Chapter 295

“Oh,” Rachel said. “Aw, that’s a nice one. You should print that out for your collection at work.” Jayden kept a collection of photos of his loved ones at his desk at work—Mum and Dad, lots of Darren, the odd one of the three of them on a day trip somewhere, his graduation photo with his family and Darren all together…

Jayden saved it.

“He’s got a nice smile when he wants to,” Rachel said wistfully and punched Jayden in the arm. “You’re so fucking lucky, even if he is an arse half the time.”

“Oh, more than half,” Jayden said, and his phone buzzed. “Case in point,” he said, turning it around to show her. Some ginger tart wont leve me alone think ive puld xxx

“Tell him to take a picture.”

Jayden did, and thirty seconds later, Paul texted him a photo of Darren looking somewhat sceptical, a fresh drink in hand, and—

Jayden scowled and texted Darren again. Against the rules! Find some lesbian to dance with!

The ginger tart was in fact a man, and no prizes for guessing that he was a gay man. Firstly by his proximity to Darren (there couldn’t have been two inches between them!) in the photograph, and secondly by his dress sense: incredibly tight skinny jeans, fashionable boots, a V-neck T-shirt that showed off a blatantly waxed chest, and definitely designer stubble. “Is that an earring?” Jayden asked, showing Rachel the picture.

“He’s definitely pulled,” she opined, and Jayden decided to hate the ginger guy on sight.

“He’d better not be at the wedding,” he said, and Rachel snorted.

“I wouldn’t worry,” she said. “You’ve caught your boyfriend good and proper. We went food shopping the other week while you were at your drama thing, last Saturday or the one before? And the cashier flirted outrageously with him, and he didn’t even notice.”

“A man or a woman?”

“He’s bisexual, does it matter?”

“Well, no,” Jayden admitted. “But I don’t really mind so much when girls flirt with him. I just…I really don’t like it when other guys do.” He knew it was irrational—always had—but it didn’t change the way he felt

“But you do know he wouldn’t, right?”

“It’s not that,” he said. “I do know he’s not going to go off and cheat on me or anything, it’s more…I don’t know, it’s more I don’t like the idea of other guys thinking they could have him.”

“Possessive,” Rachel teased, and Jayden flushed faintly.

“Maybe,” he allowed.

“Completely,” she insisted and grinned. “I hope the ginger guy is at the wedding! Ask Darren what his name is.”

“No, that means they have to talk,” Jayden said tartly, and his phone buzzed again. Just got invited bk 2 his hotel 4 the nite!!

“He seems surprised.”

“He rarely goes out without me,” Jayden said, fiercely texting. You better have said no!

Rachel paused the film to look over his shoulder and giggle. Jayden felt oddly relaxed, despite the potential ginger tart threat on the horizon, and let a smile creep onto his face. It’d be fine. Darren wasn’t wasted, and Paul would rescue him. Later rather than sooner, perhaps, but he would rescue him in the end.

“You could have a threesome at the wedding,” Rachel suggested faux-innocently; Jayden pinched her, and stole her last prawn cracker. “Hey!”

“You deserve it.”

“I do not!”

“Yeah, you do.”

“I do n—ooh, he’s had a few,” Rachel interrupted herself as a new picture popped up on Facebook, showing Darren outside the bar in a busy, wet-looking London street, shirtless, and Ethan apparently drawing on him with a black marker pen. “Ooh, new tattoo.”

“He didn’t show you?”

“Apparently not. What is it?”

“Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,” Jayden said. “Apparently because…because rhapsody in music is a change, or something, and it means happiness too…and…he’s, um, he’s happy now. And that’s a change for him.”

Rachel made a soft noise and wound her arms around Jayden’s shoulders to hug him. “He should be,” she said gently and squeezed. She was skinny and lean, yet gave surprisingly good hugs. “He’s lucky too, ’cause he has you.”

Jayden hugged back, pushing back the lump in his throat that rose up at her words, and they settled back to watch the laptop update itself with Darren’s topless form. Three or four members of the party were drawing on him now, and drawing music, Jayden realised. He was being covered in messy, drunken music.

That’s a nice view ;) he texted, but got no reply. In the pictures, Darren looked faintly bemused, but fine. Paul captioned one of them with compare this to how he’ll look on Saturday!!!and Jayden looked forward to it.