Reconciled - 5. Chapter 5

Arran arranged to meet up with Tom, he invited him over, and as he was walking home he started to devise a plan. He would tell his father about himself, about him and Tom, but exactly when he wasn't certain. To do so now, before the trial, just added more problems and something else for his father to deal with. But if he waited his dad would find out anyway because of the tape and that might be more shocking. Unless, he dealt with Vicky direct and she withdrew her charge of rape. Better still if he got her to admit it was all an invention, something she made up to get back at his dad.

It was not long before the doorbell rang and Tom was standing outside wrapped up with a long striped purple and white woollen scarf, collar of his jacket turned up. Despite the protection he looked cold, the tip of his nose was pinky red. Arran laughed, grabbing him, and pulling him inside.

"What's so funny?" Tom frowned, but Arran knew he was feigning being upset.

As Tom slid out of his jacket, Arran leant in and kissed the tip of his nose. "You remind me of a certain reindeer."

"Haha, very funny. You do know it's freezing out there?"

"Yeah, I can see." Arran focused on the red nose. "Okay, come through to the kitchen, I'll make us a hot chocolate."

Five minutes later they were facing each other across the kitchen table, two mugs of hot chocolate steaming in front of them. Tom had thawed, Arran's house was comfortably heated.

"The tape is not gonna work!" Arran blurted out.

Tom stared at him. "Why?"

Arran explained he had been to the police. He told him what Detective Hammer said. Tom wasn't too pleased about that, but he said nothing.

"I talked to Mark lunchtime, but he was no help."

"Well, I don't think I'm any help either. I've talked to her and got her to admit it and you're saying it won't work."

"It's not certain. It might work, but it might not be allowed as evidence."

"Okay, but I've got no more ideas." Tom blew on his hot drink before sipping it.

"I have."

There was a silence as Tom waited for him to say more, but Arran seemed reluctant to elaborate.

"Well?" Tom prompted.

"She needs to come clean. Withdraw the charge against my dad and explain she made the whole thing up."

Tom listened, but kept quiet, wondering how the hell he would get her to do that. He knew how stubborn and spiteful Vicky was even if she was his cousin, a woman scorned and all that!

"We need to put pressure on her. Force her. And you know who can do that?"

It was a rhetorical question. "Achim!"

Arran announced the name as if it where a eureka moment. An inspired idea and a sure fire winner! He believed it. All that remained was how to put the plan into practice. How to get Achim involved?

"Listen, Arran. I don't like the guy. I have good reason not to like him. He's an ape, a bully, a general all round shitty person. And... and the chance of him doing anything for us is about as remote as... as, well... non-existent!"

"Alright, I get that, but there's always a way. He's a drug dealer. He got nicked by the police. If we have something to give him then I'm pretty sure he'd go for it."

Tom put his mug down and stared at Arran. "You reckon? And what have we got?"

"I don't know. We need to think. Money?"

"I don't have any money, do you?"

Arran looked at the table top and shook his head.

"Well then? Nice idea, but we can't make it work." Tom hung on the word 'nice,' because he didn't think that at all and he wanted Arran to know it was a stupid plan. It would never work, but he didn't say it, although he absolutely did not like where this was going.

"You could talk to Salem? Fix up to meet him."

"What for? I don't want to get involved with Salem."

"But maybe he'd like to get involved with you?"

"Shit, Arran, what are you proposing here? I don't know you at all, do I?"

"I'm not proposing anything. Well, I am, you could talk to him. Use him to get to Achim."

"The kid's fourteen or something. No! The answer is no! You'll have to think of something else. Or just hope it works out in court." He stood up. "Thanks for the chocolate. I've gotta go."

Arran followed Tom to the front door and waited while he put his jacket on and wrapped the scarf around his neck. As he stood ready to leave, Arran grabbed both ends of the scarf and pulled Tom into a hug. He kissed him on the lips. Tom's lips were shut tight. He looked at the boy, all wrapped up, ready to go out into the cold.

"Sorry, okay?" Arran said softly.

Tom couldn't help a little smile, despite himself. Never mind what Arran was asking him or how the guy was acting, he had virtually fallen for him. That was a lie he told himself, he'd totally fallen for him. He had been on the outside, alone, for too long. Arran was everything he wanted. Perhaps not totally ideal, but he'd do anything for him.

Arran leaned in and kissed him a second time. Tom had been lost in his thoughts and without thinking about it, he opened his lips, their tongues touched and he kissed Arran back.

As he walked away with his head down, battered by an icy wind, he played those words through his head, 'he would do anything for him.' He had lost his heart to that boy and it was serious even if he risked getting hurt.

Salem... He entered the chat room and idily read the last few lines of conversation, although he wasn't interested. Tom had gone online to chat with Michael, Salem. It wasn't a great idea and he knew it, but he couldn't help himself. Arran had asked him. It seemed like a last hope and anyway if he did nothing, where would that leave him and Arran?

