Page 12 of Poles Apart
It was finally time to get all this off his chest. He hadn’t realised how much it had weighed on his shoulders. Not just how they’d parted, but the story of his parents too, and how he’d come to be raising his sister.
While he and Dom had never been boyfriends, he’d always seen him as a good friend. Even if most of the time, they’d had their hands in each other’s pants.
It was 2 p.m., and the children’s afternoon break was finished. Despite this morning’s rocky start, the rest of the day had gone well, and now the children were getting tired, the end of the school day approaching.
This afternoon’s lesson was PE, and the children were spread around the small sports hall, wearing their white T-shirts, shorts and black plimsolls. He looked over at his teaching assistant, Lisa, a young girl who’d come to them on an apprenticeship. She was great with the kids, and he stood and watched while she put some music on, encouraging them to feel the rhythm, to feel it in their bodies, then pretend to be trees swaying in the wind.
As he looked on, his thoughts circled back to Dom and how he’d danced with Abby on Sunday with no inhibitions, his strong muscles flexing as he’d moved. Jesus, he was getting hard thinking about him. Not a good thing to do in a room full of small children.
He excused himself from the lesson, telling Lisa he needed to pop out for a moment. He went to the staff bathroom, peed, then adjusted his cock in his trousers. He needed to get it under control before he went back into the sports hall, but more than anything, he needed to try and stop thinking about Dom.
He closed his eyes and tried to remember Pi to as many decimal places as he could, and finally, he felt more in control. He stepped inside the hall in time to hear Lisa asking the kids to dress in their uniforms. PE was over, thank God.
He led the children to the classroom, and they sat at their little tables and chairs, waiting for the next lesson. They had half an hour until home time, so enough time for some literacy and a quick story before they left for the day.
At 3 p.m., the bell rang, and they scrambled to gather their book bags, Jacob clapping his hands trying to get himself heard over the noise. He stood by the classroom door and waited as each child was claimed. He breathed a sigh of relief and stepped inside. As much as he loved teaching, the end of the day was always welcome.
“Do you need me for anything else, Jacob?” Lisa asked, packing up her own bag.
“No, all good. Thanks for your help with PE today. I hate those sessions. It’s art tomorrow, so be sure to wear something you don’t mind getting dirty.” He turned and got his bag from the cupboard, packing his laptop away.
“You’re off early today. I heard they usually chase you out sometime after four. Got somewhere to be?” He and Lisa always had a chat about what they were up to in and after school, and usually, the answer would be nothing, but tonight, he had plans.
“I’m meeting up with an old friend, actually. Haven’t seen him for eight years, so there’s much to catch up on for both of us.”
“Ooh, let me know how it goes. I’m off home and then to the gym. I need to work off the kebab we had last night after the pub closed.” She groaned and rubbed her stomach. As if she wasn’t as thin as a rake already. She left the classroom with a wave, and Jacob was left on his own.
He was nervous about meeting Dom again, and his heart fluttered at the thought, but with any luck, they’d be able to straighten out their past, get it all out into the open and move forward.
He took his travel mug to the teachers’ lounge to rinse it out and walked in on Colin, doing the exact same thing.
“Fancy coming round tonight before you pick up Abby?” Colin dried his mug and passed the towel to Jacob.
“I’m off to Molly’s by the river, catching up with an old friend, actually. It’s been a while since we last saw each other. Turns out he’s her new dance tutor.”
“Sounds interesting.” Colin winked at him. He was always trying to set Jacob up with someone. “You’ll have to let me know how it goes. No details, though, please.”
Jacob threw the towel at Colin. “It’s none of your business. When there’s something to tell, I’ll tell you.”
“See you tomorrow, Jacob. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Jacob snorted and walked out to his car.
He drove to the riverside and parked, pulling on his fleece jacket. Although the sun was shining, it was still only mid-April, so it was quite chilly.
He looked at his watch and saw he was a little early, but it wouldn’t hurt to make a good impression. If he got there first, he’d wait outside for him. As he neared Molly’s, he could see Dom already sitting at a table outside, though, his white hair making him stand out.
He walked up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, eliciting a gasp from Dom. He turned in his seat to look up at Jacob, those beautiful green eyes shining in the sunlight. He was momentarily stunned by the man in front of him, and reluctant to move his hand, but Dom stood, so he let it fall to his side. Jacob couldn’t blame him for shrugging him off, but he hoped after today, maybe they could get past this. Jacob took a second to look him over. Dom wore skinny jeans, not much change there then, and a thick, chunky-knit jumper. He wore a pair of well-worn boots, with his jeans tucked into the top. Model perfect!
“Do you want to sit inside? It’s a bit cool out here even if we are drinking tea.” Dom gestured to the door as he spoke.
“We could get something stronger if you’d prefer, but I have the car and need to pick up Abby later.” Maybe they could go to a pub at some stage when they were on friendlier terms?
“No worries. Let’s go order; I’m fucking freezing out here.”
They stepped inside the warm tea room, Jacob holding the door for him like a proper gentleman, and Dom smiled at him as he walked past. He’d take that. Better than a knee in the balls, he supposed.
Jacob had brought Abby here a couple of times, and the place had a warm, homely ambience about it. Round, wooden tables, local artwork on the walls and a small fire burning in the fireplace. It was almost like being in his own sitting room but with lace doilies and frilly curtains. Not someplace you’d bring someone for a date but the lemon drizzle cake was to die for.
