Page 81 of Fool Me Twice
“You did the right thing when it really counted,” Adam put in, which felt all kinds of weird, him saying nice stuff about Zig.
Must be the whisky tea.
“Rob looked ’em both up,” Si said, his arm still a comforting warmth around Zig’s waist.“Your Dad and that Trent.They’re out on licence, he said, so after what happened tonight, they’re gonna get recalled to prison.Twenty-eight days, then they get a review by the Parole Board.”
Zig could feel his face scrunching up.“Fuck.Why the fuck do I feel guilty?They threatened you.But—”
“But it’s your dad, and someone you were mates with once,” Si insisted.“I get it.But you ain’t gotta feel bad about it.They brought it on themselves.”
“Me and Trent weren’t mates,” Zig mumbled into Si’s neck.“Used to wanna be him, mind.Dad always liked him better than me.”
Adam stood abruptly, startling Zig.“Christ.I’m gonna see how the food’s doing.”
Zig stared after him.
“It ain’t my story to tell,” Si murmured.“But Adam’s parents weren’t perfect, either.”
Corin got up more slowly and went to join his lover in the kitchen.
Sasha shrugged.“What?My mum and dad did okay.Course, I was adopted, so.”
“Wish I’d been,” Zig muttered.Did he, though?If he’d been adopted, he’d never have known Gran and her bloke.God knew what his life would’ve been like.
Fuck it.It didn’t happen; move on.“Thanks,” he said, looking Sasha in the eye.
“What, for stealing your shoes?”
“Yeah,” he said, with a smile that was dredged up but for all that, genuine.“That.”
It was late when they got back home.Si shut the door behind them both with a heartfelt sigh of relief.“Bed?Or cocoa andDoctor Who?”
“Think I need to drink something nonalcoholic before bed.That tea was bloody strong.”
Si grinned.“Nobody held your nose and forced you to drink it.Or the second mug, neither.”
“Was I complaining?”Zig smiled, weak but real.“Think it’s hit me all at once, though.”
Not only the alcohol, Si reckoned.“You sit yourself down, and I’ll make the drinks.”
“Right.”Zig stumbled to the sofa and more-or-less fell on it.“Talk to me, though?So I know you’re there?”
“I could sing, if you want?”Si dropped his leather jacket over the back of the sofa.
Zig gave a startled laugh.“Mate, nobody wants that.”
Si grinned and headed to the kitchen.“You dissing my singing?I’ll have you know my manly baritone’s brought strong men to tears, and not in a bad way, neither.Least, that’s what they said, and I didn’t even have to bribe ’em.”
As he spoke, he put the kettle on to boil, grabbed a couple of mugs, and spooned in the instant hot chocolate, adding an extra spoonful for luck.“I’ll have to see if I can find a karaoke night to take you to, so you can experience me vocal talents for yourself.”He poured in the water and stirred vigorously, slopping a bit over the counter, so he grabbed some kitchen roll to clean it up.“We could do a duet together.One of them classics, like ‘Babe, I’ve Got You.’”When he lifted the bin lid to chuck the kitchen roll, there was a crumpled bit of paper inside.Something made him pick it out and open it up.
It was a note in Zig’s handwriting.Sorry, you’re better off without me.I love you.
Si stared at it for a long moment, blinking.He carefully tore off the last three words and put them in his pocket before chucking the rest back in the bin where they belonged.“You have got me, you know,” he said quietly, his voice cracking.Then he picked up both mugs and carried them into the living room.
Zig was asleep, his face on Si’s leather jacket, which had somehow slid down the sofa to be with him.Si put one mug down on the floor, then sat down, careful not to wake him, and put an arm gently around his shoulders.
Zig must have slept for a good ten hours and woke up the next morning to Si kissing him goodbye before heading off to work.He only vaguely remembered Si getting him to bed sometime during the night, and his head was thick from last night’s alcohol.A stiff cup of coffee helped put that right, though.He got dressed and started wondering what to do with the day.Hit the library, maybe.He still needed to read up on those gay gods.
It felt weird knowing he didn’t have to worry about Dad and Trent anymore.A huge weight off his mind, but somehow almost scary too.Like, he could live his life the way he wanted to now.If only he could figure out what that was.With Si, of course, that was a given, but did he really want to do bar work for the rest of his life?He didn’t mind the job, but having most of his time off while Si was at work sucked.
