Unknown Number

by Victoria Hyder

  “Why him? Why not someone more your own age?”

  “Georg!”

  “No, Camilla, we’ve both thought of it at one point or another,” he stated sternly. She let her mouth clamp up although her displeasure was clear on her face. Turning back to Lucas, Georg visibly tilted his head in an attempt to intimidate the man before him. “Well? Why did you continue talking to my son?”

  “I find him interesting,” Lucas answered honestly.

  “Through texts?”

  “Yes,” he said slowly. “How else do you communicate with people? As far as he was concerned, I was as much a stranger to him as he was to me.”

  “So why didn’t you stop?”

  “Despite what you may think, Mr. Geisler,” Lucas took pleasure in the way the man flinched at the honorific. “Cavan is vibrant, talented and incredibly smart. He has his quirks just like anyone, but he manages to put up with me and not a lot of people can do that.”

  “So, you’re not worried about the issues my son has?”

  “His issues?” Lucas frowned. He was good at feigning interest; he did every parent-teacher evening. If this arrogant bastard thought that a few behavioural ticks was going to be an issue for him, then he severely underestimated just how much Lucas could endure.

  “It was originally diagnosed as a mild form of ADHD.”

  “Dad!”

  “Quiet, Cavan.”

  “Sir, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t treat your adult son as though he were four.”

  Georg narrowed his eyes. “I’d appreciate if you left my house, so I suppose we are at an impasse.”

  “Georg enough!” All heads turned to Camilla as she slammed her hands into the table. “I want you to leave this table,” she said in a low, cool voice.

  “Camilla don’t you dare –”

  “I said I want you to leave this table,” she repeated a little louder, fixing her bright eyes onto her husband. “Now.”

  Georg ground his teeth together. He knew better than to argue with his wife. He swallowed and deliberately took his time wiping his mouth on his napkin and adjusting his glasses on his nose. “Fine,” he finally said. “I’ll be in my study.”

  The other three were silent as he stood up and left the room. They waited until they heard a door upstairs slam shut with too much force.

  Camilla sighed, dropping her head forward. Her hair fell around her face, blocking it from view. Her shoulders shook a little as she tried to maintain her composure. Taking a deep breath, she shot them a quick, tense smile before excusing herself to the kitchen. Before the door closed Lucas heard a distinct sniff. Cavan was about to stand up and run after his mother, but Lucas put a firm hand on his wrist.

  “Stay here,” he said as gently as he could. “I don’t think you’re going to want to hear what she has to say.”

  Cavan gave a deadpan look up at his boyfriend. “You realise I’ll just listen at the door, right?”

  Lucas rolled his eyes and patted Cavan on the head. “Behave, brat.”

  Standing up, he dusted any imaginary crumbs from his trousers and moved towards the door that led into the kitchen. He knocked gently and didn’t get any response, so he pushed the door inwards and went inside. Camilla was bracing herself over the kitchen sink, her shoulders shaking. Lucas cleared his throat causing her to jump and spin to face him.

  “Oh, Lucas!” she raked her hands through her hair and hastily rubbed at her cheeks. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for this nonsense to start up again!” She let out another loud sniff.

  Lucas glanced around the kitchen, spotted the tissues, and ripped one off the roll and offered it to her.

  “Thanks,” she said, accepting the tissue. She dabbed at her eyes. “I’m really sorry about this,” she repeated. “I honestly thought Cavan’s dad was going to be kinder to you when you met face-to-face.”

  Lucas inclined his head, “It was worth a try.”

  Camilla pressed her lips together, clearly trying to control her emotions. Lucas had the urge to touch her shoulder or comfort her in some way but his lack of knowledge and practice in such a situation, stopped him. Eventually, Camilla dabbed her eyes dry and drew in a calming breath. “Okay, sorry about that,” she cleared her throat. “Would you like to help me bring dessert in?”

  “Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked, frowning a little. He was genuinely concerned about her well-being. Seeing Cavan’s mother cry was just adding to his own anxiety.

  “I’m fine,” she waved him off. As she opened the fridge to take out the tub of strawberry mousse and chocolate cake she paused, turning to look at Lucas over her shoulder. “You know, I know we didn’t have the greatest start, but I can see how good you are for my son. Even prior to tonight. I just wanted a chance to sit down with you properly.”

  Lucas offered a smile, but it felt strained.

  “And you’re more than welcome here whenever you like.”

  “What about your husband?”

  “Ignore Georg,” she sighed. “He’ll either come round when he wants to, or he can get used to being excluded.”

