by Anne Barwell
The cat pawed at both of them, growing more insistent.
"Go away!" Tomas snapped.
Giving a yelp of pain, Cathal let out something that sounded suspiciously like a curse in a language Tomas had never heard. "I told you. Not now!" Still in Tomas's lap, he glared at the cat, rubbed at his thigh, and then froze. "Tomas...."
Turning his head, Tomas followed Cathal's line of vision. Fuck, what was that bloody kid doing at the other end of the field? The moment shattered, Cathal quickly untangled himself from Tomas to land on the grass with a thump.
"He's walking towards us." Cathal sounded panicked. He glanced to the tree and back. "Do you know him?"
Blackthorn glared at both of them, shaking her head from side to side. When they ignored her, she sauntered over to sit between them and the approaching intruder and began washing one paw and then the other.
"Unfortunately, yes." Tomas re-tucked his shirt, already devising several painful ways in which Mikey could die a slow death. How long had he been there? What did he want? And, more importantly, what had he seen?
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Chapter Thirteen
Mikey sauntered over. "Hey, Tomas, I just need to talk...." He froze, his gaze drawn to Cathal, looking him up and down.
"Yes?" Tomas asked irritably, not exactly thinking good thoughts in Mikey's direction. The little rat had interrupted them!
"I... um...." Mikey kept staring at Cathal, his mouth forming an O before he glanced at Tomas and then back at Cathal. "I need to go do my homework," he finally stammered, backing away and walking briskly, almost at a run, toward the hedge at the edge of the field.
"Little shit," Tomas muttered under his breath. If the brat thought he could get away with being rude to Cathal like that, he had another thing coming.
Cathal raised an eyebrow at Tomas's comment, his own expression a mixture of amusement and indignation. "We were kissing in the middle of a field. His reaction is understandable."
"Stay here," Tomas told Cathal, glaring at Mikey's back. "I'll sort this out." If Mrs. O'Neil was still there and he told her what he'd seen.... No, that was something Tomas was not going to contemplate.
He had only got a couple of steps into his pursuit when Cathal caught up to walk alongside him. "I'm coming with you. We'll talk to him together."
"He's heading for the inn. I thought you didn't want to go there." Tomas could talk to Mikey and take care of the situation. There was no reason for Cathal to interact with him at all.
"We'll talk to him together," Cathal repeated, slipping his hand into Tomas's. "What is his name?"
"Mikey," Tomas said after a moment's hesitation. He squeezed Cathal's hand. "You don't need to do this, Cat."
"Yes, I do." Mikey paused at the hedge, and Cathal raised his voice. "Mikey! Wait!"
"What are you doing?" Tomas stared at Cathal for a moment before he was dragged toward Mikey, the grip on his hand leaving him no choice. "I told you I'd deal with this!" He hadn't realized that Cathal could be so stubborn once he'd set his mind to something, although his insistence that there was no sequel had been a strong hint.
"I am not some submissive who needs protecting, Tomas." Cathal scowled, giving Mikey a wave when he spun around to stare at them.
"I never said you were." Tomas wasn't interested in a relationship with an unequal balance of power within it. How could Cathal have thought that was what he wanted? He'd never done or said anything to suggest that he was into that kind of thing. Had he?
Cathal kept walking toward Mikey, a reluctant Tomas following and wondering exactly when this situation had been taken completely out of his control. "He was ready to talk to you until he saw me." He paused, relaxing his grip on Tomas's hand when they drew closer, giving Tomas the option to let go and put some space between them if he so wished. "Are you concerned that he saw you kissing another man?"
Damn it, he should have never confided in Cathal about the reason he'd resisted letting Roger and Alan get together in the book. Yes, he'd had issues about people knowing he was gay, but Mikey had already seen them kissing, and... this was Cathal. "No," Tomas said quietly, not willing to hurt Cathal by saying yes. After all, it wasn't as simple as that. Mikey could be persuaded not to repeat what he'd seen; of that Tomas was sure.
The smile Cathal gave in response confirmed to Tomas that he'd made the right decision. He'd denied how he'd felt for too long. Before it hadn't mattered; he didn't have anyone he'd take that risk for, but now.... He had no idea whether he and Cathal had what it took to build a relationship together, but one thing he knew for certain was that he wanted to at least try.
