-- Chapter 14 --

‘Hey, you made good time,’ Luke said, pulling Matt into a quick hug before turning to Levi. ‘How was the drive, mate?’

‘Long,’ Levi replied, while managing a small smile. ‘But okay . . . if you don’t count his singing!’

‘Yeah, tell me about it! So, how about we get your gear unpacked and stowed away before it gets too late?’ Luke suggested, then turning to Matt he said, ‘I thought we could drop it all into one of the guest rooms and he can sort out what he wants to bring up to the house later. We can have a chat tonight about where he gets to settle into.’

‘You have any ideas about that?’ Matt ventured.

‘As a matter of fact . . .’

‘I knew I could count on you,’ Matt replied, with a chuckle.

The next hour passed in a blur of activity. Luke suggested that Levi take his bags and anything he felt he would need straight into the room he had stayed in on his last visit, Luke’s office, and while Levi worked on that, Matt and Luke unloaded the trailer, taking everything straight into the first of the guest rooms off the side of the garage. Tim and Guy came out to help, both of them still in board shorts from an afternoon surf. Levi tried not to notice the easy way Guy rested his hand on Tim’s lower back as they moved around each other, or helped each other.

‘This is your space for now,’ Luke said, gesturing toward the fold-out lounge in his office when he came inside the house. ‘We’ll sort out something more permanent soon. We don’t have another spare room, so I’m thinking we could turn this into something proper for you, and I’ll move the office outside, into one of the guest rooms. I might even be able to get more work done that way,’ he said, with a grin.

Levi nodded, suddenly feeling the weight of everything. ‘I don’t want you to go to any trouble.’

‘No trouble at all, kiddo,’ Matt responded. ‘We’ll even see if we can get you a proper bed . . . I know Luke likes his afternoon naps in his office, so we might take his favourite sofa bed out there, and bring that bed in here for you.’

‘But that’ll be a job for tomorrow,’ Luke said. ‘Tonight, we’re going into the pub to eat. My treat.’

‘The pub?’

‘The Royal Hotel. The red-brick building on Main Street, at the weir end. They have a great restaurant there. Live music and all that. It’s the pumping heart of the town most Friday and Saturday nights,’ Luke promised him.

‘Okay then . . .’ Levi replied. ‘We didn’t ever go to places like th . . . I mean . . .’

‘It’s okay, Levi. If you’d rather not . . .’

‘Oh, no. If it’s where you all go, then I’d probably best find out what it’s like,’ Levi replied.

‘That’s my boy,’ said Matt, as he gave Levi a pat on the back. ‘We’ll make a party guy out of you yet!’

‘I . . . I hope not!’

Luke just grinned at him. ‘Okay, you lot. Showers first. It’s just us three tonight. The others said they were heading into Mac Harbour for some show, so they will probably see us tomorrow.’

***

Once he saw it again, Levi remembered the building from their drives through the town, a two-storey, red-brick building on one of the corners along Main Street.

It was a large and old building, having been built at the turn of the century according to the year that had been inscribed upon the building’s well-lit façade. To one side of the building Levi could see lights and people, in what looked to be the beer garden that Luke had mentioned, while above the concrete footpath, which wrapped around both sides of the building that faced the two streets, there was an upstairs verandah, where he could see and hear several groups of people making the most of their evening.

The distant sound of waves, mixed with laughter and the clink of glasses, was something new to him, and as they walked inside, Levi’s eyes widened. This was nothing like any place he had been to back home.

Inside the bistro, the place was lively. Families, tradies in high-vis workwear, groups of friends, and couples filled the tables. A live acoustic guitarist played softly in one corner. Levi tried not to stare, but it was hard. Two men sat at a table near the window, openly holding hands while they shared a plate of something. At another table, two women – one with bright pink spiky hair, the other with green – were laughing loudly, one leaning over to kiss the other on the cheek.

Levi’s stomach tightened. He quickly looked away.

They found a table in the beer garden, where the sea breeze kept things cooler. While they waited for their meals – a burger and chips for Levi, steaks for the others – he watched the people around him. A group of kids his age sat at a long table near the fence, some laughing and joking with their parents, others in their own little world, phones out, carefree in a way Levi had never really been.

He wondered what their lives were like. Did any of them go to his new school? Did they struggle with anything, or was everything as easy and loud and colourful as it looked?

It was then that he noticed two young guys sitting on a seat in a corner of the beer garden. They were older than he was, Levi figured, but not by much. Both were wearing shorts and singlets and no shoes, and while one was holding a mobile phone in front, so they could both see the screen, one of them was more intent on nibbling his companion’s ear and kissing the side of his face.

Levi glanced around, expecting others to show disgust, or . . . something . . . but nobody did. Not one person frowned or stared at the two boys. They were totally oblivious to what was going on around them.

‘You alright, mate?’ Luke asked gently, noticing Levi’s quietness.