  “Is that wise? To exclude your husband?”

  “This isn’t the first time he’s had an issue, Lucas,” Camilla said, grabbing some spoons from the drawer. “Sophie has had a fair few boyfriends over the years.”

  “For what it’s worth,” Lucas began as he took one of the large plates off the counter. “I don’t think Cavan would be where he is now without your support.”

  The smile Camilla gave him in that moment was radiant. Together they carried the dessert into the dining room.

  Cavan sat up a little straighter at the table; his eyes were wide with worry; his lip had been chewed raw and he had been gripping the bottom edge of the tablecloth. “Is … everything okay?” he asked, green eyes darting from one to the other.

  Camilla smiled and nodded her head, “Everything’s fine, love. Let’s not worry about anything else okay? Let’s just focus on demolishing this dessert.”

  Lucas chuckled as Cavan’s face lit up at the sight of the chocolate cake. “Calm down, kid, or you’re going to give your eyes diabetes.”

  “That’s literally not a thing!” he protested.

  “Then you’d be the first and only case and no one would be able to cure you.”

  Cavan’s jaw dropped open before he burst out laughing. “Your face is so hard to read sometimes!”

  Camilla watched the two young men in front of her with rapt attention; the way Lucas was clearly so reserved but his exterior was cracked whenever Cavan shot him an adoring look, or placed a tender hand on his shoulder whilst laughing was wonderful to watch. When Lucas stood up to get them some more drinks, he paused to ruffle his hand through Cavan’s hair, making the younger man nearly choke on his mousse.

  Of course the age-gap was a little concerning to her, however maybe it would help Cavan develop properly throughout his life. He’s always been a good kid, not even thinking about drinking too much for the sake of it, or experimenting with drugs, and he was set to get a distinction on his dissertation if he carried on the trajectory he was currently on. Cavan was right, Lucas hadn’t disrupted her son’s schoolwork. He was a responsible young man. As they ate through the dessert, she was hopeful that she would be seeing more of Lucas in the future.

  All too soon it was getting late and Lucas needed to make his way home. He had school first thing in the morning and there was to be a meeting for all faculty members. He was dreading it but the easy end to the meal with Camilla and Cavan had definitely improved his mood. The sheer relief he felt that he and Cavan had a better understanding of their own relationship was … heart-warming. It was scary –but in a good way. Lucas helped Camilla clear the table and she retreated into the kitchen to start washing the dishes, politely declining Lucas’s offer to help. If there was one thing he could definitely do, it was wash dishes.

  However, he let himself be escorted to the hallway by Cavan. Taking his coat down from the hook, he shrugg
ed it on, mentally bracing himself for the cool night air, and turned to look down at his boyfriend.

  Boyfriend.

  The word still rang out in his head.

  Cavan stood awkwardly, looming over Lucas like a small giant. Despite being so tall and toned, he still had an immature shyness about him that Lucas had to admit, was endearing. Smirking up at the brunette he said, “I think that went a lot better towards the end. At least your mother likes me.”

  Cavan smiled, “I’m glad she does. Dad was always going to be a pain in the arse to please.”

  Lucas snorted and rolled his eyes. “Yeah well, he’s not keeping me away from you. He can try. In fact, I’d love to see him try. Nothing is keeping me away from you again.”

  Cavan felt his stomach flip. He wrapped his arms around the shorter man and squeezed him close. “I … I’m so lucky to have you in my life.”

  Lucas hugged him back. “Good. You’re stuck with me now. I don’t just become anyone’s boyfriend you know.”

  “Oh, I know! It took four months just to get you here,” Cavan chuckled, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  With an internal groan, Lucas unwound himself from Cavan’s embrace. “Come on, kid, we both have to be up early tomorrow.”

  Cavan pouted but let Lucas take a step away. “Text me when you’re home?”

  “Of course I will, brat.”

  Grinning, the young man stooped down and pressed a slow, burning kiss to Lucas’s lips. “Be safe.”

  “Always,” Lucas grunted, his insides stirring as the feel of Cavan’s lips lingered in his own. With such effort, he turned on the doorstep and left.

  Cavan slid the chain into place and felt the jittery excitement dampen down inside him a little. He drew in a deep calming breath and wondered back down the hallway to the kitchen where his mother was cleaning the dishes.

  “Do you need any help?” he asked from the doorway.

  “No, darling, I’m fine,” she flashed a smile over her shoulder. “Is Lucas gone?”

