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Alex wanted to argue, tell her not to bother but then he’d sound like an arsehole. He imagined Dorian must have received thousands of fan sketches over the years and would be able to act impressed at whatever strange thing his mother created. She could draw, if she wanted to, but she preferred abstract expressionism and they’d probably turn out to be represented as a tomato and a fried egg.
He sat next to Dorian, who shuffled closer and put his arm around his back.
George munched on a biscuit, dunking it several times in his coffee. “Are you planning to make the UK your home now, Dorian? I thought you movie star types would be living the high life in LA.”
“Been there, got the T-shirt, George. I lived in the US for over a decade, and now I’ve decided I want to come home, change my focus.”
“Least we won’t have to worry about you whisking Ali away,” Alice said, her pencil racing across her sketch. “I imagine it’s been difficult adjusting to coming out, having a boyfriend and lord knows what else.”
“I’m not Dorian’s first boyfriend, Mum.” She must’ve read the fallout over Robin.
“But you’re the first one he’s dating publicly. That’s a big step. Now I’m sure the Flint boy was a lovely lad, but you’re the one standing side by side with Dorian.”
Shedidknow, and she was digging. God, she was crafty, trying to wheedle information out of Dorian about his ex.
“I’ll be honest, if Robin had got his way, I’d have come out years ago. But I wasn’t ready. I know that makes me sound like a bit of a coward—”
“No, no it doesn’t,” Alice said sharply. “You have the right to decide when to come out. No one else. Yves, Alex’s first boyfriend, was disowned by his parents when they found out about him. He stayed in our spare room for a while, even after they split, so you don’t have to explain yourself to us.”
“I remember, right up until the point Yves married Colm, you were still asking if we would ever get back together,” Alex said, hoping to steer the conversation in a different direction.
“He was such a nice boy, but then if you’d got back together you wouldn’t be with Dorian now.”
They’d only been seventeen, two walking bags of hormones and neuroses who were trying to find their way. The sex hadn’t been great, they were clueless, but he would always have a fondness for his first boyfriend.
“I’m sure Dorian is cursing his bad luck.”
“Oi, don’t be daft.” Dorian squeezed him. “It’s this Yves bloke who missed out.”
Alice flipped around her sketch pad and Alex braced himself. But instead of a random collection of shapes or lines, she’d drawn a proper portrait. Not a pair of bunny ears or vulvas for eyes in sight.
“Oh, wow, that’s amazing!” Dorian said, reaching out to take the sketch.
“I know that most of my work is more avant-garde, but I thought you’d appreciate something you could frame and not have to explain to more closed-minded visitors.”
“I’ll have to find somewhere for it,” Dorian said. “I’m currently staying at Crofton Hall but once I’ve a house of my own we’ll find it a proper home.”
Dorian was such a good actor, managing to sound sincere. Alex wished the sketch would be framed and displayed in pride of place where it would be cooed over. He could imagine it sitting on his desk or in a snug in a house they shared. Pointing it out, saying his mum had drawn it, capturing a moment in time. But he was just torturing himself. He’d take it back to Crofton Hall, put it somewhere safe and have it as a memento of the mad three months when he was a movie star’s boyfriend.
“I think we’ve intruded enough, don’t you, darling?” George said, slapping his thighs and standing.
Alice tore the page from her sketchbook. “Oh, yes. Next time I’ll see what I can do about capturing your raw energies in oil paints. It’d be marvellous.”
“You’re more than welcome to stay for dinner,” Dorian offered as they escorted them to the front door.
“We’d better get back, I said I’d water next door’s petunias while they were away.”
Left alone again, Alex let out a mighty huff of air. “I am so sorry about them. I didn’t know they were coming I swear.”
“Alex, they were great. Honestly, you’ve nothing to apologise for. Considering this was my first meet-the-parents in years, it could have been horrendous.”
“They were definitely on their best behaviour.”
Dorian chuckled. “I can see why you wanted to protect them. I bet you’d wrap them up in cotton wool and pack them away if you could.”
Alex frowned. “What do you mean by that? Protecting them?”
“Don’t get mad, but I know why you agreed to our arrangement, and I think it’s amazing, you’re amazing.”
