The Cockney Canuck - 135. Chapter 135 Brotherly Love

My boyfriend relaxed his grip on my waist just enough for me to turn around. At least we could kiss in the open without having to worry about upsetting anyone. There was a lot of it going on around us, and a high percentage of the couples were male.

“Happy New Year, Conner.”

I considered it a good start. It was, after all, a big improvement from the year before when I wasn’t even sure of my sexuality. Now I was able to kiss a boy in the open without anyone batting an eyelid.

‘I gotta go to Ginny’s parties more often’.

Our kiss was tame compared to some, perhaps tempered by the cold. I was starting to shiver, so I dragged him inside.

I could think of worse things than being at a party with a hot looking boy like Conner on my arm, and finally, he looked as if he was enjoying himself. A smile made a big difference, so I decided to be grateful for what I had and try to forget about Nathan.

“This is the reason why you're so cold,” said Conner. “Alcohol lowers your body temperature.” He tried to take my beer, but I doggedly refused to let go.

“No, I’m cold because it’s like minus fucking freezing out there.” I won the tug-of-war with the bottle then stepped back to take another drink, spilling more of it down my front.

Conner wasn’t happy that I was drinking. I was underage, I got that bit, but he was more concerned about the damage I was supposedly doing to my body than breaking the law. I wasn’t convinced that my rare indulgence with alcohol constituted a problem, or that drinking four beers throughout an evening was going to cause irreparable harm to my liver.

The thing doing the most damage to my body lately was tucked safely inside the front of my boyfriend’s pants, but according to Conner, sex was a healthy pastime. I guess it all depends on what position you play. If we were going to stay together then occasionally we would have to change ends.

I decided to postpone that particular discussion in the wake of a more immediate problem. The influx of alcohol into my bloodstream was having predictable results. My mind was overrun by thoughts of sex, and despite advocating earlier for a rest, the beer was gradually chipping away at my resolve. The sight of so many gay men—more than I had ever seen before in one place—certainly didn’t help. I was starting to feel frisky, and Conner was looking increasingly desirable.

I conveyed my intentions to my partner in no uncertain terms by placing my hands around the small of his back and pulling him towards me for another kiss. I was getting a kick out of doing it in public. It was a novelty I was keen to abuse while I had the opportunity and Conner put up little resistance. If anything, he looked surprised by my amorous advances, especially when I dropped my hand and grabbed a handful of his ass. My boldness caught him off guard, and he jumped.

As we separated, I smiled at his discomfort and then teased him by licking the top of my beer bottle, before tipping the last drops into my mouth.

He was blushing, and I soon joined him when I realised we had an audience. There were a few encouraging remarks, which I ignored. Maybe they were expecting some kind of show, but I wasn’t as proficient a performer as Nathan.

“Come and dance with me, Conner.” I grabbed his hand to take him downstairs, but he wouldn’t budge. He was way too sober to make a fool of himself, but I was a dab hand at it, as well as a chronically poor dancer.

“I don’t like dancing.”

“That’s because you won't relax. Maybe you should have a drink.”

“Is that your answer to everything?”

I put my arms around his neck. “No, but I should warn you, I get horny when I’ve had a beer.”

“No, you just get drunk like everyone else.”

“Same thing.” I kissed him and then whispered in his ear. “I get really fucking horny.”

I was starting to get my message across and could feel the fruits of my efforts beginning to press against my thigh.

“We can go back to your place now then if you want.”

“Not yet, I need another one. Just to make sure.” I smiled sweetly at him as he rolled his eyes. “It’ll be worth it, I promise.”

He looked dubious but seemed to enjoy me playing the role of temptress. I wasn’t lying; Conner was going to have his wicked way, whether he wanted it or not.

We were joined by Daniel, and I was pleased to see him and his date both drinking coke. My brother rarely behaved irresponsibly. That was my mantle, but I considered it an advantage. Having been plastered on at least three previous occasions, I was experienced.

“This will be my last one,” I promised Conner before dipping my hand into the giant cooler by the back door. There were several brands, and I fished out the first one I could grab, like a lottery. They all tasted the same to me, anyway.

