Page 77 of Don't Point at the Moon

“No.” Mitchell chuckled. “I mean, yes, of course I want to be by your side and in your bed. Why would I want to be anywhere else? And I would be honoured to meet the rest of your family. And if you’re not tired tonight, maybe we could watch a movie—”

“The hell we will. And, by the way, ifDexter’s Laboratorycomes within ten feet of you again—”

“Who?”

“The ginger prick I just caught laying his hands on you. If he comes by again, I swear by my ancestors, I will set my grandmother on him.”

Mitchell’s humoured expression turned serious.

“Don’t laugh, but I met her today. Your grandmother. You never told me she’s also my landlady.”

“She’s what?”

“My landlady. The person who owns the flat I rent.”

“Yes, I know what a landlady is,” said Tommy, and he sighed as the penny dropped. “That explains it. I knew I’d been to your apartment block before. Thought maybe for a random hook-up. But she has six apartments she rents out. As a teenager, to earn extra pocket money, I used to help her clean and redecorate them whenever a tenant moved out.”

“Small world.”

“Welcome to Hong Kong,” said Tommy, before linking his arm with Michell’s. “Come on, we have a job to do. Let’s go greet the guests.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Although he would openly admit to being no saint, Tommy had confided in Mitchell that he had never knowingly trespassed. But right now, four weeks after the wedding, Mitchell had them skulking beneath lamplights on the Victoria Peak trail like a couple of secret agents, waiting until nobody was in sight. Mitchell had begun to enjoy occasionally shocking Tommy.

“We don’t have to do this. You could just tell me,” said Tommy.

“No, this is a rite of passage. You’re the only person I’ve ever brought here,” said Mitchell before hopping over the barrier. “Quick. Now. Follow me.”

Mitchell heard the rustle of leaves behind him as Tommy followed his lead. When the street lighting from the main path began to fade, Mitchell used the light of his phone to find his way.

Lights twinkled below, stars and moonlight reflecting off the harbour waters. After repeatedly searching the carvings on the old rock's surface, he wondered if his had been erased. Until he stumbled across the faded lettering. Reaching out a hand, he showed Tommy the inscription, explaining the Sunday in his past when he had been at his lowest.

“Before I go on, I have something for you. For us,” said Mitchell, pulling Tommy down so they both sat with their backs to the rock. Once they had settled, he reached into his backpack and pulled out two cans with a distinctive blue and silver design.

“One for you,” said Mitchell, handing over a chilled can.

“Moscow Mule? Where the hell did you find it?”

“Let’s just say your sister is very resourceful.”

In unison, they snapped back the ring pulls and clicked their cans together before sipping. Mitchell, never a fan of fruity cocktails, found the taste too sweet for his liking but said nothing, instead enjoying the camaraderie.

“Back to your story,” came Tommy’s voice. “You obviously stayed.”

“I did. Once I’d finished mutilating the rock face, I remember watching the sun finally rise. I’d been sitting the way we are now with my back against the rock when a native bird landed in a bush nearby and started twittering loudly. A nice sound actually, the birdsong resembled laughter. Then another joined the first, adding to the dawn chorus. The two performed some kind of ritual, touching either side of the other’s beak like crossing swords. When they finally flew off, I turned to face the sun of a new day glistening off the skyscrapers and harbour.”

Mitchell pointed down to the dark waters of Victoria Harbour.

“And that’s when it happened. I’m a rational person by nature. I knew I was alone, but I sensed someone else sitting near me. Imagine the way you and I are sitting together right now, but neither of us touching, talking or looking at one another. I can’t hear your breathing above the sound of the wind, or feel the heat coming off your body, but I know you’re there. That’s exactly how I felt. You've been around me enough by now to know that I am not given to flights of fancy. But in that lowest of times, I knew beyond any doubt that Joel sat beside me. I swear I could even smell faint traces of the distinctive lotion he used for his dry skin. And I began to cry, not with sadness, but happiness. Because without needing to turn my head I knew that Joel had always been with me, keeping me company and guiding me. It’s hard to explain but I’d felt the same comforting presence withJoel so often when he was alive, when he and I used to watch a film together or simply sit either end of a sofa with our legs up on the coffee table, reading our books. And in that moment I knew what he was trying to tell me.”

Mitchell turned to see Tommy’s eyes glistening in the moonlight.

“That I was going to be okay. I didn’t need to finish up my contract and go home, because I was already home.”

Mitchell reached a hand out and took Tommy’s fingers in his own.

“That Monday, everything changed,” said Mitchell. “Kate started working for us. Colleagues began inviting me to lunch and social events and introducing me to other native English speakers and friendly locals. Eventually, everything would fall into place. I realised I just needed to be patient.”

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