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“He more than likely will have found his own place by then and won’t need to stay there at all.” Seb smiled sweetly. “But if he hasn’t and isn’t going home, you could take him with you.”
“Seriously? You want me to take him home with me? The last time I took a guy home, it didn’t go well, as you know.” Hayden remembered back to a previous summer when he’d gone home with Matthew. He thought he was in love, but as it turned out, Matthew was in love with everyone and had a habit of ‘sharing the love’.
They had been talking about taking the next step in their relationship when he’d found Matthew kissing his cousin, Julia. He didn’t see the problem, but as soon as they returned to Chester, Hayden kicked him out, and he’d been alone ever since.
Well, just him and his pet snake, Jerome. Matty had hated his snake. Thinking back, he should have taken that as a sign. Matty always wanted him to get rid of Jerome, but he’d had him for years and he wasn’t about to abandon him.
So, here he was, contemplating opening his house to another man, but this time, a man he didn’t know. He’d be a lodger, though, not a lover, and he could charge rent. He had a couple of extra rooms, he mused. He could move Jerome out of the bigger one and put this guy, Ashok, in there. Jerome wouldn’t care, and his glass case would fit.
He broke from his thoughts to see Seb and Dom looking at him expectantly.
“Well, what do you say?” Dom looked over at him.
“I suppose I could let him stay… but only for a while.” Dom punched the air, and Seb sat back in his chair, a smug smile on his face. “Only for a month at the most,” Hayden was quick to add.
He could do a month, but then the man would need to go. He’d got too used to his own company, and he wasn’t sure he could put up with anyone any longer than that.
“That’s great, Hayden, honestly,” Seb said. “The other option was a youth hostel or some shitty rented place, but I knew you’d come around.”
There was no mistaking the look of relief on both their faces. It was helping his best friends out, and it wouldn’t be for long, he thought.
“The pair of you owe me one. When will he get here? I need to clear Jerome out from the spare room and tidy up a little.”
“Ah, well. He’s waiting in the studio next door. He travelled up this morning.” Seb cringed as he said the words.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Hayden exclaimed, dumbfounded by Seb’s comment.
What the actual hell?
Chapter Two
Ashok
Ashoksatnervouslyandrubbed his fingers gingerly over the blossoming bruise on his cheek, hoping the concealer he wore would hide the worst of it. The fact that no one on the train had stared more than usual, he took that as a yes. He was sitting in Nava Dance, waiting for his new colleagues, Seb and Dom, to return from the coffee shop next door. He knew he’d arrived earlier than he said, but he couldn’t stay at home any longer. After the last altercation with his father, he’d packed his bags, bought his ticket, and made his way north to Chester much earlier than he’d planned, telling only his mother that he was going.
Since boarding the train, his phone had blown up, messages coming in from his father and brothers. How they’d found out he’d left, he wasn’t sure, but they knew. He’d ignored every one of them, and eventually, the texts and calls had tapered off. He wasn’t going back unless they changed their tune—probably never if he was honest.
He squeezed his eyes shut, blinking away unwanted tears, refusing to let thoughts of his father ruin what could be a good move for him. From what he’d seen so far from the back seat of the taxi, it was a lovely city for a new start. It was still full of hustle and bustle, but the air seemed so much cleaner up here, much less toxic than in London. Ashok snorted. Anywhere was going to be less toxic, the people especially. He would never be what his father wanted. They both knew that, so why his father couldn’t just accept who he was, he didn’t know.
Dance had always been his first love, not flipping fucking houses. He wasn’t cut out for that renovation crap. All that dust and dirt, lifting and carrying. He hated every minute. It made him feel dirty and unkempt. He wasn’t averse to a little dirt but preferred not to have to wash the dust out of his long hair every single day.
His main reason for leaving, though, was his family and their attitude towards him. It wasn’t just that he was gay, but his other secret. One he thought he’d been careful to hide. His father explained away his treatment of Ashok by saying it was character building, that it had been the making of his other brothers, but honestly, Ashok knew it had more to do with trying to make him a ‘man’ than anything else.
He was the youngest of four boys, and every one of them, besides him, had joined the family business, Miller and Sons. His father expected him to follow in their footsteps, but did he really need to join? His father already had three sons working with him, and what could he possibly bring to the party? Likely nothing, which was why he’d devoted all of his spare time to dancing.
His mother had encouraged him and loved it when he danced. He was her baby and she stuck up for him when his father started, but lately, the barrage of abuse and hard words from him had got to them both. He’d already spoken to her about moving away, starting afresh somewhere else. She’d been upset at first but soon realised that he needed to go. London would never be a happy place for him despite it being the best place to be for dance and musical theatre; his family had made sure of that. He was undecided yet whether Chester was the place he was meant to be.
But here he was, at least two weeks early, with nowhere to stay. He’d texted Seb while he was on the train and told him that something had happened at home and he was on his way. He’d given no details and wasn’t sure yet if he’d tell them. They were happy to have him. But he’d caused them a problem, he knew that. He had nowhere to stay, and they were currently next door at the coffee shop, trying to persuade the owner and their friend, Hayden, to take him in.
He hated being a burden, but it would only be for a couple of weeks, if that, until he could find somewhere else. He’d squirrelled away as much money as he could to pay for a place, but the paltry amount he had saved wouldn’t go far. A second job might be what he needed, but he was willing to do that to be out of his father’s clutches.
A commotion outside had him looking towards the door, and he winced a little as it burst open. Dom strolled through, laughing at something someone had said to him on his phone.
“Aw, I love you too, baby cakes. Can’t wait to see you later.”
Ashok looked on as Dom ended the call, smiling goofily at the screen. He coughed, reminding him he was still there, and Dom seemed almost surprised to see him.
“Oh good, you’re still here,” he said, tucking his phone into his back pocket. “Hayden’s just doing some stuff at the coffee shop, then he’ll come round to meet you. He said you can stay at his place and he’ll take you there to get settled in, but he needs to just move Jerome out of your room first.”
