The Cockney Canuck - 78. Chapter 78 No Such Thing As Bad Publicity

“POLICE! PUT YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD!” It was a woman’s voice but there were others with her. I squinted into the flashlight, confused and scared as they barked instructions at us. When the kitchen light came on, I could see four officers, three men and one woman. They were pumped up and looked kitted out for combat as if they had been expecting some kind of armed resistance. The odds were undeniably stacked in their favour; they faced two teenage boys in their underwear and ten-year-old in a pair of Gummy Bear pyjamas!

The woman officer shouted at me to stand up, but when I scrambled to my feet, I moved a little too quickly for their liking and for a moment, I had two officers training their weapons on me. “FACE THE WALL! DON’T MOVE! KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!” I had heard those lines before in the movies, but this was real and so were their guns. It was an unnerving experience and totally unnecessary; we were only wearing our underpants and I doubt if even Alex’s formidable appendage could have been classed as a concealed weapon.

“YOU CAN’T DO THIS,” he yelled at the officers. “YOU CAN’T JUST COME IN HERE LIKE THIS!”

“We have a search warrant,” replied the officer in charge. He was the tall, square-faced, Terminator type, and he reminded me of Robocop.

“What are you searching for then?” said Alex. I could have had a pretty good guess, and Robocop all but confirmed it with his next question.

“Which one of you is Brad?”

I was still half-asleep, confused, and scared that I would say something that I shouldn’t, so I decided to keep quiet and hope that Alex answered for me. He seemed less intimidated than I was and I got the feeling that this wasn’t the first time that he had been in a situation like that.

“Brad’s not here,” he said. “I’m his brother Alex and that guy is a friend of mine.”

“Where’s Brad?”

“I don’t know,” said Alex. Then I heard Luke upstairs; he was crying and probably too scared to venture down.

“Who’s up there?” asked Robocop.

“My little brother.”

I cringed as I watched the officer draw his sidearm and climb the stairs, to a torrent of abuse from Alex. “HE’S JUST A FUCKING KID. DON’T POINT A GUN AT HIM, ASSHOLE. LEAVE HIM ALONE!”

As Luke’s disturbing cries grew louder; Alex was wrestled to the floor by the other two male storm troopers. They were shouting at him to keep still, but he continued to struggle and an already scary situation suddenly turned very sinister.

The officers looked quite young and nervous and I hadn’t seen them before around Cobourg, where the police usually kept a high, but friendly presence. The town wasn’t exactly known for its criminal element and I couldn’t imagine there being any need for a SWAT team.

When I heard Alex cry out I turned my head to see one of them on top of him. He had his knee pressed into my friend’s back while the other one was trying to handcuff him.

“What are you doing?” I said. “He’s done nothing wrong.” I was told to shutup and face the wall again by the uncompromising policewoman who, for whatever reason, still felt it necessary to train her gun on me.

Once Alex had been brought under control, she told me to put my hands behind my back while her colleague snapped a set of handcuffs on me. They were tight and uncomfortable, and nothing at all like my fantasies. Then I was led over to the table and told to sit down.

I felt exposed and humiliated but when I asked if I could put some clothes on, I was told that I would have to wait until they had conducted their search. It was a specialist job and they had come prepared, setting loose a small but enthusiastic sniffer dog, which scampered excitedly around the kitchen like a kid at Christmas before heading downstairs with its handler. I was sure that this super-sensitive mutt would soon lie down in front of wherever Brad had hidden his stash of illegal narcotics and Alex and I would be blamed.

‘Don is going to absolutely love this’.

“I’m not well, I was in a coma; I’m supposed to be resting,” I said but my pleas were ignored by everyone except Alex.

“If you die, Robbie, I’m a witness, I’ll make sure everyone knows about it!”

‘Thanks, Alex’.

I saw Luke walking downstairs with the officer who had sensibly put away his firearm. He ran over to his brother as he was lifted to his feet and led into the living room.

