Page 25 of The Making of Jonty Bloom
“Being able to joke is a good sign.” Brian smiled. “Good thing you were out on the water together.”
“We’re…we’re not together,” Devan said. “We don’t know one another.”
“You pick now to break up with me?” Jonty stuck out his bottom lip.
Devan glanced at him, then back at Brian. “We only met this morning.”
“Instant attraction.” Jonty jerked, then closed his eyes again.
“We’ve got a paramedic standing by,” Brian said.
Jonty reacted as though he’d been hit by a cattle prod. His eyes snapped open and he tensed. “I’m fine.”
Brian pulled a beanie onto Jonty’s head, tugging it over his ears.
“Doesn’t he get one too?” Jonty asked.
“He has a helmet. You don’t. And you’re in worse condition.” Brian patted Jonty’s shoulder.
“Is it my spots? My blue lips? … Do they put you off?”
Brian laughed. “You’ve been given a thrashing by the sea. You’ve swallowed water. You’re cold. Exhausted…”
“Delusional,” Devan muttered.
Brian stared at Jonty and frowned. “Quite possibly hypothermic. You need checking out.”
The boat slowed and Devan’s board, then the kite, were pulled on board.
“Don’t want to go to hospital.” Jonty pressed himself against Devan. “Don’t make me go.”
Devan wanted to pull Jonty into his arms. An urge he had to fight.Oh, what the fuck.He tugged a hand out from under his blanket and slid it inside Jonty’s and grabbed his fingers. He heard the breath catch in Jonty’s throat, then a shuddering exhalation.
“I can’t promise,” Devan said quietly.
“Let’s see what the paramedics say,” Brian told him. “Keep talking to me.”
“He made me keep talking.” Jonty glanced at Devan.
“The right thing to do,” Brian said.
“How did you know we were out there?” Devan asked.
“The guy who runs the sports shop. Mike Walker. He wondered why Jonty hadn’t come back, went to look for him and spotted you both struggling. Called it in. We came out from Seahouses. You owe him a pint.”
“I owe everyone in this boat a pint.” Jonty smiled and Devan realised how glad he was that Jonty was okay, thathewas okay, and that this hadn’t turned into a disaster. Would his parents have believed it was an accident? He’d broken the rules. He’d gone kiteboarding alone, not told anyone where he’d be and he’d gone out knowing there was a strong offshore wind. He might be depressed, but he wasn’t suicidal.
He also shouldn’t be holding Jonty’s hand. The guy would get entirely the wrong idea. Devan let him go.
JONTY’S HEART JOLTED WHEN DEVANstopped holding his hand. He so very nearly made a grab for him. Thank fuck he hadn’t because that really would have made him look like an idiot. Nearly dying together was all that bonded them and now that they were safe, they were…unbonded. Still… Devan hadn’t needed to hold his hand at all. Jonty wasn’t sure whether Devan was gay. He thought he might be but…What did it matter?He had more to worry about now.
The closer they drew to shore, the more anxious he became. He was cold but fine. He didn’t need to go to hospital. His head hurt where the board had banged it, but he wasn’t going to tell anyone that. His fingers and toes had come back to life. But the opposite had happened between him and Devan. He’d hardly spoken to Jonty since they’d been rescued. It felt as if the guy had been building a wall between them. He suspected Mr Impossible was returning to his normal impossible self.
A green and yellow rapid response vehicle waited on the quay, a paramedic standing beside it, a group of onlookers behind him. Not an ambulance, which was a relief. But if the paramedic told him he needed to go to hospital, Jonty would freak out. He might even have a panic attack, which would probably ensure a hospital was where he ended up. He told himself to calm down, but his heart was doing an Olympic sprint, and he was having difficulty swallowing. The more anxious he became, the more likely the paramedic would conclude something was wrong.Shit.
“You okay?” Brian asked.
Not Devan asking, which was disappointing. “I’m fine.”