Levi nodded slowly. ‘It’s just . . . really different here. Back home, people mostly kept stuff like that private. Here it feels like . . . everything’s out in the open.’

Matt gave him a small, understanding smile. ‘Thompsonville’s got its own way of doing things. You’ll get used to it. Slowly.’

Levi looked out past the beer garden and across the road, towards the dunes where the beach lay hidden in the darkness beyond. For a small town, it felt big and alive, in a way that both excited and unsettled him.

He was only just beginning to see how much there was to get used to.

Gradually Levi found himself relaxing a little, catching snippets of the conversations going on around them, listening to people talk about their day. Matt’s hand occasionally brushed Luke’s arm. Others around them did the same. It was warm. Domestic, almost.

But, every now and again, Levi would catch one of those small touches, or the way one person looked at the other, and that familiar twist would return in his stomach.

Everyone seems like they’re happy, he reminded himself. Still, the discomfort lingered.

After dinner, Matt suggested a walk down to the beach. The air had cooled, and the moon had risen, casting a silvery path across the dark water. As they left the beer garden and crossed the road, Levi walked on one side of his father while Luke was on the other. Levi pretended not to notice that they were holding hands.

‘It’s beautiful here at night,’ Levi said quietly.

Matt nodded. ‘It grows on you. I never thought I’d end up living by the sea, but now I can’t imagine being anywhere else.’

Levi kicked at the sandy path. ‘I still can’t believe this is home now.’

Matt stopped walking and looked at him. ‘It is, Levi. We want you here. All of us do.’ He hesitated, then added gently, ‘I know it’s not perfect. I know Tim and Guy . . . their way of being together still makes you uncomfortable sometimes. But they’re good men. They’re family too, in their own way.’

Levi looked out at the waves. ‘I’m trying. I really am. It’s just . . . so different.’

‘I know. And that’s okay. We’re not expecting you to have it all figured out overnight.’

They stood in silence for a while at the water’s edge, the surf washing up to their feet. For the first time since arriving, Levi felt a quiet sense of hope settle over the homesickness. This place was strange and challenging, but it was also safe. He had a father who actually wanted him, and wanted to keep him safe. And a home that didn’t feel empty, or restrictive.

When they returned to the house, the three of them sat in the living room, just chatting, about nothing in general. As he yawned, Levi caught Luke watching him with a soft, understanding expression.

‘Well, I don’t know about you guys,’ Luke offered, ‘but it has been a long day . . . for everyone, I think. So I reckon I’m about ready to turn in.’

Levi smiled in his direction, grateful that he had been given an out, without needing to actually be the first to bail on the evening. He said goodnight to Luke and his father, thanked them for the night at the pub, and then retreated to his new bedroom.

Later, lying on the fold-out lounge, Levi stared at the ceiling. In the room next door, he could hear the murmurs of Matt and Luke talking, though he couldn’t actually hear what they were saying. Through the window he could hear the constant rhythm of the waves. Then later, his mother’s dream from a few nights ago drifted back to him.

Trust Matt.

He whispered a short prayer, asking God to help him be brave in this new life. The house was now quiet around him, creaking quietly in the way that old houses do.

Finally, Levi closed his eyes.

He was home.

But he still had no idea how much this new home was going to test him.

***

The morning felt heavier than Levi expected.

He had woken in the middle of the night bathed in sweat, his heart racing and with a now familiar, aching hardness between his legs. The images from the pub kept flashing behind his eyes – the two men holding hands, the women with bright pink and green hair kissing so openly, those older boys in the corner nibbling ears and laughing like no one else in the world existed.

His body had reacted strongly. Too strongly.

Levi lay still in the darkness, ashamed of the way his pulse throbbed. Puberty had come late for him, and for a long time he’d felt behind everyone else. Now it was making up for lost time, and with a vengeance. These past few visits to Thompsonville had stirred something restless and hungry inside him that he didn’t know how to control.

This is sin, his grandfather’s voice echoed in his head. The desires of the flesh lead men astray.

He had tried so hard to resist. Back home, after his mother got really sick, the urges had quietened for a while. But they always came back – stronger each time. And when the pressure became too much, he had discovered the shameful relief of touching himself. The wave of pleasure that followed always left him floating for a few brief moments . . . only for crushing guilt to crash down on him afterwards.

Last night the thoughts had returned with brutal force. The images from the beer garden. The easy affection. All of it mixed together until he couldn’t stop himself. He’d lain there in the dark, biting his lip to stay quiet, hating how good it felt even as tears of shame stung his eyes.

Now, in the pale morning light, the guilt sat like a stone in his stomach.

Who can I even talk to about this? He wondered.

Definitely not Matt. The thought of asking his father made his skin crawl with embarrassment. Luke had been kind, but Levi still didn’t know him well enough. Father Costas? Maybe . . . but the idea of admitting these thoughts – especially after seeing gay couples so openly – felt terrifying. And talking to someone his own age? That seemed even more dangerous.

