“What?” Maddox caught hold of Tal’s sleeve as he turned to leave.
Tal looked down at his arm and Maddox released him. Tal pushed back his irritation. It was just a touch. It didn’t matter. But Maddox knew better.
“You’ve only just arrived!”
“I’ve been here for two hours and thirty-six minutes.”
His boss pressed his lips together. Tal could see he was trying not to laugh. Maybe Tal should make this a joke. He checked his watch. “Thirty-seven minutes.”
Maddox chuckled. “Okay.”
“I’m setting off tonight. It’s a long drive.” He could have left tomorrow but it was a better excuse than saying he’d promised to go to a gay club to meet his friends. Not that he was hiding his sexuality but that was probably too much information.
“I had an announcement to make later,” Maddox said.
“You can text me.”
“Gifts to give out.”
“There’s really no need.”
“Fine. Have a good Christmas, Talbot.”
“You too.”
Since all Tal had drunk was one glass of orange juice, there was no issue about him driving. He’d poured the drink himself just in case any of his idiot colleagues decided to sabotage him, wanting to see what happened when he got drunk. He wouldn’t have put it past the pair who’d been talking about him. Tal slipped out of the house, shivered in the blast of cold air and hurried round the corner to his car.
Once he was in the driver’s seat with the engine running and the heater on, he checked his phone. Five texts from Louis, all asking when he was going to get there. In a rare moment of weakness, Tal had saidyeswhen Louis had asked him to go to a Christmas party at Obsidian. Tal had used Maddox’s invitation as an excuse to change thatyesto ano,but Louis knew all too well how long Tal would stay at his boss’s house.
His suitcase was packed and in the boot. He’d emptied his fridge of food because he didn’t want to find something had morphed into an alien life form while he was away. His lights were on a timer, so was the heating. The burglar alarm was set. Nothing was out of place in the house. He’d left everything tidyand clean, not a picture frame crooked, ready for his return. Part of him wanted to just set off right now for the Airbnb he’d booked, but he thought about the delight on Louis’ face when he’d saidyesto the party,his disappointment when Tal had reversed that to ano.He considered how few friends he had and recalled the way Louis had been there for him after the…business with Dorian.
Even so, he could send his apologies. Louis would be pissed off but he’d understand. Though Tal would almost be driving past Obsidian as he left the city. Well, not really, but it was vaguely in the same direction. West. He could stop in for a while. Not to do anything. Certainly not to play. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever play again. But he could spend half an hour with Louis and Mojo—whose actual name was Benjamin—without freaking out, surely. What was wrong with the name Benjamin? Nothing. Tal shuddered every time he mentally said Mojo. He wasn’t sure he’d ever said it aloud. Though with a name like Talbot, he could talk.
He thought about what his two colleagues had said about him.Arsehole. Zero sense of humour. Cold. Socially inept.Hewasa better person than those insults implied. Not much better at times, but still… He didn’t think Louis and Benjamin felt like that about him, which gave him hope.
Tal had eventually come to terms with being different. He was on the spectrum and he couldn’t change that, though he had modified his behaviour to fit in better with others. He was lucky compared to many. He had his quirks under control, mostly. He had a good job that he enjoyed. A nice house to live in. He could cope with things now that had overpowered him when he was younger. But not fitting in was hard and sometimes he felt lonely.
Tal spotted Louis the moment he walked into the club. Hard to miss a two-hundred-pound, six feet three guy dressed as a fairy. Louis wore a short sparkly dress, his hairy chest and knobbly knees on show, complete with amazing translucent wings. He was holding a magic wand that looked like an enormous silver dildo, because that’s what it was, with a glittery star stuck on top.
Louis powered his way over to him, his handsome face and blond hair covered in glitter. He elbowed everyone aside, accidentally poking a couple of guys with his wings and deliberately poking a different two with his wand. They all laughed. If Tal had done it, he’d have been thumped. Not that he’d have walked round with a dildo disguised as a wand. Or worn a dress. Or glitter. Tal preferred to be invisible.
“You came!” Louis wrapped his arms around him, shedding sparkles like psychedelic dandruff. “He came!” He yelled to everyone in the vicinity. “He fucking came!”
Tal cringed.
“What the hell are you wearing?” Benjamin popped up at Louis’ side. “That’s not pulling gear. You look like you’re off to teach something boring like Anglo Saxon, Norse and Celtic.”
“That’s not boring and I’m not here to attract anyone’s attention.”
“You’re supposed to be in fancy dress.” Benjamin wore a skintight, multi-coloured onesie with a long tail. There was a line of soft spikes down his back and along the tail, and his headgear…er… Was he a dragon?
“Talisin fancy dress.” Louis slung his arm over Tal’s shoulder and pulled him to the side of the room. “He’s Bruce Wayne.”
“Who?” Tal deadpanned.
Louis gaped for a moment, then laughed. “You almost had me.”
Miraculously, they discovered an empty table. Tal found himself yanked down just before a trio of vampires could reach it. He recognised one of them. Nigel bared his fangs, then raised his eyebrows and tipped his head. Tal recognised the invitation and shook his head, as he’d done the last time Nigel had made his interest clear, when Tal had been in the pub with Louis and Benjamin. Far too soon after Dorian. Worse still, Nigel knew Dorian. The guy shrugged and walked away.