Mikey was waiting for them by the hedge, his face pink and his eyes fixed on the grass under his feet. His thumb and forefinger gripped the zipper of his hoodie tightly, the metal going up and down repeatedly. His head came up, gaze lingering on their linked hands, and he mumbled something under his breath, lowering his eyes again.
"I think you owe Cathal an apology," Tomas said, placing himself between them. "If that was one, you need to repeat it so he can hear it."
"Sorry," Mikey mumbled again, this time loud enough to hear, his eyes still examining the ground. He kicked at a stone. "I thought you were kissing a girl!"
"I assure you, I'm definitely not a girl." Cathal let go of Tomas's hand and pushed past him. "Tomas said your name was Mikey." He held out his hand. "My name is Cathal, but my friends call me Cat."
"Yeah, I'm Mikey." Mikey hesitated and then shook Cathal's hand very briefly. "Michael, really, but no one calls me that." He glanced at Tomas and then looked Cathal up and down like he'd done before. "Look, I said I was sorry, okay? I only came to talk to Tomas about the skateboard ramp he promised he'd build with me tomorrow, and I thought he was talking to some girl, and then when I got closer I saw you kiss and...." His tone shifted accusingly as he turned his attention onto Tomas. "You never told me you were like Donovan! You know...." His voice trailed off again.
"I'm going to presume you mean gay," Tomas said dryly. "As I'm certainly not like Donovan, as you put it." There, he'd said it. But how much had Mikey seen? Cathal and he had been a little more enthused than just a chaste kiss, and as much as Mikey annoyed him, he wasn't old enough to be witness to anything more than that.
Mikey grinned suddenly. "No, you're not like Donovan. I mean he's cool, and you're...."
"Not?" Tomas's voice dropped dangerously low. Here he was trying to be polite and merely seek an apology for Cathal, and Mikey had to make a comment like that. Okay, so he wasn't Donovan, but that didn't mean he was boring either.
Shoving his hands into his pockets, Mikey hunched his shoulders and mumbled something under his breath again. Tomas fought the urge to smack him.
"What did you say?" he demanded.
Mikey flushed. "The thought of kissing someone is just gross."
"I like the way he kisses," Cathal replied softly. He seemed amused by Mikey's reaction.
"Yeah, whatever. Just do it somewhere else, okay?" Mikey shuddered. "Not that I saw much, but it was enough. I'm scarred for life, I swear."
"Thanks, Mikey, I'll take that under advisement." Tomas bit back a sigh of relief in the knowledge that they'd noticed him and stopped before he'd got any closer.
"We'll be more careful next time," Cathal promised, his brow creased as though he was trying to figure something out.
"Cat?" Tomas prompted.
"What did you mean when you said Donovan was cool?" Cathal asked Mikey. "It's not referring to temperature, is it?"
"Nah." Mikey stared at him. "You haven't heard that before? Even my dad knows what it means."
Tomas glared at Mikey.
"It means he's okay, that he's fun to be around, that kind of thing," Mikey explained hurriedly.
"So is Tomas," Cathal said. He smiled suddenly. "Maybe I should meet Donovan sometime after all."
"I bet Tomas hasn't told him about you." Mikey observed brightly. "I
bet Heidi and Mrs. O'Neil don't know either, 'cause she would have said."
"Mrs. O'Neil doesn't know everything," Tomas snorted. "She just thinks she does because she does research."
Cathal glanced between the two of them. "Who's Mrs. O'Neil?"
"Someone you don't have to concern yourself with," Tomas said quickly. The thought of Mrs. O'Neil and Cathal talking was not somewhere he wanted to go right now. Mikey was bad enough, but she'd give Cathal the third degree and be convinced she knew everything just because she could.
"I think that's my decision, not yours." Cathal narrowed his eyes. For some reason he did not take well to Tomas trying to protect him in any shape or form. "Does she visit Heidi at the inn?"
"Every Wednesday like clockwork." Mikey grinned. "I know because Donovan's never around on those days. He and Mrs. O'Neil have kind of a love-hate relationship. He hates listening to her opinions on everything and anything, and she loves telling him anyway."
