Page 100 of Hold On

“I know the worst about you and I don’t care. Well, I do care because you were hurt, but I seeyou, Dominic. I see who you are and you’re a good man.”

Dominic’s eyes filled with tears and he turned away to face the window. But their hands stayed linked. The thought of losing him was frightening. Ren couldn’t let it happen.

They walked from the station through Cambridge to his parents’ house and Ren pointed out the university colleges as they passed; where his father worked, the one his brother had attended, the shop where Ren had his first Saturday job, the bridge he’d jumped off and broken his ankle when he landed on a punt. He bought flowers for his mum and a card for his father. On the front it saidHappy Birthday from your favourite child.A must buy. He got Dominic to sign it too and writeAnd from the child you didn’t know you wanted.

“You sure he’ll find that funny?” Dominic asked.

“Yep.”

His parents lived down a leafy road in West Cambridge. It had always been Ren’s home, his grandparents’ before that, and he guessed it was worth a few million now. His grandpa, his father’s father, had lived in a self-contained annex since his wife died, but he was fit and healthy and didn’t require any help.Long may that continue.

Ren took Dominic’s hand and felt his fingers tighten.

“Do you want to pretend you can’t speak?” Ren asked. “Or that you’re foreign? Will and I used to talk in a made-up language when we were kids. It actually had structure and you can imagine our shock when one day our father used it to tell us to come in for dinner.” He chuckled. “That was the end of that.”

Will had offered to drive them but Ren had said no. He didn’t want Dominic to be subjected to any more stress from his brother. Plus, Will was staying the night and they couldn’t.

“Looks as though Will’s here,” Dominic said as they passed the Land Rover.

“He won’t have said anything about you. I warned him not to. You can still make up your past.”

“I’m not going to lie.”

“You might not want to tell anyone exactly what you did.” Ren glanced at him.

“You don’t think that would go down well?”

“There might be some drinks thrown up.”

“Hmm.”

“Well, this is it,” Ren said.

Dominic looked at the huge house and tried not to gulp. The road had been packed with cars and the drive was too. Just as well Ren tugged him towards the door, Dominic wasn’t sure he could have walked there on his own.

The noise was the first thing that hit Dominic. People chattering and laughing, music playing, followed by the smell of food cooking. Ren pulled him down a bright, open hallway with a polished wooden floor. The stairs on the right were carpeted with the colours of the rainbow.

“The stairs…” Dominic whispered.

“My parents’ homage to two bisexual sons. The rainbow road. Dining room and office on the left, lounge on the right. That’s the downstairs loo. Through here is the kitchen. Well, kitchen-diner-main living area that’s used all the time. The extension runs across the back of the house.”

The extension was full of people in smart casual clothes and pretty summer dresses who were standing in groups. A bank of glass doors had been unfolded and the back of the house opened up to a large patio and garden, where a marquee had been set up on the lawn. This was another world. One Dominic had only seen on TV, usually in some murder-mystery. A thought that made him smile.

“Mum!” Ren called and a slender woman with Ren’s dark blue eyes hurried over with a wide smile on her face.

“Darling!” She hugged Ren and turned to Dominic.

“This is Dominic,” Ren said. “My boyfriend.”

Dominic’s heart lurched but that was what they were. Of course, they were. He held out his hand. “Very nice to meet you.”

She took his hand. “Very nice to meet you too. In fact, I can’t tell you how delighted I am to see you here. Ren hasn’t let us meet anyone before, not since he was a teenager, and even then, he used to sneak his friends in and out, so I know you’re special. You must call me Eliso.”

“Flowers for you.” Ren pushed them into her arms. “Where’s Dad?”

“How beautiful. Thank you, sweetheart. He’s in the garden. Are you sure the pair of you can’t stay the night? Will said he’d offered to do the driving.”

“Sorry, we can’t. There’s something we need to get back for.”

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