by Chris Cheek
This one was stone built, with a large bay window on the ground floor. Inside there were three receptions rooms and a small kitchen on the ground floor, together with three bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor. It had a small front garden slightly above the road, with a short flight of steps leading up to the front door.
David looked at his old friend. “Jeez, lots of memories, eh, Al?”
Alan nodded, his heart too full to allow him to speak. They stood for a moment before Alan moved to open the door. “Come on, Davy, let’s do this.”
He put the key in the lock and that simple act brought memories flooding back: how the lock moved and sounded; the slight creak in the hinges as it opened; the familiar smell. Eucalyptus and pine competed for their attention, as they had always done. He closed his eyes. It could have been any day of any year when he was between the ages of nine and eighteen, and he braced himself for the slightly irascible tone of Auntie Mary’s voice.
The words “Alan, is that you?” had a tone about them that implied trouble; it was as if she were waiting for him to come in so she could admonish him for some sin or other, whether of omission or commission. In practice, he’d rarely been in trouble during his nine years with her. She’d been remarkably tolerant and he’d been eternally grateful, which made for a good relationship.
No, the greeting had merely been her habitual one in her usual tone of voice. Now, though, the silence was a shock, especially since everything in the place exuded a sort of spooky normality. Looking through to the kitchen, Alan saw that her breakfast pots had been washed and left on the draining board to dry. Her shopping list was on the worktop, ready for her planned departure on the morning she’d had her first stroke.
Everything was in its correct place; the house looked much as it had when he’d left home six years before. It was more faded than he remembered, and slightly neglected; there was a light film of dust, probably inevitable since the place had lain empty for a week since his aunt had been taken off to hospital. On the sideboard, flowers in a tall vase were drooping from their age and lack of water.
There was ironing ready to do in a laundry basket. A cake tin contained a new batch of small cakes dotted with currants; they had always been his favourite and had been a staple of Auntie Mary’s weekly bake for many years.
Alan felt his throat tighten once more as he saw so much that was comfortable and familiar. He was rediscovering it all, only for it to be wrenched away from him again by the passage of time and his aunt’s death.
Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, squeezing. “It’s all right, Al, let it go. I’ve got you.”
He turned and looked at David, smiling into his eyes. “Thanks,” he said, before sinking into David’s embrace and starting to sob his heart out once again.
Chapter 11
David
“Thanks,” Alan said, as he accepted a mug of tea.
“It’s only dried milk,” said David. “But I found it in the cupboard and thought it was better than none at all.”
Alan took a sip. “It’s fine, Davy. Just what the doctor ordered.”
“Feeling better?”
Alan nodded. “Yes, thanks. I don’t know what’s the matter with me this week. I don’t think I’ve ever been so tearful.”
“It’s the shock, I expect. You’d barely come to terms with the fact that she was ill and then bang, she’s gone. She was a wonderful woman, too. Always very kind to me, even if she did think I was a bad influence.”
“Did she? She never said that to me.”
David nodded. “Aye. I’ll never forget it. We’d been in trouble about something at school – I can’t remember what now. But we’d had detention and were home late, and she’d been worried. She wagged her finger at me and told me that I unleashed a force in you. What did she say – ‘I freed your imagination’, that was it. Then she cuffed me round the ear and sent me home. But as I left, she threw me completely. She said, ‘Never stop, Davy.’ She never usually called me Davy so I was surprised. But that was it.”
“She could be strange sometimes in what she said.”
“I know. But that was a funny moment, you know? Anyway, there you have it – my task in life is to keep freeing your imagination.” David grinned at him. “How am I doing?”
“Some dereliction of duty for the last six years, I’m afraid. But you’ve been doing okay this week, I think.” Alan looked up from his tea and found David’s eyes. “You’ve certainly unleashed something.”
They held each other’s gaze for a few moments, then David gave a small smile and an almost imperceptible nod. They remained comfortably silent whilst they finished their tea. Finally, Alan stood and reached out for David’s hand. “Come on, old son, time to see what’s upstairs. Let’s see if we can find the Will.”
Alan’s old bedroom was the first room they faced when they reached the top of the stairs. It was the spacious second bedroom at the back of the house. Alan opened the door and David followed him in.
As with the kitchen, the room was completely unaltered; Auntie Mary had always kept Alan’s room ready in case he ever needed to return. David looked round at the familiar posters, at a range of toys and memorabilia, including the model of the Starship Enterprise they’d made together. He felt a shiver down his spine.
In the bed there, he had spent the night with Alan before his friend left Yorkshire. They had lain together beneath those blankets and that bedspread and woken in each other’s arms, knowing that they would part within the hour – possibly for ever. Now six years, one marriage and two children later, here the room was, waiting for their return. It was as if he had made a journey backwards in time. If only he could – that would enable him to put right all the mistakes he had made.
As they stood there, David felt Alan’s hand slide into his own. He gripped Alan’s fingers and squeezed. Now it was his turn to be overcome by the power of the moment. He felt his lip tremble slightly and his eyes fill. When he spoke, his voice was rough with emotion.
