Page 3

Arlo sniffled, eyes wide, but didn’t show any signs of interrupting this time.

“You should know better than anyone, yeah? Here on exchange.”

“How?” Arlo asked before Bren moved his hand, so it came out muffled.

He shrugged. “Filled out some forms, like. Mam wrote some letters.”

“But, why didn’t you tell m—”

There was a blinding flash as a reedy boy with a camera with an adjustable lens stepped out from behind one of the doors they’d come through.

“And one with the flash.”

He spoke with an easy confidence that put Bren in mind of Rory as he stepped forwards. He had a fringe of ink-black hair flopped down to cover one eye and Bren had to wonder how much of his day was spent flipping his head back so he could see. Nat stood behind him, grinning from ear to ear.

“Not gonna be able to use half of those. That was a LOT of tongue A.J.”

“You were taking pictures?! What the hell, Yu!”

Yu shrugged and slipped the battered camera he was holding behind his back as Arlo grabbed for it.

“Peacock’s new exchange student’s first day of class? That’s yearbook gold right there.”

Arlo moved like he was going to try and snatch the camera away from Yu again but stopped. When he turned back into Bren’s chest, his eyes were still streaming, but he was wearing a look that made Bren’s cheeks burn.

“You’re really here?”

“Really here,” Bren said, finding it harder to ignore the fact that there were at least five people who knew he fancied blokes right from day one now.

“For the whole year?”

“Nah, I figured I’d flunk out and go home in a week. What do you reckon?”

Arlo made another choked sound and let his forehead rest on Bren’s chest long enough for him to run a hand through the lad’s hair.

“When did you get here?” Arlo asked, taking a half-step back like he needed to get a better look.

Bren exchanged a glance with Nat, who brushed her streak of bubble gum pink hair back along the black while refusing to meet his eyes.

“Landed in Nat’s basement three days ago. You’re not mad I waited to surprise you, are you?”

Arlo opened his mouth as he looked between him and Nat but closed it in a snap and shook his head.

“Just . . . now we have to go to class and, I want to do everything except go to class—and we could have had three more days together.”

Bren wasn’t sure what sort of everything Arlo had in mind, but something told him he wouldn’t want company when he found out.

“Yeah, kinda not as romantic when you put it like that,” Bren said, looking at Nat again. It had been her idea at first, but he’d run with it once he’d heard it.

“No,” Arlo said, looking around for something Bren couldn’t see. He shrugged and wiped his eyes with his upper arms then reached out for Bren’s hand. “It’s still pretty romantic.”

“You reckon?”

Arlo nodded, another choke squeaking out.

“Well, I guess me and Nat don’t gotta go into hidin’ then. So.” Bren laced their fingers and rubbed his thumb along Arlo’s knuckles. “Now, you gonna show your man around this place? It’s feckin’ huge.”

***