Someone Like You

by L. M. Brown

  SOMEONE LIKE YOU

  By

  L.M. Brown

  Copyright

  Someone Like You

  Copyright © 2019 by L.M. Brown

  First E-book Publication: December 2012

  Reissue Date: December 2019

  Cover design by Art by Meredith (Meredith Russell)

  Editor: No Stone Unturned Editing

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The Licensed Art Material is being used for illustrative purposes only; any person depicted in the Licensed Art Material, is a model. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to prosecution. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission of the author.

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Thank you for purchasing this book. I hope you enjoy the story. If you like my stories, please feel free to spread the word and tell others, but please refrain from sharing this book in any form. If you see this book or any other written by me offered on pirate sites, please report the same to: lmbrownauthor@gmail.com

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Table of Contents

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Epilogue

  More Seasonal Stories

  About the Author

  Books by L.M. Brown

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Trademark: Copyright Holder

  iPod: Apple Inc.

  Chapter One

  “It has not been possible to connect your call. Please try again later.”

  Todd Hunter glared at his phone with a frostiness that matched the weather forecast for the holidays. He didn’t know why he’d expected to hear anything other than the same annoying message that had greeted him every time he’d tried to reach Deacon Jones since Todd had left for university. It was as though his boyfriend had dropped off the face of the earth.

  “Hunter!” Todd turned to see Mick Tyler waving at him from the train window. “Hurry up, unless you want to spend the holidays alone in the dorm.”

  Todd grabbed his bag and ran onto the train right before the door closed behind him. He was heading home for the first time since starting university at the end of September. It would also be the first opportunity he’d have to see Deacon since he’d left. Other than a couple of phone calls during Freshers’ week, Todd had not heard from his boyfriend at all. October had brought with it a deafening silence which had continued for the rest of the year. Todd wasn’t ashamed to admit he was starting to worry and wishing he’d picked a university closer to home.

  Mick grabbed the bag from him and hoisted the duffle up onto the luggage rack. “Cutting things a bit fine there, weren’t you?”

  “Just trying to get hold of Deacon again.”

  “Don’t waste your battery on him. Give your parents a call, and tell them what time the train pulls in, like you promised.”

  “I don’t consider trying Deacon a waste of battery,” Todd grumbled as he phoned his parents.

  Mick waited until Todd had finished on the phone before he spoke again. “He probably just changed his number and forgot to get your digits off his old one. My girlfriend did that once. I couldn’t get hold of her for four days.”

  “I’ve not spoken to Deacon in three months. He hasn’t replied to any of my letters either. I even sent my brother round to his place to find out if anything was wrong.”

  “Was he there?”

  “He said there was no one in. I asked him to try again, but he told me to move on and find someone else.”

  “It sounds like good advice to me. You’re only nineteen. Why do you want to tie yourself down?”

  Todd turned to look out of the window as they left the city behind and made their way into the countryside. His parents had said the same thing to him when he’d confided his worries to them. No one seemed to understand. He didn’t consider being with Deacon as tying himself down. In his mind, Deacon was “the one”, and he couldn’t see the point in continuing the search for Mr Right when he had already found him. The only problem was Deacon had seemingly walked out of Todd’s life without any explanation, and Todd had no idea why.

  * * * *

  Deacon tossed the oily rag onto the workbench and let out a contented sigh at a job well done. He had been working on the vehicle all morning and most of the previous day. When he’d started looking for the cause of the strange noise the motorbike was making, he’d been unsure if the job would be done before they closed for the holidays. He had finished the repairs with time to spare.

  “You finished?” Billy Wright, the owner of Wright’s Repairs, and Deacon’s employer, asked as he popped his head round the door.

  “Yep. She’s purring like a kitten.”

  Billy snorted. “She should be growling like a tiger. This is my pride and joy.”

  Deacon laughed. “I know, and you know I’m grateful for you trusting me with her.”

  Billy picked up the dirty rag and flicked it at Deacon’s hip, but Deacon wasn’t quite quick enough to avoid the snap of the fabric. “Only because if you did any damage to her, I know where you live.”

  Deacon grinned at the familiar teasing. Of course Billy knew where he lived. He was his landlord as well as his boss.

  “Have you decided what you’re doing for Christmas?” Billy asked.

  His good mood evaporated, and Deacon pushed away from the bench to start gathering up the tools. He’d actually managed to forget the holidays were approaching for all of an hour or two. This year would be the first Christmas he hadn’t spent with his father and brother, and Deacon wasn’t sure what he was going to do instead. He had hoped to spend the holidays with Billy, but the older man had been suspiciously silent about his own plans and had been dropping some not-very-subtle hints about Deacon reconciling with his family.