“There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” I was surprised by a hand on each shoulder and a quick kiss on the lips from Nathan. It was no more than a peck, and he did the same thing to Conner and even Daniel, who wiped his mouth on his sleeve and shook his head. “Happy New Year to all my queer friends,” he said. “And you, Daniel.”

Nathan had an annoying knack of accumulating hangers-on. They followed him around like he was some kind of guru, laughing at his jokes and generally bumping up his ego. His latest acquisition was a tall emo-type boy with a tattoo on his neck, who he introduced as Ryan.

He was older than us, probably eighteen or nineteen and didn’t say much, but I could read his mind and his eyes were all over Nathan like a rash.

I was with Conner—possibly the hottest boy at the party—whom I had already promised untold pleasures. I had no reason to be jealous and no right to be annoyed, but I still hated Ryan. He was creepy and so blatantly trying to seduce my ex-boyfriend. He didn’t understand that Nathan was only joking when he flirted.

Despite our age difference, this boy was slighter than me and looked wary when Nathan introduced me as his ex. My greeting wasn’t the most cordial, and I think everyone noticed the tension. Nathan threw me a look questioning my attitude, but he must have known why.

‘Maybe it was a bad idea to come here, after all’.

It was hanging around my ex that did it. I was okay with Conner until Nathan showed up. It was always the same.

I wasn’t even sure if Nathan had any interest in this Ryan guy, but it got my back up, and Daniel didn’t help by pointing out the obvious.

“Looks like Nathan’s got a new admirer.”

“The bloke’s a creep, don’t you think?”

“Do you know him?”

“No, but he looks creepy. I can usually tell.”

Daniel looked puzzled. It was the look he always had when something bothered him, and he usually had to say something.

“Why can’t you just leave Nathan alone. He’s not doing you any harm. He’s been nice to you. I don’t get it; what do want from him!”

I couldn’t answer that question. I didn’t know myself.

“What was all that about?” asked Conner.

“I dunno. I’m still getting the hang of this brother thing. It hasn’t been easy after fifteen years as an only child.”

“It must have been a little awkward between you guys when you started dating his friend.”

“Just a bit.”

“Nathan’s playing games with you, Robbie. You do know that, right?”

“What are you talking bout?”

“Come on. I’ve been watching you two all night. He’s playing you like a fool.”

“No, he’s not.”

“He is. You just can’t see it. It’s like he’s got you in some kind of spell. But it’s a game. He’s just playing you for fun.”

I pulled a face at him. “You don’t know what you're talking about.”

“You complain about Derek but think it’s okay to flirt with your ex-boyfriend. Even in front of me.”

He was right, although I refused to admit it.

“At least we’re not wanking on Skype.”

He shook his head at me, surely rueing the day he admitted it. “We shouldn’t have come here tonight. It was a bad idea.”

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t want to spend New Year’s freezing to death in your bedroom. I didn’t come here just because of Nathan. I like being around other people. It’s fun. I like drinking beer, even though I’m not old enough and these people are cool.”

“Just because they’re gay doesn’t make them cool.”

“I don’t care what they are; they’re having fun which is something you don’t seem to be able to do. Unless you're shoving your dick inside me!”

I didn’t mean to say it that loud and apologised.

“People heard you,” said Conner.

“I said, I’m sorry. Who cares about them anyway. It’s about us. We argue every time we’re together. It’s not good.”

“In that case, maybe we should stop seeing each other. Because it’s obviously not gonna work.”

I don’t know what annoyed me the most. The fact he was prepared to break up just like that in the middle of a party, or the fact that it didn’t seem to bother him. I swallowed another mouthful of beer and shuddered as I tried to work him out.

I wasn’t sure what to say to him. I wasn’t expecting him to call my bluff like that and it wasn’t my intention to split up with him. I had only just convinced myself that he was my best option.

Our bickering was interrupted by Daniel’s date. I couldn’t remember her name, but she was pretty and quite young. She gave us both a kiss on the cheek and told us she was leaving. I thought it was nice of her considering we had barely said more than a couple of words all evening. Her brother had arrived to drive her home, leaving Daniel’s virginity intact.

