Page 10 of Men in Shorts

“It was at first, but now it’s really good. When I was ill last year,River Citywas the only thing I could bear to watch.”

“How did you get BBC in America?”

“Virtual private network app. Makes it look like your IP address is in a different country to where you are. It’s how I stream American shows here.” Duncan pretended to search the room for a place to set the tablet so they could both see it. But he’d already thought of one. “Move over.”

“Why?”

“So we can watch the show together, ya dobber. Where’s your spare pillow?”

Brodie gaped up at him, not moving, making Duncan very nervous. Finally he nodded to the wardrobe. “In there.”

As Duncan retrieved the pillow, Brodie squeezed himself against the wall, leaving more than half of the bed available. When Duncan settled next to him atop the sky-blue duvet, keeping the thick layer of covers between their bodies, Brodie let out what sounded like a sigh of relief. If Duncan hadn’t showered this morning after his daily run, he would’ve wondered ifhestank.

He pulled his knees up, then propped the tablet against his thighs.

“Must I stare at your crotch to watch this show?” Brodie asked.

“My crotch is the ultimate entertainment unit.”

Brodie snorted, then put a hand to his head. “Ow. Here.” He drew his own knees level with Duncan’s, then rested the tablet so that one end was on his own left thigh and the other on Duncan’s right. “Better?”

Now Duncan would have to hold his leg rigid to keep it from touching Brodie’s. “Erm…yeah.” He tapped the screen to play the show. The opening credits swept by, a dazzling montage of modern-day Glasgow. “This bit always made me homesick when I watched it in the States. Growing up here, I couldn’t wait to get out and see the world. And then I couldn’t wait to come home. Pathetic, isn’t it?”

Brodie grunted. “I don’t miss home at all.”

“Why not?”

“Shh, it’s starting.”

Duncan crossed his arms, tucking his hands into his armpits. His fingers itched to run through the dark, damp waves of hair flopping over Brodie’s temple. He tried to take shallow breaths so the smell of shampoo and soap wouldn’t weaken his resolve. He wanted to do more thantouchthat hair. He wanted to bury his face in it, right at Brodie’s nape, and behind his ear, and all the other places where his scent would be strongest: under his arms, behind his knees, between his thighs…

“Those two men are a couple?” Brodie asked. “That’s brilliant.”

“Told you this show got better.” Duncan paused the program to relate the tumultuous history of Robbie and Will. “I kinda hate that Robbie’s a hairdresser. I mean, stereotype much?”

“Some gays are hairdressers. Get over it. We can’t all be straight-acting footballers.”

“I don’t straight-act.”Do I?

“Why do you assume I was talking about you?” Brodie gave him That Look again, the impish one that set Duncan’s skin on fire. Then he turned back to the screen. “I wish these characters had been in the show years ago. It would’ve been nice to see people like me on such a popular—oh.” Brodie’s lips suddenly twisted. “I just realized why my mum stopped watchingRiver City.”

“What, because of the gay couple?”

“Probably.” He ran the edge of the sheet between his thumb and first two fingers. “She’s always saying, ‘Why dothosepeople have to be all over the telly, shoving their lifestyle down our throats? Everywhere you look these days, there they are.’”

“There ‘they’ are? Does she not know you’re gay?”

Brodie’s dark gaze flicked over. “Would you come out to someone who says things like that?”

“I don’t know.” Duncan liked to think he would be honest no matter what. But his own coming-out had been…unusual, to say the least. “What about your dad?”

“He works at an oil rig, so he’s away most of the time. When he’s home, we do our best not to interact. It suits us both.”

Duncan felt dismayed at Brodie’s lack of support at home. It was an all-too-common story. “Did you have a boyfriend in your village?”

“A secret boyfriend, kind of. It wasn’t serious, and it was agreed that once we were away to university, that was it. By October he was posting pics of his girlfriend on Facebook.” Brodie’s bitter tone undermined his it-wasn’t-serious claim. “Geoffrey ignored me all year, even when we were both home for Christmas. Then last week he visited me out of the blue. Not because I was ill, but because he wanted advice on coming out. Apparently his girlfriend had just dumped him.”

“What did you say?”

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