“Give me five minutes to dig out some walking boots, and then we can go.” Will disappeared off into this bedroom, and Patrick hurried into the kitchen to top up on Nurofen. He was already looking forward to their afternoon together, and he didn’t want a stupid headache ruining it.
WILL DROVEhim out to Frenchay and took him for a walk on the Frome Valley Walkway. The weather was warm, but with enough cloud cover to keep them from sweltering under the afternoon sun.
Patrick grinned as he breathed in the fresh air, feeling far better than he had all day. “Do you come here often?” he asked, not realizing what he’d said until Will burst out laughing. “Oh get lost.” He gave Will a shove, snickering when Will tripped over a rock and almost fell over.
Patrick grabbed hold of Will’s forearm and hauled him back upright. “So, do you?” he asked again, ignoring Will’s glare.
“I used to,” Will replied, brushing his hair back off his forehead. “Darren wasn’t all that keen on walking, so I haven’t been here in a while.”
He sounded far too melancholy for Patrick’s liking, and there was no wayDarrenwas going to dampen their afternoon. “Hey.” He bumped Will’s shoulder and glanced over at him. “Thanks for bringing me. It’s beautiful.”
Will smiled back at him, his whole face lighting up, and Patrick was almost certain his cheeks had a bit more colour to them. “I’m glad you like it.”
They walked in comfortable silence for a bit, Patrick enjoying being outside and content to stretch his legs and take in their surroundings. But curiosity eventually got the better of him. “So, it’s been a while since you and Darren were together.” He stole a quick glance over at Will to check his reaction but couldn’t tell if the conversation bothered him or not, so he carried on. “How come you haven’t been back here if you enjoy it so much?”
Will sighed, and Patrick had a moment of panic, thinking he’d ruined things. But then he shrugged and offered Patrick a soft smile. “I never really felt like it until now.”
Patrick had a big grin on his face for the rest of their walk.
THEIR TRIPto IKEA was a different story altogether, though.
“Oh my God.” Patrick slumped down onto what must have been the tenth sofa they’d looked at. “Please hurry up and pick one so we can go.” He let his head fall back onto the cushions and groaned. His headache, which had all but disappeared on their walk, was now back with a vengeance. “Please, Will.” He stuck out his bottom lip. “I can’t take any more.”
“We’ve only been in here an hour, stop being such a wuss.”
“An hour?” Patrick sighed heavily and tracked Will as he went to sit on the blue sofa next to the red one Patrick had claimed. “That’s about forty-five minutes longer than necessary. You liked the second one we saw. I liked it. It was perfect. Why can’t we get that one?”
“Because.”
Patrick raised an eyebrow and gestured for Will to explain further.
“Because I might see something I like more.”
“Ugh, what is wrong with you? If you liked it, and I know damn well you did, why on earth do we need to keep looking for something better?”
Will eventually walked over to him and sat down, looking a little sheepish. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“Thank fuck for that.” Patrick threw his arms up in the air in triumph before planting a loud, wet kiss on Will’s cheek. “Come on, then, let’s go pay.”
They picked up pizza on the way home, and Patrick’s mouth watered at the smells filling the car. “You take the food into the lounge and pick a film. I’ll grab us some drinks.” He got two cans of Coke Zero, deliberately avoiding the beer sitting on the top shelf.
The film was a bit shit, and with a belly full of pizza, Patrick had a hard time keeping his eyes open.
“You look shattered,” Will said, jolting Patrick awake. “Why don’t you go to bed?”
Patrick shifted a little, sitting more upright. “No, it’s fine. It’s just post-food tiredness, and this film isn’t helping much.”
“Yeah, it’s not the best.” Will laughed and reached for the TV controller to turn the sound down a little. He settled back against the sofa cushions, positioning himself in the corner so he now faced Patrick. “Ben told me you’re studying computer science. What’re you gonna do with that when you graduate?”
The question caught Patrick a bit off guard. They hadn’t talked about anything serious since he’d arrived, and it took him a minute or two to think of how to answer. “Um… well, I’m hoping to get a job, obviously.”
“Obviously.” Will gave him a pointed look.
Patrick stretched out his legs, resting his feet on the coffee table. “I haven’t given it that much thought to be honest. I’ve still got one more year to finish, and the job market could change a lot between now and then.”
“That’s true, I guess.” Will nodded, his gaze flicking down to Patrick’s mouth where Patrick was busy biting his bottom lip as he thought about finishing uni and having to find work.
Usually he tried not to dwell on it much, because the whole prospect made him nervous. What if he couldn’t get a job at all? A degree didn’t guarantee anything these days, and Patrick knew a lot of people who’d left last year and were still looking. What would he do then? The thought of moving back in with his parents wasn’t all that appealing, and he doubted they’d be too keen either.
