was there with a bunch of his retarded mates who apparently don’t like gay boys all that much. When Craig and Al went to the offie to get some more beers, his brother and the rest of the cowardly Cro-Magnons took me outside and gave me a good kicking.’
‘Bastards! You have to tell the police, Jules.’
‘It’ll make it worse, Nic. It’ll create all kinds of hassle between me and Craig – his brother might be a prat but he’s still his brother. I’m going to need my friends, Nic. You know what it’s going to be like at school. I really don’t want to get the police involved. Okay?’
‘All right,’ I said, feeling that I was letting injustice prevail, ‘but there’s no way Mum’s not going to ring your parents.’
‘I can’t face my dad yet,’ he said in a small voice. ‘That’s why … that’s why I came here. I knew I could count on you, I knew that even though I hurt you and even though we haven’t spoken for ages, I knew you’d understand, because that’s just the kind of person you are. I knew that if I was with you, I’d be okay.’
I left Julian in my room and went downstairs to persuade Mum to ring Julian’s parents to ask if he could stay with us for the night.
‘If you just say that he’d had a couple of beers and got into a bit of a fight, but that he’s fine, he’s just sleeping it off …’
‘Nicole, I am not lying to Julian’s parents.’
‘But … it isn’t even really a lie. He did have a couple of beers, he did get into a fight. He doesn’t want to talk to his dad yet.’
Mum chewed on her nails nervously. To his credit, Charles stayed out of it. I’d just about got her to agree when there was another knock on the door.
‘Shit,’ my mother and I said in unison.
‘Don’t answer it,’ I whispered to her.
‘He’ll have seen the lights …’
‘Hello?’ a voice called out from the porch, and it wasn’t my father’s.
‘Maybe it’s Craig,’ I said, edging in front of Mum to get to the door first.
It wasn’t Craig. On the doorstep stood a tall, dark-haired man holding a motorcycle helmet in his hand. I’d never seen him before, but he was instantly familiar to me, with Julian’s high cheekbones and long lashes, just situated on an older, more world-worn face. And while Julian’s eyes were brown and soulful, this person’s eyes were green. Bleary, a little bloodshot, but definitely green.
‘Hello, young lady,’ the man said, giving me a rakish smile. ‘You’re up past your bedtime, aren’t you?’
Past my bedtime? ‘Who the hell are you?’ I demanded, annoyed.
He laughed. ‘Is your mum in?’
‘Seriously,’ I said, really pissed off now, ‘who are you?’
‘Name’s Aidan,’ he said, holding out his hand for me to shake. He had the faintest trace of a Glaswegian accent, that and something else, Manchester maybe. ‘I’m sorry to call so late, but I understand you’re giving refuge to my young cousin.’
‘You’re Julian’s cousin?’
‘That’s right. I was meant to pick him up from the party, but they told me he’d left. Said I might be able to find him here. I didn’t realise he had a girlfriend.’
‘I’m not his girlfriend,’ I said. ‘I’m his ex.’ Aidan found this inexplicably funny. ‘He’s staying here tonight,’ I told him.
‘Oh, I don’t think so,’ Aidan said, stepping a little closer to me and peering over my shoulder into the house. He smelt of lemons and cigarettes. Weird combination. I stepped across him to stop him looking into the house, folding my arms across my chest.
‘He’s staying here tonight,’ I repeated.
Aidan started to laugh again. ‘Any chance I could speak to him then?’
‘I’ll go and see if he wants to talk to you,’ I said, and turned on my heel, closing the door in Aidan’s face. Annoying bastard, I thought, and yet I could feel my face colouring and my heart racing. It’s just because he looks like Jules, I thought. He’s patronising and smug. And really
‘Bastards! You have to tell the police, Jules.’
‘It’ll make it worse, Nic. It’ll create all kinds of hassle between me and Craig – his brother might be a prat but he’s still his brother. I’m going to need my friends, Nic. You know what it’s going to be like at school. I really don’t want to get the police involved. Okay?’
‘All right,’ I said, feeling that I was letting injustice prevail, ‘but there’s no way Mum’s not going to ring your parents.’
‘I can’t face my dad yet,’ he said in a small voice. ‘That’s why … that’s why I came here. I knew I could count on you, I knew that even though I hurt you and even though we haven’t spoken for ages, I knew you’d understand, because that’s just the kind of person you are. I knew that if I was with you, I’d be okay.’
I left Julian in my room and went downstairs to persuade Mum to ring Julian’s parents to ask if he could stay with us for the night.
‘If you just say that he’d had a couple of beers and got into a bit of a fight, but that he’s fine, he’s just sleeping it off …’
‘Nicole, I am not lying to Julian’s parents.’
‘But … it isn’t even really a lie. He did have a couple of beers, he did get into a fight. He doesn’t want to talk to his dad yet.’
Mum chewed on her nails nervously. To his credit, Charles stayed out of it. I’d just about got her to agree when there was another knock on the door.
‘Shit,’ my mother and I said in unison.
‘Don’t answer it,’ I whispered to her.
‘He’ll have seen the lights …’
‘Hello?’ a voice called out from the porch, and it wasn’t my father’s.
‘Maybe it’s Craig,’ I said, edging in front of Mum to get to the door first.
It wasn’t Craig. On the doorstep stood a tall, dark-haired man holding a motorcycle helmet in his hand. I’d never seen him before, but he was instantly familiar to me, with Julian’s high cheekbones and long lashes, just situated on an older, more world-worn face. And while Julian’s eyes were brown and soulful, this person’s eyes were green. Bleary, a little bloodshot, but definitely green.
‘Hello, young lady,’ the man said, giving me a rakish smile. ‘You’re up past your bedtime, aren’t you?’
Past my bedtime? ‘Who the hell are you?’ I demanded, annoyed.
He laughed. ‘Is your mum in?’
‘Seriously,’ I said, really pissed off now, ‘who are you?’
‘Name’s Aidan,’ he said, holding out his hand for me to shake. He had the faintest trace of a Glaswegian accent, that and something else, Manchester maybe. ‘I’m sorry to call so late, but I understand you’re giving refuge to my young cousin.’
‘You’re Julian’s cousin?’
‘That’s right. I was meant to pick him up from the party, but they told me he’d left. Said I might be able to find him here. I didn’t realise he had a girlfriend.’
‘I’m not his girlfriend,’ I said. ‘I’m his ex.’ Aidan found this inexplicably funny. ‘He’s staying here tonight,’ I told him.
‘Oh, I don’t think so,’ Aidan said, stepping a little closer to me and peering over my shoulder into the house. He smelt of lemons and cigarettes. Weird combination. I stepped across him to stop him looking into the house, folding my arms across my chest.
‘He’s staying here tonight,’ I repeated.
Aidan started to laugh again. ‘Any chance I could speak to him then?’
‘I’ll go and see if he wants to talk to you,’ I said, and turned on my heel, closing the door in Aidan’s face. Annoying bastard, I thought, and yet I could feel my face colouring and my heart racing. It’s just because he looks like Jules, I thought. He’s patronising and smug. And really
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