It wasn't simply because he'd fallen for the guy, he could get over that. If they split over this it wasn't his fault, it was Arran's. He was asking too much. Tom was sure Arran had no idea where all this might lead. You run with the devil and you seriously risk getting burnt. He knew all about being on the receiving end of bad shit, Arran knew nothing.

He composed the short message: '@michael can we meet up somewhere? Need to talk to you.'

His finger hovered, it wasn't too late to back out. What would he tell Salem? What would he have to do? He never imagined meeting a virtual friend. What were the chances of a good friend you met online living around the corner? Michael was a good friend. They had chatted together for the last six months, shared their problems, grown close. If Salem was in reality like Michael was online, it risked complicating things.

He tapped the screen.

Michael wasn't showing as online, but that didn't mean much. People often hung about in the background. Tom watched the online conversation unroll.

'I wouldn't sleep with them.'

'No it won't work.'

'Guess but still.'

'No he's using you.'

'For me it's a choice.'

They were discussing someone's boyfriend wanting a threesome with his new found friend. Apparently, it was just for sex. He wasn't dumping his actual boyfriend, only trying to persuade him to do it.

Tom lost interest. Two people were giving their opinions, both different, but neither was in that situation, or ever had been. Nor had he and if he were he doubted somehow he would ask people online. Then again, maybe he would.

The screen flashed: new message, open...

He opened it. '@tom,' Tom had used his real name online. 'has to be at your place give me a time.'

Tom opened a private chat window.

'hey michael anytime?'

'3 today.'

'okay my place at 3.'

It was done.

When the buzzer sounded he recognised Salem's voice and let him in. Tom stood at the doorway waiting for the lift doors to open. He didn't wait long before the doors clinked open and Salem stepped out. He looked to Tom like he had put on his best casual clothes, the boy looked... very nice. And, when he entered the small flat brushing past Tom, he smelt the perfume or deodorant.

"First door," Tom said, nodding towards his bedroom.

Then he wondered if that was such a good idea. His mother was out, but she might be back before Salem left, so it seemed the best place, because he could easily slip him out through the front door, quietly, without his mum knowing.

Why was he planning like that? He didn't know, but the thought struck him this was all secret and clandestine. He also thought about Salem and wondered what he expected. That question was about to be answered.

"So, there's this girl a friend of mine has a problem with." Tom sat on the edge of the bed.

Salem was looking out the window, he turned around to stare at Tom. The way he looked at him made Tom feel a little uneasy. It was different chatting online to Michael, they had talked a lot, shared a lot, but this was different. Despite trying to make it like this was only good friends chatting, it wasn't. It definitely wasn't.

"He needs someone to put a bit of pressure on her. Get her to change her mind about something."

Salem didn't take his eyes off of Tom. "About what?"

"She made some... accusations."

"Accusations," Salem repeated.

"She told the police someone did something they didn't and we need her to say she lied. She did actually lie, but she just won't listen, and that is making a lot of trouble."

"We?" Salem said.

Tom frowned. "A friend of mine, I already said."

"And?"

"You could get Achim and his goons to have a word with her."

Salem smiled. "Oh yeah, I get it. And what about me?"

Tom looked at him. "What..."

"You know," Salem interrupted. He took off his jacket and walked over to hang it on the back of the bedroom door. Then he sat down close to Tom. Their legs were touching. "We talked about it."

Tom was thinking. They had talked about lots of things. Salem touched his arm lightly and turned his head to face him.

"Are you going to make me plead with you?"

Now Tom knew for certain what he knew all along, but had ignored.

"You want to... You want me..." The words failed him, but Salem was much less reticent. The boy leant forward and planted a kiss on Tom's lips. He insisted. Pushed his tongue against Tom's lips until finally Tom opened his mouth and they kissed deeply.

When they pulled apart, Tom was flushed, despite himself he was rock hard and looking at Salem he registered the large bulge in the boy's jogging bottoms.

Tom recovered a bit. "What do you want to do?"

Salem looked at him. The boy's hand found his straining erection, gripped it and squeezed. Salem leaned in and kissed him again.

When he heard the key in the door and the front door open he tapped Salem's shoulder and put his finger on his lips. They were squeezed together, both naked in bed. Tom held his breath as he listened to his mum walk along the small hall and go into the lounge.

He jumped out of bed and grabbed his clothes. "You've got to go," he whispered.

Salem, of course, understood and crept out from under the duvet. Tom turned to pull his jeans on and stopped to look at Salem. God, he thought, the boy was so beautiful. He had never properly looked at him, but there he was, naked in front of him. Salem did not miss Tom staring at him even if he pretended not to notice. He felt proud. He also felt something else which he couldn't easily pin down. Salem would never have told Tom, but it was his first time ever with a guy, with anyone.

Tom was too nervous to say anything. He finished dressing and left Salem in the bedroom and went to join his mum. He didn't even here the front door click shut.