“Oh, God, Al. I’m so sorry.”
Alan chuckled but then caught sight of his friend’s expression. “Hey, Davy, whatever for?”
“For being such a fucking coward. I should have come with you that morning but I was so scared, Al. I’d just had the best night of my life. Looking back, I can’t believe that I couldn’t see what was staring me in the face.”
“Davy, it was never that simple. You mustn’t blame yourself. It was scary stuff – expecting you to cope with what had happened between us and up sticks and move 200 miles away. It simply wasn’t on.”
“I dare say, but I knew, Al. I knew that what we had felt right and that you were more than my best pal. Even if I couldn’t come with you there and then, I didn’t have to run off and get married, for fuck’s sake.”
Alan gave a small huff. “No, I suppose not. But I absolutely understand why you did it and there’s no need to apologise – least of all to me.”
“I suppose not, but oh… Coming back here brings it all back, all those years of friendship and feeling safe … all gone, Al. All gone.” A wave of nostalgia swept over him and almost carried him away: the tears returned with a vengeance and escaped down his cheeks.
He found himself enveloped in a hug and relaxed into the embrace, burying his face in Alan’s neck. Alan’s hand rubbed his back and the movement comforted and helped to calm him. He started to feel better, but found himself very unwilling to let go. He did not want to break the moment. A warm feeling spread through his body as, once again, he experienced that feeling of rightness that he had just been talking about, and which was his strongest memory from their night together.
Alan’s head moved and he kissed David on the temple. “Better now?” he asked.
David nodded, and pulled his head back to look Alan in the eye. “Thanks, much better.”
But still he didn’t let go, revelling in the warmth and security of their embrace. Alan inclined his head a little closer until their lips brushed agai
nst each other. The kiss deepened and built steadily from tentative to passionate. David did not bolt this time.
Within moments, they were both naked and clamped together, moving their bodies in unison while they kissed passionately. Alan manoeuvred David on top of himself and opened his legs wide to accommodate his lower body. He wrapped his legs round David’s hips to draw him in as close as possible.
“Oh, God, Davy, I missed you so much.”
David was momentarily nonplussed, but suddenly realised that this explained so much about Alan’s behaviour over the last couple of days. He was about to think that through when another kiss distracted him.
Alan whispered, “I want you to fuck me, Davy. Will you do that for me? I need to feel you inside me.”
David felt a shiver of anticipation. He lifted his head and looked Alan in the eye. “Bloody hell, Al. You sure?”
Alan nodded. “I’ve dreamt of it for six years.”
“So that’s a ‘yes’ then. I’d be honoured. But you’ll have to help me, show me how. I wouldn’t want to hurt you.”
Alan grinned up at him. “You won’t do that, I promise. Not if we’re careful.” He lifted his head from the pillow and kissed David on the end of his nose. “Come on then. Lesson one – reach for my wallet, if you can see it. There’s a sachet of lube and a condom in there.”
Under his lover’s expert guidance, David prepared him using his fingers first. The lessons were punctuated by kisses and fondling, all of which meant that by the time Alan whispered, “Now, Davy. I need you inside me,” they were both coiled like springs.
David pushed Alan’s legs back over his chest to gain better access. Slowly, slowly, he pushed his way in, whilst Alan worked hard to relax and welcome him. Once he was fully home, David relaxed. The sensation was more intense than anything he had ever felt before. The warmth that was generated by their connection seemed to spread through his whole body, like coming home to a coal fire on a winter’s night.
“God, Al, that’s incredible. You’re so tight! It feels so good.”
“You can move now. I’m okay.”
David moved out very slowly and in again, generating a whole new set of sensations that almost took his breath away. He did it again, and then again, steadily building up a rhythm that had Alan squirming and panting for more. David reached down for a kiss, after which Alan reached for his own erection to pump in time with David’s thrusts. Their pace got steadily faster; Alan’s whimpers were almost continuous. His orgasm hit and he shot all over his chest and stomach. At the same time, he clamped down on David inside him, which took David over the edge too. David’s body spasmed and he surrendered to the sensations he was feeling, crying out Alan’s name.
After a few moments, David pulled out gently and lay sideways on the bed, struggling to recover his breath. He drew Alan into an embrace and kissed him. “Christ, Al – that was… Wow!”
“Yeah, it was, Davy. I’ve never…’ Alan paused.
“Never what?”
“I’ve never known anything so intense,” he resumed. “Thank you.”
After a few minutes, they cleaned themselves up and dressed again, before lying back on the bed, close together but not touching.
“I ought to go soon,” said David eventually. “Mona’s expecting me for my dinner before I go to work.” He grinned, “I’ve not been much help to you with the house, I’m afraid.”
“You’ve been more help than you could possibly know, Davy. You got me through the front door – I’m not at all sure that I could have done that on my own. And now this, back together in this bed. Whatever else happens, we’ll always have the memory of this to treasure.”
