A Different Love - 51. Chapter 51

I tentatively opened the front door and as soon as we stepped into the kitchen, I could hear Nathan's father pouring out his vitriolic warnings.

“He shouldn’t be here! I don’t want them together”

“It’s a bit too late for that now” rang out dad’s voice “You need to tell them today, or I will!”

Nathan’s father quickly replied in an ever more desperate tone “You don’t know what he’s really like! He’s a bad influence and he’ll drag Jason down to his level. I’m not prepared to let that happen!”

Suddenly, something just snapped inside me, and my fear instantly turned to anger. How dare he talk about Nathan like this, when in reality he was far worse”

I grasped Nathan's hand tightly in mine and burst through the door into the lounge. The room immediately fell silent as four shocked faces gazed at our entwined hands. Mum and dad were completely lost for words, whilst Nathan's mother began furiously dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. My angry words were directed at Nathan's father before he could even open his mouth.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?" I yelled angrily, holding up our joined hands "You can't stop us being together! We love each other"

He shook his head in frustration and threw up his hands in despair, before turning towards mum and dad.

"Now do you see why I didn’t want them together!” he cried "This is exactly what I feared would happen. Now they’ll have to know the truth!”

"What do you mean, the truth!" Nathan broke in angrily "You wouldn’t know the truth if it hit you in the face. You're just a bigoted moron who can't accept his only son is happy because it's not with a girl!"

He visibly recoiled in shock as if he’d been slapped across the face "That's not true Nathan, I love you and I'm only trying to protect you"

"You've got a funny way of showing it" he retorted bitterly “The only person you love is yourself!”

I could tell Nathan was close to tears and I quickly took over "So why does it have to be such a problem? Why can't you just accept the fact that we're a couple?"

A heavy silence hung in the air until mum spoke in a quiet voice filled with sadness.

"Jason love, you can't be together"

My heart sank. Mum was the one person in the room I thought would at least try to accept us and her words stung hard. In that moment something told me there was much more to this than just their acceptance, but I still tried in vain to convince her.

"But this is real mum, it's what I want!"

I turned towards Nathan and gave him an encouraging smile "It's what we both want!"

"I understand that love, but it's just not possible!"

"What are you talking about?" I exclaimed, in a voice filled with rising panic "CAN SOMEONE PLEASE JUST TELL US WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!"

We gazed at the four of them in expectant silence, waiting for someone to speak. After what seemed like an age mum cleared her throat and hesitantly began.

"Look Jason, I'm really, really sorry. If you’re dad and I had known about this, we would never have let it get this far"

Her face burned with embarrassment and she was clearly struggling to go on.

“KNOW ABOUT WHAT?” I screeched in frustration “WHAT IS IT THAT YOU’RE NOT TELLING US?”

"Look lads" Nathan's father broke in impatiently "What your mums trying to say is that you can't be together because....well because.....you're twins!!!"

His last few words came out quickly and at first my brain refused to acknowledge them. We stood there in stunned silence for what seemed like an age, until finally I managed to speak. My voice was shaky and confused as I struggled to understand what he was saying.

"What on earth are you talking about?" I exclaimed, gazing at him in disbelief “We can't be twins!!!"

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" broke in Nathan incredulously "Why would you say that?"

"Because it's true" reiterated dad from across the room “Jim and Marie are your biological parents”

My heart sank like a stone cast in water. Dad would never make something like this up and I knew in that moment it was the absolute truth.

"We’re really sorry you have to hear it like this" he went on, shaking his head at Nathan’s parents in disbelief "But they should have told us all from the start"

My world immediately fell apart as tears of disbelief and frustration started running down my face and a second later, I exploded in anger

"YEAH, THEY FUCKING SHOULD HAVE!!" I yelled at Nathan’s parents, beside myself with anger

I gazed at Nathan in despair, unsure what to do or say next but he just stood there in complete shock, his face still shrouded in disbelief.

Nathan’s mum and dad looked away and bowed their heads in submission. The room remained eerily quiet as my anger slowly dissipated and I stared at them, completely devastated. My heart was beating like a piston as I strove desperately to find an explanation for the madness. My voice was strangely calm and overflowing with sadness as I demanded an answer.