"Where does he go?" Tomas was curious now. Donovan's old car was still in its garage, as was Heidi's Land Rover, so it couldn't have been far.
"No one knows," Mikey said, gesturing toward the inn with his head. "I think he does something in one of the outbuildings. There's a lock on the door, and I've never been able to get in there. Even Heidi doesn't have a key."
Tomas raised an eyebrow. "I thought Heidi knows everything that goes on around here." She hadn't said as much, but she struck him as someone who had her finger on the pulse, especially anything that took place on her premises and had any chance of impacting her.
"When people are friends, they trust each other," Cathal pointed out. "Privacy is also important, as is respecting the need for it."
"That wasn't what I was saying," Tomas protested, wondering if Cathal's answers were just observations or the voice of experience. He suspected the latter, especially with the firm tone in Cathal's voice.
"Cat's right," Mikey butted in somewhat smugly. "Friends trust each other." Tomas felt his temper bristle with Mikey using that name, but it wasn't his place to correct him, especially as Cathal had given permission when he'd introduced himself.
Placing one hand on Tomas's arm, Cathal gave Mikey a smile. "You said that Tomas had promised to build you a...," he stumbled over the phrase as though it was unfamiliar, "skateboard ramp?"
"Yeah." Mikey's annoying grin was firmly back in place. "We're going to build it in the field over there." He gestured toward a piece of open grassland backing onto hedge on the far side directly opposite where they were now. That section of hedge seemed to act as a boundary between the inn and the farm next door. It was difficult at this distance to tell which property the shed-like building to one side of it belonged to or exactly how big it was. "Are you doing anything tomorrow afternoon? You could help if you want."
"I'm sure he has other things to--" Tomas started to say.
Cathal's smile widened. "I'd love to help, thank you for asking."
"Cool!" Mikey poked his tongue out at Tomas. "How did someone like you manage to meet someone with such good manners?" He winked at Cathal. "I had to prompt him to thank Heidi for breakfast this morning, you know. And he's meant to be the adult."
"It wasn't like that at all," Tomas scowled, not sure why he was justifying himself to some kid.
"I'm sure it wasn't," Cathal agreed, his tone definitely one of amusement as he watched both of them. He opened his mouth to add another comment, saw Tomas give Mikey a smug look, and closed it again, shaking his head.
"What?" Tomas and Mikey asked together.
"Some thoughts are better not said." Cathal moved closer, sliding his hand into Tomas's again. "It has occurred to me that I'm not sure how much of a help I will be tomorrow." He paused, looking a little sheepish. "Umm, what's a skateboard, and why do you need a ramp for it?"
Mikey stared at Cathal. "You're kidding me, right?" He shook his head. "Everyone knows what a skateboard is, unless they've been hiding under a rock for the last hundred years or so."
"I'm sorry, but I don't know." Cathal sighed, his attention taken for a moment by a familiar black speck heading toward them. When he continued, his words were slow as though he was choosing them carefully. "I'm not from around here, although I do visit from time to time. That's why I'm unfamiliar with some of your customs and sayings."
"Oh." Mikey frowned, stuffing his hands back into his pockets. "I thought you were dressed a bit weirdly too." He indicated Cathal's shirt. "It's kind of out of date. Something I'd expect to see in an old movie or something."
"I like it," Tomas said. The loose shirt with its laces instead of buttons suited Cathal's personality, giving him an air of being a little different, yet at the same time familiar. Come to think of it, he'd been wearing the same clothing each time they'd met and still hadn't told Tomas where he lived. Actually, these clothes were rather like he'd imagined Deimos would wear in his book. No, he'd had enough of crazy ideas for one day. But it was difficult to ignore the fact that since they'd role-played that scene, every time Tomas visualized Deimos, he saw Cathal.
"Thank you." Cathal squeezed his hand and blushed slightly. "I've had it a while, but it's comfortable, and I can't bring myself to throw it out for that reason. My sister made me another, but although she means well, new material is a little too stiff and formal for my liking." He smiled as though remembering something, shaking his head.
As if on cue, Blackthorn, finally deciding to grace them with her presence, walked over to Cathal, rubbing herself against his legs. He mumbled something under his breath, and she growled at him.
