Page 44 of Deep Waters

“You don’t hear me complaining, do you?”

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Harry set the table in his small kitchen-cum-dining room, putting out placements, cutlery and condiments. Christian had gone to the fish-and-chip shop to collect their dinner. As Harry pottered about from cupboard to table, barefoot in jeans and an old T-shirt, he realised how remarkably relaxed he was about this, so different from when he’d been with Antoni. He’d never felt entirely at ease when Antoni had come to his home, and he had preferred to spend time at Antoni’s place instead, where he’d always have the option of leaving at the end of the evening.

Harry’s home was very much his own, and it always felt like other people were intruding. He had twice brought back random hook ups and had hated every moment, rushing through the motions so they could hurry up and leave.

Though they hadn’t made any definite plans for this evening, he’d expected they would go out for food and a few drinks before spending the night in Christian’s hotel room. But when Christian had arrived for a quick look around his house, Harry hadn’t wanted him to leave. Now here they were, ditching the Friday night lights of Nyemouth in favour of a takeaway and a quiet night in, and nothing made him happier.

Harry put on some music and took a bottle of beer from the fridge. He walked into the living room, which looked directly onto the harbour, and sipped from the bottle as he watched the reflections on the still water. At the beginning of the week, he would never have imagined himself in this situation, but so much had happened since then that he could barely get his head around it. The start of a relationship seemed rather minor next to everything else.

He saw Christian coming back along the waterfront and his heart gave an unexpected leap.

What the hell is going on with me?

Unable to control his eagerness, Harry hurried to the front door and was waiting when Christian arrived.

“Hey,” Christian said, beaming as he came up the path. “You’ve got no shoes on. You’ll catch your death of cold.”

“Not with you to keep me warm.” He winked. “Besides, we’re made of strong stuff here on the northeast coast. It takes more than a chill to keep us down.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Christian kissed him on the lips. “I know what you’re capable of already. I felt it in my butt all the way to the shop and back.”

“Oh. Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“Not a bit. It feels fantastic, actually.”

“I’ve set the table,” Harry said, leading him through to the kitchen. “I usually have food like this flopped out in front of the TV, but tonight I decided to make an effort.”

“I’m okay eating off my knee. You don’t have to go to any trouble just for me.”

“It’s no trouble. Besides, I wanted to.” Harry got another cold beer and handed it to him. He looked Christian over, fascinated by the way his hair was swept back from his forehead and by the flecks of grey in his beard—a colour that matched his eyes.

Christian put the bag of food on the counter and clinked bottles with him. “Cheers.”

“Cheers.” Harry couldn’t control the silly grin on his face. He took two plates out of the warm oven and started unwrapping the food.

“The chippy was busy,” Christian remarked.

“It always is, especially on the weekend. At least you know they are cooking everything to order.”

“I did a bit more eavesdropping while I waited. It’s amazing some of the stuff you pick up.”

Harry shot him a bemused look. Christian seemed to do a lot of that. “Oh, yeah. What did you hear?”

“Niko and Ike. It’s still the only thing people are talking about. Understandably so. Everyone is still in shock and trying to make sense of what has happened. Most of it is crap, but something stuck out because it’s not the first time I’ve heard it.”

Harry emptied one portion of fish and chips onto a plate and unwrapped the second one. “What is it?”

“Have you ever heard anyone talk about Niko having an online sex account? You know, OnlyFans, JustFor.Fans, that kind of thing?”

“No. Did he?”

“I don’t know. Dominic mentioned it the other night. It was a rumour he had heard, too. And some people were saying the same thing in the takeaway.”

Harry served up the second portion. Christian had also bought a large tub of mushy peas. He spread it between their plates and used a tea towel to carry them to the table. “Like you said, gossip. I wouldn’t take much notice of it. As if what happened to Niko wasn’t bad enough, people want to trash his reputation now.”

“So, you don’t think it’s true?”

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