Chapter 12
Alan
David left the house a few minutes later, promising to return the following day if he could to help sort the house out.
Alan was determined to focus on the task in hand rather than what had just happened. He would have time later to process those events and think about what might happen next. For now, the important thing was dealing with his aunt’s affairs.
Having waved David off after a long, lingering kiss in the hall, Alan went back upstairs to his aunt’s bedroom. He had a distant memory of her papers being kept in a bureau in the far alcove of the room to the right of the chimney breast.
Entering the room, he was almost overpowered by the smell of eucalyptus and again struck by the appearance of normality: bed neatly made; nightdress folded on the pillow; make-up and hairbrushes neatly arranged on the dressing table. His aunt’s favourite perfume was there as well – the source of the eucalyptus smell in the room.
Going in there, seeing the room as if Auntie Mary had just left it, he felt rather like one of the sailors who had discovered the Marie Celeste must have done. Except there was no mystery here; he knew what had happened to his aunt. The problem was that, in this room, he could not quite believe it.
Sure enough, the bureau was still in the alcove as he remembered it. Sliding back the cover, he found what he expected: a neatly arranged set of cubby holes and the keys to the drawers.
After a few moments, he had everything that he needed – his aunt’s Will, a schedule of her investments, and lists of contact information and account details. Her long training as a secretary had spilled over into her personal life.
Looking at the investments, and bearing in mind the likely value of the house, it looked as if the estate would be worth a bob or two. Alan knew that he was the sole beneficiary, so he would be comfortably off at the end of the process. He shook his head; he would trade all of this new wealth for another day or two of his aunt’s company and the chance to thank her for all she had done for him.
Armed with the documents, he spent the rest of the afternoon on the phone. He made appointments over the next few days with her solicitor, bank manager and financial adviser. When five o’clock came, he’d had enough and headed back to the hotel for a shower and a drink … and a long think.
***
The shower took longer than he’d anticipated. As soon as he undressed, he recalled what it had been like to be naked in David’s arms. That aroused him again, and he spent time in languorous contemplation of what they had done together. He revelled particularly in the memory of how David had felt inside him, how beautiful he had looked when he came. That brought Alan to another shattering climax and left him feeling even more drained.
After a while, he roused himself and headed downstairs for dinner. He took his book again but, as with the previous evening, he found it difficult to concentrate. His mind was too full and moved rapidly from one topic to another – his inheritance, missing his aunt, his time with Davy this morning, what his life might bring, his time with Davy this morning, what was next with his career, his time with…
Despite all the uncertainties, he could not help but feel optimistic about the future. He was about to achieve a degree of financial security most people only dreamed of; he already had a good job, a smart car and a flat that was both comfortable and convenient. He would see Davy from time to time – more, if the London bus service came off. He didn’t know whether that would be enough for either of them as they rekindled their friendship and hopefully took it to the next stage but, if what they had was to go anywhere, he had to be patient and move at David’s pace. David was the one facing the difficult decisions and the trauma of a marriage breakdown. The poor lad would need love and support, not nagging from the side lines.
As he sat over his coffee, his mobile pinged with a message from the man himself.
DAVID:> Really sorry. Not going to be able to make tomorrow. Tommy had a fall. Currently in A&E.
ALAN:> Understood. Don’t worry. Is he OK?
DAVID:> Cuts and bruises. Poorly ankle, maybe sprain or break.
ALAN:> Fingers crossed. Be safe.
***
The time until Auntie Mary’s funeral passed very quickly. Alan was fully occupied with the house, sorting out her affairs and keeping up with e-mails and messages fro
m the office.
David was also fully occupied and they only managed one brief meeting in the café where they’d sat that first day at the end of David’s shift. Tommy had indeed fractured his ankle in a fall whilst playing in the garden. Life was hectic as David and Mona managed their home and looked after Kevin, in addition to making hospital visits and coping with Tommy’s absence from school.
Their meeting was severely constrained; neither of them could say out loud what they were feeling in such a public place. There was virtually no physical contact between them – merely covert brushing of thighs under the table.
“I’m not going to be able to make the funeral, Al. I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t worry, Davy. I understand. It’s one of those things. I shall miss you, though.”
There was a pause, about the tenth in five minutes.
“When are you planning to go back to London?” David asked.
“Tomorrow afternoon, after the service. I must get back to work, there’s a client meeting the day after tomorrow and I simply have to be there. I’ve arranged to ship all the bits of furniture I want and the house clearance people will come on Monday. Hilda Rodgerson – you know, the next-door neighbour – is going to let them in for me. As soon as that’s done, the house can go on the market.”
“Gosh, that’s quick, Al.”
“I know, but it’s the best way. I don’t want to have to keep coming back, and most of the stuff has no value.”
“All those memories.”
“I know, Davy, I know.” Alan grinned. “We’ll just have to make some more when you come to London. Any news on that, by the way?”
David shook his head. “Not so far. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear.”
“God, I hope it all works out, Davy.”
“Me too. I don’t know what I’d do if… Well, you know.”