Page 34 of Freshman

“Poor old Marie,” Nate whispered through his door. “Another one bites the dust. She’ll be after you next, Freshman.”

Alfie snorted and moved in front of his door. “I told her she’d be barking up the wrong tree.”

He ticked Nate’s name off, then realised what he’d just said. His face had cooled after speaking to Queenie, but the heat returned with a vengeance.

Nate hummed into the gap of the door, a pleasurable sound, almost a moan. “Music to my ears…”

“God, I hate you,” Alfie mumbled.

“No, you don’t…” Nate chuckled, then exhaled into the gap of the door.

Alfie knew he couldn’t feel the rush of air, but he shifted and rolled his shoulders as if fighting a cold breeze. The jittery feeling returned to his stomach, and he pressed the clipboard into his chest as an added barrier between him and Nate.

“So, you’re not straight then?”

Alfie cocked his jaw left to right, then levelled his expression. “It’s none of your business.”

“No, I guess not, but I’m curious. Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Would it bother you if I did?”

Nate snorted but didn’t answer.

Alfie waited, then sighed and turned to walk away.

“Yes,” Nate hissed. “It would bother me. It would make me jealous, very jealous.”

“Then no, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Nate groaned, a long, low rumble that made Alfie shiver. He knew Nate was about to say something crude or ask him to open the hatch, but he didn’t give him the chance.

“I don’t have a boyfriend. I have two.”

He walked away, and the metal of the prison vibrated and rang in his wake.

It deafened him to anything else Nate said, and he smiled, pleased with himself.

9

Tia handed over one of the forks and waited expectantly for Alfie to take the first bite of vanilla cheesecake. It was Sunday, and Alfie had dragged himself out of bed, jumped on the bus and arrived at Mr Cuppa to coincide with Tia’s break time.

He smiled at her. “Tia…”

“You first,” she insisted.

Alfie sighed and dug his fork into the cheesecake.

“How does it feel to be a hero?”

“I’m not a hero.” Alfie rolled his eyes. He ate the mouthful of cheesecake and let loose a soft moan. “That’s good. That’s so good.”

“Heroes get the best.”

He glared at her.

“What?” she said, taking a bite herself. “You saved a man’s life, and you did it without hesitating.”

“Why would I hesitate?”

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