Page 8 of Just a Number

“Hey, you sleep okay?”

“Yeah, I did thanks. Still salty that I kept beating you at Forza? Or are you over it?” Alex asks.

Zack puffs out a chuckle. “We can’t all be great at everything, man.”

“Why didn’t you show Alex to the guest room?” I ask Zack, still confused to have found an almost naked guy on my couch.

He shrugs. “He looked settled on the couch. And I hadn’t checked with you. I, uh, forgot.” He looks first at me, then at Alex with an apologetic look on his face.

“It’s all good, man. The couch was perfect,” Alex replies. He’s finished his breakfast now and gets up from his bar stool to rinse off his plate and cup, then loads them into the dishwasher. As he reaches for the pans, I stop him.

“Alex, you’ve done enough. Besides, Zack’s on clear up duty.”

“What?” comes my son’s garbled response, his mouth stuffed full of bacon and hash brown.

“Alex did a wonderful job tidying up after you and your friends. Maybe you could take a leaf out of his book.” I watch, amused, as Zack throws a side eye at Alex.

“Dude, don’t make me look bad,” he tells his friend. Alex shrugs, but there’s still a smile on his lips.

“I’m gonna head. Are you at the Arts Centre later?” Alex looks at Zack with a raised brow.

“Tonight. There’s an event I’m helping set up for from 3 pm and then waitering at tonight. You want me to see if they need anyone else?”

“Maybe. I’m waiting to see if the bar needs me. Let me know if they’re looking short and if I’ve not heard from the bar, I can help.”

Alex grabs his phone from the kitchen counter and gives me a nod. “Thanks for letting me stay and for the food.”

“No worries.”

And with that, he leaves. I look across at Zack, still shovelling food into his mouth, and give him a shoulder check.

“Aren’t you going to see your friend out?”

“He’s a big boy. He can find his own way.”

I wait until I hear the front door close behind Alex before I turn my full attention to Zack. He glances at me sideways and heaves an enormous sigh. “Let’s hear it, Mum. What have you got to say?”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“You’ve got that look on your face that tells me you’ve got a bone to pick with me.”

“I just… it was a shock to come downstairs this morning and find a half-naked man on my couch.”

He winces. “Yeah, sorry about that. I forgot I’d offered for him to stay. It was so he could have a few beers because he was bringing the bike.”

“Why didn’t you put him in the guest room?”

“Like I said, I hadn’t checked with you and I’m pretty sure he was fine on the couch.”

“How old is he?”

“I dunno. A few years ahead of me. Maybe Twenty-three, twenty-four? What’s it matter?”

“He’s just different from you, is all. I was wondering what you guys have in common.”

“He’s a G. A gamer, not that he has much spare time these days. He’s working all sorts of jobs, saving up to move out. His stepdad is a complete twat, apparently.”

“That’s rough,” I say with a wince. “Have you seen his pottery?”

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