I was beginning to see the advantages. Sex was overhyped and relationships more trouble than they were worth. I could satisfy myself much better than Conner could and without the added discomfort. He was giving me the cold shoulder, so I assumed our plans for later had been scrapped. It was a shame it had to happen the night I was feeling super horny, and when Don and Sue wouldn’t be home.

Now that I no longer had to rush back to accommodate Conner’s penis, I wanted to stay and have some fun. The party was still going strong, and I was shocked to see Ginny conscious and dancing to one of Don’s favourite songs from the eighties.

I got talking to a couple of guys from Toronto and tried a shot of tequila which burnt my mouth and nearly made me throw up. They were a lot older than me and wanted me to go with them to another party, which was supposed to be better. They looked like they were having fun, and I was tempted if only to get back at Conner. Then one of them asked me if I wanted to do some drugs and showed me a bag of pills.

I didn’t think he would give those things away without wanting something in return, so I refused his offer. They made his intentions pretty clear to me, and I was encouraging their interest by flirting. It was an exciting game for me to play, and I was getting a thrill from taking it as far as I dared while resisting their attempts to get me to leave with them.

It was the first time that any adult man had been sexually interested in me or the first time I knew of, and I was flattered. It made me feel grown-up and not like a kid anymore. At the same time, I was a little creeped out by the fact there were two of them, and one kept brushing himself against me, accidentally but on purpose.

They were drinking tequila, taking turns with a single shot glass and trying to coax me into another when I saw Daniel. He was my excuse to leave, so I waved him over.

“It’s my boyfriend. He’s probably been looking for me. I have to go.”

My brother gave me an odd look when I put my arms around his waist and steered him through the crowd to get as far away as possible.

“Who were those guys?”

“I dunno but I think they like me a little too much. They offered me drugs and wanted me to go to another party with them.”

Daniel flipped. “You're fucking kidding me! Stay away from them, okay? I mean it. That’s scary shit. Ginny doesn’t even know some of these people or who invited them. I think I should take you home.”

He grabbed my hand and led me around the house to search for Conner. I thought it was cool the way Daniel wanted to protect me, but it wasn’t necessary, I didn’t need his help. Besides, I was older than him, so it should have been the other way around.

At least I got to say goodbye to Nathan. He was still with creepy Ryan who was stuck to him like a leach. I managed to extricate myself from Daniel’s sweaty hand long enough to embrace my ex-boyfriend.

“I’ll give you a call,” he said before pressing his lips against mine in a full-on, no holds barred kiss that left me light-headed and gasping for air. Daniel shook his head as if his eyes were playing tricks on him, while Ryan circled in the background like a vulture waiting for scraps.

The mood Nathan was in, I had a terrible feeling Ryan wasn’t going to be disappointed. I had an overwhelming compulsion to kick the guy as hard as I could in the knackers, and maybe Ginny could see it too.

“Ha, you're wasted,” she said and pulled me aside for a chat. You know you're in a bad way when Ginny declares you wasted. I wanted to know her secret; less than an hour ago she was unable to use her legs.

“I’m worried about Nathan,” I said. “That scumbag’s just gonna use him.”

“Ever thought it might be the other way around? Anyway, that scumbag is my cousin, Ryan, and you're just jealous.”

“I’m not jealous; I’m with Conner. I told you that.”

“Oh, yeah.” Ginny stumbled into me, leaning on my shoulder and pushing us both into the wall. “How’s that working out for you?”

“Not great, but you know what. I don’t need a boyfriend anymore. I’m better off on my own. It’s too much hassle. I can jerk off if I feel the need.”

Ginny laughed before giving me an uncharacteristic hug.

“Good for you,” she said. “It always works for me. But you don’t have to worry. I’ll look after Nathan.” She turned and walked straight into Conner whose outstretched arm prevented her from tumbling to the floor.

Ginny looking after Nathan probably meant he was in even more danger, but the party suddenly looked like it was dying. People were leaving very quickly and mostly via the back door.