Now it was my turn to be questioned by Robocop who sat down opposite me and introduced himself before frowning at the police woman and ordering her to remove the cuffs. I rubbed my wrists and glared at her as he explained who they were and why the house was being searched.

They were RCMP officers, or the ‘Mounties’. It began to make sense and it came as no surprise that they were searching for narcotics, but I wondered why the federal police would be looking for Brad. I was under the impression that they usually only dealt with bigger fish like organised crime and terrorists and as far as I knew, Brad was only a small time dealer.

“What’s your name?”

“Robbie Fullerton.”

“Do you live here?”

I shook my head. “I’m a friend.”

“You’re English?”

“No.”

“You sound it.” I shrugged my shoulders but I was telling the truth. “What are you doing here?”

“I was sleeping before you turned up.” I would have thought it was obvious. It was just after five in the morning when they started knocking and the lights were all off.

“Don’t be smart, kid. Have you any ID?”

I told him that I had my health card downstairs, but he put his hand up to stop me when the dog handler returned from his foray in the basement with the over-excited hound. He shook his head at Robocop—who looked agitated by the lack of results—before heading upstairs to search the bedrooms.

I was sure that Brad would have hidden whatever he had in his room and was expecting the dog to confirm this at any minute, but as the search continued to draw blanks I noticed a few worried looks appearing on the faces of the restless Mounties.

Unlike Alex, I was obviously no longer deemed a threat and dispatched downstairs by the grim-faced woman to put some clothes on and find my ID. When I returned, Robocop was pacing the kitchen like an expectant father waiting for the final verdict.

“It’s clean,” said the dog handler and I smiled at the frustrated mutt as it ran around the kitchen in circles, no doubt teased by the smells of what had been there, but unable to locate a stash that would have justified the pre-dawn raid.

“What nothing?” asked Robocop.

The dog handler shook his head and Robocop took my health card and headed for the door to lick his wounds. Brad had most likely taken whatever he was hiding with him, which must have been the reason why he hadn’t come home.

The next voice rather predictably was Alex’s. “I told you, you wouldn’t find anything, asshole!” he said as he joined me in the kitchen. I had forgotten how sexy he looked in a pair of briefs and my eyes followed him around the room. “You are gonna have a lot of explaining to do. You didn’t need to put handcuffs on us and you wouldn't let us get dressed. That’s gonna look pretty fucked up when the press finds out.”

“You’re entitled to file a complaint if you want, that’s up to you,” said the officer who a few minutes earlier had been kneeling on his back.

“He will,” I said. “I’ll help him.”

As the others left, Robocop returned to give me back my ID. “A runaway huh,” he smiled at me. “You’re on the missing list, kid.”

“I know,” I said. “Will you be taking me back?”

“No, I’ve been told to take you to the hospital. What’s wrong with you anyway?”

It was good news for me, it meant a further delay in getting home. “I have a head injury, they want to check on me, that’s all,” I said and he nodded before turning to Alex.

“When your brother comes home, tell him that we want to talk to him urgently. It’ll be easier for him if he comes to see us, and easier for you and your little brother.” I wondered if Brad would see it that way and decide to hand himself in. “Where’s your father anyway?” asked Robocop.

“He’s at work.”

“Really,” said the officer and he smiled as Alex took Luke back up to bed.

After everything that his old man didn’t do for them, I was surprised that Alex still went out of his way to protect his so-called dad. I don’t think that I would have done the same, but I had never had a real father to compare him with so maybe I wasn’t best equipped to pass judgement.

While a disgruntled Robocop waited outside with his disappointed Mounties and a ‘cold-turkey’ hound, I went to the basement to collect my few possessions. I was happy to accept the verdict. I had been away long enough to make my point and I needed a break from Alex. He was starting to get to me. Not in a bad way but in a way that wouldn’t have been good either, and I wasn’t sure if I would have been able to hold out against his advances for another night.

“Will they keep you in the hospital?” asked Alex when I saw him at the top of the stairs.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Who knows, I hope so, just for a couple of days anyway. I’ll be able to see Nathan that way.”