"Why would you do that to us?"

Nathan put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer, whispering in my ear. "It makes no difference to me whatsoever Jase, I'll never stop loving you"

I turned and kissed his cheek before staring at them defiantly.

"For god's sake Jason!" Nathan's father exclaimed "Don't you understand what this means"

The spark of anger was back in a flash and I immediately turned on him in a fury "DON'T FOR GOD’S SAKE ME!!" I shouted, fixing them with an icy glare "The pair of you have got some serious explaining to do"

I'd never spoken to anyone in such a harsh way before, let alone someone I’d once respected and liked. Nathan’s mum began to cry, and a brief pang of guilt swept over me, but the sense of betrayal was far too strong to make it last. I was just about to demand answers again when she brushed away her tears and began to explain.

"We thought it was for the best....at the time” she said, gazing at us both “I’m really sorry we’ve hurt you both"

I stared at her in complete and utter disbelief “You’re sorry!!! Is that really all you can say?”

"We need an explanation" Nathan gasped desperately, quickly cutting in "How could you do that to us"

He quickly turned towards his father. "WELL?" he barked, demanding an answer.

He gave a deep sigh and glanced across at his wife "Your mum was really ill with depression Nathan. She just couldn’t cope with two children at once"

By this time Nathan was beside himself and his voice was filled with bitter sarcasm “So how did you choose which one of us to keep? he exclaimed, hurt and angry “Did you throw us both in the air and see who landed first? I bet you were disappointed it was me! You obviously kept the wrong son!”

“Nathan it wasn’t like that” cried his mum “It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make”

I immediately noticed that for some reason she didn’t say ‘we’ and I stared at Nathan’s father, struggling to understand. How could he even allow his wife to become pregnant when she was so ill?

At this point he glanced across at me as if he knew what I was thinking, and it suddenly became clear why he'd always bought me expensive presents for my birthdays and Christmas's when I thought he was just my godfather. Was he somehow trying to make up for what he'd done, or merely trying to salve his own guilt? I wasn't sure anymore what kind of person he was and at that moment I cared even less.

"Look son..."

"DON'T EVER CALL ME SON!" I snapped back angrily "YOU’RE NOT MY FATHER! YOU’LL NEVER BE MY FATHER!"

He stared at me helplessly, totally embarrassed and ashamed "I'm sorry Jason, I didn't mean it like that"

I glared back at him as he continued, far too upset to respond.

"Your mum just couldn't cope with two children" he continued hastily "Your grandfather had just died, and the business was left in my hands......l had everything to do and I couldn’t spare the time to help her"

"So you just got rid of me!" I burst out, unable to stop myself.

"It wasn't like that at all Jason" Nathan's mum suddenly interrupted. She’d begun crying again and her voice trembled with emotion "I loved you dearly. Giving you up was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life, you must understand that. Depression is an awful illness. It feels as if you're slowly sinking into an enormous black hole that’s slowly closing in around you. I didn't want you to be a part of that Jason. Your mum and dad are good people, they were desperate for a child and I knew they'd look after you as if you were their own. It seemed like the best solution"

“But you didn’t mind me being a part of it!!” burst in Nathan, deeply wounded.

“No, it wasn’t like that at all Nathan!”

“So you keep saying mum” he immediately shot back

A thought suddenly struck me, and I couldn’t help interrupting “Wait a minute” I frowned, glancing around at mum in puzzlement “How did they know you’d be able to adopt me? I thought you didn’t know anything about this?”

Mum immediately began to explain "I can’t answer that question Jason, but we didn’t know anything about it love, I promise you that. What I do know is that it’s an incredibly long process to adopt a child and just when we’d almost given up you came along. One day we suddenly got a call from the social worker to meet her at the children’s home in Hamborough. They said that you’d suddenly come up for adoption and were we interested. We were over the moon and we jumped at the chance" mum explained "It was what we’d waited so long for. We've never thought of you as anything but our own. You know that!"

