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BEAU
Iwas glad Kwan had come to the hospital with me, less happy he was unable to come in to see Megan, but I suppose I understood their point of view. She was under arrest, and he wasn’t family. He was beginning to feel like it, though. I was starting to feel so much for him it was distracting me.
I came out of the room, not knowing what to think. Megan had been beaten, that was for sure. She was barely there, slipping in and out of consciousness, and didn’t acknowledge me the whole time I was there. The only reason I was leaving her was at the insistence of the nurses and because Kwan was waiting for me.
Just seeing him sitting there uncomfortably on the hard plastic chair, his legs outstretched, had me thinking that not everyone would have done that. He could have gone home, probably should have really, but he’d waited for me.
I walked over to him, and he stood, enveloping me in his arms, and I realised, not for the first time, how well we fit together. I started to cry, my body shaking with emotion, but he held me, rubbing my back, whispering soft words into my ear and comforting me. It was what I wanted, but I needed more.
I broke away from him, digging in my pocket for a tissue. I probably looked a mess with my tear-stained face and red eyes, but he stroked the hair from my eyes.
“Here, let’s go get that face washed, and then we’ll go somewhere and get some lunch. You need to eat. We missed breakfast, and you need to keep your energy up.” His soft voice soothed me, and I nodded, following meekly behind him, drained from the events of the day.
I rarely cried but seeing Megan lying there, broken and beaten, made me realise she was all I had left, and I was worried about what would happen to her once she recovered. Would she go to prison? Be let off with parole?
After splashing some water on my face, we left the hospital. I didn’t really know what to do, but Kwan took me by the hand, leading me to the nearest taxi rank and hailing the first one he saw.
“Crosby Beach, please,” he said, climbing into the back seat.
“Kwan, no. It’ll cost a fortune to get there in a taxi.”
“I don’t care. We’re going there, no arguments.” I climbed in after him, and he held my hand all the way, my head resting on his shoulder until twenty minutes later, we were there.
I got out of the cab and took a deep breath, breathing in the sea air, filling my lungs. I longed to be by the water, and without waiting for Kwan, I stepped down onto the wet, compacted sand, almost running to the water’s edge, kicking off my shoes as I went.
I didn’t care that my socks were getting wet. I just needed the feel of the icy water on my feet, feel it lapping around my ankles. Had Kwan not been here, I might have been tempted to wade in further, but I refrained. This was far enough.
“Beau, aren’t you cold? Your feet will freeze in that water.”
They would eventually, but not today. I turned to see him, concern showing on his face. I didn’t want him to be worried. The sea was captivating, the push and pull of the tide, but he was more captivating than any sea I’d seen. I ran towards him, tackling him to the ground as I got there.
“Don’t leave me, Kwan. Everybody leaves me, and I don’t want to be alone.” I buried my face into his neck, breathing deeply.
“Hey, I’m right here with you. I’m not going anywhere, but let’s go to the cafe and get some lunch. You need to warm your feet too.”
I conceded, slowly climbing off him and walking up to Sandy’s Delights, the place I used to work, Kwan staying by my side. I knew Sandy wouldn’t mind me drying off while we ordered lunch and a drink and that we’d be greeted with a smile and a hug.
I wasn’t wrong, and the air was squeezed out of my body by the arms of a woman who had been like a mother to me.
“It’s so good to see you, Beau. It’s been a while. You need to visit us more often.” She finally let me go, allowing me to take a much-needed breath and looked over at Kwan.
“Now who is this very attractive man you have here?” She walked around him, making appreciative noises. I knew she was joking, but the look on Kwan’s face was priceless. He didn’t quite know what to do with himself, but when she took his hand in hers and patted it, he relaxed a little.
“You look after my Beau. He’s not had it easy. When he worked here, he was one of our most popular servers, always got the tips, with his cheeky lopsided smile. I’m sure you’ve noticed it. Now, take a seat, boys, and I’ll get you some food. On the house.”
We took a seat, and I accepted the offered towel, drying my feet and slipping my damp shoes back on.
“So that’s Sandy, huh?” he asked, looking over at her behind the counter.
“Yup, my Sandy. She took me under her wing as soon as I started to work here, but things happened and I just couldn’t afford to keep coming here when we got the flat in Liverpool. It was cheaper, and I stupidly thought the club would be a better option. Doesn’t say much for my being able to spot a dick, now does it? And I don’t mean the good kind.”
Kwan snorted out a laugh, but he’d already told me he wouldn’t be so generous if he saw Bernie again. He’d been livid when I’d finally told him about our ‘arrangement’, but instead of getting annoyed with me, he’d just fumed silently for a few minutes before telling me what he proposed to do to the man if he ever dared to lay another finger on me.
No one had ever stuck up for me like that. It was always me against the world, alone. I’d felt a surge of, not love, we were too new for that, but a surge of appreciation for the man that he would care enough to do that for me.
Sandy came over, bringing bowls of her famous homemade tomato soup and thick-sliced, crusty bread slathered with butter. It was the best I’d tasted and just what we needed on this cool day.
We tucked in greedily, neither of us speaking as we devoured the almost too hot soup until both of our bowls were empty.
