“Goodnight. I love you. See you in the morning.”
“Dad?”
“Yes?” I say, my finger already on the light switch.
“Tomorrow, can we go to the beach?”
“Okay.”
“Even if it’s raining?”
“Sure. Even if it’s raining.”
He smiles and wiggles down under the duvet.
“Dad?”
“What is it?”
“I love you.”
“Love you too.”
Pi’s just finishing his shower when I finally reach the bedroom. He’s wearing only a towel, his curls drip steadily onto his shoulders, and his face has been scrubbed Grootlessly clean.
“I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” I say, thumbing his pink cheek.
He responds only with a smile. His gaze falls to my lips.
“I’m going to have a shower.” A lightning-speed shower because I can’t bear to be away from him for much longer. “I love you.”
Pi still says nothing, but his grin slips further across his cheeks.
Chapter 35
Aiden
Saturday 7th August 2027
Eggo still has blue face paint and yellow glitter in the lines of his beard. It looks like a seaweed-strewn shoreline, but sparkly. I don’t tell him. It’s too cute.
Today has been a perfect day. The kind of day that songs get written about. We had great food, fun adventures, and I was shown what it’s like for a child to be loved unconditionally.
And I love Eggo. My Eggo. My Finn. And he loves me. And this is the moment in my life to which all other moments will be playing catch-up.
“Tea?” he says, sauntering from the bathroom into the caravan’s master bedroom in only a pair of jocks.
“Ripper.”
I follow him through to the kitchen area, and Eggo busies himself filling the kettle and getting mugs from the draining board. It’s kind of awkward for a bit. We just look at each other, reach for things the other person’s about to grab, shuffle our feet, do that weird stoner-guy laugh.
“I . . .” Eggo begins. Laughs again. He pretends to pull something off his forearm. An imaginary bandaid. “I want you . . . boyfriends . . . us. I mean,blah. . .”
He sucks in a breath and scratches his beard. His fingers come away glittery.
Frowning down at them, he starts over. “The next time Logan asks us if we’re boyfriends—because he will—I’d really like to tell him that we are. I want to be your boyfriend. I want you to be my boyfriend. I’m fully in love with you, Aiden Campbell. You’re . . .” Eggo glances around the caravan, evidently looking for the right word. “The dog’s bollocks, mate.”
I laugh. The first tidal wave of emotion hits me, and it’s relief.
