Page 49 of Beyond the Darkness
The meal was fantastic.Hudson and Luke followed the main course by sharing the house signature tiramisu dessert.By the time they’d finished, Hudson was still in no mood to return to the apartment.
“Let’s grab a nightcap somewhere,” he suggested after Luke insisted on paying the bill.
“Okay.The New Inn isn’t far from here.I’m not sure what’s on there tonight, but it’s probably the best option.”
“I’ll defer to your expertise.”
Hudson was feeling pleasantly buzzed after finishing the bottle of wine.As the meal had progressed and he’d adjusted to the idea of Robbie Wiseman spending the night in a police station cell, a sense of peace had descended on him.Why not make the most of it and enjoy the rest of the evening?By this time tomorrow, Robbie would likely be back on the streets, and he’d have his guard up again.
“I don’t really feel dressed for going out,” Luke admitted as they walked from the restaurant.“I’ve been wearing these clothes for work all day.”
“That makes two of us,” Hudson said.“We can have a shower when we get back to the apartment.Besides, you’re hot, whatever you wear.I’m sure you’ll still be the best-looking guy in this pub.”
Luke laughed.“You already know you’re onto a sure thing, right?”
“Can’t I give you a compliment without having an ulterior meaning?”
“Oh, I’ll take the compliment gladly.Don’t worry about that.”
The New Inn was just about dead when they arrived.There were seven other customers and a bored-looking older man behind the bar.Madonna’sDeeper and Deeperplayed on the jukebox.
“Whoa.It’s the land that time forgot,” Hudson whispered.
“I warned you,” Luke said.“It will be livelier along at Sash, or The Viaduct, but I can’t say I’m in the mood for either of those tonight.”
“Me neither.Let’s have one drink here then we can head to bed.”
They ordered two glasses of red wine and took a table.
Hudson grimaced when he sniffed the wine.It was a big come-down from what they’d had in the restaurant.
“This place gets pretty lively at the end of the week,” Luke said.“Live DJs, cabaret, drag queens.Mondays are deathly just about everywhere.”
“We should make a date to go back to The Blue Pearl,” Hudson suggested.“I loved that place.The music, the atmosphere, the food.”
“What about tomorrow night?We can go straight there from rehearsals.I’ll work through lunch to make sure I don’t have to go back to the office afterwards.”
Hudson patted his thigh.“You have got yourself a date, Mr Kamal.”
Luke leaned in and pecked him on the lips.“I’ll have to get up early in the morning though.I need to go home for a change of clothes.I am not wearing these two days running.”
“Maybe we should.If we both turn up wearing these tomorrow, it will look like we’re doing the walk of shame.Give them something to gossip about.”
“And Corman and Amber will have something else to put in their podcast.”
“Ugh.Shit, I’d just about managed to forget about them.You’re right.Fresh clothes it is.”
The wine tasted almost as bad as it smelled.
A Girls Aloud song replaced Madonna on the jukebox.Another oldie, but notthatold.
A man in his thirties sitting at the bar adjusted his chair while Hudson and Luke were taking.Facing them, he pretended to be reading messages on his phone, but from the angle and direction he was pointing, Hudson suspected he was filming.The asshole had obviously recognised him from the recent news coverage.No doubt his footage would be shared on social media in the next few minutes.
And possibly picked up by any reporters in the area.
“Ah, stuff this.”Hudson put down the awful wine.“I can’t drink that.How about we head back and take that shower?I’ve got something much better to drink for a nightcap.”
Luke’s eyes flicked to the guy at the bar, catching on to what he was doing.“Great idea.Let’s go.”
