AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Try what? A relationship? There are way too many dicks in the sea, babe. I’m young, and I’m hot—I can’t be selfish. I’ve got to spread the love.”
Ander laughed. “Don’t you remember I was the same as you before?”
“No. You were with girls.” I pulled a face. I didn’t have anything against women—far from it, in fact, not to mention that some of the closest people to me were women—but I was one hundred percent gay. “Anyway, care to tell me what has you so worked up this early on a Tuesday?”
Elliot glanced at Ander. “Ander’s not happy because one of our lecturers is making him redo an essay. Dr. Wilder.”
“Ahh, the big, bad Dr. Wilder.” I’d heard Ander and Elliot complain about their business studies lecturer on more than one occasion. “Sucks to be you, babe.”
“Thanks for the sympathy. I have to go and personally deliver it to him at 6:00 p.m. On the dot.”
Hmmm. It was about time I saw this infamous uptight asshole for myself. I made a few mental calculations. I had a seminar this morning—after a compulsory coffee stop, followed by a studio session—and then I’d promised to go and visit my grandma. But I could easily make it back by the end of the day…
“You have to personally deliver it?”
Ander huffed. “He said, and I quote, ‘I expect a hard copy to be in my hands at 6:00 p.m. sharp, as well as a digital copy submitted through your student portal.’”
“Perfect. I’ll deliver it to him.”
They both stared at me, Elliot’s brows flying up while Ander choked on nothing.
I couldn’t stop my laugh from escaping. “You should see your faces.” Composing myself, I cleared my throat. “Before you ask why, it’s because I’m curious. You’ve ranted about him enough times, so if anything, it’s your fault that I want to see this lecturer who has you so worked up. I have no personal investment because I don’t take any of the same courses as you, so it’s not as if he can scare me with threats. It’ll be fun.”
“It won’t be fun, but it’s a deal. Anything to avoid seeing his face.” Ander held up his hand for a high five, but I stepped backwards, blowing him a kiss instead.
“No time for that. Got to go now if I want to fit in a workout this morning. Text me when the essay’s ready.” I shifted my gym bag on my shoulder. “See you both later.” With a wave, I headed out of the house to begin my day.
“You need to find a nice man. I’m not getting any younger, you know, and I need to see you with your one great love before I pass on to higher places.” My grandma’s eyes sparkled at me over the top of her hand of cards. A violet curl fell over her forehead, and she impatiently brushed it away.
I rolled my eyes. One great love, indeed. “Stop that, G. You’re nowhere near ready to kick the bucket. Anyway, I’m responsible now. Don’t forget, I’m a parent.”
Reaching across the table, she smacked me on the arm. “A snail that you somehow managed to permanently acquire from your friend doesn’t count as parenting, Josh.”
Shooting her a wounded look, I sighed. “We’ve been through this before. It counts. I even have a written joint custody agreement drawn up with Ander. Personally, I think that’s very responsible of me.”
She beamed at me as she placed a card face up on the table. A three of diamonds. “You’re a good boy. You know I only want you to be happy. Now, tell me all your news. Did you choose a piece for your showcase dance?”
Scanning my cards, I thought for a moment and then added my four of clubs to the face-up cards between us. “Not yet. We’ve narrowed down the group number and started to work on the choreography for the routine, but I’m not sure about my individual dance yet. I need to find my muse.”
“These things can’t be rushed. Did I tell you about the time I was booked to perform at Elton John’s birthday bash, and it took me months to find my muse?”
“Yes. You did. That was the time you ran off with that waiter after your dance and then thought better of it and returned to the party two hours later.” My grandma had a penchant for tall tales, skating the line between fiction and reality. She did it for my amusement as well as hers, and we both enjoyed it.
She laughed lightly. “Ah, Mathias. Such a handsome man but so uncouth. Ooh, that reminds me! It almost slipped my mind. George from the second floor is trying to woo me again. Can you believe it? He bought me chocolates. Imported from Switzerland. Be a dear and fetch them for us, would you?”
Laying down my cards, I climbed to my feet, making my way to the sideboard where she kept her treats hidden away. “Didn’t you tell me he was trying to get with Barbara last week?”
“Pfft. That woman is a ho. He saw the light soon enough.”
“G! You can’t go around saying things like that.” Returning with the chocolates, I popped off the lid, reading through the list. Mmm…praline. When I slipped my selected chocolate into my mouth, the rich, creamy flavour burst on my tongue. Delicious.
“I can say whatever I like. It’s true.” Tapping her fingers on the table, she pointedly cleared her throat. “Don’t keep all the chocolates to yourself, Joshua. I taught you better than that.”
“So impatient,” I tutted, sliding the box across the table. We smiled at each other, and a rush of fondness went through me. My grandma was amazing. She had raised me after my mum had decided that running off with a man she’d just met was more fun than taking responsibility for a baby. My dad had shown up in my teenage years, but after one afternoon with me, during which several revelations led to me being referred to as a raging homosexual, plus a slur that will never be repeated, he’d left me for dust. Grandma, or G, as I called her, was great, though. She’d given me all the parenting I could ever need, in her own slightly chaotically crazy style, and as a result, I’d grown up in a free and accepting home where I could be my authentic self. She was a fucking rock star.
Back in the day, she’d been a performer, singing and dancing in London clubs and cabarets. To hear it from her, she’d brushed shoulders with the rich and famous throughout her working life, and she always had plenty of stories to tell. Granted, most of them were made-up, but I loved her for it. She brought sparkle into my life, and now she was living in this luxury retirement apartment complex with its own packed social calendar and even a cinema, bowling alley, and bar, she probably had even more of a social life than I did.
My grandad had passed away over ten years ago, and although my grandma flirted and even casually “dated” some of the men in the complex, she never wanted anything more. My grandad had been her one great love, as she told it, and she’d never looked at anyone else seriously. She deserved to have fun, though, and I loved that she was thriving here with her friends.
