Page 58 of Crocodile Tears

“It works both ways – why do you stay with me if you think you’ll never love me?”

He squeezed her hand. “Because it feels like you’re the only person in the world who understands me.”

She gave a wan smile. “Yeah – me too. We’re doomed.”

“Will your godfather be here?” Alex asked.

She shrugged. “I hope so. He said he’ll try to make it, but we’ll see.”

“I’m meeting Charles and Dad in ten minutes – I’ll bring them straight here, so you can say hello.” He glanced at his watch. “See you in a bit.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek and ran off.

He found his father in the AV park and was met with a warm smilefor a change. He wondered if he might even get a congratulatory hug, but it wasn’t to be.

“A first-class honours degree!” his father proclaimed, shaking his hand effusively. “I can’t tell you how proud I am, son. I know we’ve had our differences, but you’ve really turned your life around. Well done.”

“Thanks,” he murmured, feeling wrong-footed somehow by all the praise.

“Always said you were the brains of the family,” Charles joked as Alex enveloped him in a hug. He was fresh from his training for the upcoming Paralympics, and looked well with his sunburnt face and toned upper body.

“What’s this?” Alex asked as a duck drew up beside them and a small camera crew piled out.

“Now, Alex, don’t overreact. It’s nothing to be upset about,” Charles said soothingly.

“Who the fuck are they?”

“I knew you wouldn’t like it.” Charles shot an anxious glance at their father.

“Charles – what’s going on?” he demanded. “Who are these people?”

“They’re making a documentary about me, that’s all.” Charles gave a little grimace.

“The entire country is proud of your brother, Alex,” his father explained. “He’s been an inspiration to a generation – the film crew has been following him for months now, detailing all his preparations and training for the Paralympics. If you’d bothered to come home at any point in the past six months, you’d be aware of that.”

“You mean, they’re fawning all over the great Olympic hero, tragically cut down in his prime, as he prepares to compete pluckily at the Paralympics and show a grateful nation how to spring back from adversity – again?” He raised a mocking eyebrow.

“Something like that,” Charles said apologetically. “Look, this is good for me, Alex…”

“But not for me. You know what they’ll do with any footage they get of me – whatever I do, they’ll find a way to twist it so I come out badly.”

“They won’t do that. They’re nice guys. I enjoy having them around.”

“Clearly, since you brought them to my graduation day.”

“I promised them complete access to my life.” Charles gave his sweetest, most charming smile.

“Well,Ididn’t, so you lot can fuck off,” Alex said, rounding on the camera crew. He stood there, glaring furiously, while Charles and his father spoke to them, then Charles wheeled back over to him.

“They’re going to film me, but not you. You won’t appear in the documentary,” he promised. “They’ll mention I attended and show some shots of Oxford, but nothing with you in it. I’m going to do a little shot to camera about how proud I am of you on your graduation day.”

“Good. Fine,” Alex said stonily. “Christ, I can’t believe you did this, Charles. After all the crap I took from the media after the accident – the way they followed me, all the fucking cameras in my face – you really are a shit, you know that?”

“Alex – that’s enough,” his father snapped. “I understand that you’re upset, but that’s no way to talk to your brother.”

“Sorry, Alex.” Charles gazed up at him contritely. “Forgive me?”

He sighed; Charles’s dimples were always impossible to resist. “Fine. You’re forgiven,” he said.

“Well, if that’s settled, didn’t you say there was someone you wanted us to meet?” Noah asked, glancing around.

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