Chapter 21
Noah
“Were you in love with Thomas?” It had to be asked.
“At the time? Yes. Now I’m just bitter. I wasted money and time and most of all? My sanity. I thought I was going mad.”
“I can imagine.” A weak response, but I wanted… I needed to know. I wanted to know everything. How his life had been before me and why…how…he’d ended up here. Where he was now and where I… Fuck. It was all a mess in my head.
“Thomas is in the past. I never want to see him again. That holiday was a massive mistake, but then… I’m glad I went. I met you.”
“You did.”
Why it had come up was beyond me, but then he had been asking me questions too, walking along the hillside with four dogs and a random kid.
“I’m glad I came. I’m glad you found me.” Another weird statement, but then I was still me. Gently figuring out how to navigate all of this. Him. Me. The universe around us.
And a boy called Bailey Butcher, apparently. Because he wouldn’t leave us alone. I didn’t really mind; he was just a scrawny little kid with dirty-blond hair wearing a filthy tracksuit and worn-down shoes. Still? He was loving the long grass and the dogs, and I’d found a random ball floating in a puddle and picked it up. So I threw it, and the dogs went crazy. Because this was apparently a Saturday morning routine. Walking this seemingly haphazard assortment of dogs and getting fresh air. The air was fresh all right, and now I wish I’d brought better shoes than the flimsy trainers I was wearing.
“Go! Go! GO!” Bailey shouted as the flurry of fur disappeared down a bank.
“You’re really good with him,” he said, this gorgeous man by my side.
I wasn’t holding his hand because we weren’t there yet. And yes, perhaps this wasn’t a public place as such; I honestly hadn’t seen another human being since we’d left the school gates, but still. I was a city boy. Him? I couldn’t imagine him down south. It was almost like he was that king of the castle in some faraway fantasy world, and any minute, there would be faeries and dragons. I told him that as well, which made him blush.
“I do have a castle. It’s kind of cool. Well, it’s not mine, but whatever. I live there. Probably will for a long time. When I retire, I’ll have to get myself a little flat down in Lochgilphead, by the water.”
“No flat. A little cottage. I want a garden.”
“You coming?” He looked surprised, but yet, not. Plans. We had them.
“Of course. We’ll be long married by then. Couple of kids. All that.”
His smile was bigger than the sun. Dreams. It was good to have them, but me? I was living them. Right here.
“Throw it again, Badweather!”
Ah. Ball. And too many dogs sat nicely in front of me, tails wagging, a slimy mess of a ball in the grass.
I threw it. And off they went.
“Will you come back?”
“After tomorrow, you mean?” I wanted to make another joke of it, and do the “I’m not leaving” thing, but it was mean and cruel. Mostly to me, because I didn’t want to think about it.
“Yes.” He grabbed my arm and clung to it, watching the dogs hurl through the grass. Fur and yelps everywhere, and here was the slimy ball again.
“Throw it!” Bailey shouted.
“Incoming!” I yelped. He had to let go of me so I could get a good angle and pretend-tumbled as it flew through the air, which of course meant I got jumped on by Winter. The puppy, the only one still on a lead, since his recall was apparently appalling.
“Sit,” I asked the dog, I wanted him to sit too. Just let us rest for a bit here on the bank, so I could retie my laces and actually think.
The scenery was beautiful, honestly. I hadn’t been kidding about the fantasy world because I felt like I was surveying my very own kingdom here. Dogs everywhere. And here was Bailey falling into the grass too, a dog jumping straight on him. I couldn’t tell the dogs apart, which one was which, but Bailey apparently could, rattling off names and breeds and where they belonged.
“You’ve got a good memory,” I praised him, as Fox made himself comfortable on the ground next to me.
“You gonna live here too then?” he asked, this kid.
