Page 10 of Beck

Near the end, several reporters turned up, wanting to cover the last moments of the event, and one came over to Beck.

“How has it been for you?” the reporter, Jack, asked.

Beck grinned at the camera. “It’s been an amazing experience, as always. Customers have been fantastic, the atmosphere unmeasurable, and I can’t wait to do it again next year.”

After a few more questions, Jack moved on, and Beck focused on his last customer.

“What’s the final score, Ani?” Joey asked when the event had closed and they packed away.

“Do you want to tell them, Ethan?” Ani raised her eyebrows.

“No, you do it.”

“I really think you should,” Ani said, nudging Ethan’s shoulder.

“But you’ve done this before. It should—”

“I don’t care who tells us, but please tell us!” Dallas said, throwing his hands in the air.

Ani and Ethan laughed, and Beck realised they’d done it on purpose.

“Sixty-one,” they said in unison.

Beck, Joey and Dallas roared at the ceiling, waving their hands in the air. Finn just grinned. They’d done it. They’d fucking beattheir record. Beck bounded over to Kole and tugged him into a hug. Kole laughed in his ear and returned the gesture.

“Congrats.”

“Thanks.” Beck pulled back and stared at him. Then, when he should’ve pulled back, he continued staring, mesmerised by the different shades of brown flecks in his eyes. But then he came to his senses and stepped back, gaze on the floor.

He couldn’t have Kole. It wasn’t fair to the man to deal with Beck’s issues and everything he was dealing with himself. And, for once, he hated the idea of pretending to be something he wasn’t. He didn’t want to do that with Kole, and he would have to if he went that route.

No, he was better alone.

****

Chapter 4

Kole

Kole rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I’ll be back again before you know it.”

Ethan pouted, something he’d only started doing when he figured out Joey had caved almost every time. “But that’s still too long. I need my best friend.”

Kole chuckled and dragged Ethan into a hug. “And I need you, but we’ll still be best friends like we have since you moved here.” He clapped his shoulder and opened his car door, the sounds of Monday morning traffic ringing in his ears. London traffic was awful at the quiet times, but during busy times, it was a nightmare. Unfortunately, Kole had to get back, so he had to brave the miserable and inevitable traffic jams.

“Think about it, though, yeah?” Ethan said, his forehead creasing as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Kole smiled at him, even though his stomach swirled at the idea. “I will. I promise.”

And he would. He just wasn’t sure what his answer would be. It was a big thing, moving clear across the country. He’d been thinking about it for weeks. Ever since Ethan had moved down there with Joey.

He climbed into the car, waved and pulled out of the parking space. Heading down the alley beside the shop had been a hyperventilating experience the first time he’d done it because it was so narrow, but he was getting used to it. He paused at theentrance, looked both ways and pulled out onto the road. It took him less than five minutes to hit traffic, and while he paused, he fiddled with the radio. He hadn’t bothered upgrading his system when new ones came out because he was happy flicking between radio stations, depending on what or who was on. It sometimes got tedious when they all had adverts on at the same time, but he managed.

As the miles between London and Whitby went by, he thought about that weekend. Designing those tattoos and then seeing them come to life on someone’s body was an amazing experience. But then thinking about that led him to what happened on Saturday night.

He couldn’t believe he’d lost it, but he was both grateful and annoyed that Beck had been the one to see it. Losing it because he’d thought someone was following him was not right. He wasn’t right, and the man Kole could admit only to himself he had a crush on was one of the last people he’d wanted to see it. Despite that, Beck had been a rock. Kole wanted to do something for him, but he didn’t know what. He’d have to think about it and maybe speak to Ethan to get some insights into the man. Obviously, that would only be for repaying him, not for anything else. He didn’t want to gather intel about him so he could slyly get to know him better. Of course he didn’t.

He couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face as he drove into Whitby. The scent of the ocean, the distinctive squawk of the seagulls and the view from the top of the cliffs sank right into his soul, and the tension he hadn’t realised he’d been holding leached away. Winding through the well-known streets, he headed for his parents’ house. However much he wanted to sleep after the long journey, he needed to get the visit over and done with; otherwise, his aunt would start banging his door down when he didn’t want her to. It was because she cared, especially after what happened, but he was done being a victimthat everyone had to be careful around. He was grateful most of his family didn’t care.

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