Page 9 of Toy Boy

He laughs quietly, drops his head, and shakes it. “I don’t know why I waste my time coming here to check on you.”

“Neither do I.”

We look at each other, and smile. “I love you, Mum.”

“I love you, too. Now get out of my house, go finish up at work, and take your beautiful girlfriend to dinner.”

“What are you up to tonight?” he asks, finishing his coffee and putting his empty mug in the sink.

“Nothing much. It’s been a busy day at the café so I might just have a bath, rustle up a bit of dinner using some leftover chicken I’ve brought back from work, and watch some TV.”

“On your own?”

“You see anyone else here? Look, Josh, the last thing I’m going to do is sit here and dwell on the fact Scott’s back, that isn’t going to happen. Okay? Trust me. He doesn’t deserve the time that would take up.”

He comes over to me, and plants a quick kiss on my cheek. “Alright. I believe you. I’ll call you soon.”

“Not too soon. Have a good night.”

“You too.”

I watch him leave, and head back into the living room, throwing myself down onto the couch and letting out a long, slow breath. It would be nice if, one day, Josh could turn up here just to say hi, rather than constantly checking up on me when there really is no need.

Sitting up, I reach for the remote and flick on the TV, leaving it on a food channel, for background noise more than anything, as I get up and head back into the kitchen to put that leftover chicken from the café into the fridge. I might make some cous cous to go with it, maybe a small green salad too. A nice light dinner, a glass or two of wine, and an early night. Sounds perfect! Just what I need, actually. Not very exciting, granted, but I don’t have the energy for excitement right now. It’s been a strange day, full of surprises, and not all of them good…

Xander

The Shack is a great little bar just down the beach from the surf shop that serves the best burgers, fries, and ice cold beer. I’ve been spending practically every night there since I got here, and tonight is no exception. It’s got a great vibe, it’s full of cool people, and the music’s good. It’s the perfect place to kick back for a couple of hours before heading home.

“Hey! Weren’t you inFlowersthis morning?”

I turn around and frown at the dark-haired girl who’s sidled up beside me at the counter. “I’m sorry?”

“The café, on the harbour? You were there for breakfast? You had the blueberry pancakes, I took your check. And you left me a shitty tip, by the way.”

I stare at her for a second, I genuinely can’t remember her. “Sorry, for the shitty tip.”

She does a kind of half eye-roll and leans over the counter as she tries to catch the bartender’s attention. After ordering a beer and a plate of fries she turns around and looks at me again. I’d assumed she was finished with our short exchange, but it doesn’t seem that way.

“Did you like the pancakes?”

Jesus, what is it with those pancakes? “They were okay.”

“Okay? Just so you know, I made them. They’re my recipe, and I believe they are way better than okay.”

I smile at her, because, you know, I was brought up with manners. “Yeah, but you’re slightly biased, right?”

She does that eye-roll thing again, but then she smiles back, which makes her look a whole lot prettier. Not that she wasn’t pretty before, she was. Is. It’s just that her smile, it softens her eyes, that’s all.

“My name’s Hanna. What’s yours?”

“Xander.”

“You’re not from around here, are you, Xander?”

“No.”

She narrows her eyes a little, and I can tell that she was expecting a far more detailed answer to that question than the one I’ve just given her, but I’m not someone who gives personal information away freely. I mean, come on! We’ve all got secrets, right? Anyone who says otherwise, they’re lying.

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