Chapter 94
“No there’s not!” Flora shrieked.
“Flora, shut up,” Eli mumbled, and kissed Rob on the mouth before taking firm hold of his wrist. “Come and at least say a quick hello to Mum. She’s been dead nice about you today. Seems to think you’re becoming a good citizen.”
“That’s your fucking lies.”
“Mind your language.”
“Fucking lies!” Flora echoed cheerfully.
“Flora!” Mum shouted from the kitchen.
“The tree man said it!”
Rob levelled Eli with a flat, unimpressed stare. Eli just gave him an obnoxious smile, firmly closed the front door, and hauled towards the kitchen.
“Rob, dear, have some ice cream!”
Rob grunted a hello, and stuck his hands in his pockets. Eli tipped Rob’s bowl out into his own and attacked both portions when Mum’s back was to him.
“Are you all set for going to Manchester, then?” Mum chirped, busying herself by washing her hands.
“Yep.”
“Eli says you’ve booked a hotel—it’ll be nice to get away for a bit, won’t it? And he said about your new job at the gym! That’ll be nice, won’t it, helping those less fortunate?”
“Guess so.”
“You know, you ought to come to Sunday dinner with Eli more often, dear. Flora’s your biggest fan, she’s always asking about you, and Bobby’s getting so big!”
“Maybe.”
Eli rolled his eyes and kicked Rob under the table. “Dad’s not home,” he said pointedly, and Rob’s shoulders visibly relaxed.
“So when are you heading off?”
“When Eli’s done shovelling ice cream.”
“Eli!” Mum scolded, finally turning and realising what he’d done.
“What? Rob doesn’t like it,” Eli said defensively.
Rob sniggered.
“So I’ll be finishing this, and then we’ll go. Did you bring my suitcase?” Eli added.
“No shit. ‘Course I did. M’not retarded.”
Little shoes slapped on the tiles. “What’s retarded?” Flora asked.
“Stupid” Rob said.
“A nasty word,” Mum said at exactly the same time.
Eli smirked around his spoon.
“What about fucking retarded?” Flora demanded.
“Flora, why don’t you and I go and get little Bobby from his playpen so Uncle Rob can say hello to him, eh?” Mum said quickly, seizing her chubby hand and turning her around.
“Baby Bobby!” Flora cheered, her voice carrying powerfully as Mum led her away.
“Quick,” Eli whispered. “The playpen’s in the study, we can escape.”
“Thank fuck,” Rob muttered. He shot out of his chair like he’d caught fire, and Eli stifled his laugh with his hand as he dumped the half-empty bowl in the sink and chased after him.
“Eli!” he heard Mum yell just as they reached the car, but Rob flung the door open and started the engine anyway.
“Go, go, go!” Eli shouted, then collapsed into fits of laughter as the Suzuki shot off the grass and barrelled down Heather Lea Avenue, Rob fighting to drive and slam his door at the same time. “Oh my God, poor Mum. That was awful. I blame you, you’re a shit.”
“I blame babies, for being shit,” Rob corrected. He pulled over at the corner of the avenue to put his seatbelt on. “Right. Suitcase is in the back. Bag of snack food is behind your seat. I nicked Danny’s laptop and a bunch of DVDs so we have something decent in case the telly’s crap. Owt else?”
Eli settled, the laughter giving away to the anxious gnawing in the pit of his stomach that had started up about ten days earlier, when he’d made the final payment to the surgeon. He rummaged in the glovebox for Rob’s sunglasses and handed them over at a set of traffic lights, fidgeting to keep himself busy. He hadn’t liedhe was nervous. And now, en route, he was feeling faintly sick.
“No,” he said quietly.
“Sure? I ain’t fucking stopping once we get out of the city.”
“M’sure.”
Rob made a huffing sigh and shook his head. “You going to tell what’s got you twitchy?”
The question made Eli look at him, and he swallowed anxiously. Rob’s voice was lazy and casual. He practically lounged in his seat, one hand on the wheel and the other arm draped out of the open window, fingers tapping on the top of the wing mirror. There was the very faint shine of sweat on his neck, and Eli absently wanted to lick it. He was fucking incredible, and the sudden shadowy threat to having him…
“Oi! Focus!”
Eli laughed. “Sorry. You’re looking a bit unfairly fuckable.”
“You really complaining?”
“When I can’t fuck you? Yes.”
“Lies,” Rob drawled. “But answer me—what’s up?”
Eli chewed on his lip absently, watching the jagged views of the Peaks as the city bled away behind them in silence for a minute before murmuring, “I’m…I’m a bit…worried.”
“About?”
“You.”
“Me?” Rob’s voice sounded genuinely surprised.