Mischief Maker

by Andi Lee

  He arrived outside Tyler’s house with one minute to spare. He texted him to let him know he was outside, and the door opened quickly. Liam got into the passenger side, and Tyler sat behind the wheel. He turned and signed, “Hi,” at him, and Liam signed back with a smile.

  Then Tyler put on his seat belt, did the mirror and signal manoeuvre, and pulled away from the curb, only jerking the car a little.

  COSTA WAS nearly deserted. Jamie found a seat at the back and stirred his flat white, glancing up at the door whenever anyone came in. He wasn’t exactly sure why he was there. He’d turned into a recluse when Paul and Tommy showed up at the Duck, and he was determined not to speak with Liam ever again, but his last message was intriguing and completely different from the usual jokey ones he usually sent.

  Liam strode through the door, wearing his trademark leather jacket, his blond hair brushed messily off his face. His eyes were startling, even from the other side of the coffee shop, and the smile he sent Jamie’s way made his stomach twist uncomfortably. Liam waved and walked to the counter. He motioned if Jamie wanted another drink, and Jamie shook his head, cupped his mug, and took a sip. As the hot liquid scalded the roof of his mouth, he hissed and put it down quickly.

  Liam came over, a large frothy coffee in his hand, and sat opposite him. “Hey.”

  “Hi.” Jamie didn’t want to make small talk. He wanted to know what Liam had to say to him.

  “Have you eaten? Do you want a sarnie or a slice of cake?” Liam glanced at the array of cakes on display.

  Jamie ground his teeth and shook his head. “Let’s cut to the chase. What is it you wanted to talk to me about?” Liam was impossible to offend. He just smiled at Jamie and leaned his elbows on the table.

  “You’re a rat expert, right?” He took a sip of his coffee, dipped his finger in the froth, and licked it off. Jamie’s mouth suddenly felt dry, and he sipped his own coffee.

  “I guess. It depends on what you mean by expert.”

  “I’ve had Mabel for almost two months now. I’ve done plenty of research, but going to the rat show opened my eyes. Mabel’s diet is poor. I need to find her better food.”

  Was he serious? “You couldn’t ask me that on Messenger? I think you’re a big boy and you can buy your own damned rat food.” He stood, chair scraping against the floor. Liam shot his hand out and held his wrist in a gentle grasp that Jamie knew he’d be able to pull out of if he wanted. He should. He should tell him to go to hell and go home to his cat. And his rats.

  “Hear me out first, please.”

  He sat back down and pulled his arm away, wrist cold where Liam’s hand had been. “Go on, then.”

  Liam licked his lips. Jamie had never seen him look nervous before. “I really don’t know where to start, and I’m scared that she’ll end up with a worse diet if I don’t have help. Pretty please.”

  Jamie snorted at him. Was this guy for real? “There are so many resources online.”

  “True, but I can’t tell which ones are best. You want Mabel to be healthy, don’t you? Then when I get my new rats, they’ll already be on the best diet around. Please?” Liam’s blue and hazel eyes widened in his version of the puppy-dog look.

  “I’ll write you a list,” he said dryly, not ready to give in.

  “Come shopping with me now. You’re not busy, are you? It’ll be fun.” His voice was low, with a hint of gravel, and Jamie’s heart skipped a beat.

  “All right, considering we’re already here.” Now he knew why Liam wanted to meet on the retail park. There was a large pet shop, a Sainsburys, and a health food store within a few minutes of each other.

  They went to the pet shop first, and Jamie had to physically drag Liam away from the rats. “No, you can’t look at them. It’ll only make you sad. Think puppy farms.”

  Liam grimaced and let Jamie pull him toward the rows of small-animal food. There were a few commercial mixes that Jamie told him to stay away from, and he pointed out a few of the best ones.

  “Which do you use?”

  Jamie decided he must be in the twilight zone, because there was no other reason he would be with a hot blond shopping for rat supplies. If only it were Paul.

  Chapter Eight

  EARLY ON a Sunday, Jamie got the call from Dane at the vet surgery. Someone had abandoned a plastic box with a mother rat and her babies outside their door. Anger burned inside him at the thought. There was no need to abandon any animal. There were so many places they could be taken if someone couldn’t look after them properly.