  “You could go and see them,” Billy suggested. “It’s the season of goodwill to all men after all.”

  It seemed like the hinting was over, and the blunt advice had begun. “I don’t think it extends towards queers. My dad would say I show too much goodwill to men and kick me right out the door if I dare to set foot in the house.” Deacon slammed the lid of the toolbox shut and glared at it as though the case was at fault.

  Billy casually moved a couple of the sharper tools out of Deacon’s reach. “I know your dad isn’t exactly in the running for father of the year, but have you even tried to smooth things over?”

  “Have you forgotten he threw me out?” Deacon snapped. “Kicked me to the curb with nothing except the clothes on my back. The bastard wouldn’t even let me pack my stuff.”

  “You could have tried going back after the shock had worn off.”

  Deacon ignored the comment, mainly because he knew it to be true and he couldn’t think of a good enough argument as to why he hadn’t bothered. He didn’t think being a stubborn arse would wash with Billy.

  “It could have been worse,” Billy said as he ran a hand absentmindedly along his jaw. Deacon could see the s
car Billy’s own father had given him on finding out his son was gay. Billy was right; it could have been worse. At least Deacon’s father, for all his faults, had never laid a hand on him or his brother. Of course, that could have been because his drunken reflexes were too slow on that particular night. Deacon couldn’t recall ever seeing him so angry.

  “I’ll think about it. Maybe I’ll send them a card or something.”

  Billy’s smile was one of approval. “And what about Todd?”

  “What about him?”

  “Don’t play stupid, you know what I mean. He’ll be coming home for the holidays, won’t he?”

  “I suppose so.”

  “And what are you going to do when he shows up here?”

  “He won’t.”

  “You don’t think he might want to know why you’ve been ignoring him for months?”

  “I doubt he’ll care. It’s been ages. He’ll have moved on by now, we both have.”

  Billy turned Deacon to face him. “You can lie to me as much as you like, but you can’t lie to yourself. I know you still love him. This is a small town, and it won’t take him long to track you down. He’ll want answers when he gets here, so you better make your mind up what you’re going to say to him when he arrives.”

  “I’ll tell him to fuck off back to his precious university, and that’ll be it.” Deacon nodded firmly and stalked from the garage.

  “You think maybe he deserves better after three years?” Billy shouted after him. Deacon pretended he hadn’t heard.

  Chapter Two

  “Todd!” His bag fell to the floor as he staggered under his mother’s embrace. “You made it back.”

  “Of course I did.” Todd squeezed his mum tightly as he tried to steer her into the house and out of the heavy snowfall.

  “I thought maybe the snow would have kept you down south.”

  “There isn’t any down there. I didn’t see a single flake until we came through the midlands, and it wasn’t enough to stop the trains.”

  He closed the door behind him and went to greet the rest of the family. Tammy was camped out in front of the television with enough makeup scattered around to start her own cosmetics store. Todd wondered whether buying her more for Christmas had been a good idea or not. Considering the mess she was making, he should probably have bought her a case to keep it all in.

  “Todd!” she squealed when she spotted him up. “Come here, and let me practice on you.”

  Todd laughed and shook his head as he backed towards the door. “No chance. I might be gay, but I don’t do makeup.”

  “Richie said you would,” Tammy whined as she brandished a brush in his direction. It sounded like something Richard would say. At two years younger than Todd but two years older than Tammy, their brother was the joker of the family.

  Todd ignored her and followed his nose to the kitchen. Thomas Hunter, a chef and the owner of one of the most popular restaurants in town, had always been reluctant to let anyone else loose in any of his kitchens and stood at the stove stirring the bubbling contents of a pan.

  “Hi, Dad.”

  His father didn’t even glance up to answer. “There you are. How was the journey?”

  “Not too bad. The train was only ten minutes late.”

  “You should have got a taxi.”

  “It’d have cost a fortune all the way up here.”

  “It’s not like we can’t afford it.”

  Todd switched on the kettle and hopped up onto the stool while he waited for it to boil. “The train’s quicker anyway.”

  “I suppose. Where’s your mother disappeared to?”

  Todd leaned back precariously on his seat and looked back into the hallway. “It looks like she’s picked up my bag, so I’m guessing she’s in the utility room sorting out my washing.”

  His father nodded and held out a spoon for Todd to taste. “What do you think about this?” he asked.

  Todd blew on the steaming spoon and ventured a taste. The sauce was hot and spicy and not at all like his father’s usual dishes. “It’s a bit strong for me,” he admitted.

  “I thought I’d try something a bit different this year.”

  “We’re not having turkey?”

  “Of course we are. I meant for Christmas Eve. We’re having guests over.”

