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“My phone died. I must have forgotten to charge it last night. I really am sorry, Hayden. I promise I won’t do that again.”
“It’s fine. I forget all the time, but from now on, I need you to have your phone charged at all times.”
He was paranoid about Ashok’s father finding him. He couldn’t lose him, not after he’d agreed to stay.
“I promise. I mean it. I’ll carry a charger with me too, so I can always plug it in.”
Hayden smiled at him, grateful he was listening to him. He was all too aware of what could happen.
“Thank you for humouring me. Now, let’s eat. I don’t know what it’ll be like. I followed the recipe, but you never know. I’ve been known to set pepperoni on fire.”
He watched as Ashok ate the first forkful, happy when he didn’t pull a face. They both tucked in, and he had to admit, it was actually really delicious. Ashok smiled at him for the first time since yesterday afternoon.
“I’ll make a chef out of you yet. That was the best lasagne I’ve had.” He sat back in his chair, his hands across his stomach.
Hayden was still bothered about this situation with his father, though. It was playing on his mind.
“Are you going to call your mum? I’d be interested to know what’s going on in that department. Whether or not we need to be on the lookout for your father.”
“I’ll call her tomorrow. It’s been a week or so since we last spoke. I know that seems strange, seeing how she’s family and we hardly speak, but it’s honestly for the best right now. When this obsession my father has with me dies down, I’ll invite her and Manvik up to meet you. They’d love you. My father can’t keep this up indefinitely, surely. He has a company to run and three other sons to take up his time. I just don’t get why he won’t let it lie.”
“Perhaps because you got away from him. Out of his clutches. You escaped, Ashok. You left him.”
Hayden didn’t know for sure but, he’d known people like that before. They hated the fact that the person they abused most got away. He had a friend that had run away from her abusive boyfriend, only for him to find her twelve months later, almost killing her. He couldn’t stand the thought that she was no longer with him and definitely didn’t like that she’d moved on from him.
“He’s abusive, yes, but I don’t think he’d go to those lengths. He’s my father, for fuck’s sake.” Ashok sounded shocked.
“You don’t know what’s going on in his mind, Ash, and I’d rather we didn’t find out.”
He wanted to change the subject, though. The past two days had been filled with doom and gloom, tears and sadness.
“Do you fancy watching a movie tonight? I could make some popcorn. I think we just need to chill for a while. I know I do. I’m back to work tomorrow. Angela will be knocking down the door if I take another day off.” He smiled weakly, trying to lighten the mood.
“I’d love to. It’s been a rough couple of days for us both, and I think it’ll be good to try and put it behind us, Hayden. I’ll grab the drinks while you get the popcorn.”
Ashok grabbed some drinks, and the rest of the evening was spent laughing at the movie. They sat on the sofa but at opposite ends, and Hayden couldn’t help but feel the distance. His revelation had caused a rift between them. His words had pushed him away.
Ashok had said he could forgive, but how could he when he’d been the exact thing that had hurt him? He began to doubt everything, an uneasy feeling settling inside him. Ashok had endured so much in his twenty-five years, and here Hayden was making matters one hundred times worse.
His father was a worry, one Ashok didn’t seem overly concerned with, but Hayden knew about people like him. It was far from over.
So deep was he in thought, he hadn’t realised the movie had finished.
“Are we watching another? It’s getting late, and we both have work tomorrow.” Ashok was looking at him expectantly.
“Oh, no, sorry. I was miles away. It’s fine. You go on up if you want to.” There was no point in him going up. They were no longer sleeping in the same bed. “I’ll stay down here a while longer, tidy up a little.”
Hayden looked around the room, knowing he’d done that just a few hours earlier while he’d been waiting, but the thought of watching Ashok go back to his room didn’t appeal.
“You look tired,” Ashok said, concern leaching into his words. “You need sleep if you’re going into work tomorrow. Why don’t you leave it and I’ll tidy up? I’m not expected at the studio until a little later. It won’t hurt for one night.”
“You’re probably right.” Reluctantly, he went upstairs, hearing Ashok banging around in the kitchen. He had to believe they could put this behind them. It had only been a month, and in that time, Ashok had become such a big part of his life, one he didn’t want to give up without a fight.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ashok
Severaldayspassed.Haydentried his best to please him, cooking his favourite food and bringing him green tea at the studio when he was working. He was the perfect boyfriend, except he wasn’t, was he? He never really had been.
