“Okay.”
“What are you doing tonight?”
“Sitting on the sofa with Gran. I don’t have my official meeting until Saturday.”
“Okay. Good. I’m getting ready to go to practice. I may be offline for a while. Don’t worry, okay?”
We signed off with smiles and my agreement not to worry. When I went into the living room, Gran had already laid the table.
“Come on, dinner’s getting cold and you need to fill me in on your new man.”
“James told you?”
“No, I guessed.” She looked pleased with herself.
Gran quizzed me on Antonio, taking time to pronounce his name right and then asking when she would get to meet him. I sighed at the thought and wondered if he really would come to England if I didn’t fly anymore.
And what would I do if I couldn’t fly anymore? It was all I knew. I didn’t have any other experience. The airline wouldn’t hire me for anything else. Like I had told Antonio, no other airline would hire me either.
I didn’t hear Gran call my name, or even notice my phone ringing at first. It was Pete. I picked it up and went to my room.
“Max, where are you? I thought you were coming out tonight?”
“Sorry, Pete, will have to take a rain cheque. Some stuff’s happened.”
“Nothing a few drinks won’t sort out. Come on, you promised.”
I hadn’t remembered when we’d said we would go out again, but I really didn’t feel like it. “Sorry, I really can’t. Not tonight. Maybe at the weekend.”
“But it’s my birthday. Come on, just for a couple. You’ve got the day off tomorrow.”
It didn’t make sense that it was Pete’s birthday, but I couldn’t remember when it was. Maybe it was February, or March. I couldn’t remember. “Pete, I may lose my job, I don’t feel like going out.”
“All the more reason. Come on, you don’t want me standing in the pub on my own, do you?”
I chewed at my bottom lip. Every fibre of my being was saying no, but Antonio’s words came to me: I didn’t need to drink.
“Alright. I’ll be there.”
Pete hollered into the phone, told me where to meet him and hung up.
“Gran, I’m going to go out for a bit. You don’t mind, do you?”
“But it’s Wednesday, soaps night. You don’t want to spend the night in with me?”
I stuttered until she laughed.
“You go out, but, Max. Please no drinking. Okay?”
“Yeah, Gran, I don’t feel like it anyway. Just need some fresh air.”
“Alright then. Leave the dishes, I’ll do them. You get yourself out.”
I ignored her pleas, washed the dishes and tidied up the kitchen and made her a cup of tea. Antonio had sent me a message of him in his rugby top, and I replied telling him I would be out and would call him when I got home. It didn’t take me long to get myself ready and head to the pub to meet Pete. When I checked my phone, Antonio hadn’t replied to my message, or been online since he sent the message to me. I presumed he was still at practice and didn’t worry like he told me not to.
Once I was in Soho, I headed for The Bell. Pete was at the bar talking to a couple of guys I didn’t know. I wasn’t sure if he knew them or if they were people he had just met. He tended to talk to anyone. There was something about the guys that didn’t look right. If he did know them, then it would give me a better chance of slipping away without him noticing.
Pete called out to me as soon as I stepped inside. He’d already had a few drinks, which would make my job of slipping out easier. One of the guys licked his lips as I walked up to them, while the other whispered in his ear. Pete made a big show of giving me a hug, which was strange for him, not something we’d ever done before.
He introduced the guys as Dave and Steve, and we shook hands. Dave, the shorter of the two but the more muscled, held onto my hand a bit longer than was necessary. My skin started to crawl, and more than ever I wanted to go home.
Pete didn’t bother asking me what I wanted to drink and called the barman to get me a pint and a shot.
“No shots,” I said.
“You need to catch up.”
“I’m not playing catch up,” I said. “I’ve got too much going on.”
Pete forced the shot into my hand, but I stayed defiant. I wasn’t going to drink it, and in the end, he knocked it back. It was good to say no, and when I sipped at my beer it didn’t do anything for me. It made me realise I really didn’t want to drink at all, so rather than take mouthfuls, I took a few sips.
We chatted at the bar for a while, until it got too busy and we had to find somewhere else to stand. Pete described my job to the guys, but in a mocking way. I hadn’t noticed his tone like that before and wondered if it was always like this. But I laughed along at the trolley dolly jokes and took them in humour. When he offered me another drink, I declined and went for water instead. There was more abuse, but I stuck to my guns and refused.
Steve came back from the bar with water in a plastic glass. I was proud I wasn’t drinking. Even if my job was going to be under scrutiny, even if I did get the sack, I would be able to say I’d done so with a clear head. The water tasted a bit funny, but I put it down to the plastic, and knocked it back. The conversation had run dry and the guys were looking at who else was in the pub. Pete already had his eye on some fella he’d seen, which I knew would give me free rein to go home. I didn’t need to be there anymore, I could go, which was a relief because jet lag had kicked in.
Pete walked off to talk to the guy he had his eye on and left me with Dave and Steve. Now was the time to get home and I said goodbye to the guys.
“You want to come back with us?” Steve asked.
“No,” I slurred. “I’m going home.” I had to pull his hand off my arse.
“Come on, we could have a lot of fun.” They stepped in closer, invading my space. It was hard to breathe.