  “Guests?” Todd could hear the alarm bells ringing already. “Who?”

  “Just the Barretts from down the road.” The sigh of relief when he heard the name of the elderly couple was cut abruptly short by his father’s next words. “They have their grandson staying with them for the holidays this year. His parents just separated, and they thought a change of scene might be good for him. Just until things settle down.”

  “And?” Todd’s instincts told him there was more to the story than his father had so far revealed.

  “And nothing.”

  “Dad!”

  Thomas sighed and faked a casual shrug. “Okay, so Liam’s gay, and we thought you two might get along.”

  Todd jumped off the stool and marched to the cupboard that contained the mugs. “I knew it. I knew you and Mum would be trying to set me up. Didn’t you listen to anything I said in the summer?”

  “Who said anything about setting you up?” his father asked innocently. “Though, it’s not like you’re seeing anyone right now. What’s the harm in getting to know him?”

  “I’m seeing Deacon, remember.”

  “When we spoke last week you said you still hadn’t heard from him.”

  Todd slammed the mug onto the counter and went to the fridge for the milk. “And I intend to track him down as soon as I can and find out what’s going on between us, but until Deacon himself tells me our relationship is over I don’t need you setting me up.”

  “It’s not like we’re forcing you into an arranged marriage. It’s just a family dinner with some neighbours.”

  Todd smiled at his father coldly. “Does that mean I can invite Deacon over for dinner too?” The silence was all the answer he needed. “I didn’t think so.”

  He finished making his cup of tea in sullen silence and went through to the living room where Tammy and Richie were fighting over the remote control. He ruffled Richie’s hair as he passed them, more to annoy him in retaliation for volunteering Todd as a makeup dummy than through affection. Nothing had changed in the months he had been away.

  “Did Dad tell you about Liam?” Richie asked as he straightened his hair back the way it had been. “He’s studying law, and he’s already got a job lined up at his father’s practice.”

  “Bully for him.”

  “What’s up with you?” Tammy asked as she used Richie’s distraction to finally commandeer the remote control from him.

  “I don’t need Mum and Dad setting me up with a boyfriend.”

  “Why not?”

  Todd gave Tammy a knowing look. “Would you like them to set you up?”

  “Hell no!”

  “I rest my case. Why can’t they just mind their own business?”

  Richie snickered quietly. “Mum’s been talking about going to a gay pride festival too.”

  “Heaven help me,” Todd groaned. “Why can’t we have normal parents? You know, ones who hit the roof when their son tells them he’s gay and then never talk about it again.”

  Surprisingly it was Tammy who responded to his complaint. “You selfish git! Do you know how many gay kids there are living on the streets because their parents throw them out? I bet they’d be grateful to have a mother who wants to go to a festival and support them. They’d be happy if their dad wanted to help them find a nice boyfriend. You should be thankful we have such great parents instead of complaining about them.”

  Todd bristled after the chastisement from his fifteen-year-old sister. Sighing to himself he went back into the kitchen.

  “I’m not going to date this Liam,” he said before his father could speak. “Just so you know that. I’m still with Deacon, and even if he’s forgotten about me, I’ve not
forgotten him.”

  His father didn’t shift his attention away from the stove. “I just think you can do so much better than him.”

  “You used to think he was a nice lad,” Todd reminded him.

  “That was before you started talking about being with him after university. You’re only nineteen. Deacon Jones as a first boyfriend while you’re in school is one thing, but if you’re serious about a career in politics then you need the right kind of partner. Making your mark in the world will be hard enough for you as it is, without someone like him holding you back.”

  “Geez, Dad. Do you have any idea how snobby you sound?”

  “We’re just thinking of your future. What if you do make it in politics? What if the press decides to do a little digging into your past—into his past—and discovers where he came from?”

  “Then they’ll know how hard he’s worked to make something of his life.” Todd had lost count of the number of nights Deacon had snuck into his room to study because things were too tense at home for him to concentrate.

  “They’ll know about his father, the town drunk, his drug-dealing brother, and the mother who ran out on them when the boys were kids. The press would have a field day with the dirt they could dig up on them.”

  Todd’s clenched his fists. “Deacon isn’t his family.”

  “I never said he was, but you have to think about how it looks.”

  Todd was fighting a losing battle. They’d had this conversation numerous times through the summer after he’d left school, and he was well aware they would never agree.

  Chapter Three

  Todd’s room hadn’t changed since he’d left for university. The basement room was just as he had left it, including the high window which had enabled Deacon to sneak in to see him and for Todd to sneak out just as often.

  He fell asleep dreaming about one of those nights, hoping even as his eyes closed that he would hear the familiar tapping at the window.