“Anyone underage or doing drugs, leave now,” shouted Ginny, and I realised why when I saw the familiar red and blue flashing lights bouncing off the walls. At least half the people there seemed to disappear into the back yard while Ginny’s older step-brother talked to the two cops at the front door. I recognised their voices and kept out of sight, but ignored Conner’s attempts to get me to leave. Even I could see they weren’t interested in raiding the place.

“They usually send more than two guys, Conner. And this probably isn’t the only party going on tonight. I doubt if they want to start arresting people or handing out fines. That’s a lot of work.”

It was a rare moment of clarity which earned me a bit of respect from a few of the other mostly older partygoers who hadn’t left, but I was only blagging.

*     *     *

We had to walk home. I had no idea where we were, and there’s no doubt I held them up. Conner and Daniel waited patiently while I relieved myself against a tree and again when I stopped to talk to a couple of girls who I recognised from school.

After a while, my legs started to get wobbly, and Daniel put his arm around me. I leaned into him and sneered at Conner. “I love you too, Daniel.”

He giggled. “Actually, I was just stopping you from walking into that pole.”

Conner laughed, but I wasn’t done embarrassing myself. There were things I needed to say to Daniel that I would never have said if I was sober.

“I know I’ve only really known you for a year. But it feels like I’ve known you all my life.”

“You have.”

“I know that because I’ve seen the pictures.” I turned to Conner. “Did you know we used to share a bath.”

“When we were about three,” added Daniel. He hated me telling people that story, which is why I always said it.

“But seriously, I’ve only really got to know him in the last year, since we’ve been brothers. And he’s the best brother in the whole world. Except when he’s being a dick, which is quite a lot of the time.”

I talked all the way home which amused Daniel but annoyed the hell out of Conner. When we got within sight of the house, all the lights were on, and Don’s car was in the driveway.

“Shit,” said Daniel. “They’re home.”

We were only twenty minutes late, but that was more through luck than judgement. So much for them staying out all night.

“We would’ve been on time if it wasn’t for you,” said Conner.

“What are you crying for? I’m the one who’s gonna be grounded.”

It was Daniel who took control. “Stop arguing, you two.”

“He’s only upset because he can’t have sex with me.”

Conner gasped. “I wouldn’t have sex with you tonight if you paid me.”

“Guys, please. They’re gonna hear us. It’s not a problem, okay. we’re not that late.”

“What are we gonna do about him?” said Conner.

I frowned at my supposed boyfriend while my brother stood me upright against Don’s car and gently slapped my face.

“Keep your mouth shut, okay? Don’t say a word. Go straight downstairs and leave me to do the talking. Conner you're sleeping upstairs, right?”

He nodded, and we all understood our roles.

Daniel did an excellent job trying to hide my drunkenness from a suspicious Sue, and he was right because she wasn’t overly concerned by our late arrival. I stood behind Conner, trying to figure out how to look undrunk, but it didn’t come naturally, and I struggled under Sue’s increasing scrutiny.

“What are you looking at me for?” I said and Daniel groaned. “What’s wrong?”

I walked away, but Sue called me back. “Have you been drinking, Robbie?”

“You mean me?” I said, pointing to myself and looking surprised. “Of course not.” I rolled my eyes and pulled a face as if it was the most ridiculous accusation of all time, but no one else was buying it.

“It wasn’t that kind of a party, Mom,” said Daniel. “I already told you that. It was mostly kids our age. We’re only late because we had to help put everything away.”

I was dumbstruck. My brother was so convincing even I believed him. Not bad for a guy who supposedly told his first lie just a few hours earlier. Conner was another truth peddler, and their obvious sobriety probably spared me any further interrogation. Either that or Sue just didn’t have the fight left in her to go through all that rigmarole again.

When I reached the safety of our room, I collapsed onto my bed, giggling at my near miss.

“It’s not funny,” said Daniel. “I just saved your ass from being grounded. Why didn’t you just go downstairs as I told you?”

“I forgot.”

“Yeah, well it nearly cost you your freedom and what’s going on with you and Conner?”

As he talked, I was already falling asleep. I just hoped Nathan would be sensible enough to do the same and show Ryan the door. The thought of that kid groping and poking my ex-boyfriend wouldn’t leave my head. I even dreamt about it.