“Not my thing. Say bye to Pete for me.”
Every step took more effort than it would on a normal day. I’d only had one beer, that’s all.
“You okay, mate?” Someone asked. A bouncer.
“Yeah. Just going home.”
“What have you taken?”
“Nothing,” I said, confused at his words. “Just a beer.”
“Don’t worry, he’s a lightweight,” Pete said. He must have left the guy he had been chatting to. He wrapped an arm around me and walked me down the road away from the pub.
“I’ll get you a taxi home; can’t believe a beer did this to you.”
“I didn’t drink it.” I tried to say more but didn’t feel right. My head spun, and I wasn’t sure what was going on.
Pete put me into a taxi and had to tell the driver I wasn’t going to be sick. He didn’t believe me and kept the window open as we drove through London towards my home.
It didn’t take long, but I must have fallen asleep as he shook me awake. I gave him a fiver, even though he said it was paid for, and then stumbled to the flat. My keys didn’t work, and I had to press the buzzer so Gran could let me in. She fussed over me as I got to the door and put me to bed.
My eyes closed, but I was disorientated. The door closed and then opened again. I turned my head in time to wretch into the bucket held in front of me.
“That’s it, boy, let it all out.”
A cold flannel was dabbed at my mouth and a glass pressed to my lips. I drank the water and then lay back down.
“Get some more rest, I’ll be here when you need me,” Gran said.
My eyes shut as she stroked my head and I fell back into nothingness.
Chapter Nineteen
The room was dark when I opened my eyes. There was a hand in mine and it felt warm, strong and calming. I looked over, expecting James but finding Antonio sat there, asleep. I tried to take my hand out of his without waking him, but didn’t do a good job.
“Hey,” he said.
“What are you doing here?”
>
“I booked a flight before you left Las Vegas. I didn’t want you to go through this alone.”
“How did you find me?”
“James. When you didn’t answer your phone, I called him. He told me what happened. Said your gran was with you.”
“What happened?”
“You tell me.”
It took a while for me to think. “Water, please. I need some water.”
Antonio placed a glass in my hand but didn’t let it go. He helped me drink it, and then took it back when I was finished.
“What happened, Max?”
“I don’t know. I went out with Pete. His friends, I didn’t like them. I had a beer, but didn’t drink it all, I sipped it. Then water.”
“Only water?” His voice was flat.
“Yeah. I didn’t want to drink. I didn’t need to. You told me that. I didn’t want to go out. Pete said it was his birthday. I had to then.” I thought about what had happened next. “The water wasn’t good. I went outside. Pete put me in a taxi to get me home.”
Antonio said some things in Italian, they didn’t sound good. He didn’t let go of my hand though.
“How long have I been out?”
“Most of the morning and afternoon. It’s four o’clock now.”
“Thursday?” I asked.
Antonio nodded.
“When did you get here?”
“Lunchtime. Thought I would surprise you.”
“I can’t believe you’re here. You shouldn’t have come.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, and then said some words in Italian. I must have looked confused because he said “later” as though it would have all the answers.
“I thought I heard you,” Gran said as she came into the room.
Her hair was all over the place and her eyes were puffy. I wasn’t sure what had happened, but I knew I was the cause. As usual.
“I’m sorry, Gran. I don’t know what happened.”
“I don’t expect you do. But you answer me this, and don’t you lie to me, Max. Did you take anything?”
I shook my head, but it hurt. “No, Gran. I didn’t. I promise. I had one beer, and even then, only had a few sips.”
“Right you are. You look better than you did so I’m going to go home and get a few bits of shopping and will be back to put some dinner on.”
“Don’t put yourself out, Gran. I’ll get us a takeaway.”
“I’m not eating a meal I could cook myself for half the money. No, I’ll make your favourite for you, toad in the hole. That always makes you smile.”
It did. I giggled as Antonio mouthed “Toad in the hole?”
“Sausages baked in a batter,” I told him. He didn’t look convinced.
Gran walked over to me, checked my temperature with her hand, and then kissed my forehead. “Give me a call if you need anything else, and I’ll be back in a bit.”
She closed the bedroom door, and then the main door closed. It left Antonio and me in silence.
“How are you feeling?”
“Groggy. But, right now, I need to piss.”
Antonio softened. “Do you need help?”
I tried to stand up, but my head still spun. He didn’t wait for me to say anything as he helped me stand and walk to the bathroom. Gran must have put me in my loungewear, but I still had my underwear on. Antonio pulled them down.
“I can manage,” I said.
“I know. I’m doing it though.”
There was nothing sexual to his actions. It was caring, considerate. He didn’t hold it as I peed though, but I wondered if he would give it a shake. The thought made me laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“I don’t know. Nothing really. Just never had someone do this for me.”
“Care for you? You find that funny?”
“No, but I’m wondering if you’re going to give my willy a shake when I’m done.”
He growled. When I stopped peeing he reached down and did what I’d hoped for.
“I’m not doing anymore until you shower. You stink,” he said.
“Thanks, babe.”
“I like it when you call me that.”
“Want to shower with me, babe?”
