Without a Compass
Page 26
That was well down the line though. For now, Kai just wanted Riley to enjoy the day ahead and not get too overwhelmed at being around so many other people.
He resisted the urge to go up and help Riley with whatever he was faffing over. Be it his beard or his shoes, he would be ready when he was ready. Kai hovering wouldn’t help, no matter his good intentions. So instead he got out his phone and took a look through Facebook.
First, he checked the party event to see if anyone had dropped out or was asking for directions. Most people seemed confident about finding their way over. Some people had already posted a message saying they were running late. Still, it looked like they were in for a busy house.
Sheena was even coming, which Riley would be thrilled about. She had recently got her degree results after finishing university. Having passed with a 2:1, she was now eagerly looking for a job in London. She and Riley were probably going to get to see quite a bit of each other now, which made Kai pleased. He tried not to fuss over him like a mother hen. But it made him proud to see how many friends he had now compared to when they got together.
Kai’s newsfeed was full of the usual Saturday afternoon activities from his mates. Lots of walks in parks or drinks in the sunshine, people talking about the football and having barbeques like he and Riley were going to do. Amongst the holiday photos and articles about some new political outrage, Kai spotted something that made him pause.
Apparently, Charlotte Hanratty was now friends with Baby Hanratty, which was nothing more than an ultrasound picture. Had this person created a Facebook profile for her unborn foetus? At first, Kai couldn’t remember who she was as her own profile picture wasn’t of her face but of a child’s drawing. However, when he clicked through to her profile he winced.
He’d forgotten he was still friends with Charlotte Grinter. Let alone that she’d gotten married within five minutes of meeting the poor man who’s name she’d taken. Apparently, marriage wasn’t enough for this year and they were now going to have a baby too. He made himself be gracious and wish them the best, but he couldn’t bring himself to like or comment on the photo.
He was tempted to click on her brother’s profile. Kai had unfriended Daryl Grinter as soon as they’d got back from the Cumbrian camping trip. He’d remained friends with Charlotte partly in order to keep an eye on Daryl. Just in case he ever tried to do anything spiteful towards Riley again.
Thankfully, nothing of note had ever happened. Kai decided not to go snooping. He had learnt his lesson about rummaging through other people’s profiles. It wasn’t worth risking accidently clicking on an old photo.
He grinned, thinking about how Riley had finally told him what he had done after they’d been together for a few weeks. Riley had thought it was hilarious that Kai had been caught stalking him, looking through his old profile pictures. Kai had been quite embarrassed. He chuckled now though. That all seemed so long ago.
Laughing made his chest bounce, which in turn made Spock jump. He crawled up to attack Kai’s chin, begging for attention.
“Yes, alright,” Kai said. He dropped his phone onto the sofa cushion and scooped up his puppy. Kai would rather he didn't leave any deep scratches with his surprisingly sharp claws. “Is Papa ignoring you? Oh, I’m so sorry.”
Another laugh made him look up to see Riley leaning on the doorframe watching them both. “He’s covered you in fur,” he said fondly. He came and sat on the sofa arm and took Spock into his own lap. Then he leaned over to pick some of the white hairs off Kai’s shirt and t-shirt while the puppy licked his neck and arms in an excitable greeting.
Kai let him, grinning up at how handsome his boyfriend looked. The extra grooming had been worth it as his hair was gleaming. He looked particularly gorgeous in the rusty red shirt he’d picked to wear.
Once again, Kai thought of the little ring box he had hidden away at the back of his sock drawer. There had been a hundred times he had wanted to retrieve it and drop to one knee. The pang struck him again as Riley fussed over him. But their friends would be arriving soon, and he wanted to make sure the moment would be just about the two of them.
Instead, he would wait until their holiday next month like he’d planned. It was a testimony as to how far Riley had come from Cumbria that he had allowed Kai to book them on a safari in South Africa. They’d be staying in one of those glamourous yurt tents, the perfect compromise of comfort and nature. Kai wasn’t sure how long he could wait before he popped the question. But he was sure there would be a beautiful sunset or romantic dinner to help him ask the love of his life to marry him.
“What?” asked Riley, smiling shyly. “Do I have something on my face?”
Kai pulled him and Spock into his lap, making both yelp and Kai laugh. “Nothing. Just love you is all.”
Riley tilted his head for a kiss. “Love you too, baby.”
Kai fished up his phone from between the cushions and flicked it to camera mode. “Say cheese,” he said, thinking it was about time he got a new profile picture. Riley hardly went on his social media accounts anymore, not like he used to. So Kai like to try and post photos of him when he could.
He was still a poser though, so Kai took several shots of them without having to be told to, cradling Spock between them. Then he handed Riley his phone so he could pick the one he liked best and add whatever filters he fancied.
Kai watched over his shoulder as he selected the ideal moment he’d captured of his little, perfect family, and hugged him close to his chest.
Good things happened when you took a chance. Whether it be learning to camp, or taking the plunge and kissing a boy you liked. Life was for living, and Kai intended to do so to the fullest with the man he loved by his side.
The End
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Helen Juliet is an M/M author currently living and working in London. She’s been writing stories since she was young, and got her start publishing fanfiction of sites like Wattpad. Fifteen years and over a million words later, she discovered the world of M/M fiction and found it was just as good as the fanfiction she was reading. She fell head over heels in love with the genre and became determined to try her hand at a book herself. On December 31st, 2016, she rang in the new year by publishing her first original novel, and hasn’t looked back since.
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