*     *     *

I was fortunate to escape a hangover but was still groggy when I lifted my head to the sight of Daniel’s bare ass as he pulled on a pair of boxers. I seemed to have an inbuilt mechanism which allowed me to wake up at the most opportune moments.

“How do you feel?”

“Okay, I think.”

At least I was in bed, which was a good sign, and most of my clothes were in a heap on the floor.

Daniel was giggling. “I had to get you undressed last night. You passed out.”

I sat up and rubbed my head. It made sense; I couldn’t remember doing it myself.

“You could have just left me. I would’ve been okay.”

“Yeah, right and what do think Mom would have said if she walked in this morning and saw you asleep in your clothes?” Daniel had a point, and I thanked him. “You owe me, dude.”

I wasn’t sure what it was I owed him, but I assumed it wasn’t like for like.

“You don’t want me to undress you, do you?”

“Get lost.”

“I didn’t think so.”

I threw on a t-shirt and jogged to the bathroom only to be turned away by Nicola. She was standing in the doorway.

“I need to pee.”

“Go upstairs, Stephanie’s in here.”

I was confused but left pretty quick when I heard her friend throwing up.

‘Looks like I wasn’t the only one who had too much to drink last night’.

Conner was sitting at the table eating a breakfast I couldn’t even look at. Despite our quarrel the night before, he was in a good mood and looking spruce as he chatted with Amy.

“I see you two have already been introduced.”

“Yeah, Amy’s been telling me all your secrets.”

“I haven’t got any secrets. My life’s an open book around here.”

I left them giggling and was cornered in the kitchen by Nicola.

“You better watch out, Mom’s on the warpath.”

“Why?”

“She’s convinced you were drinking last night. Were you drunk or something?”

“I can’t remember.”

“Shit. She’s right then. You're a dick.”

“Maybe.”

“No, definitely. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Wait a minute. Why am I being singled out here? You drink more than I do.”

“The difference is; I don’t get caught. I’m not as obvious as you.”

“Err, Stephanie’s in the bathroom chucking her guts up. I’d say that’s pretty obvious.”

“She hasn’t got a hangover, Robbie. We didn’t go out last night because she wasn’t feeling well.” She sneered at me and went back downstairs to tend to her sick friend.

“Whatever.” At least Don wasn’t around to give me another lecture on the pitfalls of alcohol. I would have to tread carefully, though. I had a feeling I was due a grounding and drinking was one of their pet hates. I decided to shower and get changed before I was questioned.

The one thing I had going for me, was my boyfriend. He was talking to Sue in the dining room explaining about the farm. It was the same boring stuff he told me, but Sue was actually interested. I could see she was impressed with Conner, just like Don. It was uncanny. There was something about him that older people liked. Maybe they could see a certain maturity that was so blatantly missing in me. They could trust him to respect their rules and keep his sexuality under the carpet and out of sight.

‘They probably wouldn’t like him so much if they knew about his favourite pastime’.

“You can go to Conner’s house, Robbie. But I want you back here early tomorrow to get ready for school the next day.”

“Huh?”

‘I didn’t ask to go to Conner’s’.

He was smiling at me—a sickly smile that had pain written all over it.

“Rory’s gonna be staying over tonight as well,” said Conner. I couldn’t believe he was trying to sell the idea to me using Rory as bait. He would have to do better than that.

‘Maybe Rory naked with a dildo up his backside’.

“I can’t I got things to do.”

“Like what?”

I looked at Sue pleading for her to save me, but she walked away.

“I’ll leave you boys to sort it out. I don’t mind either way.”

‘No! He’s a sex maniac’.

Conner waited until she was out of range before outlining his plans.

“We can talk better at my house. We need to work a few things out.” He placed his hand on mine and looked into my eyes. “That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

I was sure he was trying to hypnotise me. “Yeah, that’s what I want.” I didn’t mind going if something positive came out of it. I was glad we were going to his house for more than just sex.

“Plus, you owe me from last night, remember?”

‘Maybe I’m giving him too much credit’.

“Of course, I remember. Have you got any beer?”