Her words made me choke with emotion and the thought that immediately came to mind seemed completely irrelevant, but nonetheless, I had an overwhelming urge to know the answer.

"Who named me Jason?" I asked, as my heart beat rapidly

Nathan's mother was the first to respond and I gazed at her anxiously "Your mum and dad. We thought it was better that way"

It was the answer I was looking for and I visibly relaxed, giving my parents a weak smile of gratitude.

Nathan, however, glared at his parents with a look of disbelief and suspicion on his face “There’s still something you’re not telling us here!” he exclaimed in a puzzled voice “How could you be so sure that Jason would be adopted by his mum and dad?”

“That’s exactly what I want to know!” echoed dad

Silence descended on the room and for some reason we all turned towards Nathan’s father and glared at him suspiciously. He sighed and momentarily closed his eyes in resignation.

“Look, I had to do something! Your mum was desperate”

He paused and I could feel the tension in the air as he was forced to continue.

“If you must know, I persuaded the social worker and the manager at the home to make sure Jason went where I wanted him to go”

I gasped in disbelief as my mind processed this latest revelation, suddenly realising what he really meant “You mean you paid them!!”

“Yes ok! I paid them! It was the only way”

The audacity of the man took my breath away and I suddenly realised he’d do anything to get what he wanted.

“I can’t believe this Jim” cut in dad “How could you be so callous?”

I couldn’t believe the cold calculated way his mind worked, and I’d heard just about enough for one day. I grasped Nathan’s hand and half turned around, about to leave. His voice rang out again and the sneering almost triumphant tone of his voice made the blood rush to my head as I turned back to face him.

"It doesn't make any difference anyway" he broke in "You still can't be together!"

For some reason every single thing that Nathan's father said made my blood boil and I reacted angrily, holding on tight to Nathan's hand.

"WE DON’T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU THINK!" I shouted back at him, gazing around at the four shocked faces "WE’LL ALWAYS BE TOGETHER. NO MATTER WHAT!"

"JUST TRY AND STOP US!" reiterated Nathan forcefully "YOU’LL BE WASTING YOUR TIME!"

We stared at them defiantly before slowly backing out of the room, our hands still tightly clasped together.

"NATHAN, YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" his father barked out "IT'S NOT RIGHT!"

Almost before his last word was spoken Nathan shot back in an angry voice "GO TO HELL DAD!!"

A second later, almost as an afterthought, he added in a quiet voice, awash with emotion and tearful frustration "Just go to hell, the pair of you!!"

The door shut behind me and Nathan collapsed into my arms, his body racked with sobs. I held him tightly and kissed his neck, until his chest slowly stopped heaving.

"Hey, come on Naith, you’re my rock" I whispered to him urgently "I need you to be strong"

He smiled at me and I brushed away a single tear with my thumb as it ran down his cheek "That's better, we can do anything as long as we're together"

We kissed each other long and hard on the lips and left the bungalow as silently as we'd arrived.

I was still in deep shock as we sat outside in the car. Our fingers were tightly intertwined, and Nathan stared ahead of him in silence, unable for the moment to concentrate on driving. He suddenly broke the impromptu silence without turning towards me.

"I still can't believe it Jase. You and me, twins!!"

"I know, it's crazy! I knew there was a special bond between us but.....this!"

"Do you think dad will try to stop us?" he asked in a worried voice.

"I wouldn't put it past him"

His voice was immediately filled with panic as he wrestled with the consequences. He gripped my arm tightly as his thoughts began to spiral out of control.

"We'll have to move abroad Jase, we can't stay here!"

"Nathan! We're not going anywhere. What about Annie? And I can’t lose mum & dad either! They’re all innocent in this remember!"

He carried on in the same panicky voice as if I hadn't spoken "I'm really sorry for getting you into this mess Jason. I shouldn't have come back and then everything would've been fine"

"Nathan! Calm down. It's not your fault. I know it’s hard, but your mum and dad are the ones to blame" I exclaimed, still angry with them for keeping it a secret. "If they’d told us the truth from the start, none of this would have happened. But it’s too late now, we’ve fallen in love and I’m not prepared to lose you! It was killing me when you weren't here, and I know you felt the same way. We belong together!"

