“Sarcastic,” Laurie said approvingly, jogging down the shortflight of stairs into the living room.He could seldom get Sasha totease him, and saw it as a sign of health when he could.In thekitchen, Sasha was shrugging out of his jacket, the lovelyslate-grey one that couldn't be further from the water-stainedparka in the bag; hanging it carefully over the back of the chair.“They don't need me this afternoon.Sir Ralf's rehearsing some newstunt doubles for the fights.”
“Not for yours, surely.”
“Hell, no.The day when I can’t duel and talk at the same timeis the day I hand back my Equity card.”Any other time, he'd haverun straight through to hug Sasha in delight at the unexpectedmeeting.Now he pushed a couple of DVDs back into their cases,trying to give the impression of having been home all morning.Allowing his sinuses a moment to subside...“Seriously, are youokay?Why are you home?”
“They sent me.”In the periphery of his vision, Sasha subsidedwearily onto a kitchen chair.“I'm really embarrassed.I justcouldn't do it any more.”
Lauriedropped the DVD.“Do what?”He strode through to the kitchen.“What's the matter?Oh, God, Sash, you look awful.”
“You too.”Sasha intercepted him, getting up to meet hisembrace.“Your face is wet.Have you been crying?”
“Never mind me.Does your head hurt?”
“Yes, like ascroafa.I was half asleep in theinterviews.God knows what I've done—translated someone's defencewrong and sent them down for life, I should think.The aide I wasworking with took me off the roster, sent me home sick.”
Lauriestroked his hair.Beneath his palm he could almost feel the flaringpain that sometimes brought his poor lad down after a few sleeplessnights.“They didn't just shove you out onto a Tube, Ihope.”
“No.No, they were good to me—got me an car and brought meback.”Sasha inhaled, looking past Laurie's shoulder.The pan onthe hob was bubbling, sending clouds of rancid musk into the air.“Wow.So you had a few hours to yourself, and you decided to...learn a new recipe?”
“Something like that.Not quite.”
“Right.Because—well, you know how I think you're thehandsomest, most talented man in London...”
“Mm-hm.”
“And I'd die for you tomorrow...”
Lauriemanaged to hide a flinch.“Of course.”
“But I want it to beforyou, not becauseof you.Sweetheart, do whatever you want in your spare time, but for thelove of God, please don't cook.”
“It's not food.It's darozha.”
Sasharaised quizzical eyes to him.“I thought I could smell goat.Darozha—where the hell did you get that?”
“Go curl up in bed and I'll tell you all about it.I don'tsuppose you know how long it takes to boil, do you?”
“Not long, I don't think.Mama Luna always used to whip it upfairly fast.”
Theyboth went still.They talked about everything, Laurie and Sasha,but their conversations had so far stopped short of the old lady'sname.Distractedly Laurie traced the lines of pain around Sasha'seyes.“Good,” he said after a long moment.“That means you can haveit now.”
***
Sashalay on his side, the duvet's cover cool on his skin.It was such arelief not to be on his feet any more that for a while he couldn'tthink about anything else.It was moments like these when hisnewfound status in the world came home to him with dazzlingintensity.He had a bed where he could lie down, a pillow to resthis pounding skull.Four inviolable walls.When he'd fallen ill onthe streets, he'd had to crawl into the darkest corner of thecardboard-box city beneath Hungerford bridge and pray that Len orone of the others wouldn't pick his pockets while heslept.
He hadall these things, and on top of them he had his unfathomable,extraordinary lover—a man with his name in lights outside the WestEnd theatres, who would still take the time to seek out an obscuregypsy cure-all because Sasha had happened to mention the stuff afew nights before.The bedroom door swung open, and Sasha sat up.His head was thumping so hard that he could barely see, but therewas no way he could do less than smile and open his arms for such aphenomenon.“You're the best.You're so damn good tome.”
Laurieset the bowl down on the bedside table.“Say that after you'vetried my brew, if you can still speak.”He grabbed Sasha hard,lifted him until bones in his spine crackled, then eased him backonto the pillows.“I'm so sorry you don't feel well.”
“It's nothing.Just a headache.Come on, then—tell me where onearth Sir Ralf's new Romeo managed to find darozha.”
Lauriesmiled.“Impressed, are you?It wasn’t easy.Mind, if I'd wantedcrack, all I'd have had to do is ask the wardrobe guy.”He settledon the edge of the bed, avoiding Sasha's gaze while he shifted aspoon around in the vile-smelling liquid.“Will you believe Itracked down Gunari?”
“What?”Sasha felt the walls lurch slightly around him.“Gunari...From Birchwood?”
“Yep.I'd take some credit for detective work if he didn't havea website.He's running a booming restaurant trade over inStreatham.Authentic Romani food with free bulldog attack thrownin.Boho-chic flat over the shop which he lets out to dim-wittedgaje, and he lives in a caravan out the back, the lord of his owndomain.”
“I can't believe you found him.How is he?”