“Beer. No! Why do you want beer?”

“Why do you think? To get pissed, of course?” I leaned into him and whispered. “To put me in the mood.”

“You can do it without though, right?”

“It’s not the same.” I sat back in my chair and waited for Sue to walk past. “What about Tequila. I had a shot of that stuff last night, and it nearly blew my head off.” I waited for her to explode. But nothing, so I doubled my efforts. “How did Sue not notice I was drunk last night? Don’t you think that’s funny?”

Conner was feverously trying to alert me of her presence using his eyes, but I could see her reflection in the glass partition.

“You're not funny, Robbie,” said Sue. “I know what you're trying to do.”

“What am I trying to do?”

“You're trying to make fun of me. Conner’s already told me you didn’t drink anything last night.”

“Liar!” I mouthed to my boyfriend. “And you believe him over me?”

“I know you wouldn’t purposely try to get yourself grounded, Robbie. You're not that stupid.”

“Oh, believe me, I am.”

‘Fuck, I’m screwed’?

It was almost funny. I was telling her the absolute truth, and she didn’t believe a word of it, and all because of mister goody two shoes.

‘The sun really does shine out of his arse’.

Whatever spell he cast upon my adopted parents, it was working. He had wormed his way into their hearts, and I didn’t even know they had any. I had to hand it to Conner he knew how to make an impression, especially when it came to my backside.

It justified my decision to stay with him. I couldn’t argue with the facts. My life was getting better in leaps and bounds, and Conner seemed to be the catalyst. I would have been a fool to lose all this for the sake of chasing a dream with Nathan that probably wouldn’t last more than a few months.

*     *     *

“Why don’t you make me do something dirty?” I was lying naked on top of my boyfriend, covered by a thick duvet. “You know, something I really don’t wanna do.”

“I’m not gonna make you do something you don’t wanna do.”

‘That’s what you usually do’.

“No, you don’t get it. I want to do it. I’m just pretending I don’t.”

“Ok-ay. So what is it that you want to pretend you don’t wanna do?”

“That’s up to you. You’ll have to think of something. I can’t suggest anything; it has to be a surprise.”

“Well, how will I know you don’t wanna do it? It might be something you like.”

“Well, of course, I’m gonna like it, silly. That’s the whole idea.”

“But what if you don’t like it? I mean, really don’t like it. How will I know.”

I shrugged and rolled off him to look at the ceiling. As much as I tried, I couldn’t think of anything that I wouldn’t get some kind of thrill out of doing. I couldn’t tell him that, of course, in case he thought I was a pervert, which I probably was.

I was only just figuring out this role-playing stuff myself and needed time to work out the boundaries. Everything was so natural with Nathan. We both seemed to be on the same wavelength. I could read his mind, and it was always disgusting. Conner needed a lot more work, but he was never going to be as downright filthy as his predecessor, and that was a shame.

“Maybe we’re not quite ready for this. You think I’m weird, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Good. We can go straight to the main event if you want.”

“Okay,” he moved around a little to get himself comfortable and propped his head up on his pillow to give himself a better view. “I’m all yours.”

I knelt beside him and stared at his dick. It rarely got this much fresh air. Then after flashing him a quick smile, I pulled the duvet over our heads. This was my concession, he would leave my butt alone for the night, and all it cost me was a blowjob.

It seemed like a good deal at the time, I considered myself proficient enough to make light work of this farm boy, but half-an-hour later, I was questioning my dedication. I needed to surface for air and rest.

“You're pretty good at holding out, Conner, aren’t you? How do you do that?”

I had a feeling he was trying to teach me a lesson for daring to demand some variation. Maybe he thought after this, I may think twice before denying him entry. He was proving a tough nut to crack, but I still had a few tricks up my sleeve.

“Feel free to finish whenever you want,” I said. “I don’t mind. You don’t even need to warn me.”

He didn’t and I didn’t get much choice. When Conner blasted, he had both hands firmly planted on the back of my head pushing me onto him while his dick hammered my tonsils. It was reminiscent of what Alex did to me, and I nearly had a panic attack.

“Are you okay?” Conner kissed my cheek while I felt the inside of my mouth with my tongue.