"That cat knows you," Mikey observed. "She doesn't do that to just anyone. I thought you said you weren't from around here."
"I did, but I also said I visited," Cathal said mildly. His tone, though quiet, was firm and suggested he did not want to be questioned further on the matter. "Blackthorn and I have known each other a while; she insists on following me around at times." The cat meowed, and he sighed. "Despite the fact it is really quite unnecessary."
"You don't argue with cats," Mikey said. "They know stuff." He bent to pet Blackthorn, and she left Cathal to sniff Mikey's hand, purring loudly. Cathal frowned, glancing at the cat and then at Mikey. "Same as dragons," Mikey continued. "I like dragons."
"They're mythical creatures, Mikey," Tomas said, amused. "They don't exist. Besides, they'd probably be more inclined to breathe fire at you rather than be a pet. I don't think you can exactly compare them to a cat."
"They do too," Mikey argued, scowling. "Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not there." He picked up the cat, stroking her, and she curled into him, licking his hand. "I don't draw things that aren't there."
"You've drawn dragons?" Cathal asked, a little too eagerly for Tomas's liking. What had happened to the need to know about skateboarding? "Would you be able to show me sometime?"
"Sure." Mikey beamed. "Do you believe in dragons, Cat? Tomas doesn't." His smug expression wouldn't have looked out of place on the damn cat.
"People believe in different things, Mikey," Cathal said softly, stroking Tomas's hand with his thumb. "I'm sure he believes in some things that you don't. That doesn't mean they don't exist either." His eyes glazed over for a moment before he smiled at Mikey. "Thank you, I appreciate that. Perhaps you could bring them with you tomorrow and we could look at them after we've built your skateboard ramp?"
"Yeah, okay." Mikey gave the cat one last scratch between her ears, and she jumped down out of his arms. Rubbing against Cathal's legs once more, she gave Tomas what could only be described as a very pointed look and then sauntered off toward the inn.
"Didn't you have homework to do?" Tomas asked. Between Mikey and the cat both trying to compete for Cathal's attention, he wanted some time before Cathal decided he needed to go.
"It's not due till tomorrow." Mikey shrugged, reaching into his pocket and pulling out some gum. "I still have to explain to Cat what skateboarding is."
"Come to think of it," Tomas said, "shouldn't you have been in school today?" Cathal was staring at the gum. It dawned on Tomas that he'd be asking Mikey what that was next, and then they'd never get rid of the kid. "You can show him tomorrow rather than explaining now."
"You want me to leave, don't you?" Mikey shook his head. "I told you," he told Cathal, "that the guy has no manners. See?"
"School?" Tomas asked again. If Mikey mentioned manners once more, Tomas would show him exactly how polite he could be when pushed.
"Teachers-only day today, and it's a half one tomorrow, so we can build the ramp after lunch," Mikey said, grinning. "Besides, I don't like the relief teacher. She's annoying."
Tomas bit off the retort he really wanted to say when Cathal's hand tightened around his in an unmistakable warning. "I'm sure your parents will be wondering where you are, Mikey," Cathal said. "I'd also like a chance to spend some time with Tomas before I have to return home."
"My dad's too busy to notice," Mikey said sulkily, "and my mum died when I was born, so I guess she doesn't care either."
"Sometimes people don't have control over whether they are there when you need them." Cathal shook his head sadly. "Just because she isn't here now doesn't mean she doesn't love you." He was looking at Mikey very intently. When he spoke again, there was a trace of pain or maybe regret in his voice. "Your father is probably doing the best he can. It would have been difficult for him losing your mother too."
Mikey shrugged. "Yeah right. He loved her so much he never talks to me about her." He kicked at a couple of stones. There seemed to be a few that had made their way from the path onto the grass. A pink bubble blew and popped. Tomas hadn't even seen Mikey put the foul stuff into his mouth.
"I'm sorry," Cathal started to say, then stopped. "You're right; this is none of my business." His stared at the ground, at the stones Mikey had kicked. "I don't know you or your father, and I have no right to pass an opinion."
"Cat...." Tomas slid his arm around Cathal's waist without thinking, trying to offer comfort. "Go home, Mikey. I think you've done enough for one day."