  “Yeah he just left.”

  “He seems really nice.”

  “You think so?”

  “Of course,” Camilla chuckled. “He’s polite, respectful and didn’t really rise to your dad’s bait. That takes some serious will-power, and we both know that.” She gave him a pointed look and he flushed. “As for you two dating, I have no problems with it.”

  “Really?”

  “Honestly, darling, he’s made something of himself with limited resources and honestly? I think he’ll be good for you. He’s already proven that he cares about your future and your education. I don’t believe he’s going to be hindering anything you put your mind to.”

  Cavan let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that.”

  Camilla laughed and nodded, “I understand that.”

  Cavan came up behind his mum and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into the crook of her neck. She smelled soft and warm and flowery, as she always had. He squeezed. “Thank you for being the best mum in the world,” he murmured.

  “Thank you for being a wonderful son.”

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead before unwinding himself. “I’m gonna head up and do some more notes for my essay. Not long now before the deadline.”

  “Go on then,” she swatted him away with a tea-towel. “I’ll bring you up some tea in a little while.”

  “Thanks.”

  ~0~

  The following morning as he got ready for work, Lucas found that he felt lighter than he had in a long time. He walked around his flat with a noticeable spring in his step, even though he berated himself whenever he was aware of doing such things. He even had breakfast that morning along with a tall mug of black coffee. Something had shifted in his world and the planet hadn’t imploded at his feet. Today was going to be a new day, a good day with a step in the right direction. It was exhilarating.

  The drive to his school campus was almost enjoyable. He even indulged in some light radio music until he got to the car park. Killing the engine, Lucas climbed out of the car, grabbed his briefcase from the back seat and marched towards the building, enjoying the cool sunshine on his face. He barely paid any attention to the police car that was parked up out front. He even nodded to the two policemen as they spoke with the receptionist. They gave him a polite enough smile and nod in return, as he clocked in and made his way through the maze of corridors to his office.

  He checked his emails and then made his way down the hall towards the staff-room, where the meeting was being held. He raised an eyebrow as the two policemen were present and idly wondered if this was about crimes that may have been committed in the local areas. He settled down in a vacant chair.

  Rodrick stood up to the front of the room and cleared his throat. He looked nervous. Lucas frowned; there were very few things that made Rodrick nervous and something had happened to cause such a stir in the older man. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m afraid this meeting will need to be run by my Deputy, Alfred. These police-officers have brought a matter to my attention that needs to be resolved.” His large blue eyes landed a little too long on Lucas and he felt the bottom drop out of his stomach.

  Shit.

  What was going on?

  With a discreet nod of his head, Lucas excused himself and made his way out of the room, feigning a need for the bathroom. A few, long minutes later Rodrick exited the room with the police officers. Lucas stood to attention. “What’s going on here, Rodrick?” he asked bluntly.

  “These gentlemen received an anonymous phone call this morning. There have been allegations made about you that need to be addressed.”

  Lucas bristled. “What allegations?”

  “Sirs are you Lucas Trunell?” one of the officer’s asked.

  “I am.”

  “Have you been in a relationship with an underage student?”

  “Of course not!” he snapped. “I barely like people my own age let alone kids.”

  The officer raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. “We need to ask you some questions, if you don’t mind?”

  Lucas wanted to object, he truly did, but he knew from experience that he was innocent until proven guilty. It wasn’t his job to prove his innocence, it was their job to prove his guilt. With a sigh, he nodded. “Of course. Please, follow me to my office.”

  He nodded to Rodrick.

  He could handle this.

  Rodrick nodded back and watched them retreat down the hallway.

  When they got to his office, Lucas opened the door and let the two officer’s walk in ahead of him. They stood to attention until Lucas offered them both a seat. Shutting the door so that no one could eavesdrop on the conversation, Lucas settled himself into his own seat behind the desk, his nerves bundled into knots in the pit of his stomach as he entwined his fingers on his desk.

  “Now, officers, what is this all about and how can I be of assistance?”

  Chapter 24

  Monday PM

  Lucas squeezed the small stress ball in his palm over and over.

  If he wasn’t careful, he was going to tear a hole in it.

  His insides felt like they’d been dunked in ice-water. His mind was still blank in the aftermath of that morning, but it hadn’t caught up with the rest of the day yet. Somehow, he’d managed to find his way back home and sit down in his armchair. He hadn’t moved and it was already starting to get dark outside. He couldn’t even remember if he’d answered the messages on his phone or not.