“And surely ye’ll be your pint-stoup!” Rudy smiled and brought their foreheads together. “And surely I’ll be mine! And we’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.”
“I never knew,” said Trevor, his eyes moist. “Such a beautiful song. We’ve sung the words countless times, and I never really knew what they meant.”
“So what happens now?” said Rudy, his smile slipping.
“What happens now is that you take me back to the lodge and we continue this dance, but in bed beneath the covers and with no clothes. If you don’t mind walking back.”
“Of course not. But what I meant was, what happens to us? You all drive back to England tomorrow.”
Trevor stopped dancing and faced Rudy. Lines of concern creased the skin between his brow, something Trevor wanted to smooth away. But, instead, he took both of Rudy’s hands in his own and kissed him gently.
“I’m not going to lose you, Rudy. I promise.” Trevor leant forward then and kissed Rudy between the eyebrows. When he pulled back, the crease had disappeared, and a small smile lit his face. “We’ve only just found each other. Let’s agree to stay in touch at the very least. Until we can figure things out. Is that enough for now?”
“More than enough.”
They carried on turning slowly until Cheryl and Helen came into view, standing before them. When Trevor looked over Cheryl’s shoulder, he saw most of their other friends standing by the main entrance.
“We’re going to stroll back to the lodge. Are you two staying here tonight?”
“No, we’re coming too,” said Rudy.
“Where are Frank and Johnny?” asked Trevor.
“They already headed back with Mum,” said Cheryl. “Ivan dragged out a bottle of their premium thirty-year-old single malt, and between them, let’s just say that Johnny got seriously over-refreshed, and his legs stopped working. So Frank loaded him into the back of Mum’s car. She’s dropping Doris off first then continuing on to the lodge. Said she’ll put the kettle on and make tea for everyone.”
“In which case,” said Rudy, “we’ll come, too. Just give us a moment to say goodbye.”
After Trevor and Rudy said their thanks and bid farewell to the family, Rudy led the group down darkened lanes back to the lodge. Soft footfalls and murmured conversations and gentle laughter told them the others followed closely behind.
“So how come your name is hyphenated?” asked Trevor, their arms around each other’s waists as they negotiated the lane.
“Mum’s maiden name is King. Dad agreed to double-barrelling their family names when they got married, because Mum’s family were all girls. They had nobody to carry on the family name. But you can tell they’re down-to-earth people, Trev. You should see the piece-of-shit car he drives.”
“I like your parents. They’re good people. And I like your brother, too.”
Just then, the moon poked out from behind a cloud, and pale light flooded the lane. Only for a moment, though, before the track fell back into the gloom.
“Does the darkness bother you?”
“No, not really,” said Trevor before tightening his hold around Rudy’s waist. “Not with you next to me, anyway. What was it Helen Keller wrote? Something about preferring to walk with a friend in the dark than alone in the light.”
“Beautiful.”
Before very long, they reached the crest of an incline in the lane and saw lights burning in the lodge below. Eager to get into the warmth of the kitchen, they hurried the last hundred yards and entered to find Mrs M pouring mugs of tea for everyone. Even though some complained of tiredness, they remained around the table, chatting and catching up on one another’s stories. Then, just as Trevor had decided to drag Rudy away, they heard a clatter of feet from the hallway.
“Oh my God, you guys. You need to watch this,” said Frank, rushing into the kitchen and spinning his laptop around on the table so that everyone could see the screen. One of the nation’s leading news channels had a banner—Breaking News—across the top of the screen, and a female newscaster talked to the camera.
“News just in on the hour. A man charged with indecent behaviour in a New York public toilet is none other than the renowned Bulls forward Damian Ingram.”
Right then, a headshot of Ingram faded into view.
“Ingram was caught during a police raid on the public restroom of a New York railway station. Sources say the area is a notorious meeting point for gay men. An undercover officer went into the restroom and witnessed Ingram publicly engaged in lewd behaviour with a younger man. The officer observed the act then arrested both men. Ingram posted bail and was released three hours after his arrest yesterday. The Bulls’ press office has yet to release an official statement.”
“He is so cancelled!” said Jessica.
Chapter Nineteen
Do You Hear What I Hear?