“Oh yeah, Nathan. Your gay boyfriend.”

“That’s the one.”

“You won’t say anything though…about, well, you know?”

“No, Alex. Not to anyone…you already know that.”

“Yeah, well…why don’t you call me later, and let me know…what happened? I might even visit you in the hospital…when nobody’s around. Or maybe we can meet up or something, you know, hang out someplace?” He sounded almost humble; it was a completely different Alex from the guy who I knew at school.

“As long as it’s not a date,” I said.

“Fuck you, queer boy.” That was more like the Alex of old, but it was only an act. I knew that for sure now, and I felt sorry for him. During my stay, I had managed to catch a brief glimpse of a frightened and very confused kid, forced to take on responsibilities that few his age would have to deal with. I wanted to help him and I was certain that he wanted that too, but neither of us seemed to know how.

“It would be cool to hang out with you Alex, like proper mates.”

“As long as nobody sees us,” he said. “You know, soon everyone will know about you and that won’t look good if people see me…you know?”

“With a queer guy, yeah, I know.”

“It’s not me…I don’t care. It’s the others.”

“Of course, the others. Thanks for letting me stay, Alex, and I’m sorry that I lost you your girlfriend.”

“Better off without her.”

“And I’m sorry I got you in trouble with Jake.”

“It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

“And I’m sorry about last night.”

“That’s your loss, dude,” he said and he followed it up with that cheeky lopsided grin that made me go weak at the knees. Then, as I was about to leave, he called me back and did something totally unexpected that he had previously told me he would never, ever do. After a quick look around, he grabbed my shoulders and kissed me square on the lips. “I just wanted to know what it was like…with a guy,” he said.

It was such an unlikely scenario that even if I had decided to come clean and tell the whole world, no one would have believed me.

* * * * *

On Thursday morning; just eight days after I was discharged, I arrived back at the Northumberland Hills Hospital courtesy of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who on this occasion didn’t get their man.

I considered it a slightly better option than going back to the house, but the dark clouds gathered when the doctor who examined me passed me fit to go home and rest. It meant having to face Don and I wasn’t ready for what I believed would be another war of words, which he would inevitably win.

“You do want to go home don’t you?”

“No,” I said, “that’s why I ran away in the first place.” I guessed that he wasn’t aware of my situation, but after talking with the nurse he quickly changed his mind.

“If you’re experiencing difficulties at home, then we can re-admit you for a period of observation. You were discharged early on the condition that you rest at home not run off.”

“It wasn’t my fault,” I said.

“I’m not judging you, I’m trying to help you get better. You may feel okay now, but it’s a serious injury and it will take a while for you to fully recover. You need to rest and if you can’t do that at home then you will have to do it here.”

I was happy with his prognosis and what I considered to be a stay of execution, but he wouldn’t say how long I would have to stay for, which worried me. My day, however, brightened up considerably when I was handed over to my favourite nurse, Lorna. She took me to a different room from where I was before, and after ditching my three-day-old clothing for a hospital gown, I went for a much-needed shower.

When I returned, Sue was standing by my bed talking to the nurse. I knew that they would have called her straight away but I wasn’t expecting to see her so early, she didn’t have to start work for another hour.

Unlike Don, I knew Sue well enough to know how she was going to react, so I pre-empted her by walking over and giving her a hug. “I’m sorry,” I said as she put her arms around me and squeezed me until it hurt. “I couldn’t call you….”

“You don’t need to explain,” she said. “I love you and I’m just pleased that you’re safe.” She was very emotional and looked on the verge of tears. “Things will be different when you get back honey, you wait and see.”

I didn’t answer; as much as I missed my lifestyle, I wasn’t ready to discuss going home just yet.

“They told us that you were picked up during a police search, what happened?”

“I dunno but they didn’t find anything.”

“Where were you then?”

“At a friend’s house.”

“What one, dear, we spoke to all of your friends?”

“Does it matter? You just said that I didn’t need to explain.” I climbed into bed and folded my arms, annoyed at her questioning.

