Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
“So.” Ewan aimed to keep the conversation away from anything that would give him a hard-on. “Tell me more about your family. What are they like? What do your parents do? Where’s home for you? Wow, that’s a lot of questions, sorry.” He smiled.
Dev smiled too. “That’s okay. I like questions. It means I know what to say, so there’s no awkward silences.”
If it was anyone else, Ewan would think he was joking, but with Dev, he knew it was the truth.
“So.” Dev ticked his replies off on his fingers as he answered. “My family are… I don’t know, pretty great, I guess? I get on well with my parents most of the time. I have a sister—she’s six years older, so she doesn’t live at home anymore. My dad’s a doctor, and my mum works for a charity. They live in Oxford.”
“Do they know you’re gay?” Ewan asked.
“Yes.” Dev scooped some of the cream off the top of his milkshake with a straw. “I told them when I was seventeen, but I think they’d guessed ages before. I’d never been interested in girls, and I’d plastered my bedroom wall with burly superheroes and sometimes footballers or rugby players, even though I hate sports. That was a bit of a giveaway, I think.” He popped the cream in his mouth, his dark eyes fixed on Ewan as his lips closed around the straw.
“I guess it would be. And are they okay with it?”
“Yeah, they are. But my dad’s brother is gay, so he kind of forged the way for me. I think things were tough for him when he came out. My grandparents weren’t at all understanding. He hid it for a long time.” Dev had a faraway look and his mouth turned down. “I feel lucky I didn’t have to do that. So, how about you? Tell me about your family. Same questions.”
“Okay, well,” Ewan tried to remember what he’d asked Dev. “I’m from Edinburgh. My dad works in finance and my mum’s a nurse. I’ve got a younger brother and a younger sister, both still at school. My family’s okay. I wouldn’t say we were close, but we’re not super dysfunctional either. Both my parents work too hard, so they’re grumpy and stressed a lot of the time. It’s kind of a relief to be away from that, but I miss them too.”
“And do they know you’re gay?”
“Yeah. I came out when I had a boyfriend at school. We both wanted to tell our families. It was a shock to my parents. They really didn’t see it coming, and although they’re okay with it—like they say all the right things and are supportive and all—” Ewan paused trying to find the right words to describe how he felt around his parents. “—I dunno. Something’s changed. They look at me differently now, as if I’m not the same person I was before? Maybe it’s just me being paranoid, but that’s how I feel.” Ewan stopped, embarrassed at spilling his guts to Dev like that. He fiddled with a teaspoon, staring at his warped reflection in the metal, unwilling to meet Dev’s gaze and show his vulnerability.
Dev reached across the table and took the teaspoon out of Ewan’s hand, then tangled their fingers together and squeezed. The sympathetic touch eased the ache in Ewan’s chest. He let his gaze slide up to meet Dev’s and saw understanding there. He gave Dev a tentative smile.
“Well, look who it is!” A loud, mocking voice from behind Ewan made Dev start and drop Ewan’s hand as though it were on fire.
Ewan turned to see a group of three blokes, all with matching mocking grins on their faces as they looked at him and Dev.
“Hey, Devreem.” The same voice as before, belonging to a skinny guy with brown hair, a scruffy half-arsed attempt at a beard, and mean eyes. “You finally found someone with a real dick to fuck, then? Look out, mate,” he addressed Ewan. “This one’s into some weird shit.”
Ewan pushed his chair back with a screech and squared up to him. “What’s your fucking problem?”
Beardy Guy’s attitude shifted immediately to unease. Ewan was taller, bigger, and angrier than he was, and he suddenly looked as though he realised he was picking on the wrong guy. “I… uh….”
Ewan continued in a menacing tone. “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t give a shit because you’re not worth my time. But you and your friends are interrupting us, so why don’t you fuck off before I break your nose.”
Ewan had barely been in a fight in his life, but he’d played rugby at school and was pretty sure he could handle this twat. Beardy Guy’s two sidekicks were already backing off, so it didn’t look like he was going to get much support from them.