He nodded and helped me out of my loungewear. I switched the shower on and turned around as he undressed. It had only been a day or two since we’d last seen each other, but I had missed him. I had to touch him, caress his body, kiss him.
In the shower, we took turns to lather each other up and even though I tried to give his dick a tug, he wasn’t having any of it. “Later,” he said.
We changed the bedsheets and then got into bed for a cuddle and both fell asleep. It was only when the front door went that I jolted awake again.
“I’m back, boys,” Gran called out. “Dinner won’t be long, so you best get up.”
I walked out into the kitchen, but she didn’t look at me. It was probably better that way, but I stood behind her and hugged her.
“Never again, Max. You don’t go to those places; you don’t go with those people. They can’t be your friends if they let that happen to you. You hear me, Max?”
“I hear you,” my voice was barely a whisper.
“Good, now let me get on with cooking some dinner. Go and entertain Antonio.”
Gran never liked me helping her in the kitchen, so I did as I was told and went back to the bedroom where Antonio was getting dressed.
“I’ve been sent to entertain you.”
“What can you entertain me with?”
I waggled my eyebrows, but he shook his head.
“Your gran is here. We should behave.”
“Quite the gentleman,” I cooed.
“We can help your gran.”
“She won’t let us help in the kitchen. She’s very territorial.”
“We’ll see.” He winked at me, kissed me on the lips and took my hand as we went to the kitchen.
“Can we help you, signora?”
Gran giggled. “Oh, how fancy. Of course you can, Antonio. You can peel the spuds for me. This is nice. I never get any help in the kitchen.”
“You never let me help,” I cried in protest.
“That’s because you burn water. I gave up teaching you to cook years ago.”
I pouted, but Gran grabbed my cheek and slapped it gently. Her own term of endearment.
“Where are the spuds?” Antonio looked around the kitchen.
I wasn’t sure why he couldn’t see them in front of him, then realised it was more of an English word.
“The potatoes, dear,” Gran said. “There’s the peeler, and I think we can trust Max to do the veg, and then we can have a cuppa while the toad in the hole is in the oven.”
As we did our jobs in the kitchen, Gran bombarded Antonio with questions, and he replied. I knew most of the answers but listened to his replies about his family life and what they were doing in Italy.
When we sat down for dinner, Gran asked him about his father, I intervened.
“That’s enough, Gran. Antonio’s staying for a while. You can talk more later.”
“It’s okay, I can answer,” he told me and grabbed my hand before he looked back at Gran. “My father was not a good man. He beat me when he found out I was gay, and he used to beat my mother too, until I hit him. Once. But it was enough.” He squeezed my hand. I knew part of the story, but not all of it. It was hard to hear, but also made sense.
“You went to Los Angeles then, after your father did that?” Gran asked.
“Not exactly.” He smirked. “I was homeless for a while. I slept at friends’ houses, on the floor, in their beds. Never had somewhere for me though. I tried to get a job, but no one would hire me because I wasn’t long out of school. Then my brother found me.”
“Oh good.” Gran was enthralled with the story.
“He got me to come to his house. I stayed with him, helped him with his business. He made me go to university. I learnt marketing and then went back to help him wi
th his business. It was good, until my father turned up one day.”
“Oh no.”
“He didn’t like my brother looking after me. Threatened to have us both sorted out. It was only my sister-in-law and her baby that saved us, I think. We had to rush her to hospital to give birth.”
“Oh my goodness.”
“My father took me aside. Told me I was no good for them and if I didn’t want anything to happen to my brother, or my niece, I should get out of the country. He didn’t want me there.”
“So you left?”
Antonio nodded. “My mum sent me to my aunt in America, said she would look after me.”
“Louisa?” I smiled at the memory of her.
“Yeah. She took me in and made me work in every part of the restaurant before she realised I was useless at everything. I had to earn my keep, so changed to doing her books and marketing.”
“And your mother? Where is she in all of this?”
“She’s okay. We keep in touch and she comes to visit her sister.”
“Does your father know?”
“No. He doesn’t know where I am. Though I think he knows I work with my brother still.”
“And what does the business do?”
“We export cocaine and other drugs around the world.”
Gran sputtered for a moment and looked between Antonio and me.
“Pasta. I mean pasta.”
“Oh, you rascal. I was getting ready to kick your arse out of the door. I won’t have drugs around me for anything. Max knows it, and he’s had his warning.”
“Warning?”
“Yeah,” I said and let out a sigh. Gran always knew how to embarrass me. “I got high once, by accident. I didn’t know what was in the brownie.”
“Ah, I see.”
“That’s the story he tells me”
“Because that’s the truth.” I gave her a wide smile for emphasis.
“So you tell me. I always find out the truth, Antonio. You should know that now. I don’t suffer fools gladly and if you break his heart I’ll let you have it. You hear me?”
“I think he’ll break mine before I ever break his,” Antonio said.
His words hit me full force. I could tell he didn’t mean them in a bad way, but it made me realise how I had treated him in the last few days. It made me realise I never wanted to do that to him again.
Up in the Air 2: West Coast Page 13
