AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I thought you were sweet before you took me to bed. I’ve changed my opinion, though.”
“Have you now?”
“You’re a very naughty boy.”
“Is that a complaint?”
“Definitely not. I get quite breathless when I think about going to bed with you again.”
I look up at the clear night sky. “I wish you were with me now.”
She just sighs.
“Have you talked to Charlie about how long you can come down for?” I ask.
“I did.”
“And what did you settle on?”
“I… um… wasn’t sure how long you’d want me there. I thought… um… maybe three nights? I’m happy just to make it one or two if you like.”
“Three nights sounds great. Five would be better. Imagine how much sex we could have.”
She laughs. “I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t crossed my mind. I don’t want to leave Mum for too long, though.”
“Fair enough.”
It’s a beautiful evening. The white Japanese wisteria that Mum grows against the wall glows in the semi-darkness, and its sweet scent reminds me that the hot days of January and February are just around the corner. Christmas Eve never fails to make me feel like a boy again—those memorable days when Saxon and I were seven or eight and Damon was only six, and we all still believed in Santa. I can remember one Christmas in particular, when the three of us decided we were going to stay up late and try to catch Santa delivering our presents to the end of our beds. We didn’t of course. Damon fell asleep by about ten. Saxon and I made it until one in the morning before we crashed out.
It strikes me that a good portion of my memories involve Saxon. The two of us were inseparable when we were young. Even though my parents are wealthy, and we could have had separate bedrooms, we shared until we were fourteen, and even after that, we often stayed up late together watching movies. As adults we’re used to spending time apart, but I finally accept that it is odd to have lost him to someone else.
“Are you outside?” Alice asks.
“Yeah. You?”
“I’m in the garden. It’s warm tonight.”
“It’s a bit breezy here.”
“Wellington blows, but Auckland sucks, right?”
I grin.
“Look up at the moon,” she says.
“Okay.”
“How much astronomy do you know?”
“Not much,” I admit.
“Look to the south. Can you see that really bright planet? It won’t be sparkling, just shining.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s Jupiter. There’s a theory that the star the Magi followed was actually the conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, the moon, and the Sun in the constellation of Aries.”
My eyebrows rise. “Oh, seriously?”
