Page 75 of Any Day

“I’m cooking,” said Jack.

This was news to Adrian. He took a seat at the table opposite Toni and peered at her quizzically.

“He insisted,” she said, with a shrug. “And believe me, you won’t be disappointed. Jack is almost as good in the kitchen as he is in the bedroom.”

“Okay. TMI. Are you two going to try to keep the noise down tonight?”

“Funny,” said Toni. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

Jack barked out a laugh and brought a fistful of beer bottles to the table. With a flourish, he twisted off the tops in turn and thumped them down on the tabletop.

“And I am christening your oven tonight. Toni tells me neither of you are vegetarian, so I’m cooking us my own signature beef bourguignon served with new potatoes—”

“You can’t. We don’t have a casserole dish,” said Adrian.

“Way ahead of you,” said Jack, taking a seat next to Toni. “I brought everything with me. Toni warned me. Everything’s already prepped, sitting in the fridge and ready to go. And the oven’s already preheating. Just needs popping in for three hours. I’ve even brought plates and cutlery from home. All you have to do is sit and eat.”

“Fetching us beers and now cooking,” said Adrian to Toni. “He’s a proper little housewife, isn’t he?”

“Been there, done that,” smirked Jack, making Adrian laugh. “Even have the T-shirt as proof.”

Jack was the first trans man Adrian had ever met. Or at least the first he had known about. Toni had tried to explain the kind of shit he’d had to suffer—hormone replacement therapy, sex reassignment surgery and so much more—to get his body looking the way he'd always wanted. Toni had stood by him every step of the way. Adrian had seen pictures of Jack when he had been Jacqueline—a lifetime ago—and wondered if the decision had put a strain on their relationship as two frankly beautiful and totally-in-love lesbians. Seeing them together now, he realised he didn’t need to ask.

“Shit, I really envy you, Jack. Well, both of you.”

“Envy?” asked Jack, peering over at him in puzzlement. “Seriously?”

“Okay,” said Adrian, holding his hands up in defence. “I know you’ve been through a whole lot of shit, but when I look at you now, hell, when most men look at you, whether gay or straight, I reckon they’re all a little envious. Gay men because they want to sleep with you, straight men because they want to be you, especially seeing you with this beautiful woman on your arm. As a couple you look perfect, and you get to go anywhere you want hand in hand, to touch and kiss in public, and nobody blinks an eye. And if they do, it’s only because you’re a hot couple and they’re jealous.”

Toni and Jack turned to each other, chuckled and pecked each other on the lips.

“It does have its perks,” said Toni, sadly. “But it wasn’t always this easy, Ade. And neither of Jack’s parents speaks to him anymore.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I know how that feels. Or did. My mum talks to me again, when she can find the time. But I just wanted you to know how proud I am of you, and how much I love you both.”

Jack turned to Toni then and pulled a face.

“You never told me Adrian was such a big sap.”

“He’s in love. What do you expect?”

“I am not—”

But Adrian could not finish the sentence, because the truth hit him like a bulldozer. He had never really felt anything similar since Stephan, the friend who had trodden his heart into the mud. But he really missed Lenny.

“Uh-huh,” said Toni. “Hey, have you thought anything more about what I said? Chatting with that friend of mine, Tom Bradford? I told him about you, and I know he’s desperate for good, reliable builders. And more importantly, you would fit in so well. Unlike Norwich, they have a shitload of work on right now with new-build homes, and they’re struggling to get experienced builders. And I also know for a fact that he pays top dollar.”

“I live in Drayton, Toni. His outfit is based in Greater London, isn’t it?”

“Yes, and you have a truck. Two and half hours and you’re in the heart of the capital.”

“But you know these kinds of jobs aren’t for a day here and a day there, they go on for weeks. And I don’t relish doing that drive every day.”

“Then don’t. Isn’t there someone you could stay with in London? Look, you don’t have to call Tom if you don’t want to, I just thought it might be nice to move on from this dry spell. I like Pete Ross, I really do, but he’s let us both down so many times recently with the promise of work.”

“Let me think on it. Maybe another beer might help, Jack.”

“Bloody cheek,” said Jack, rolling his eyes, but still jumped up from the table and headed to the fridge.

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