Page 101 of The Best of Times
“I’m afraid so. Cesar has a gig in Manchester. The curse of having a Christmas song, I guess.”
The room was filling up. Mercury came over and squeezed Aron’s shoulder.
“Happy?” Mercury asked.
“Blissful,” Aron replied. “You?”
Nick had joined Paul, Charles and Luis. It sounded like they were talking about cars. Something Aron had no idea about.
“I really am. It’s good, isn’t it?”
Aron nodded.
Normally, he would run a mile than be in a room surrounded by loved-up couples. Tonight, for the first time in years, he was one of them.
Jeremy and Stuart entered. They glanced around before making a beeline for Aron and Mercury.
“Hey, kids,” Jeremy said. “How you doing?”
“Good, thanks,” Mercury said. “Happy anniversary. Can you believe it’s been two years?”
Jeremy and Stuart had got together properly at Nihal’s party. They had started a chain reaction which appeared to have ended with Aron and Paul. Although when Granny got back, who knew what her next project would be. Aron couldn’t quite see her retiring from meddling just yet.
“So are you staying put?” Mercury asked Aron.
“Not exactly,” he replied. “I’ve not got the job yet and even if I do, I’ll have to serve my notice in New York.”
“New York?” Josh piped up from the window seat where he was sitting with his partner, Hugh, on his knee. “We’re spending a few months there. You’d better look me up.”
Alexander sat up. “I presume you’re headed stateside, Paul?”
“I am, Alexander,” Paul said. “I find myself in between assignments at the moment.”
“Take a good glimpse at those faces, Josh,” Alexander chipped in. “You won’t be seeing them any time soon.”
Aron shook his head. “Honestly, you shouldn’t judge everyone by your standards, Alexander. Josh, we’d love to meet up for dinner.”
“Come to the show,” Hugh added. “It was all thanks to your granny after all.”
Everyone in the room laughed knowingly.
“Here’s to Mrs W and the Prof,” Charles said, raising his glass of orange juice.
They all matched him.
It brought a tear to Aron’s eye. He couldn’t wait to get back over to London to join this little society she’d crafted for herself.
He grinned at Paul.
Hours later, they both wandered unsteadily along the cobbled stones of Queens Crescent. The champagne had flowed until they’d gone onto spirits.
“We’re going to be ill tomorrow,” Aron said, taking Paul’s hand.
“Lucky we got food in today.”
“Is that a sign of old age?” Aron asked. “Preparing for a hangover, I mean.”
Paul squeezed his hand. “It’s called wisdom.”
