Once again Adrian’s smile slipped and he looked down at the rim of his beer bottle.
“Yeah, well. Some things are not meant to be,” he said cryptically.
Leonard wanted to ask more but felt they had already shared enough that night.
“So, tomorrow,” said Leonard, bringing things back down to earth, “depending on the weather and the traffic, we have a good five- to six-hour trip back. I suggest we head off around midday. How does that sound?”
“You’re the boss.”
“Not yet. But I will be next weekend, once you’re on the clock. So let’s head to the house tomorrow morning, take one last look around. Maybe snap some pictures on our phones. Then, you can tell me what equipment or materials you think we might need, so I can either buy or hire—”
“I think it’s probably best if I do that. Then I’ll invoice you later.”
“Well, if you think that works better. And as long as you’re not out of pocket.”
“Trade discount. And let me put together a plan of work during the week. We’re not going to get everything done in a weekend, but we can make a good start.”
Leonard finished his coffee and paid the bill while Adrian slipped away to use the restroom. When he returned, Leonard already wore his coat, ready for the short walk back to the hotel. Adrian pulled his own from the back of the chair and slipped the garment around his shoulders.
“And if I haven’t said so already, Ade, thanks for everything. For agreeing to accompany me, for your excellent observations and most importantly, for your enthusiasm. I know this is probably like any other job for you, but I’ve really enjoyed this weekend, really enjoyed your company.”
Despite feeling a little awkward, Leonard felt the words had needed saying. If he had come to see the house on his own in the pouring rain, he would probably have had one quick look around and ended up selling the place to his aunt. Right now he felt an excited optimism about the site, and also felt as though he had made a new friend.
“Don’t thank me yet,” said Adrian as they stepped out into a rain-free evening and stopped on the pavement.
“Why’s that?”
“You haven’t heard the playlist I’ve picked out for the journey home yet.”
Leonard stood and laughed, but then became serious when Adrian’s face didn’t return the humour.
“Should I be worried?” asked Leonard.
“Depends.”
Adrian walked on ahead, but then stopped, spun around and folded his arms.
“How do you feel about ABBACulture Club?”
Chapter Ten
Renovation
Wednesday afternoon, Adrian lounged in his regular spot on the sofa with his bare feet up on his coffee table. For a change, the television remained switched off as it had been all week. After an early morning jog around the town followed by his indoor workout, and in between skimming a well-thumbed John Grisham thriller, he’d used his time to rough out some ideas for the renovation.
On the tabletop he had a large sketchpad with a roughly scaled design of the house in Wales and some suggested changes, based on their conversation on the way back from Disserth. Even as a kid he’d had a knack of drawing things from memory almost to scale. At his mother’s insistence, he had framed three of his pictures of famous English landmarks—the Royal Pavilion in Brighton with its Indian architectural influence, the Tower of London, and the Royal Observatory in Greenwich—and hung them pride of place on his living room wall.
That morning alone he had completed designs for the bathroom in Wales to add to those for the kitchen and the bedrooms. Pleased with the results, he had snapped a copy of the draught kitchen plan on his phone and fired the preview off to Lenny that morning. Two thumbs up emojis followed by two words ‘looks fantastic’ had been returned. When they met up on Thursday, he was looking forward to showing Lenny the other designs .
He couldn’t believe how much he had enjoyed the previous weekend and how much he anticipated heading back with Lenny on Friday. And the daily text message exchanges with Lenny to remind him of things he needed to bring or buy always ended with a humorous remark that had him smiling.
And that small change didn’t escape his notice either. Just seeing Lenny’s name appear on his phone sent a thrill through him. On Monday morning his waking dream had Lenny leaning against the bathroom door frame in the hotel, but this time with the bathrobe falling open to reveal his naked figure. Waking rock-hard and full of lust had led Adrian to take his erection in hand and pump out a release, spilling onto his stomach and chest. Not an unpleasant experience but one that had left him feeling a sense of guilt.
Like many areas of his life, Adrian had simplified his relationships. Men he liked but did not find attractive became friends. Those he found hot but did not particularly warm to—like Nick—became fuck buddies. And he made sure the two never met. The one or two who filled both requirements—rarer and rarer as he grew older—he would usually put on hold until they slotted naturally into one category, or avoid and eventually phase out of his life, even if they did demonstrate a mutual desire.
The cooling off period worked well for Adrian because misjudging a friendship for attraction was a mistake he would never make again.
Lenny had lived with a university professor, a respected member of the faculty. Why on earth would he want anything more than friendship? Besides, Lenny also had his own life and successful businesses to take care of back in London, so had no time for anything more.