He turned towards me and smiled in acknowledgement, the panic in his voice slowly subsiding "I’m sorry Jase, you're right. It’s too late now. I couldn't stay away from you for anything"

He leant over and laid his head on my shoulder and I gently stroked his hair.

"Look, even if your dad does try to stop us and goes to the police or something, they can't prove anything. No one can!"

"We still need to be careful though" he said thoughtfully "I'll have to move out of the flat as soon as possible. Dad won't let us stay there anyway"

"Look, why don't we get a place together!" I exclaimed excitedly "I don't think mum and dad will want me to live at home anymore and besides, I want to be with you.....permanently"

"Sounds perfect to me" he said happily, kissing me on the cheek "We'll start looking tomorrow"

A warm feeling surged through my body and I held onto Nathan tightly. A moment later, as if in sync, both our mobile phones started ringing and Nathan gave a deep sigh of resignation. Knowing exactly who it would be, neither of us made any attempt to answer them and eventually they stopped. He switched on the engine and as we pulled away from the bungalow, I rested my hand on his knee and didn't remove it until we reached the flat.

The phones kept ringing sporadically throughout the journey and eventually we both turned down the ringers, neither one of us willing to answer them. I half expected to see Nathan's father waiting outside the flat, somehow magically arriving there before us. It was completely deserted though, and Nathan turned towards me with a slight frown on his face.

“I think I’ll park the car a few streets away Jase. Just in case dad comes here looking for us”

Five minutes later we slipped quietly inside the flat, only turning the light on when the door was firmly shut behind us. Almost as soon as we stepped foot in the lounge the house phone began its insistent ring and Nathan completely ignored it.

"When will they get the message!" he growled "We don't want to talk to them"

"I don't think they'll ever get the message if I'm honest Nathan” I remarked sadly “I can’t see mum and dad ever understanding something like this"

"Yeah, I know" he admitted sadly "I don't really care if my parents understand or not after what they’ve done to us, but I know you do"

I couldn't help wondering if his reaction was some kind of defence mechanism to avoid getting hurt any further and he really did secretly care, at least what his mother thought anyway.

"I know it's different for you Jase" he went on "You're really close to your mum and dad"

A fresh rush of tears threatened to engulf me, and my voice shook with emotion "I just hope it's not the end of everything"

He immediately took me in his arms and kissed me "Hey come on Jase" he said softly "You’re going to have to talk to each other at some point. I doubt they can just stop caring about you"

I brushed my hand across my eyes before responding "Yeah, you're probably right, but I'm not looking forward to it"

He gave a wistful sigh "I'd come with you if I thought it would help, but I think my popularity just went down the toilet"

I gave a weak chuckle of laughter "You'll never get to be first son now!"

"I never had a chance anyway. They adore you too much"

"Did!" I corrected him

"They still love you Jason” he reassured me “Same as I do! That will never change"

I wasn't fully convinced, but only time would tell, and that time was clearly not now.

"Are you sure you're alright with all of this though Jase? I know it's a little late in the day to say it, but I'd hate to destroy the relationship between you and your parents"

"What difference does it make?" I replied sadly "If they can't accept us for what we are it's pretty much over anyway"

"Why don't you just wait to hear what they have to say before you think that Jase. Give them a chance to get their heads around it"

I rubbed his back lovingly "You always know the right thing to say Nathan Brown"

"All I'm saying is don't shut them out Jase"

We stood there with our arms around each other for what seemed like an age, until Nathan drew back slightly "C’mon Jase, let’s try and relax, I'm absolutely exhausted!"

I nodded in agreement but wasn't sure if I would be able to relax. I was expecting Nathan's father to knock on the door at any moment and was surprised that he hadn't already done so. Perhaps mum and dad had persuaded him to leave us alone for the moment.