“I’m sorry honey,” she said. “I suppose we can talk about it another time.” She looked and sounded on edge and I watched her nervously fidgeting, unable to keep still. It was a familiar trait of hers. She would make herself feverishly busy whenever something was worrying her.

“How’s Amy?” As far as I was concerned, she was the only one in the family now with a perfect record. She had always been loyal to me, no matter what and I had been thinking about her a lot.

“She’s good, she’s coming to visit you with Nicola.” It put a smile on my face but I knew that I would be in trouble with her sister. “I know you’re angry with me,” said Sue. “And I don’t blame you. I promised you that things would be okay and they weren’t…that wasn’t how it was supposed to be.”

“It’s not your fault,” I mumbled. “I didn’t run away because of anything you did. It’s him who I have a problem with.” I couldn’t bear to even mention his name and she must have picked up on it.

“Don regrets what he said, dear and he wants to talk to you, to apologise. He’ll be here later.”

“Tell him not to bother, I don’t wanna talk to him.”

“Robbie, you must try….”

“NO! I don’t have to try anything. He made his views clear to me, I wanna go back but I can’t live in a house where I’m gonna be persecuted because of my sexuality.”

“You won't be persecuted,” she said. “I promise. At least give him a chance to explain.”

“Will I be allowed to see Nathan?” I studied her face as she fumbled for an answer and it was clear who was still calling the shots at home.

I turned on my side and closed my eyes, trying to block Don from my head. It was upsetting enough to even think about him, I definitely wasn’t ready to talk to him. Sue reached over to push my hair out of my eyes and change the subject. “It’s no wonder you can see sometimes,” she said. “You’ll have to get your hair cut.”

“I like it as it is, it suits me.”

“It’s a mess.”

“That’s what I mean.”

“Your life doesn’t have to be a mess Robbie; sometimes you’re your own worst enemy. I know that it was wrong of him to say those things to you, and I know how much they would have hurt you, but running away wasn’t going to solve anything.”

I turned my head towards her, thinking about what she had just said. I wasn’t so sure that she was right. Running away may not have solved everything, but I doubt if things would have been any better for me if I hadn’t of stood up to Don. I was sure that my actions, however immature, would force him into making at least some concessions which otherwise he wouldn’t have considered.

‘No such thing as bad publicity’, was something that my mom always used to say, but I couldn’t be bothered explaining my philosophy to the woman who had taken over from her.

“I’m sorry Sue, but I’m tired, I was woken up kinda early this morning.”

“Okay hun, I’ll let you get some rest.” She told me that she would pop back later but as she stood up to leave the curtains flew open and we were joined by a rosy cheeked Amy and her out-of-breath older sister.

“It’s my birthday next week,” she said after jumping on the bed to give me a hug.

“Yes, I know, it’s on….” I panicked looking towards Nicola for help and she mouthed ‘Wednesday’ to me and then rolled her eyes. “It’s on Wednesday, isn’t it?”

“You remembered,” said Amy as she pulled away and sat down.

“Of course, I wouldn’t forget your birthday, would I?”

Nicola’s face told a different story. “I am so angry at you, you know that?” she said and then kissed me on the cheek. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, thanks.”

“Where were you Robbie,” asked Amy.

“I was staying with a friend,”

“You’re an ass!” said Nicola. “I’m not joking either, you had us all worried.” I shook my head but she wasn’t finished. “Don’t give me that look, I was worried sick about you and you didn’t even bother to call.”

“You don’t understand, I couldn’t.”

“I understand how selfish you are.”

“Nicola,” warned Sue. “Please, this isn’t the time and Robbie’s here to rest remember.”

“I know,” she said. “But he knows I love him.”

‘I do’?

“And that’s why I’m so annoyed at him.” She was right and I lacked the will power for an argument. Maybe our days of fighting like cat and dog were finally over. Since my accident, I had been unable to summon up the same hatred that I once had for her. It was frustrating but at least it was reciprocated.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you worry,” I said but we were interrupted by Nicola’s phone.

