Page 16 of Our Bright Christmas Town
CHAPTER 5
Ashby
“Gimme a hand?” Dom asked.
I glanced from where Kieran and Jude were wrestling over the TV remote, with Ezra placing imaginary bets, up at Dom’s face. Carrying a stack of plates, he nodded at some empty bottles, and—hmm. This felt a bit like the setup for a conversation I’d rather not have.
Well, best get it over with.
“Sure.” I rolled to my feet, attention briefly snagging on a glimpse of pale skin where Kieran’s T-shirt had rucked up. Then I gathered up four bottles and followed Dom into Jude’s kitchen—tiny but well-organised, even the spices lined up alphabetically. Freak.
Dom dumped the plates in the sink while I arranged the bottles on the worktop. Briefly, silence settled between us—not uncomfortable, the way it might have been some years ago, but expectant. When he reached for a washing-up brush, I crossed my arms and propped myself against the table. “You know Jude’s got a dishwasher, right?”
“Sure, yeah.” Dom grinned at me, easy as you please. “Just giving them a quick rinse beforehand. Cheese always sticks.”
“Kieran trained you well, huh?” I’d meant to tease, only it came out a smidgen wistful.
“Eh.” Dom raised a shoulder, his grin fading into something softer. “But, yeah. Could think of plenty worse blokes to live with. And now that you two got your shit together,”—he winked—“I can claim best mate since you’re running in a different category.”
I let one corner of my mouth tug up. “Cheers, I guess?”
He eyed me for a moment, brush dripping. Then he shook his head. “You know it wasn’t ever an actual competition, right? Like—you guys, even before, it was just this… thing.“
“This thing?” I cast a quick glance towards the partially open door to the living room. “That’s kind of vague.”
Plates apparently pre-cleaned to his satisfaction, Dom turned to face me fully. “Like Ezra said—there was always something weird and intense about you guys. Even if I’d wanted to compete with that—and I didn’t—there was never any doubt that he’d pick you.”
Silly how pleased I was to hear it. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Dom huffed out a small, wry laugh. “Bit annoyed with myself, though, for how I didn’t clock it much sooner. The way he hated every single boyfriend of yours until you stopped bringing them, and your eyes shooting daggers at me every time Kieran and I talked medicine.”
“Sorry about that. Again.” I shot him a sheepish smile. “Think it was just… You swooped in and the two of you bonded over something that was—that would take him somewhere I couldn’t follow.”
“Yeah, I figured. It’s why I tried not to rub it in.” Dom smiled back, expression gentle, and it occurred to me that over the years, he truly had become my friend, not just someone I hung out with because we shared a social circle.
“Appreciate it,” I told him. “And, hey, I’m glad Kieran brought you into the group. Wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“Damn straight,” Dom agreed without a trace of modesty. “I’m an absolutejoy. I’m also the one who clued Kieran into how you fancy the pants off him when he thought you’d shot him down. So, you’re welcome.”
I ducked my head. “Thank you. I just… I don’t want to be his gay experiment, you know? It’d mess me up.”
“Yeah, I get that.” Dom let it sit for a second, then offered me a wry grin. “Hey, look at us—sharing our feelings like proper adults. Anyway, in case it helps to hear it from an outside source: Kieran’s into you. Yeah, he took his sweet time catching a clue, but even when we were younger, every second sentence of his was ‘Ash this’ or ‘Ash that.’ And moving to London hasn’t changed that one bit.”
London. Yeah.
I blinked at the stark light illuminating the worktop. “Maybe. But that’s kind of the point, isn’t it? He’s in London, and I’m here. And I know I’m not exactly the clingy boyfriend type, not usually, but this is…”
“It’s Kieran and you, huh?” Dom finished for me. “So the usual rules don’t apply. But, look, even if he accepts that paediatrics training position, it’s just a train ride. Three hours, give or take.”
If Kieran accepted… Uh. So, what, he already had an offer? He hadn’t mentioned anything to me, not a damn fucking thing. Other than… yeah, maybe there’d been that mention of an influential doctor who seemed quite impressed with him, but he hadn’t brought it up since… since things had changed between us. Which—well.
I swallowed against the dry heave of my stomach and strove for an off-handed tone. “Right, yeah. That senior consultant—she’s a fan of him, isn’t she?”
“Oh, yeah.” Dom sounded proud. “Dr Carlisle. Everyone wants to work with her, so it’s a big deal that she’s noticed him.”
I nodded, perhaps a tad too quickly. “Big deal, yeah.”
A frown flickered across Dom’s face. “Hey, I don’t think he’s made up his mind just yet. And even if he takes the offer, you two can figure it out. He’s mad about you, all right?”
