand but he’d not drunk any. He still couldn’t get his head around how much his life had changed. Business class seats to Los Angeles. A hotel withthe most amazing pool he’d ever seen. Plates of food that looked like works of art. And now film stars everywhere he looked. And one of them was his.
He turned and stared out of the window. He didn’t fit in here, but it didn’t matter because he didn’t particularly want to. He fit with River. They’d had been together for just over a year and they were closer than ever, even if River spent weeks at a time working away. Absencedidmake the heart grow fonder and the sex hotter. River had kept the house in Kent but they were going to look for a new place this spring. River would have moved out sooner but Newt liked the house. Despite what had happened, he felt safe and happy there. And he loved the pool.
When River was away, Newt had buried himself in online studies and was working towards a masters in Child Psychology. He wasn’t sure he’d find a job in that field but he was following his heart. Maybe one day he and River could adopt kids who’d had troubled lives. They’d talked about it but they were still young themselves.
Newt’s parents and Sean had been arrested ten days after Phelan’s funeral, then bailed. A year later, the case still hadn’t yet come to court. Newt had been told that his parents and Sean would be sent to prison for their criminal activities though likely not for what they’d done to him. He tried not to think about them. His family had challenged Phelan’s will but lost. Part of Newt had not wanted to accept all the money, but he’d been talked into it by Phelan’s lawyer.
The other surprise had been the delivery of all the letters Phelan had sent while he was in prison that Newt had sent back unopened. He hadn’t been sure he wanted to read them but eventually he had. He was glad he’d not read them at the time, hearing about a world he was no longer part of wouldhave hurt, but when he did read them, it had been like having his brother back in his life for a while.
No charges were brought in relation to Barney’s death which had been a huge relief. Newt’s conviction for manslaughter and armed robbery had been harder to overturn. Dominique had put in an appeal and at least that hadn’t taken so long to be listened to. After two months, the judges had decided the original conviction was unsafe and should be overturned. Newt had felt so…light at that moment. He’d not realised the extent of the weight he’d been carrying, how it had sat inside him, a constant burden.
The one thing that had disappointed him was that a successful appeal didn’t mean the same as being found not guilty at the original trial. The conviction might have been declared unsafe but it didn’t necessarily mean he’d convinced the court of his innocence. Dominque told him all that mattered was that his criminal conviction had gone.
She was pursuing compensation even though Newt had admitted his guilt to the police. They hadn’t been thorough. They’d not checked that the clothing they’d seized actually fit Newt. They’d not checked his blood for drugs. They’d not brought a doctor in to see him when they were dealing with a teenager who was clearly in a state of acute shock. Once they’d heard Newt admit guilt, for them it was case closed.
Dominique was incensed on his behalf. Compensation was capped at one million, not that Newt expected anything near that. He wasn’t sure he deserved money at all. But he’d been young and under pressure from abusive parents, manipulated by those who should have loved him, not dealt with properly by the police, not given good legal advice…
He wanted to forget it all because now he had someone who loved him more than he could have ever dreamed of.
“What are you doing, skulking in the corner?”
Newt turned to face River. “Giving you some space.”
“Who said I wanted space? Check your phone.”
Newt pulled it out. “I’d switched it off as per instructions.” When he saw the screen full of 11111111111111s, he smiled. “You needed rescuing?”
“Yes. And where were you? Admiring your reflection and drinking champagne. Hmm. I might have to sack you.”