‘There I go again being all sorry and nice, what’s wrong with me’?

“I have to get to work,” Sue said to Amy. “You can stay here with Nicola and Robbie.” Then she came over to give me another torturous hug, which threatened to cut off my air-supply.

“Sue, before you go…I just wanna say….”

“It’s okay honey, you don’t have to apologise, it wasn’t your fault.”

I nodded cautiously. “I know that,” I said. “I wasn’t going to say sorry. I wanted to ask if you could call Nathan for me and let him know where I am?”

She smiled awkwardly and put her hand on my shoulder as Nicola walked back in and handed me her phone. “He’s right here.”

“What? Hello.”

“Hi there sexy,” said Nathan, and no three words spoken by anyone had ever excited me as much. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t anything as nice as that, and I melted into the phone like butter.

“You’re not angry?” I ventured.

“No, of course not. I’m just happy that your back safe. I missed you and your phone has been switched off for three days.”

“Sorry, I missed you too,” I said trying to keep my voice normal and hide my sloppy grin. “But I’m not at home, I’m in the hospital.”

“I know, can I come over to suck you? Oops, sorry, I mean see you,” he chuckled. I waved at Sue as she left and felt myself blushing as Nicola watched on curiously.

“Don’t be sorry, you can do both if you want,” I whispered into the phone as Nicola rolled her eyes.

“I’d like that. I wish that we could have some time alone.”

“So do I.”

“How long will they keep you in?”

“A couple of days I think, but I feel okay. They just want me to rest and I do feel kinda tired.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll give you a thorough examination you when I get there,” he said.

I chewed my lip in anticipation. “I can’t wait.”

He hadn’t said anything particularly naughty but his voice was deep and erotic and it was beginning to cause me problems. The hospital gown that Lorna had insisted I wear and the thin bed linen offered little resistance to a determined stiffie, so to avoid an embarrassing situation with Amy there, I tried to change the subject, pronto.

“So how did?” I said in a squeaky voice that bore no resemblance to my usual tones. “How did it go in Ottawa?” It was a good choice; I knew that there was nothing more effective at killing a boner than talking about a dead person.

“I’ll tell you about it when I see you.”

“When will that be?”

“In about an hour,” he said. “That’s if you’re still up for it? Are you…up for it, Robbie? Because I am.”

‘Bastard’.

“Yes,” I croaked.

“Good, I’m gonna get my sister to drive me. Take your clothes off.”

“What? They are off.”

“Good. Love you.”

I looked to Nicola, unsure of how to end our conversation, while Nathan waited for a response. “I love you too,” I said very quickly and ended the call as Nicola shook her head at my stupidity.

“That was cute,” she whispered as I handed back her phone. “But the rest of the call was just sex wasn’t it?”

“Pretty much,” I admitted as Amy giggled in the background.

After six days of little or no contact with my boyfriend, our little chat—filled with the usual sauce and double entendres—left me feeling giddy and floaty. It was as if we had just met again and I couldn’t wait to see him.

‘Maybe we can grab a quick kiss with the curtains closed’?

Anything else would surely have to wait for a more appropriate time, but I was longing for that too. After four days of repelling Alex’s formidable charm offensive, I was ready for some well-deserved boy sex with my lovable partner.

I was proud of myself for not caving into my friend’s advances and it felt good. I had sailed dangerously close to the edge, perhaps closer than I should have, but remained true and I was sure that because of that, our next time together—whenever that was to be—would be the best and most exciting experience ever.

“Who were you talking to?” asked Amy. “Your new girlfriend?”

“Kind of.”

“You could say that,” said Nicola.

“It was probably Nathan,” said Amy. It took me by surprise but I didn’t deny it and when I looked at Nicola, she shook her head to tell me that it wasn’t her. It didn’t matter, I was no longer hiding from anyone, except maybe Don.

“He was angry when you left,” said Nicola. “Then they had a big argument and he went out to look for you, but not for long. He was sure that you would be back before the end of the day, but I knew you wouldn’t.”

