Page 29 of Toy Boy

“I don’t think you’re even giving her a chance.”

I narrow my eyes as I look at her, but she won’t meet my gaze. Why is that, huh? Why can’t she look at me? She was looking at me just fine a couple of nights ago. And she certainly wasn’t displaying this sudden, quite cold demeanour.

“The thing is, Megan, I don’t want Hanna as anything other than a friend. And I’m sorry if that’s upset her, I didn’t mean for that to happen, but…” I take a breath, because she needs to hear this. And I need to say it. “I wantyou, Megan.”

Her eyes finally meet mine, but she’s showing me nothing here. No reaction, I can’t read her at all.

“Everything I said to you, the other night, I meant it.”

“You want to get to know me better.” That isn’t even a question, her delivery of that sentence is about as deadpan as it could get.

“Yeah. I want to get to know you better. I really do.”

Despite the consequences…?

She takes a breath, but seems in no hurry to respond any further. “What can I get you?”

“A beer. And a cheese and ham panini. And maybe a smile?”

Yeah. That didn’t work.

“Megan, what’s happening here? Everything was fine a couple of nights ago, wasn’t it?”

She seems nervous, almost. What’s happened between then and now? Apart from Hanna, that is. Does she feel guilty, somehow? That she’s attracted to the same man as one of her employees? One of her younger employees…

“It just feels – me and you, it doesn’t feel right.”

“Because of Hanna?”

“Because of so many things.”

“I don’t know what else I can do, apart from tell you that it feels right to me.”

I can see it, right there on her face, she feels the same way. I know she does. She’s just scared to admit it.

“All I’m asking for is a couple of hours of your time. That’s all. We can sit on the beach, talk, eat fries from The Shack and just chill out. No pressure. Just friends, okay?”

She finally cracks a smile, and I flash her a big grin back. “Okay.” She accompanies that with a sigh, as though this has been a chore for her, and maybe it has, but we got there in the end. Or, at least, we’ve started to. “When?”

“Tonight? After you’ve finished here? Meet me at the surf shop.”

“Around seven?”

“Around seven.”

“Okay. Well, I’d better go get your lunch sorted.”

I watch her as she heads back inside, and I can’t stop smiling. Everything’s working out, and I’m happy. For the first time in a long time I’m really fucking happy…

Scott

I know it’s verging on cheesy – and it’s not exactly original – but I don’t have time to be spontaneous. Organising flowers to be sent to the café is the easiest and quickest way to let Megan know that I’m not giving up. And she’ll fight it, I know she will, she’s fucking stubborn as hell, but I’ll get through to her one way or another, I don’t give up easily.

I’ve not long come out of surgery, and it feels good to be back doing what I love, I’d started to get tired of being behind a desk. And this morning’s surgery, it wasn’t anything too complicated, just a routine operation, I’m not pushing myself. After what happened, taking it slowly is the best way to go, but everything will be back to normal soon enough, I’m sure of that. Everything will be just the way I need it to be.

Changing out of my scrubs and back into a charcoal grey suit, I toy with the idea of heading over to the harbour for a late lunch. Not to Megan’s café, I don’t think crowding her – physically – is a good idea, but the food here at the hospital isn’t always that good. At least, it never used to be. Maybe it’s changed since I was last here, I don’t know. But some fresh air won’t hurt either.

“Finally, I get to welcome you back!”

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