Page 53 of The Making of Jonty Bloom
“He told me not to hurt you. That’s the last thing I want to do. That’s the reason we shouldn’t…”
Jonty stepped in front of him and Devan stopped walking. Jonty wrapped his arms around him and hugged him. He didn’t say a word, just pressed his head against Devan’s shoulder and held him. Devan lifted his arms and wrapped them around Jonty. They stood motionless for what seemed a long time, until the world around them faded and all he could see, feel and smell was Jonty, and gradually he calmed. His anger faded, his heart rate slowed, his chest stopped hurting.
He’d opened his heart to a stranger. Was this some watershed moment? Could he finally put it all behind him?
“All better now,” Jonty said. “I don’t have any Thomas the Tank Engine plasters or I’d give you one.”
Jonty took hold of his hand again and tugged him on. “Right. The world according to Jonty Bloom. This is the life you’ve been given. You have to keep going. That’s the biggest lesson. There’s no choice. Giving up is not an option. Sometimes life is shit. You get hurt, but you carry on. You don’t let something awful that happened to you wreck your life because that way you’ve lost. If you let hurt keep hold of you, you’ve allowed the person who hurt you to win. You need to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Keep moving. Don’t fall. Because if I don’t eat soon, I’m going to have to snack on some juicy bit of you.”
Devan smiled. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“You didn’t see how I bit that Flake? My teeth are razor sharp. I’m always biting my tongue. Though not with you. You bring out the sarcastic side of me.”
“There’s another side?”
“Oh yeah.” Jonty winked at him. “It starts withstoo. Guess which of these it is. Smooth, sulky, sweet, sensible, sexy.”
“S—”
“I’ve not finished. Splendiferous, stupendous, soothing, spellbinding, seductive, sultry. I’m glad I don’t need to guess, because I’m thinking I’m all those.”
“What happens if I don’t get it right?”
“I will have failed as a gay man.”
Devan thought about it. “You’re sunny.”
Jonty smiled. “Ahh. You win.”
THEY ATE FISH AND CHIPSin the outdoor area of a restaurant in Bamburgh with a fantastic view of the castle. Devan felt as if he’d somehow moved into another world. Telling Jonty about Griff and Ravi had been so out of character that he was still having trouble believing he’d done it. It showed weakness, something Devan avoided.
Though did it show weakness? There was something about Jonty that made him feel…What the fuckdoeshe make me feel?Less anxious? Settled? Stronger? Happier? Was that it?Less alone?
With only a little prompting, Jonty talked more about the hotel, the staff, and about some of the financial issues Hamish had been having. Apparently, the guy had built a house in Newcastle that had cost him a fortune, only for his wife to die, and he’d paid for his sons to be members of some swanky golf club. Devan felt guilty that he filed it all away. He might have come up here because of Ravi and Griff, but he was also working. He couldn’t get away from that.
“Why did you want to speak to Hamish?”
Devan gave a short laugh. “You didn’t mentionsforspy.”
“I overheard accidentally. I thought you were going to complain about me. I don’t want to lose my job.”
Oh shit.A reminder of another reason he needed to leave Jonty alone. “The company I work for is looking to invest up here. I wanted to pick Hamish’s brain. I have nothing to complain about as far as you’re concerned.”
Jonty grinned. “Not even my mouth?”
“Especially not your mouth.”
The more Jonty talked, the more Devan liked him. He was bright and funny. Devan couldn’t understand why he wasn’t with anyone, yet glad that he wasn’t. This friend of his called Tay didn’t appear to be that sort of friend. But underlying the attraction Devan felt, he was aware that Jonty was not going to be happy when he knew why he’d come up to Northumberland.
“I am so full.” Jonty put his knife and fork down. “I’ve not eaten as much as that for ages. Don’t let me go into the water on the way back or I’ll sink like the hippo I am.”
“Do you want a dessert?”
“Ugh. If you’d told me I could have pudding too, I wouldn’t have eaten all those chips. Now I’m too full.”
Devan paid the bill, refusing to let Jonty pay half, and they left the restaurant, heading back towards the beach.
“My mother told me about Griff getting married, moments before she served pudding. My favourite. Apple crumble. And I couldn’t eat it because my throat had closed up. She was bloody annoyed because she’d made it especially.”
