Page 75 of The Dramatic Life of Jonah Penrose
“Thank God for that,” Jonah said back, which earned him an unhappy look from her. Clearly the Labrador had more fans than just Dexter. “How much is it?”
“Well, itisPiniquo,” she said, clicking her tongue against the back of her teeth. “I’ll let it go for seventy.”
“Seventypounds?” Jonah almost choked on his own spit.
“It’s Piniquo.”
“Where did you even get this? It belongs to my friend. It’s got his name in it.” Jonah pointed to the name label.
The woman shrugged. “People bring stuff in all the time, and I buy it off them. Your friend must have brought it in.”
Only, Jonah knew that definitely wasn’t the case, but he wasn’t about to argue with a stranger over an ugly Labrador jumper.
“Seventy seems a lot.”
“They sell for over two hundred brand new. And that one’s in mint condition.”
Two hundred pounds. Dexter had spent over two hundred pounds on the ugliest jumper known to man. “Fine,” Jonah said, and he almost wept as he handed over his debit card and the woman packed up the repulsive thing and popped it into a paper bag.
“Enjoy your new jumper,” she said with a smile that said,you’re an absolute mugfor paying that much. And Jonah just nodded and walked away from the daylight robbery.
Dexter opened his dressing room door and smiled when he saw Jonah standing on the other side. Jonah wasn’t quite sure of the reaction he would get from him. They had texted only once since Dexter left Cornwall, then they left each other alone like any normal people who had just broken up would do. But the smile he gave Jonah told him he’d missed him, and it made Jonah’s heart yearn for him yet again, because Jonah missed him too. He really, really missed him.
“I got you a present,” Jonah said, holding up the paper bag with a grin.
“What? Why?”
“As a thank you for driving me to Cornwall.”
“Jonah, seriously, you didn’t have to—”
“Open it,” Jonah said, shoving the bag into Dexter’s arms before moving past him to go into the dressing room where he sat himself down in Dexter’s chair. “You’re gonna bloody love it, trust me.”
Dexter raised an eyebrow and opened the bag, peering inside. A brief flicker of confusion worked its way over his face before he pulled the jumper out of the bag, his mouth spreading into the brightest of smiles.
“You got me a new one,” he said under his breath while running his fingers over the embroidery at the front. “Jonah, this is honestly too much, I know how much these things cost.”
“Actually,” Jonah said, standing up again to take the jumper from him and turn it inside out so he could point at the name ironed inside. “It’s not new. It’s yours.”
Dexter stared for a moment, then an obscene pout formed on his lips. “So, youdidsteal it that night? I knew you swiped it from me, I just knew it.”
“No.” Jonah laughed. “No, I swear to God I didn’t steal it. I hate it. I hate it even more now I had to buy it from an overpriced vintage stall. But I found it, and it had your name on it, so I couldn’t just leave it there, could I?”
Dexter eyed him suspiciously. “You promise you haven’t been hiding this for months to then look like the hero for bringing it back?”
“You could just say thank you, you know. Now I can’t afford to eat for a week because of that thing.”
Dexter’s expression softened, and he rubbed the material between his fingers, acquainting himself with it again as if saying hello to an old friend. “Thank you,” he said, then hesitantly made a move to hug Jonah, but stopped, only for Jonah to finish what he started. He wrapped his arms around him while Dexter did the same.
“I’ve really missed you,” Dexter whispered. “I’ve had no one around messing up their blocking or fumbling their lines to gloat over at the end of the show.”
“Fuck off.” Jonah laughed, stepping back to smile at him fondly. “I’ve missed you too. Even missed those pesky little critiques.”
“I’ve wanted to call, but I didn’t want to intrude. But I’ve thought about you every day, Jonah. There’s so much I’ve wanted to tell you.”
The clock above Dexter’s dressing table clicked loudly into the room, telling them they didn’t have time, they didn’t have the luxury of being able to just stop and talk to each other; Troy waited for them, their onstage deaths needed to be carried out before anything of importance could pass between them.
“Do you want to go for that drink we never went for?” Jonah asked. “Tomorrow morning, coffee?”
