“What?”
“The flat.Look, don’t worry.You’re welcome with us for aslong as you need.”
“But I did get it.I…got the flat, and a job.I start at theRayne’s End tomorrow.”
Sasha grinned.He leaned forward to examine Laurie’s face bythe lamplight.“Bloody hell.I’d hate to see what you look likewhen you’ve had abadday.”
“I know.I’m sorry.It all went fine, and then…I called home,and…” He paused.His head was spinning.Now that he came to thinkabout it, he hadn’t stopped to eat since his breakfast at the café,so long ago it didn’t even feel like this same day.“And I think Ifucked up about the rent.Gave him pretty much everything I hadbefore buying any sodding food.I’m broke, apart from…” He reachedinto his pocket.“Apart from one last twenty.”
Sasha stared at the note he’d produced.His grin broadened,and he shook his head.“You really are new at this, aren’t you?Ithought you meantpencepiece.Come on, love.Come withme.”
Sashaproceeded to show him that he wasn’t broke at all, not by a longshot.He took him into a grocery store—not the chain one, with itsbrightly lit windows and automatic door, but the Indian cornershop, where dodgy-looking little kids hanging about on their bikesscattered under the force of Sasha’s black-eyed warning glance.Hesteered Laurie gently up and down the aisles, showing him whatcould be bought cheap and made to last, and where he should investa bit more in fresh stuff to sustain him.Tinned soups, knockeddown to nothing because their labels were ripped or their sidesdented in.Bread a day past its sell-by, perfectly good but goinginto Laurie’s bag at a quarter of the price when Sasha and theowner had finished amiable debate in several languages concerningits quality.“Old bread won’t hurt you,” Sasha informed Laurie,casting his eye over fruit juices and long-life milk.“Old ricewill, and don’t eat green potatoes.”They came back out onto thestreet with two bulging bags, at which point Sasha handed hisunceremoniously to Laurie and told him to go home and wait.“I’llbe there in five minutes.”
It wasless.Laurie had not even had time to find pound coins among hischange and the flat was still sunk in cold darkness when the softtap came at the door.Ashamed, shivering, desperate to see that theact of faith he’d performed in the street by letting Sasha out ofhis sight had been justified, Laurie pulled open the door andhauled him in.
“Easy,” Sasha protested, laughing.He let Laurie capture hismouth for one unsteady, cold-lipped kiss, then pushed him back.“Mind my takeaway.”
“What?Didn’t we just do economic shopping for the sensibleyoung bachelor?”
“Youdid.I bought this big pile ofburgers and chips to reward us.Anyway”—Sasha glanced around theshadowed rooms—“looks like cooking might be an issue.Is the poweroff?”
“No, but it’s coin-op, a meter.I just need to find a fewquid.”
“Hang on a second.”Sasha deposited the aromatic takeaway bagson the table and hooked out a chair from beneath it.He scrambledup onto it, ignoring its wobble, though Laurie seized the back ofit in a steadying grasp.“Good.It’s an old meter.Hand me a poundcoin and a bit of paper.The receipt from the grocer’s willdo.”
Laurieobeyed and watched in fascination as Sasha folded up the paper,tucked the coin into it, and eased it a little way inside themeter’s slot.“What are you doing?”
“Magic coin.Old gypsy trick.”Balanced on the chair, heflashed Laurie a wicked grin.“This’ll stop the dial from trippingback to empty.”
“Sash, no.That’s—”
“What?Cheating?Did he tell you electricity wasextra?”
“No, but—”
“Well, he should have.”Sasha gave the meter a calculated thumpand stepped lithely down from the chair at the same time as thelights came on.He surveyed the bare living space revealed by theunshaded bulb overhead.“Latcho, Laurie!”he exclaimed,eyebrows rising.“This place isn’t bad!”
“Isn’t it?”Laurie asked weakly.To him, the yellow electricalbrilliance was harsher than daylight, bringing unseen stainsblossoming out of the carpet and walls.Then rain rattled on thedark window, and he tried to see his surroundings through Sasha’seyes.Roof and walls.Warmth at the touch of a switch.Sheltered,all his own… “No.I suppose it is okay, isn’t it?”
“Better than.”Sasha put out a hand, brushed it down the sideof Laurie’s face, barely touching.Mindful of his bruises.“You didreally well to get it, you know.And the job.You didbrilliantly.”
Laurie turned away.He went over to the sink.He supposed thatin the cupboard beneath it there might be some plates and glasses,and, if not, at least crouching down here gave him temporary coverfor his sudden and complete loss of control.He opened one cupboarddoor at random and knelt clutching its handle, muscles in his armsand shoulders locking tight with the effort to suppress hissobs.God almighty, whynow?The food would be getting cold.Histhroat clenched.Hot tears half blinded him.Yes, there were platesin there.He reached for one, and it slipped out of his grasp, hitthe tiles, and cracked in two along its dirty hairlinefracture.
“Oh, Laurie.”Warm hands on him, detaching his death grip onthe cupboard door.Laurie closed his eyes as Sasha crouched besidehim—made a despairing effort to lurch away, cracked his brow on theedge of the sink, and fell into the waiting embrace, thecomprehensive catch that closed around him tight.“Oh, my Laurie.You’ll be okay, ves’tacha.Everything will be allright.”
* **
Theburgers and chips were good, even served almost cold.Laurie, halfmortified, half laughing at his own collapse—his recovery andravenous hunger in the wake of it—piled everything up on the oneremaining plate and took it to the fireside, where Sasha waswaiting for him, smiling.
“You all right now?”
Lauriesniffed and pulled his sleeve across his eyes.“Never better.”Heput the plate down on the bit of carpet that served for a rug andheld his hands out to the fire, which although it smelled of doghair while heating up, threw a good amount of warmth into the room.And Sash was right; it felt a hell of a lot better, knowing hewasn’t paying for it.“I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“Falling apart at the first tap.Thought I wasstronger.”
“Oh, you’re strong.”Sasha pushed the plate toward him.“Youneed to eat, though.You think I haven’t curled up and cried somenights?”