It made me laugh. “I thought that he was gonna chase me and call the police.”

“He called them the next morning when he realised that you didn’t come home; that was when things started to get bad.”

‘So the police weren’t even looking for me when I ducked into Walter’s garden’.

“What do mean, started to get bad?”

“I wanna know what happened this morning first,” she said. “With the police. Were you arrested or something?”

“No, we didn’t do anything wrong.”

“We? Who were you with?”

“I can’t tell you.” Nicola frowned at me but I was spared her wrath by the arrival of Lorna to take my blood pressure. It kept Amy amused for a while but she was getting restless.

“I’m gonna take her home,” said Nicola. “You’ll probably want to have some time alone with your friend when he gets here.”

“Nathan,” said Amy with a big grin on her face.

‘She knows too much’.

“She’s probably been listening to people talking,” said Nicola

‘What’s that supposed to mean’?

“I’ll be back,” she said and there were times when Nicola did remind me of the Terminator but they were becoming less frequent and before she left, she gave me a sweet smile that had me grinning back at her. There was a lot of love wrapped up in that smile and I wondered why she had hidden it from me for so long.

* * * * *

“They told me that you were at Alex Baker’s house,” said Sue when she returned at lunchtime. “Was you there all the time?”

“Yes,” I said and she obviously knew nothing about him because she seemed relieved.

“You look a little better now, have you eaten?”

“Yes, and I managed to get some sleep when Nicola left.” Then she delivered the big news.

“Don’s coming here straight from work, he’s finishing early today. You’ll feel a lot better once you’ve talked to him and he’s cleared the air.”

‘No, I won’t’.

I didn’t share her enthusiasm, but there was little that I could do to stop him. It had been an eventful morning and with Don and Nathan both supposedly on their way over to visit me, the afternoon promised to be just as interesting.

“Has Daniel said anything to you?” He was another one who had been playing on my mind continuously since leaving. His hot and cold approach over the last few weeks had confused me, but I still considered his approval to be fundamental. I wouldn’t be able to room with him if he hated me.

“He’s been worried about you and he’s been talking a lot to Nathan. He’s going to be okay about all of this, don’t worry.” It was too late for that.

“I kinda miss him.”

She reached out to touch my arm as my face lit up at the unmistakable sound of Nathan’s excited voice asking the nurse where I was.

“I’d better get back,” said Due but I got the impression that her sudden departure was more of a tactical withdrawal, to any embarrassment. It wasn’t as if we were going to be able to do anything naughty, but after a little absence, I guess that she was expecting at least some degree of wanton behaviour.

Nathan entered the fray just as Sue was leaving but she made a point of asking him how he was and then pulling him in for a hug and kissing him on the cheek. He pulled a little face at me as she was giving him a squeeze and I giggled at his loveable antics.

My eyes barely left him as he kissed my aunt and held the curtain open for her, before allowing it to fall on his sister’s face as she tried to wave at me. He was in fine form acting like the showman and looking exquisite in a new pair of designer jeans with a few tears in some interesting places.

He winked, raised his eyebrows, and puckered his lips before sitting down next to me on the bed, putting his hand behind my head and leaning forward for a kiss. It was another ‘take me by surprise’ moment from my supposedly once shy boyfriend and he wasn’t holding back either as he forced his way into my mouth with a darting tongue that begged for attention. With Karen outside talking to Sue I found it impossible to resist him and when I felt his hand resting conveniently against my todger, I closed my eyes and allowed him to dictate the action. It was a good minute or two before he pulled gently away from me with a dazzling toothy smile and a gentle squeeze of my balls.

It took me a while to recover as he sat up smiling at me. “A simple hello would have done, but wow, that was really cool. Have you been practising?”

“Yeah,” he said, “with the cat. What do you think of the jeans?”

Nathan didn’t have a cat but I loved his jeans. “They’re wicked, did you do this yourself?” I poked my finger through the rip above his knee to make contact with some bare skin.

