Page 64 of A Long Way Back
“That’s not going to happen.”
Tay sighed. “Kiss me anyway. Because—”
Ink moved in front of him and cradled Tay’s face, slanted his mouth against his and shut him up mid-word. He fucked his tongue into Tay’s mouth until Tay was groaning. Within moments, they were drunk on each other and it was only when Tay stumbled against him, that Ink realised he was going too far.
He steadied Tay, then pulled back.
Tay smiled. “Maybe we shouldn’t do that again in public.”
We shouldn’t do it again at all.
Ink pushed the chair along at Tay’s side.
“First time I’ve seen the Thames since I got here,” Tay said.
“The first time I saw it, I was so disappointed. I thought it would be cleaner. I didn’t realise it looks dirty because it runs over mud. It probably looked the same when the Romans arrived. I bet they thought it was dirty too.”
“It’s a dangerous river.”
“Yep. Thames meansthe dark one.King Henry III let his pet polar bear swim in it. That would have been a surprise if you’d been into swimming in the river.”
“A polar bear?”
“Records say it was a white bear and a gift from the King of Norway, so… When you think about it, I reckon all the gifts of exotic animals were just ways to piss off the person they were given to. They had to feed them, house them, not get eaten by them, sound grateful for the gift, and not let them die in case they enraged the giver. Can you imagine the Queen being given an anaconda?Thank you so much for your thoughtful gift. What a pleasure it will be to watch it eat one’s corgis.”
Tay laughed. Talking trivia helped Ink stay calm. Making Tay laugh helped him too. Ink knew better than to overreact like he had that morning. He doubted Tay would let his sudden bolt drop.
“I forgot to ask what you wanted to eat tonight,” Ink said. “Pasta okay?”
“That’s fine. Are you planning to disappear while I’m sleeping?”
And there it was. Ink was surprised Tay had waited so long to ask.
“No,” Ink said. Then he added, “You haven’t paid me yet.”And I want to kiss you again.
Tay huffed.
“That’s over two hundred metres you’ve walked,” Ink said. “All that distraction about torture worked. You looked good.”
Tay smiled at him. “Don’t I always look good?”
Ink laughed. “Yes, except when you’re snoring and dribbling.”
“What? I don’t snore. Or dribble.”
“If that’s what you want to believe. Waterloo Bridge coming up. Want to ride again?”
“I’ll walk across, then get back in the chair.”
“Okay.”
Ink let Tay stay closest to the wall and kept on his right side to stop him getting bumped. Tay really was doing well. His steps seemed to be more even and he was moving faster.
When they were in the middle of the bridge, Ink stopped him. “Take a break and look at the view. On the left you can see St Paul’s, The Gherkin and the Cheese Grater. Look right and there’s the London Eye. Across the river, there’s Westminster, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. I think this bridge has some of the best views of the city.”
Tay took out his phone and snapped a few pictures. But when he tried to take one of Ink, Ink moved.Shit.
“You reallydon’tlike your photo being taken.”
