Page 68 of Everything That Kills Me
“You’re not in touch with your family?”
Zeph shook his head. “After my dad drove over to Martin and Paulo’s house and yelled at all of us, I’ve never heard from him again.” Zeph paused. “I looked for you. Not finding anything was what made me suspect witness protection. Then I stopped looking. I guessed your names weren’t really Thomas and Jack Steel. I didn’t want to cause problems for you, or for me. I understand why you couldn’t stay in touch. I missed you, though.”
As much as Jack had missed him? He felt a pang of guilt that Zeph was so accepting.
“How long have you been in the UK? Can you stay here now or do you have to go back to wherever you’ve come from?”
Jack considered how much he could say.
“Am I not allowed to ask?” Zeph spoke quietly. “Did you go to university? You said you didn’t plan to, but I wondered.”
“I went to college in the States for a while.”
“What are you doing now?”
“Contract work. Security advice.”
“You’re working with Thomas?”
“Yes.”
“I thought he was a design curator.”
You and your brilliant memory!“He is. I’m involved with the protection of artefacts. Once Thomas discovered I was good at it, he contracted out my services.”
“You’re earning and I’m racking up debt.” Zeph chuckled.
“Is that why you’re doing the Cam tours?”
“Partly. It’s good money. Cambridge is strict about students not working in term time. We can’t do more than six to ten hours a week. I only do a small number of tours but now the exams are over, I’ll ask for more until I have to quit this bedsit and go back home.”
“Why do you have to leave here?”
“It’s university accommodation and they use it for other people outside of term time. They run courses and conferences. I’ll go home towards the end of June.”
“And come back?”
“Beginning of October.”
“What are you going to do for those three months?”What am I doing? Don’t even think about it!
“I’ll look for a job near Martin and Paulo’s. They’re happy for me to live with them.”
Don’t ask him. Don’t say it.“Like to go travelling with me?”
Zeph’s eyes welled up. “You mean like a holiday?”
Jack nodded.
“I…I… A holiday?”
“Shouldn’t I have asked you?”
Zeph shot him one of his brilliant smiles. “I’m glad you asked me. Give me a while to earn some money and the answer’s yes.”
“I can pay.”
“No way. I’m not letting you. Unless you need to go straight away in which case I’ll borrow the money from Martin, then work at the end of the holiday to pay him back.” Zeph beamed. “I can’t believe it. I…” He threw his arms around Jack, pushed him down on his back and hugged him.
