Page 14 of Poles Apart
“So, what happened with your parents? Why are you looking after Abby?” Despite his inner protests, he placed his hand over Jacob’s and squeezed, realising that he needed the strength to get through this next part.
Jacob continued. He’d turned his hand over, so Dom was holding it, a rueful look on his face.
“Two years after I left, my aunt got a call. My parents had died, and we needed to go home to look after Abby. I was almost twenty-one by then, my apprenticeship had finished, but I wasn’t happy. I wanted something else, so this was an opportunity for a fresh start.
“We drove here as soon as we got the call. Abby was at her friend’s house. She’d been there all night, thankfully, so she didn’t see the mess inside.”
Jacob stopped again. “Maybe we should have gone to the pub for something stronger.” He laughed lightly, but there was no humour to it.
“They think my father killed my mother, then hanged himself. He’d lost all their money. He gambled and not a quick flutter on the horses or the dogs, but big money. He owed some not-so-nice people loads of money. The house was mortgaged to the max, their savings all gone. The police think that they’d argued. There was evidence of that in the kitchen where they found Mum, stabbed through the heart with a kitchen knife. My father was hanging from the banister, one of my nylon climbing ropes around his neck.”
Dom couldn’t take it anymore and leaned forward to stroke Jacob’s face. “Oh, Jacob. I’m so sorry you and Abby had to go through that. I didn’t know.”
“Thank you, but it’s OK, Dom. We’ve both come to terms with it now, but it was so hard after they’d gone. Fortunately, my mother had the foresight to have life insurance which, thankfully, paid out when they died. We didn’t want to go into the house, so for a while, we stayed with a friend of Abby’s until we could find a new house. That’s the one we live in now.
“I hadn’t seen Abby much over those past two years, so she was resentful when I returned, but I needed to step up as her big brother. I did try to find you again, but you’d gone. I’d hoped against hope that you’d still be here, but I think I always knew you were going to move on, be someone special.
“And here you are. Still my Dominic, still someone special.” Jacob looked at him with so much love and adoration on his face. How could he deny him? The emotions were all still there after all this time, but he didn’t want to jump into something with Jacob, not right now anyway. How did he know he wasn’t just feeling sorry for him? He couldn’t know, and that was the problem. It made what he was about to do the hardest fucking thing of all.
“I was your Dominic.” He looked him straight in the eyes as he said the words and saw Jacob’s face fall, but he had to push forward. “Eight years ago, I was your Dominic. I was prepared to take things to the next level with you if you’d have had me. But now, I’m Dom and not the same person I was then. I’ve been around the world, Jacob. Seen things and experienced things that changed who I am as a person. I’ll always be your friend, but I can’t rush into what we had all those years ago. We’re different… I’m different.”
Jacob released his hands and sat back on his chair, his face hardening. “I see. I was pretty fucking stupid to think this could work again then, wasn’t I? Maybe you’ve changed, but I’m still the fucked-up boy that was in love with you all those years ago. The idiot that hoped you could still feel the same way about me.” He stood up to leave, his cake hardly touched on his plate. “If you don’t want to teach Abby, let me know. Enjoy your cake.”
He pushed the chair away from the table and strode out of the door before Dom could stop him.
Well, fuck it. That hadn’t gone as he’d planned. He had hoped he could explain it more to him, but he supposed Jacob had put his heart on the line and Dom had trampled all over it. He rubbed his face, no doubt smearing his make-up. Urgh, he was a dick at times.
But Jacob had said he’d loved him. Fucking loved him. Did he still, or had he stopped when he went away? He looked at his partly finished cake and Jacob’s untouched slice. The waitress came over and handed him a box to put them both in.
“No point in wasting them, love. Your boyfriend didn’t seem very happy when he left, so perhaps you could take it to him, cheer him up.”
“Yeah, he was a bit upset. Not sure he’ll speak to me again, though.” Why the need to pour his heart out to this stranger? “We had a bit of an argument, and I said some things.”
“Well, I know you probably don’t want this old dear’s opinion, but he’ll talk to you again. Sometimes we have times where we do and say things in the spur of the moment, without thinking about the consequences. Guaranteed, though, he’ll remember he loves you. How could he not? You both seem very much in love.” This older lady, whom he’d never seen in his life before, was pointing out things to him he’d failed to notice not just eight years ago, but eight minutes ago.
He smiled at her and took the box of cakes. “Thank you for this”—he gestured to the box—“and for the advice.”
“My pleasure, sweetie. See you again soon, I hope. You bring that man of yours here again, and the tea will be on the house.” She patted his hand and went to the counter to serve the next customer.
Dom left Molly’s behind and walked home to Jordan’s flat.
“Jordan,” he shouted as he entered the hallway. It was only a small apartment, two bedrooms, a separate bathroom, kitchen, lounge and dining area set by the big picture window that overlooked the racecourse.
“In the lounge,” his brother yelled. Dom walked in and dropped himself onto the sofa beside Jordan.
“Alright this afternoon?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m good today. What’s in the box?” Dom opened it up and showed him the slices of cake.
“If you’re a good boy and eat all your tea, you can have some cake afterwards.”
“Hey, if I want cake, I’ll have cake. Where’d you get it from anyway?” Jordan tried to look at the name of the side of the box. “What were you doing at Molly’s? Date?”
Dom looked sadly over at his brother. “No, but I think I might have made a mistake. Said something I shouldn’t have.”
Jordan rolled his eyes at him. “Yeah, sounds like something you’d do. What did you say and who to?”
Dom relayed his conversation with Jacob to him and waited for the comments he knew would inevitably follow.
