Page 21 of Let Me Love You (Excess All Areas 5)

He stopped playing and lifted the guitar strap from around his neck. “Hi, Zoe,” he signed as he placed the guitar in the rack and she placed her hearing aids in.

“Hey, Ben,” she signed and stepped into his arms for a hug.

He kissed the top of her head. “You doing okay?” he asked.

She shrugged and looked up at him. “Finals stress. You know, exams, dissertation delivery, and practice.”

He looked over at his brother, who had stopped playing. “You don’t need to be making me dinner. I can order take out or something.”

“Meh. Me and Alex have to eat, and there’s plenty. I work better with healthier food in my body, even though I could eat my body weight in pizza and Jaffa Cakes right now.”

“What’s your dissertation on?”

Zoe stepped back. “I was inspired by Chaya. You know she always frames her life as being a contemporary woman in a traditional faith? Well, my dissertation is about what it means to be a contemporary musician in a traditional classical genre.”

Chaya.

He nodded. “Sounds amazing.”

“Beer?” she signed, helping him practice.

He made a fist and knocked the air. Yes.

Zoe nodded and headed into the kitchen before returning to hand him a bottle of Wobbly Bob Ale. Alex carried on playing with one hand and his feet, while he took the beer with the other. “Thanks, Rocky.”

“I’m going to go finish dinner. It’s just chilli, if that’s okay.”

“Sounds great,” Ben said.

Alex placed the sticks back in their holder. “Remember that documentary,It Might Get Loud, when Jimmy Page is talking about the old mansion they recorded that song in? The one with great acoustics? Reminds me of that.”

“It certainly has that vibe. Although, I bet your neighbours would hate you if we recorded here. Are you guys going to unpack or just keep things in boxes until rooms are finished?”

Alex shrugged, leading him through into the large open-plan kitchen dining room at the back of the house. “We’re winging it.” The kitchen was tired. A nineties full pine affair with a ghastly wooden block of an island. “There’s no rush for any of it. We want to live in it for a while before we start ripping it apart. See how we use the space. Where the light flows. Where we end up spending most of our time.”

“Sounds smart.” And it was the main difference between the two of them. Ben preferred to get things fixed. He’d have ripped out the kitchen and replaced it before he moved in.

Zoe was at the kitchen island. “Are you guys done playing? I can hold dinner off for a little while if you aren’t.”

“Yeah. For now.” Alex slipped his arms around Zoe’s waist and nibbled on the side of her neck. “I’m starving. How long will it be?”

“Twelve minutes for the garlic bread.”

“How do you lip read when he’s stood behind you?” Ben asked.

Zoe smiled. “Because the microphone for my hearing aid is actually behind my ear. And Alex knows if he speaks in a low tone behind me, I can hear him.”

“Huh. Cool.”

Zoe patted his brother’s hands, still around her waist. “Why don’t you two take your beers to the conservatory while I finish up making dinner?”

“Had enough of me already?” Alex complained.

“Not even close.” Zoe’s smile for his brother was so fucking cute he had to look away and leave them to their moment.

Picking up his beer, he wandered into the conservatory, where the previous owners had left a ghastly set of rattan furniture covered with huge green palms. He admired their willingness to suspend disbelief that they were anywhere other than Manchester as he sat down on the wide-backed armchair.

“It’s making me anxious just being here,” Ben said as Alex joined him, sprawling on the two-seater sofa. “I’d need to fix it. To toss this ugly sofa. Rip out that kitchen.”

---