Sometime later, Nathan was busy in the kitchen making a drink and I lay sprawled out on the sofa, lost in thought. I still couldn't believe that Nathan’s parents had made the decision to split us up at birth! How could you even do that and live with yourself? More importantly, how did they choose which one of us to give away? It was a strange feeling to know that a tiny part of my life that I didn't even know about had been hidden away from me for so long. Although there could only be one reason why we had different birthdays, I still wanted to know all the details. How far apart had we been born? Why had there been a delay? Had something gone wrong?

They were all questions I longed to know the answers to, but the only person able to tell us truthfully was Nathan's mum. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

"Hey! Everything ok?"

Nathan was suddenly standing in front of me, holding two cups of coffee in his hands. He set them down on the table and gazed at me in concern.

"Yeah. Just trying to get my head around everything"

I gave him with a sudden worried look, desperately seeking his reassurance.

His face creased into a slight frown "What is it Jase? What's the matter?"

I coughed slightly and hesitantly began "We are doing the right thing, aren't we Naith?"

He sat down next to me and leant across to kiss me "Of course we are Jase. We love each other, and nothing will ever change that. The fact that we're twins just brings us even closer together. It means that no one can ever come between us, no matter how hard they try"

I smiled at him gratefully, knowing he would do his best to alleviate my slight wobble.

"No one will ever know we're twins anyway, unless we choose to tell them. You can guarantee our families won't talk about it and to everyone else we'll just be Nathan and Jason, two guys who are madly in love with each other!”

His reasoning made me smile and as he continued, I was yet again reminded just why I loved him so much.

"If you ever have any doubts Jase, just think about how you feel. Every time I think about you, I know there's nowhere else I'd rather be"

I sighed with relief. He was right of course; my feelings were identical to his. This was exactly where I wanted to be too.

He reached over and hugged me, and we stayed with our arms wrapped around each other for ages, happy to finally enjoy what we'd desperately wanted all along.

I awoke the following morning to find Nathan's head resting on my chest. Surprisingly, I seemed to have slept quite well and as I stirred slightly his eyes immediately opened.

"Morning big boy!" he chuckled, gazing up at me sleepily.

I frowned slightly in puzzlement until I realised his hand was resting against my morning glory. It stiffened even more as he took hold of it, his soft fingers gliding the skin slowly up and down its length. I couldn't think of a better way to wake up and my back arched sharply as his hand began moving faster and faster. In what seemed like no time at all several spurts of warm gooiness shot across my stomach and my sated body went limp in response. Before I could return the favour there was a loud rapping on the front door and I knew immediately it was Nathan's father. Seconds later, as if to confirm it, his angry muffled voice rang out.

"NATHAN!!! OPEN THIS DOOR!! IMMEDIATELY!!"

"Ssh!" Nathan quickly put his finger on my lips to ensure I stayed silent and whispered softly in my ear.

"Don't say anything Jase. He can't know for certain we're in here"

I nodded in agreement, waiting with bated breath for the next outburst. I didn't have to wait long before the sharp rapping on the door resumed

"NATHAN!! OPEN THIS DOOR!! DO YOU HEAR ME, YOU CAN'T HIDE IN THERE FOREVER!!"

"He must have forgotten his key" whispered Nathan, clearly relieved "He'd have burst in by now"

"But what if he rings the police?"

"He won't do that if he can't be sure we're even in here. He'd just look a fool"

"OK PLEASE YOURSELF IF THAT'S THE WAY YOU WANT IT" he ranted "BUT I WILL BE BACK. WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS ILLEGAL!!"

With one final bang of frustration, he was gone and we collapsed back onto the bed in relief.

Nathan's voice shook with anger as his thoughts spilled over. "I can't believe how I ever called that man my father" he said bitterly "Why can't he just leave us alone?"

We held each other close for a while until I finally pulled away "Urgh! I need a shower Naith. I absolutely stink!"

He laughed to himself softly "Yeah you do a bit" he said, wrinkling up his nose in agreement.

I slapped his arm and struggled out of bed "And whose fault is that?" I laughed, looking at the sticky mess left on my stomach "But seeing as it felt so good, I'll let you off"

He called out to me as I headed to the bathroom "I need a shower too seeing as you've rubbed it all over me" he moaned in mock disdain.

