“What do you mean?” I hedged.
Cole rolled his eyes. Again. I’d had about enough of his cheek for one day. “You like him, he likes you...” He waved at the tree, where I noticed Angus had curled underneath, flat out asleep. “And it’s Christmas.”
“We’re not a movie, Cole.” I huffed out a laugh and gave him a gentle shove. “I’m not going to rush into something because I’m suddenly overcome with festive spirit.” The fact that I’d almost done exactly that when we’d stood looking at the tree on Sunday night wasn’t lost on me. But Cole didn’t need to know any of that.
He looked at me and tsked. “You’re dead inside, Finn. Dead.”
That made me laugh. “Yeah, yeah.”
We fell silent for a while. Jasper’s dad’s visit had been a weird twist to the evening, and it’d left me feeling off-kilter. “Do you reckon I should tell Jasper?” I asked eventually.
Astute as always, Cole knew what I was on about. “That he came to apologise?”
“Yeah.”
“Why wouldn’t you? Seems like something he’d want to know.”
It did. “I know.” But Cole’s words from earlier bothered me. “But you said his dad had never apologised to him before. Surely it’s going to piss him off that he came here, no? I don’t want to upset him.”
“Tell him. Jasper’ll just be happy that his dad came round. He felt awful about the stuff he said.”
“Wasn’t his fault.”
“I know that and you know that, but it’s Jasper’s family, so he kind of feels responsible.” Cole shrugged.
“I’ll talk to him when he gets home.” Cole’s grin had me narrowing my eyes. “Now what?”
“Home,” he whispered. “Look at you two getting all cosy.”
“Fuck off,” I grumbled, standing up and turning to glare at him. “You can come and help me cook for that.”
I headed for the kitchen, all the while trying to ignore how much Cole’s comment had got to me. The truth was, my house did feel more like a home with Jasper in it, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
Jasper arrivedhome just after ten o’clock, already yawning as he walked into the living room and flopped on the sofa. “Christ I’m going to be knackered tomorrow.”
“What time you in?” He normally left just as I was thinking about getting up, but I thought I’d heard him even earlier this morning.
He groaned, rubbing his face with both hands. “Got to be there an hour earlier from now until the twenty-third.”
Fuck me.
“Does that mean you finish earlier?”
He laughed. “Nope. Half six till five, and I have to work Saturdays too now.”
“Jesus.” I guess it made sense with everyone ordering Christmas presents, but those were a lot of hours he’d be putting in. “At least the overtime’ll be nice.”
“Mate, that’s the only thing keeping me going.” He yawned again, so wide his jaw cracked, and I found myself helplessly following suit.
“How did it go at your mum’s?” I’d almost forgotten his reason for being out tonight.
“Good, yeah.” He yawned for the third time in as many minutes, and I took pity on him.
“Tell me about it tomorrow. You look like you’re about to fall asleep any second.”
He gave me a sleepy smile but showed no signs of moving and his eyes fluttered closed.
“Come on.” Laughing, I grabbed him and manhandled him to his feet. “It’ll be a shit night’s sleep if you stay down here.” He swayed into me and I steadied him with an arm around his shoulders, which just meant he leant into my side instead. I liked his weight against me, liked how he trusted me when he was feeling vulnerable.
