“Oh, Prid.Are you having a bad day?”
Hedidn’t know.He had felt all right so far, but a memory lapse likethis was hard to square with perfectly organised faculties.“Maybe.I...think I forgot my meds last night.”
Kit gavehim a shake.“This is no good, mate.You have to remember.Do youwant me to get you one of those little boxes with the days markedon?”
“I already have one.But it’s white, plastic, boring.Itdoesn’t seem to impinge on me.”
“I’ll buy you one that will.Listen to me.My granddad’s goingto need someone to take watches at the lighthouse soon.Would youconsider doing that?”
“What?Is your granda hiring certified crackheads thesedays?”
“It’s fully automated.Even you couldn’t do much damage.Besides, you’re not one anymore, are you?”Kit looked up, browneyes suddenly full of grief.“And I owe you, Priddy.You know Ido.”
It wastime for Priddy to set the record straight on this.Long past time,when he came to think about it.Weeks had flown away like magpiessince he and Kit had hit the clubs to celebrate the end of theirlast sixth-form college term.He turned away from the mirror, tookthe broad shoulders in his hands.“Listen.I was screwing aboutwith all kinds of highs, legal and otherwise, long before thatnight.And it’s not like you sat on me and held my nose until Iopened my mouth for the bloody stuff, is it?”
“No.I just thought you’d enjoy it.I still could’ve died whenyou got so ill.You’re still fucked up from it now.”
“Only a little bit.Only when I forget my meds.”
“Will you at least think about the job, then?”Kit’s voice hadroughened with incipient tears.“You can live in.The salary’s notmuch, but that might not be a bad thing for you.And...I don’tthink the old man’s gonna let me go until I find areplacement.”
Thepenny finally dropped.Priddy took a deep breath.“You’releaving.”
“Yes.Shit, Priddy—I’m so sorry.I got a place at NortheastAtlantic to do marine biology.”
“You said...You said you hadn’t got the grades.”
“I wasn’t sure.But—yeah, I scraped through.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Youknowwhy.It was meant to be both of us.”
Priddytook him into his arms.He clutched at the solid warmth of him, soreal and strong.Hot salt flooded his sinuses, made his sightprickle and blur.“I’m so bloody pleased for you.”
Kitmanoeuvred both of them into a toilet stall.He banged the doorbehind them with one foot, reached to push the bolt home.Priddylifted his face to meet his kiss, which had surprised him so muchthe first time—the only time—they’d let their long friendship tipover into sex.Softer than he’d imagined, cloudier, like kissing apeach.He hadn’t been certain that Kit was even gay, not in the wayhe was certain about himself.He pushed his body against Kit’s,trying to catch the wave of desire.Kit grabbed his buttocks andlifted, grinding him against the wall.Not romantic, as love-nestswent, but wild west Cornwall had a way of redeeming sordid corners:the skylight let in a purity of blue afternoon, and gullscrisscrossed the oblong space, tracing runic symbols on thesky...
“Priddy?”
“Yeah?What?”
“You okay?”
“Um...Yes.No...Better let me go.”
Kitobeyed, a touch too willingly for a really ardent lover.Theirtumble in the dunes the year before had been great, but they’drolled apart quickly afterwards, suddenly all knees and elbows, andnever repeated the experiment.“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.That is...”Priddy gave a pained laugh, tried to backaway and sat down clumsily on the toilet lid.“I can’t, really.Notsince—”
“Your overdose?Oh,shit, Priddy.You’rekidding.”
Priddydecided he’d better be.He hadn’t meant to let the last revelationtumble out at all.Way too much for poor Kit to carry.“Forget it.You and I are really good at being friends, that’s all.We alwayswere.Sex can fuck things up.”
“Sex can fuck things up?I ought to get that printed on aT-shirt.”
“Not before you go to university.I want you to have some fun.”Priddy grabbed Kit’s belt and pulled him close, only loving thistime, tired and sorry for the fuck-up he’d made of his life.Herested his face on Kit’s warm belly.“I’ll stay here and take yourgranda’s job, if he’ll have me.And you go off to NortheastAtlantic and be the best fucking marine biologist ever to crawl outof Rosewarne Cove.Do you promise?”
Kit’sstomach muscles jolted in a bitten-off sob.“I promise.Okay.”