"You could always join me" I answered cheekily, gazing over my shoulder seductively. He didn't respond and I was almost through the door when he shouted back.

"Jason, wait! I've got something to show you"

I glanced back from the doorway and swallowed hungrily. He’d pulled the duvet down and was propped up in bed on his elbows, completely naked.

"How about returning the favour?" he asked, nodding downwards at his massive erection.

"Nathan, we need to go" I urged him in a half-hearted voice "Your dad might come back at any time!"

He began to rub his hand slowly up and down his throbbing cock "But something needs your attention Jason..... urgently" he moaned, in mock disappointment "You can't leave me like this"

There was no way I could resist him, and we spent the next half hour on activities that blew my mind.

It was an hour later and we'd both been showered and were drinking coffee in the lounge, discussing our future. Nathan was confirming what we already knew.

"We can't stay here much longer Jase. If dad finds out were here for certain I wouldn't put it past him to call the police"

"Do you think he'd really do that?" I asked incredulously

"I don't know Jase, but we can't risk it, there's too much at stake"

It was true of course, we couldn't stay here much longer. I gazed at him worriedly, waiting for him to take the lead. Unlike Nathan I'd never lived away from home before and suddenly I wasn't sure what to do.

"I think we should get a place of our own as soon as possible" he went on

I swallowed nervously at the massive change that was taking place in my life. In less than a day, I'd gone from living at home with mum and dad to having to find a place together with Nathan as soon as possible. I suddenly realised what a huge step it was, and I was nervous and excited at the prospect of living with him full time. A myriad of questions flooded my mind as reality began to hit home. Would mum and dad ever accept the situation? Would they ever talk to Nathan again? Would they even talk to me again? I told myself to stop being so stupid! Of course they would talk to me! Nevertheless, a niggling feeling of doubt at the back of my mind set my stomach churning and the ever-present worries over dad's health pushed themselves to the fore once again.

"Nathan, do you think dad will be ok?" I asked him anxiously "I couldn't bear it if anything happened to him because of me"

He sat down next to me and put his arm around my shoulder "Look Jase, I won't lie to you, we can't say for sure, but he's taken it ok so far"

"I know, but how much more can he take?"

"Look, why don't you give them a ring in a bit? Just to let them know you're ok"

"But........" I opened my mouth to protest, and he quickly raised his hand.

"You don't have to tell them where we are, but you can reassure them you're ok. It'll stop them worrying any more than they need to"

I squeezed his arm gratefully and kissed him on the cheek "Yeah, that's a great idea, Naith, I'll do that"

I was pretty certain I knew the answer to my next question, but I asked it anyway.

"Are you going to talk to your mum and dad Naith?"

He gave a large scoff of derision "No chance!! I'm done with both of them. They can rot in hell for all I care"

I wasn't convinced his outburst was entirely true, but I had to agree with his next words.

"My father’s made it all so much worse!" he went on in an agitated voice "I know our relationship is......well, different, but he's just going to have to get used to it"

I hadn't really thought of our relationship as being 'different' before, but I suppose it was. As far as I was concerned Nathan didn't feel anything like my brother. To me he was just the man I loved more than anything in the world and if our love was different, then so be it. If we chose to tell them, people were just going to have to get used to it.

"So what next?"

Nathan sighed loudly before answering. "Unfortunately, it's Boxing day today so we have no choice but to stay here again tonight. Tomorrow we'll go into town and try to rent a flat"

I nodded in agreement and rested my head against his chest, content for the moment to feel the steady, comforting beat of his heart.

My heart was racing madly as the steady ring of the telephone sounded in my ear. I wasn't so sure if this was a good idea anymore but knew that before long, I would have to talk to them. I swallowed as mum answered and for a few seconds I didn't know what to say.

"Jason?" she asked in a hesitant voice "Is that you?"

"Mum"

"Oh Jason!" she went on as relief flooded into her voice "We were so worried about you"

"You don't need to worry mum. I'm fine"

"Why don't you come home love. So we can talk about it"

"I will mum, I promise. Just not now though"

There was silence on the other end of the line as she digested what I'd said.

