Chapter 17

“Oh,Luke!”Andy held the man gently and felt him shift even closer.

Andy wanted to kiss Luke’s head,but settled for sniffing his white-blond,closely-cropped hair instead.Even though personal grooming couldn’t have been easy for Luke with one hand,the man still smelled as magical as Andy remembered.

Luke yawned.“Thanks.”

Andy felt his crotch tighten.He prayed Luke wouldn’t notice.As he continued to hold the slight form,he told himself that he wasn’t like Luke’s fair-weather friends.He liked him for who he was,not what he did.Sure,the film he’d seen had been arousing,erotic,whatever.The Luke he saw on screen wasn’t the Luke he knew and had befriended.

He knew he was growing more attached to Luke.He’d have to be careful.It was obvious Luke appreciated Andy’s friendship,but that was all it could be.Luke was too young,too beautiful,too fond of nightclubs and all that for the likes of him.Andy knew he could settle for having Luke just as a friend.

Yeah,you just keep telling yourself that and maybe one day you’ll believe it.

Andy told his inner voice to shut the hell up.

A while later,Andy wasn’t sure how long,Lassie began to whine.Looking at his watch,he realised it had been several hours since she’d been out.He hated to disturb Luke,who had fallen asleep,but there was nothing for it.

“Luke?”he said softly.“I have to get up and take the dog out for a walk.”

“Huh?”Luke opened his good eye and looked up at Andy,who wanted nothing more than to lean down and kiss that face,bruised though it was.

“I said,Lassie needs to go out.”

“Oh,sorry.”Luke sat up.

Andy stood,making Lassie bark.“Yes,I know.”Turning to Luke,he asked,“Is there anywhere?Just a patch of grass would be all right.”

“Um,let me think.Yeah,there’s a small park a couple of streets away,in one of the squares off the Gate,though it might be closed now.”

“Okay,thanks.”

“Do you want me to go with you,show you where it is?”

“You’ll be all right?”

“I need the exercise.I’ve been cooped up in here for days.”

“Okay,then.Let me get my coat from the van.”

Andy left Luke’s flat,climbed the stairs,Lassie dutifully following.A couple of parking spots had become vacant.Andy thought about moving the van but decided it wasn’t worth it.

Unlocking his vehicle and getting out his trench coat,he saw the camouflage jacket.He put on his own coat and draped the jacket over his arm and,after locking the van,made his way back to Luke’s place.

Luke was trying to get into a bomber jacket when Andy entered the hallway.

“I,uh…with you saying you didn’t have the other coat any more I,…”He realised his actions of bringing his spare camouflage jacket were stupid.He was about to turn around and take the thing back to the van when Luke stopped him.

“Oh,Andy!God,that’s so nice of you!”

Andy thought Luke was going to cry again.“It’s daft,I don’t know why I brought it.”

“No,no.Those bastards taking the jacket was probably the worst part of the attack.You’d given it to me and me being such a pathetic wimp,I couldn’t stop them and…”

Andy took Luke’s bomber jacket from him and hung it up.“You are not pathetic.How many of them did you say there were?”

“Four,”Luke sniffed.

“Exactly.How could you defend yourself against that many?And you said they might have been soldiers,too.”

Andy was ashamed that members of Her Majesty’s services would attack someone because of their perceived sexuality.He wasn’t surprised,however.He’d seen a lot of homophobia in the army.

“Come on,let’s get this on you before Lassie has an accident.”

Andy helped Luke into the jacket.It was still much too big for him,but the extra room was an advantage with Luke’s cast.

“I’m sorry,Andy,”Luke said,once the jacket was buttoned up.

“What for?”

“For letting them take your jacket.I—”

“Luke,look at me.”Andy waited until Luke’s bruised but still beautiful face was turned to him.“I don’t give a fuck about the jacket.”Swallowing and hoping Tom and Paddy would be proud of him,he continued,“It’s you I care about.”

Luke leaned in and kissed Andy on the lips.Pulling back slightly,he said,“God,you’re special.”

“Fuck off,”Andy said,stepping backward and automatically touching his damaged cheek.“I’m not special.”

Luke’s fingers joined Andy’s.“You are!It’s what’s beneath the surface that counts.”

Lassie whined,breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

“Let’s get her walked.You sure you’re all right going out?”

“I couldn’t be safer.I’ve got a big strong ex-soldier to protect me.”

Luke had meant it as a joke,but Andy knew he’d do precisely that if necessary.

****

After returning from their walk,Andy fed Lassie,who then curled up and went to sleep.Andy found himself on the settee again,gently hugging Luke.

The room fell quiet.All Andy heard was Luke’s steady breathing,plus Lassie’s slightly more laboured breaths.

“Shit!”Andy sat up.

“Uh?”

“I forgot to call Tom and Paddy to tell them I’ve arrived.

“Here,”Luke fished out his mobile phone from his pocket.“Use this.”

Andy stared at the tiny object in Luke’s hand.

“Do you want me to dial the number?”

“I think you’d better.How the hell can you press those buttons?They’re so small.”

“Size isn’t everything,”Luke smirked.

“Mucky bugger.”

Luke rose up and kissed Andy’s cheek.

“What was that for?”Andy asked.

“Just because.Now what’s their number?”

Andy gave it to him.Luke keyed it in before handing the tiny object over.When Andy held it to his ear,the bottom part didn’t come anywhere near his mouth.He wondered if Tom or Paddy would be able to hear him.

“You’ve reached Tom and Paddy.”In the background Andy could hear the sounds of moaning.It was their answer phone message.He hated talking to the bloody machine.He would have hung up but didn’t know how.“We’re busy,”the moaning turned to yelps,“but,you can leave a message and we’ll get back to you later.”Andy hoped the soundtrack wasn’t from one of Luke’s films.

“Uh,I’m here.I’ll,uh,talk to you tomorrow.Bye.”He handed the phone back to Luke,who was grinning at him.He’d evidently heard the outgoing message.“Bloody answering machines!”

Shaking his head,Luke pressed a button on the phone and said,“Still,I suppose you managed to get across what you needed to say.”

Andy grunted.

They watched the telly for a while.Luke had hold of the remote and kept flipping channels.Andy was so tired,he didn’t mind the constant programme changes.

After Andy let out a particularly long yawn,Luke said,“Maybe we should turn in.You must be exhausted after driving all that way.”

Andy didn’t disagree.“You only have the one bedroom?”

“Yes,why?”

Andy looked down at the two-seater settee,it was way too small.“I can kip on the floor.Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve slept on one.”

“Why would you sleep on the floor?Don’t you want to sleep with me?”

Andy felt trapped.“I would be happy,pleased to sleep in the same bed as you.It’s just—”

“Then it’s settled.We’re both adults.”

“Yeah.”Andy was left wondering what that meant.He hoped he hadn’t upset Luke with his hesitancy.“Look,I’m sorry.It’s just uh,well.I’ve not slept with anyone for a long timeand,um,you’re…you’re—”

“A porn actor?”

Andy shook his head.That wasn’t it.Though he didn’t particularly like what Luke did,he wasn’t sure how to put it.Be honest with him,he heard in his mind.“You’re beautiful and I’m ugly.”

“Oh,Andy.”Luke put his good arm around him.“You’re not ugly.Please,I wish you wouldn’t keep on saying stuff like that.”

“You can’t argue with facts.”