Total pages in book: 150
Estimated words: 143633 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 718(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 479(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 143633 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 718(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 479(@300wpm)
Julian tried to make him feel right at home as soon as we’d made our introductions and Lola had pulled me in for a hug. Lola was the counter to him right now, excited and buzzing, commenting on how cool everything was as she stepped into our living room.
“I love your sofa!” she said, pointing to our old one, and I grinned at her.
“Me too.”
“It’s not all that great to sit on,” Julian chuckled.
“Can I try it out?” Lola asked, and Julian gestured with a smile.
“Be our guest, since you are one.”
She dropped down and bounced her butt on it, rearranging the brocade cushions behind her as Peter hovered, awkward, watching her. He was beaming, though. She had him transfixed as a partner, and that was obvious. No surprise though, as she looked amazing, with two braids, tied up with purple ribbon. Her dress was purple to match, and she had big black boots on, at odds with her long, skinny legs. She always looked fantastic. No wonder Peter had gone crazy for her. For her looks as well as her mind.
“This sofa is absolutely great,” Lola said. “You’re being harsh.”
“Most likely,” Julian replied, and then he slapped Peter kindly on the shoulder. “What would you like? Tea? Coffee? Wine? Whisky? How about you, Lola? What can I get for you?”
“I’ll have a wine if there’s one going, please,” she said.
“Of course. Red or white?”
“White, please.”
Julian looked at Peter again, and I adored the way his eyes were so caring, trying his best to put our new friend at ease. “And you, Peter?”
“I’ll have a whisky, please.”
“And wine for you, sweetheart?” Julian asked me, knowing full well I’d say yes. I was coming to enjoy it more and more.
He walked over to the kitchen and invited Peter to accompany him to choose from the selection of whiskies he had on the shelf. I sat next to Lola and grinned at her. It felt weird but amazing to have visitors in this place. The first time it had ever happened.
“Julian’s really hot,” she whispered. “He’s not all that far off from one of the cover guys. I could make a really good version of him. He’s going to age even better. Grey hair will really suit him.”
It would, yeah. He was in his usual kind of suit, and no matter how many times I saw him in them, they always drove me crazy. He was looking less lean in them now. Filling out nicely – no doubt because of the fantastic dinners he was sharing with me.
“Peter looks great, too,” I told her. “He’s got that rough kind of stubble which makes him look hardcore.”
“He’s always hardcore, and he always looks great, but he’s so edgy tonight. Kind of assumes everyone judges him and hates him wherever he goes. He’s not like it at all when it’s just me and him. He’s funny and confident, and a beast in the bedroom, and it’s so shit to see the effect the world has on him. It’s like he feels he’s some kind of criminal, even now.”
I knew what she was talking about. I could still feel the sense down deep in Julian that he saw himself as a pervert who didn’t deserve anything nice in life anymore, but he was coming to terms with it. Slowly. I could see him glowing a little bit brighter every day, people’s stares deflected more easily. But Julian’s story around here was different. He’d been through much worse than here when he was cast out and banished from Oxford. Crenham was just the dessert after a mega rancid main course. To Peter, Dine’s Green must still mean a lot. Everything.
“Do you ever think about moving away and starting over?” I asked her.
“Yeah, we’ve talked about it, a lot, but I don’t want to leave Mum. And college. It’s just not right yet.”
I heard some laughter from the kitchen from both Julian and Peter, and Peter seemed a little more comfortable when they came back through to the living room. Julian handed over our wines before sitting down on our new sofa to the side.
“Cheers to us,” Julian said. “Partners in crime, the whole sorry group of us.”
“Here’s to friends, finally. Or I hope so,” Lola said in return, and looked over at Peter, sitting happily alongside Julian.
It didn’t take long to find out that we could very much be friends, all four of us. Conversation flowed easily for two couples who’d only just met. Lola shared Julian’s dry, sarcastic sense of humour and they were laughing like they’d known each other for years within minutes, and that loosened Peter up, loads, I could see it. I chipped in with laughter and comments, but I loved being an observer. I stared at my partner enjoying himself socially, and got my first real insight into how he must have been in Oxford, before his life fell apart. He was socially charming, and confident, curious and interested in what people were saying. It made my heart glow.