“And difficult,” added Daniel. “You need to be patient but don’t put up with bad behaviour. Stand your ground.”
“He’s better with me because he doesn’t want to upset Max, but he sometimes behaved appallingly with people who’d come to help him.”
“What sort of appalling?”
“I don’t know if I should tell you. But then, you probably need to know. He’s barely cooperated with any of the specialists hired to help him. He walks off, ignores them, sticks his finger up at them. He’s untidy and careless with his clothes. He’s quite capable of putting his cups and glasses in the dishwasher, but he never does. He plays his music too loudly. Telling someone tof…offeventually has the desired effect. I just don’t know what’s going through his head.”
“He wants to get better but seems unprepared to make any effort to help himself,” said Daniel. “He’s broken many glasses and a few ornaments. Dented a few walls, which I’ve repaired. A vase of flowers went flying. He’s lucky it didn’t hitanyone.”
“He’s frustrated. He needs a friend.” Linda glanced at Newt. “But whether he’ll be prepared to let you be his friend, I’m not sure.”
“Right.”
“But at least you’re around his age. That might help. I’d like him to have some fun but pleasure is a hard thing to find when you’re in the state he’s in. Anyway, I’ve made a list of the foods he likes, left recipes, and listed what he really won’t eat. He’s not supposed to drink alcohol, though that’s one thing I haven’t seen him do. I try to encourage him to get up at nine and be in bed by nine. Failed at that.”
“He takes naps during the day,” said Daniel. “He can fall asleep at the drop of a hat.”
“What does he spend his time doing?”
“He listens to loud music.” She shuddered. “Nothing we like but he usually stays in the media room. He has a TV in his bedroom, but it’s hard for him to find what he wants to watch. He flips through the channels until he finds something. That’s acceptable in his room but, down here, it gives us whiplash.”
Max came into the kitchen. “Come up and meet him now. You can pick out a room later. There are four. Choose which you like.” He tapped on his phone. “While I remember, I’ll send you River’s number. We have a code if there’s an emergency and he needs me or immediate help. I’ve put your number into his phone above mine. It’s a new phone with only two contacts. I’ve taken my parents’ numbers off. If he sends you the message 11111 over and over, that means he needs help but it’s not an emergency. 99999 repeated means it is an emergency. 191919 means he wants you in his room.”
“2222 means he wants a cup of tea,” said Linda. “3333 means he wants a biscuit. I suspect he’d use more but he hastrouble with numbers.”
“He just doesn’t want to try speaking,” said Daniel. “I don’t know why. It isn’t as if we’d laugh at him.”
Newt followed Max, trying not to gawp at everything they passed. The staircase had a quirky light fixture hanging over the hall that looked like some complex multi-coloured wind chime. As light hit the dangling rectangles, ribbons of colour shifted on the walls.Wow! That’s pretty.Newt hurried up the stairs and followed Max down a carpeted corridor and through a door at the end. Newt went in after him.
River Lawson lay on his back on a long, double-ended, low-slung pale blue couch, his head on a cushion, his eyes closed, headphones on, his hand moving inside his open jeans.Oh fuck.Had he not heard the knock? He was long and lean with floppy, dirty-blond hair and thick dark eyelashes. Even more attractive in the flesh. Newt’s cock reacted at the same time as his brain.Oh shit.It wasn’t going to be easy to be around this guy and not drool.
Max rolled his eyes at Newt, then turned back to River. “This is Newt Jones.”
River took no notice. Newt suspected he could hear just fine. He was making a point.
“River, open your bloody eyes,” Max snapped.
Still no response.
“Is this performance art or do you need a hand?” Newt asked. “Looking for a volunteer?”
River’s eyes flew open, the glare on his face directed at Newt. He took his hand out of his jeans, pulled off his headphones and awkwardly pushed himself to a sitting position.He’s struggling.The soft skin under his eyes looked bruised. Exhaustion? Worry? Probably both.
“Fuck…off.”
“Can you swear in any other languages?” Newt asked. “If you’d like some variety…Bidanyi is fuck off in Ethiopian. Siktir git is Turkish. La naiba is Romanian.” He’d learnt those in prison.
Max snorted. River glared at him, then pushed his hand back in his jeans and slid down again.
“Lunch will be ready shortly,” Max said. “My parents and I are leaving afterwards. Spend a few minutes getting to know Newt. And be nice.” Then he walked away.
Newt was torn between offering to help River sit up or just following Max. He could already guess the response to an offer to help. Even so… This was now his job. Help, care for, feed, teach… Not drool over, but…
“Doyou need a hand?”
“Fuck…off.”
“No.” Newt dropped down at the other end of the couch.