“No,” he said, “but I did the one on my ass.” He stood up and turned his back to me to show me the tear on his backside and I obliged by putting my finger through it to poke his cheek through a layer of boxer shorts.

“If you play your cards right, then I might allow more than your finger through it,” he said as his sister joined us and gave him a slap across his thigh.

“Hey sweetie, so are you out on parole or you still gotta serve some time?” she said as she pushed her brother out of the way to give me a kiss. I turned my cheek to her but she aimed straight for my lips instead, with a cheeky but moist little peck.

Nathan eyed his sister suspiciously as she sat in the chair and then inched his way further up the bed until he was close enough for me to smell his deodorant. “Did they really raid the house where you were staying?” he said. I wasn’t sure how much he knew or where he had got his information from but I had already decided that honesty was the only sensible option.

“Yes, at five o’clock in the morning, pointing guns at us.”

“It must have been scary,” said Karen.

“Yeah, it was horrible and they handcuffed me too, and I was only wearing my underpants.”

“Kinky,” he said. “Did you get any photographs?”

“No.”

“Pity, we’ll have to re-create it. Dad’s gonna let me build a set in the garage to make a movie.” I loved it when he talked about movies; he was so passionate and would always get excited, which made me excited too and I think he noticed.

“That’s really cool Nathan, what movies are you gonna be making?”

“Mostly gay porn,” he said matter-of-factly. “I plan to turn Cobourg into the gay porn capital of Canada. No, make that North America.”

“How about the world?”

“I don’t wanna aim too big,” he said. “I need to keep it real and it may be hard to find the right actors.”

“Or to find actors that are hard,” I said and he laughed with Karen.

“What will happen when you go back home, Robbie? Will we still be able to see each other?”

“Who can stop you?” asked Karen. “You go to the same school.”

“I don’t know if Don will allow you to visit anymore though,” I said.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. You know he’s has called my dad and talked to him about us?”

“I didn’t know that I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

I don’t know why I suddenly felt the need to apologise for something that Don did, but I couldn’t imagine him seeing eye to eye with Nathan’s scatty, but very understanding father. Whenever I thought about his dad, I would picture the huge assortment of condoms which he had bought for his son after finding out about us. We had hardly managed to make a dent in them but I still considered it the coolest thing that any dad could have done.

“Maybe my parents will allow you to stay over at our house for a while?” he said. “Until we go back to school or something.”

“Do you think they would?”

“As long as you guys sleep in separate rooms,” said Karen. “You should ask them. Actually, Robbie could share with me.”

“NO WAY!” he said. “He already has a previous conviction with a girl.”

“I don’t think that would go down too well with your parents either.”

“But you could sleep in the basement, we could make you up a little bedroom down there and then I could sneak down in the middle of the night and we could….” He looked over at his sister. “We could…play cards.”

“Oh yeah, cards. I’m not falling for that trick again.”

“Nathan’s pretty good at cards,” said Karen.

“Tell me about it.” Nathan looked at us with a wide-eyed expression of innocence. He wasn’t fooling either of us but I forgave him because he looked so adorable wearing that face. It made him look even more desirable, if that was possible.

“Haven’t you got to do something,” asked Nathan.

“I can take a hint,” said Karen and she stood up to leave us alone. “Be quick though and don’t make a mess, I’ll be back in ten.” I could never figure out if Karen was joking or not when she made that kind of remark, but I laughed anyway as she closed the curtains behind her.

As soon as we were alone, Nathan was on me like a rash, determined to make the most of our ten minutes and this time I was better prepared.

“Don’t, we haven’t got time,” I said when I felt his hand slide under the sheet to rub my assets. He looked dejected but it didn’t stop him having a quick grope and another slow kiss.

Whenever this happened to me, I always found it difficult to keep track of time but it didn’t feel anything like ten minutes when the curtain opened. It made us both jump and he pulled his hand away, but thinking that it was only his sister, Nathan’s lips remained glued to my face.

Until Don cleared his throat.