“Well then, whether you tell your mum or not is up to you, but she won’t hear it from me, but the being gay part, Jas, you have to know it won’t change how much she loves you or how any of us feel about you.”
I smiled. “I know, and honestly, this is why I’ve been so distant. Nothing made sense, and I didn’t know how to be around you all while I was miserable.”
“Andthem? Do they know everything?”
I leant my head on my friend’s shoulder, letting out a contented sigh. “They know everything.”
“And what? You’re all together, together?”
“Together, together, and I’m not letting them go anywhere.”
“Well, best go introduce me. You can tell them I’m your best friend, first crush, and a hot firefighter. They’re going to love me.”
“You’re a dick.”
“Let’s not add that on to the list of my amazing qualities, please.”
FINN
We sataround the table on the private terrace that Jasper had organised. I think the oil company was so worried he would sue after one of their employees tried to kill us that they would have bought him a private island if he’d asked.
Although that wasn’t a bad idea. I liked the idea of having them to myself for a while.
“So, Ma, you never did tell us how you knew about the boat and what happened,” Jasper said.
Helen put down her knife and fork and sat back in her chair. “Thomas.”
She said it like it was obvious.
“Thomas, your boss, Thomas, told you my boat had been taken over by pirates and we nearly drowned?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, Thomas was tracking your boat. Well, I asked him to. When it went offline, he called me, and we called the Coastguard. By the time you called with a distress signal, there were boats already looking for you. The pirate bit of the story came afterwards, but we were already on our way to the airport by then.”
“Why… how would Thomas track our boat? What exactly does that man do for a living, and what are you doing working for him?” Jasper paused. “Actually, don’t tell me. I don’t think I want to know. I’m sorry for scaring you, Ma, and next time I get kidnapped by pirates, I promise to call you when I escape.”
She scowled. “Next time. There will be no next time. And how will pirates find you in your office building back in England?”
Jasper looked to me and then Travis, his eyes glistening with emotion. “I’m not coming home, Ma.”
“What?” she almost yelled.
“You told me to go and live a life of adventures. Do you remember that? But I didn’t. I mean, I had a good time in Ecuador, but I was so sad, so lost, so I want a redo.”
Now I was shocked, and from the expression on his face, so was Travis.
“There’s so much I need to tell you, Ma. So much I need to explain, to apologise for, because I know I’ve been a shitty son recently, but I’ve been messed up, confused and these two,” he took hold of our hands, “have helped me see who I really am and who I want to be.”
Helen nodded for him to continue.
“I’m gay, Ma. So, so gay and not acknowledging that made me so bloody sad, but then I met these two, and well, between them, they helped me see who I was and who I am is theirs.”
Oh, there goes my heart, melting for this man yet again.
Helen offered Jasper the widest smile, letting out a long sigh, as if he was finally understanding something that she might have worked out a while ago.
“And if they’ll have me I want to go back to Ecuador, I want to build a house, I want to dive and explore the ocean, I want to take photos and find new species of fish and I want to do that with you,” he turned to Travis, “while you take over my job and run the project,” he said to me.
My mouth dropped.
