“He ran after you.”
Kieran hadn’t noticed that, but then, he’d been on a mission to get away from Derek as quickly as possible. Ithadbeen a mission, pushing against the crowds, but as soon as he was clear, he was on a Tube and heading home. He was probably the only gay fleeing central London at that moment.
“I know this might be an inappropriate thing to say, but he’s hotter than you said he was, and I don’t even go for older guys.”
Kieran snorted. He hadn’t looked for long because he’d legged it, but it was clear the last ten years had been good to Derek. He was still hot as fuck, which was a major league piss-take. His beard was longer, and he had tattoos on his arms now, which looked like excellent work, although not as good as Kieran would have done. Why the fuck was he thinking like that? The man didn’t deserve a second look.
“What the fuck am I going to do? Edward is going to tell him how to find me.”
“Milo won’t let him do that, and we know Edward does as Milo tells him.”
Kieran chuckled. “That’s true. Fuck. Do you think I should just speak to him? Let him know I think he’s a cunt, and I hope he and my mother both die young?”
“Not that you’re being overdramatic or anything. Let’s get a drink and talk it through.”
“I think I need to be by myself.”
“Not happening, so beer, wine... or I’m putting the kettle on.”
“Wine, of course. Why did you even offer me beer?”
“Forgive me. I thought you were having a butch moment after you successfully fought a kitchen stool.”
“Get fucked!”
Hassan laughed before going to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of wine and grabbing two glasses. He poured generous measures, but before Kieran could grab his, Hassan carried them both into the living room and sat on the sofa, implying Kieran had to join him.
He preferred the old flat to this one as it was all open plan. In here, they had a kitchen diner, but not big enough for more than the three of them to eat in, and a separate living room, which had two three-seater sofas, but not enough room for a dining table. It made entertaining difficult, not that he did that often. Liam and Milo had been the better cooks, so now they mostly had those prepped meals delivered each week. It cut down the number of takeaways significantly.
“I’m sure you could get his contact details off Milo if you wanted to speak to him,” said Hassan.
Kieran took a gulp of his wine. It was good stuff. “What good would that do?”
“It might give you some closure.”
“I don’t need any closure. That was done when he betrayed my trust.”
“I know, but wouldn’t you like to know why he did it?”
“What difference would it make? It won’t undo the last ten years, will it?”
“No, but it might help you move forward.”
“What are you on about? I never talk about him. It’s onlybecause he turned up today. When did I last sayanythingabout him?” Kieran snapped.
He took another gulp of wine. It really was delicious. The benefit of living with two doctors who didn’t drink cheap shit. Kieran wasn’t sure what Hassan was getting at. Before today, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d even thought about Derek.
“It’s not that you talk about him. It’s how you allow him to still have an impact.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Kieran snapped, jerking his arm and sloshing some of his wine. He took another swig.
“When did you last have a boyfriend?”
“Not this shit again. You’re hardly able to preach to me. If I want relationship advice, I’ll speak to Milo or Liam. Thanks.”
“Look, I’m not trying to upset you, but I know you don’t trust men because of what Derek did. Maybe if you understood his reasons, you might be more open to a relationship.”
Kieran stood up. “He outed me to my mother, and she booted me out and has never spoken to me since. I have a sister I haven’t spoken to in ten years. He did that. And you think he’s got a good enough reason that I’ll forgive him or something?”