Was this his punishment? For not being able to save his mother? For failing her when she needed him most?

Levi rolled over and pressed his face into the pillow, whispering a desperate prayer under his breath.

God, please help me. Make these feelings go away. I don’t want to be like this…

But even as he prayed, a small, honest part of him knew the feelings weren’t going anywhere.

They were only just beginning.

***

The next few days passed in a gentle, but steady, rhythm as Levi settled into life at Avalon.

On his first morning, after that restless night, he helped Luke with the task of shifting his office out into the guest room, then bringing the double bed into what was now his bedroom, before rearranging the room to suit him.

On the top shelf of the bookcase he carefully arranged his mother’s few effects, and the photo frames he had brought with him.

He would still need a small desk for his school work, and maybe when Matt took him shopping for his school uniform he might even be able to find some posters or other stuff to decorate the room with.

He was also getting to know Tim and Guy a little better, with both being friendly towards him, which he appreciated. With the way the house had been renovated it was basically split down the middle, with one half being Tim and Guy’s space and the other half being Matt and Luke’s. Then there were some shared communal areas such as a living area and the kitchen, so while the two couples lived together under the one roof, each had their own spaces and lived their own lives, easily interacting when they wanted to, but still independent, and therefore not always together.

At first Levi thought of it as an odd arrangement, but as he got used to the idea he grew to like and value that independence.

Most mornings were quiet. Luke had taken a few days off work so that there was someone around while he settled in, and while Matt caught up at his work. He helped Luke with small jobs around the house, went for walks along the beach with Matt of an afternoon, had lunch in town with him a couple of times, grabbing sandwiches from a corner store run by a lovely lady by the name of Mrs Hamilton, who shared stories about Matt and Luke that made him laugh. He also tried – mostly unsuccessfully – not to overthink everything he had seen at the Royal Hotel. The discomfort still lingered, but so did the small, growing sense that this place might one day feel like home.

On Wednesday, Matt took him to Thompsonville Public School to finalise his enrolment. With the town being so small, it was one of those schools that didn’t go right through to Year Twelve, stopping in Year Ten, and with students who wanted to go further then needing to travel to Macquarie Harbour.

The school looked bigger close up – a mix of old red-brick buildings and modern extensions spread across a large, grassy campus that was situated on the south side of the weir, between the lake and the harbour. A sports field, surrounded by Norfolk Island Pines had the harbour as a backdrop, which looked stunning. Students in pale blue shirts and grey shorts or pants moved between classes, while others in sports gear ran around the oval. Levi’s stomach tightened as they walked through the gates.

‘You nervous?’ Matt asked.

‘A bit,’ Levi admitted. ‘What if they don’t like me?’

‘They’ll like you,’ Matt said, squeezing his shoulder. ‘Just be yourself.’

They met with the principal, Mrs Ryan, a brisk but kind woman in her fifties. She welcomed Levi warmly, asked about his previous school, and assured them he would be placed in the appropriate Year Nine classes. She gave him a school map and timetable, then gave them a brief tour, before wishing him luck for Monday.

As Matt and Luke were walking back across the grounds towards the car, that was when Levi first noticed him.

A group of boys was playing soccer on the main oval. One of them – tall, lean, with sun-bleached, blond hair that fell just past his collar – suddenly stopped running. He caught the ball with his hands and stood completely still, holding it against his hip as he stared directly at Levi.

Even from a distance, the boy was strikingly good-looking. Tanned skin, easy athletic grace, and what looked to be bright blue eyes that seemed to cut across the distance between them. He didn’t smile. He just watched, head slightly tilted, as though trying to figure Levi out.

Levi felt a strange flutter in his chest and quickly looked away, heat rising in his face.

‘Who was that?’ he asked Matt as they kept walking.

Matt glanced back. ‘Not sure. Think I’ve seen him around town. Probably just curious about the new kid. You’ll meet plenty of people on Monday.’

Levi nodded, but the image of the blond boy stayed with him.

The following day, Matt drove them south to Macquarie Harbour to buy Levi’s school uniform. The large department store had racks of the regulation pale blue shirts and grey shorts and long pants. Levi tried on several sizes, feeling self-conscious in the fitting room mirror.

‘You look smart,’ Matt said when he came out. ‘Proper high school student now.’

Levi gave a small, tight smile. He felt anything but ready.

They also picked up the sports uniform, of white polo shirts and blue shorts, and a new pair of runners, as Levi’s big toe was about to bust out of his current cheap shoes.

As they drove back to Thompsonville that afternoon, the reality of starting school settled heavily over him. New place. New people. New rules. And somewhere in the back of his mind, the memory of that blond surfer boy staring at him refused to fade.

He had no idea who the boy was.

But something told him their paths would cross again soon.

To be continued . . .