“Your penis is a lethal weapon. Wherever it enters me, it causes damage.” He was smirking, but it wasn’t funny. “Don’t forget about our agreement.”

When it came to my turn, we were interrupted by my phone. It had to be important for someone to call that late at night, so I scrambled across the bed to answer it.

“Hey, Robbie. You told me to call you.”

I looked at Conner’s clock. “Alex, I was just thinking about you, but it’s like two o’clock in the morning. Can’t you call during the day?”

“Sorry, man, but you don’t sound like you were asleep and you said you wanted to help me.”

“I do, but can’t it wait until the morning?”

“I’m in trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

Conner pulled the duvet over us and snuggled next to me trying to listen. It must have sounded a little odd to him.

“I need a loan, just to get some food and stuff for Luke.”

“How is he, is he okay?”

“He’s cool. He’s doing better than me.”

‘That’s not saying a lot, Alex’.

“How much do you need?”

Conner was looking concerned. He was trying to get my attention by waving his hand in front of my face, but I turned away.

“Two grand,” said Alex. “But I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

I was expecting fifty or maybe a hundred. Two thousand dollars was a big ask and there was no way he would be able to pay me back, but I had the money and I would give it to him, if he really needed it.

“Two grand? Alex, there’s a limit to how much I can withdraw. I can only take out five hundred a day from the cash machine. Why do you need that much?”

“Well, that’ll do for now. Can I come and get you? I’m not that far.”

Conner was pressing himself against me to try to listen. I glared at him and moved the phone to my other ear.

“I’m not at home.”

“Where are you?”

“At a friend’s house.”

“A boyfriend?”

“Does it matter?”

“No, I’m over that. I swear, I won't ever bother you like that again. Are you gonna be home tomorrow? I can come over.”

“Are you crazy. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to just show up at the house.” I pushed Conner off me and mouthed at him to go away.

“Why not. Did you tell them? I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

“I’m thinking more about the money, Alex.”

“What money?”

“Duh, the money in the swear box.”

There was a long silence, and I was starting to think he had hung up.

“I didn’t take any money if that’s what you think.”

“Alex, I don’t care, but they do.”

He laughed. “Did somebody take that money?”

“Yes, it went the same time as you.”

“Robbie, I swear, I didn’t take it. I probably would have, if I’d thought about it because it would’ve helped me out. But I didn’t. It was kinda spur of the moment when I left. That’s the truth, man.”

Either Alex was suddenly the most convincing liar ever, or he was telling the truth and what he said made perfect sense. If I had thought it through properly, instead of jumping to conclusions like everyone else, I would have realised it wasn’t him. He left everything he had behind, even stuff he would have needed. Emptying that tin would have taken him a while, but he didn’t even have time to pack a bag.

“You didn’t steal it, did you?”

“That’s what I said, dickhead. But I think I know who did.”

“Who?”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow. Maybe we can meet up someplace. There’s some stuff you need to know. I don’t care anymore. I got nothing to lose.”

“What stuff, Alex? Tell me now.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow. Say hello to your boyfriend for me. I bet he’s sucking your dick right now, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is.”

“Damn!”

He ended the call leaving me confused and a little scared. I put my phone down on the bed and looked blankly at Conner. He was trying his best with a limp penis that plopped from his mouth.

“Are you gonna tell me who that was calling you in the middle of the night asking you for two grand?”

“I know it sounds bad.”

“Robbie, are you in trouble. I want to know, okay. Is someone blackmailing you?”

“No!”

“It sounds like it. What did you do?”

“Nothing! Look, I’ll tell you when I figure it out myself, okay.” I stared at the ceiling and tried not to think about it.

Conner stroked my hair and kissed me on the cheek. “Are you okay?” He looked pained, and I could understand why he was concerned, but he still had work to do and I wasn’t about to let him off the hook.

I turned my head and smiled at him. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” I chuckled as he disappeared under the duvet to fulfil his end of the bargain. “Keep going, Conner. I’m almost there, mate.”

“You could have fooled me.”

‘I do believe Conner’s getting a sense of humour’.