"Where are you staying?" she asked finally "I hope it's somewhere decent"

"I've......We've found somewhere to stay for the time being mum. It's fine, really"

There was a further silence, and I knew she had noted my change of words. Before she could speak again, I tentatively broached the subject I'd been dreading.

"Nathan's fine too mum" I said defiantly, giving him a smile "He says Hi"

"Oh.......erm....that's good"

Her response was stilted and uncomfortable, but nevertheless it was better than I'd hoped for. There was an awkward silence between us until she continued in a tearful voice.

"Your welcome to come home anytime Jason if.....well erm if....."

I reached across and held Nathan's hand in mine "You don't need to say it mum. The answer's no I’m afraid. Nathan and I love each other and we're going to make a life together.

There was a further silence and this time it was broken by me "Can I speak to dad?"

"Of course love, I'll pass you over"

I didn't quite know what to expect from dad. He was much more direct and outspoken than mum and I held my breath, waiting for him to answer. After what seemed like an age he finally spoke.

"Son?"

"Hi dad. How are you?"

"As well as can be expected after what you've done!" he retorted sharply "I don't agree with this at all Jason. I just want you to know that"

I winced as his tone of hurt pulled at my heartstrings, but before I could respond he continued to speak.

"We love you dearly son, you know that. But I'm disappointed you could do this to us Jason, I really am. I thought we'd brought you up better than this"

"We didn't do it to hurt you dad, it just happened. And you did bring me up properly!" I cried "This is what we both genuinely want"

My heart sank as he continued in the same distressed tone "But you have to understand Jason, you can't do this! You're brothers for god's sake!! It's against the law"

I could almost hear Nathan's fathers’ words being reiterated by dad. His voice had begun to rise and the last thing I wanted to do was upset him any further.

"Look dad, I just rang to let you know we're ok, that's all"

"I know that Jason and I'm glad you did, but you need to come home!

He paused for a second before continuing and I could tell he was struggling to go on......even.....even if it's just to get your stuff"

The blood rushed to my head and a feeling of dread swept over me. My voice seemed to come from a long way off as I swallowed and answered him anxiously "My stuff?" I repeated in a daze “What....what do you mean, my stuff?"

There was a brief silence, but it was obvious what the answer would be. I could hardly believe it and my heart began pumping violently as I held the phone in a vice like grip. It was the worst possible scenario and cold shivers ran up and down my body as I waited for the inevitable reply. His voice was gruff with emotion when he answered, and I knew he was finding it as difficult to say as I was to hear it.

"Jason, if you persist with this...this thing, then I'm afraid you can't live here anymore"

A sob of despair escaped my lips before I could stop it and in a defensive tearful voice, I couldn't help my anger spilling over.

"This 'thing' as you call it dad, is living the rest of my life together with the man I love! And I wasn't planning on living at home anyway" I added as a final shot

Nathan suddenly tugged on my sleeve and shook his head. I immediately realised my voice had risen in anger and before I could stop myself, I'd slammed down the phone. I turned towards Nathan and he immediately took me in his arms as the tears began to fall.

"I know it's difficult Jase" he murmured soothingly, stroking my hair "But you should try not to argue with him. He's bound to be upset"

My muffled, tearful reply came from the crook of his shoulder. "I know. But did you hear what he said...about home"

He couldn't really have failed to hear, and he quickly grabbed my shoulders so I was facing him.

"Look Jase, just give him time to cool down. I'm sure he didn't mean it"

I gazed at him sadly and shook my head "I never intended to live at home anyway, but what hurts the most is the fact that he said I couldn't"

"I know Jase, but just think about it for a minute, some of it will be my dad's influence" he explained gently "Even after everything he’s done, you know how close they are"

I had to admit, that definitely made good sense. Although I knew he would strongly disapprove, Dad's response was a lot harsher than I'd expected and I never in a million years thought he would kick me out.

"Looks like you're stuck with me then" Nathan joked, trying to lighten the situation

"Yeah well" I said, smiling at him lovingly "There's nowhere else I'd rather be"

He held out his arms and I hugged him tightly, unable to believe how lucky I was to have found my one true love.