“And can you get one for me, too?” came a voice from the front doorway. They all turned to see Lenny standing there, a bag in hand, his eyes scanning the room, a huge grin on his face. Nobody had heard him enter. “Wow. Will you look at this place. Amazing.”
Adrian scraped his chair away from the table and strode over to Lenny. After dropping his bag, Lenny pulled Adrian into a really fierce hug that lasted longer than usual. Had they missed each other equally?
“Like what you see?” asked Adrian, pulling away. Maybe it was his imagination, but Adrian thought he sensed some hesitation in Lenny, a slight nervousness or apprehension.
“Yes,” said Lenny, looking around again before bringing his gaze back to Adrian. “The house looks great, too.”
Adrian grinned then, his insecurities melting away.
“Come and meet the gang.”
Within the hour, after introductions and a couple more beers had been consumed, they sat laughing together like old friends. Jack got up partway through to put in the casserole, and before long delicious aromas began to fill the living room space. Adrian sat back and smiled, listening to Toni explain to Lenny about the changes to the electrics and the lighting plan he had agreed for each room. Already the house had begun to feel like a home. When she asked Lenny about the dresser, he explained how he had come prepared.
“I’ve got a car boot full of things I picked up at our warehouse. Staffordshire plates and platters to go on the dresser shelves, beautifully designed with matching floral patterns. Cutlery sets and assorted cushions for the sofas. The only thing I haven’t shopped for is modern kitchen appliances—toaster, blender, coffee maker, other things that might come in handy. I thought we might do that this weekend, Ade.”
“How about paintings for the walls?” asked Toni
“Tough one, that. I’m going to leave that until last. But I do have a few ideas up my sleeve that I’m going to run by Adrian first.”
“And the burning question,” said Jack, from behind the kitchen island, “is what are you going to do with the place, now that it’s almost finished?”
Adrian looked to Lenny, who smiled knowingly and appeared calm. Adrian had no idea what Lenny planned to do, they hadn’t discussed that far in advance. Everything they’d done so far leant towards him renting Bryn Bach out, or selling the house to somebody, which felt so wrong.
“Well, the first thing I’m going to do is to throw a big house-warming party on the twenty-eighth of this month, so make sure you’re free because I’ve already put the front bedroom aside so you two can stay. After that I’m going to keep the place for weekends away from the big smoke and let her out to friends and family, people I know and trust to keep the place tidy. And yes, before you ask, you are on the A list.”
“In which case,” said Jack, grinning at Toni, “we’re going to open the special bottle of Chateau Margaux we’ve been saving, to share with you at dinner and to christen the house, because you’ve said all the right things.”
“We don’t have—” began Adrian.
Jack held up a hand, cutting him off.
“And I also brought red wineglasses with me for this very occasion. A box of four as a house-warming gift.”
Toni giggled over the top of her beer bottle before clinking glasses with Adrian and Lenny.
An hour before Jack served up dinner, they all showered and changed. Having the downstairs shower room made things so much easier, and when Adrian had changed and joined them downstairs, he found Jack and Toni busy laying the table, while Lenny had opened up the balcony doors and allowed the garden fragrance and the last of the daylight to flood into the living room.
“Look at that view,” said Lenny, putting his arm around Adrian. “Might get a bit nippy later, so we should enjoy the remains of the day. Come on, let’s get out of their way. Bring your beer and sit with me on the stone steps where we can savour the view and chat.”
Adrian hummed his approval before following Lenny to the top step. Adrian’s heart swelled at the simple act of sitting beside him, their warm sides touching. Both sat watching in silence as the sun slowly descended, bathing the back of the house in warm yellow light, the view over the countryside spectacular in its beauty, simplicity and tranquillity.
“Lenny, I need to talk to you about something.”
“Good,” said Lenny. “Because I need to talk to you, too.”
Lenny had seemed anxious from the moment he’d arrived, and Adrian wondered if he had been thinking along the same lines, about the upcoming deadline for the completion of work on the property and what would happen next between them. He considered being patient and allowing Lenny to start, but knew he needed to say his piece while he still had the courage.
“Okay, but let me go first,” said Adrian. “I’m normally hopeless with words, but I need to get this off my chest while I’ve mustered the courage. These last three weeks have been tough without having you here. I meanreallytough. But it’s made me realise that I don’t want anything casual anymore, the thought doesn’t even appeal. I only want you, to have a future with you. But to do that, I need to be really honest, I need us both to be honest with each other. Do you understand?”
Lenny had gone very quiet, but he managed to answer with a single nod.
“So before I ask and make a complete arse of myself, I need to know. Do you see me in your future, or is this simply a Chapter—?”
Lenny swung his head around quickly.
“I want you in my life, Ade. Fuck, Ineedyou in my life, in my future. I want to grow old with you.”
A gasp of relief burst from Adrian, a breath he hadn’t even realised he’d been holding