  He waited his turn at the reception desk. “Hey, Karen. I’m here to pick up the rats from Dane.”

  “Jamie, it’s been too long since I saw you last.” She stood up and ran around the front of the desk to give him a hug. “Come on, I’ll take you around the back. He’s in the small observation room.”

  She opened the door for him and shut it behind him. Dane was dispensing medicine into a small pot but turned to grin at him. “Hey, darling, thanks for coming in.” He put the medication into a box. “They’re through here. I’ve just put them in a carrier. You can give it back to me later.” They walked into a large room where the animals stayed overnight. There were two dogs sleeping in cages and a cat meowing opposite.

  Jamie peered in the top of the carrier. The mother was terrified and so skinny. She frantically covered her babes in the strips of fleece they put in for her to use as bedding, then burrowed in next to them until they couldn’t see them anymore. There were six kittens that couldn’t be over three days old.

  “Thank you so much for taking them, darling. The RSPCA are at capacity, but I knew they’d be better off with you anyway.”

  “It’s no problem. They tend to ring one of us breeders if they have rats in need of rescuing, so you’ve just cut out the middleman. Plus I don’t have any boarders at the moment, so I have the room. Any issues?”

  “A slight respiratory infection, so I’ll send some Baytril home with you, but nothing too bad. She just needs some good food so she can feed those babies, and then some gentle handling.”

  “Well, I’ll take them out of your hair and let you get back to work.” He pressed a kiss to Dane’s cheek and picked up the carrier. “I’ll let you know how they are tonight.”

  “Thank you, darling.”

  The hospital cage was set up in his box room, and he had some nice food to tempt the mother. Luckily the kittens all had little white bands on their bellies, which showed they were getting enough milk. He just hoped it stayed that way.

  He threaded the seat belt through the handles on the carrier and drove back home. Mommy rat was skittish and didn’t like being handled. She wriggled when he lifted her from the carrier to give her a quick look over.

  Apart from being too skinny, she didn’t look bad. He put her down, and she ran into the plastic house, nose quickly poking out as though she wondered where her babies were. He lifted the fleece out and put them all in front of the house, and she quickly picked them up one by one, carried them inside, and pulled the fleece in after to add to her nest.

  Jamie took a few photos and tried to remember how to post them to his Facebook group. It had been ages since he’d used it last, and he couldn’t quite remember how.

  He’d get some weight on her and give her and her babies lots of love. He’d hopefully find them all good homes. Not everyone wanted pedigree rats, just well-handled pets.

  Once he was sure they had everything they needed, he left them to get settled in, wandered back down to his living room, and flicked on the TV. Nothing grabbed him, and he flung the remote across the sofa. Shit. He needed to get a grip. His home had lost its warmth since Paul left. He missed seeing him curled up on the chair, watching reruns of Miami Ink. He even missed the snarking about the rats and the cat hair.

  His phone vibrated, and Jamie checked the notifications He saw that Liam had commented on his post, and he messaged him privately to ask if he could reserve two of the rescue rat babies. Jamie stared at his phone for ages
, unsure how to respond. Was he saying it just to stick around, or was he serious?

  Whatever it was, Jamie didn’t reply. He glanced at the clock on the opposite wall. He’d be seeing Liam in around eight hours for a curry anyway. He still didn’t know how that had happened. A moment of weakness after seeing a photo of Tommy and Paul on Tommy’s Instagram, perhaps? He should really quit following them, but he couldn’t stop himself checking, inspecting their photos, and looking for a reason why they’d done it.

  He shook his head. He was truly pathetic.

  JAMIE FROWNED when he saw Liam’s silhouette through the stained-glass panels on the front door later that evening. He was second-guessing giving Liam his address, but it was too late now. Nerves danced in his chest, and he took a deep breath.

  This was a bad idea, but it was better than going to the Duck. Tommy and Paul were at the pub with Markus and Dane, and the thought of seeing them together made him feel physically ill. They were there every time they went out, and Jamie was sick of it.

  Usually when couples broke up, they didn’t see each other again, but he had Paul shoved in his face at every moment. It didn’t help that Tommy was so guilt ridden he kept trying to talk to him.

  Jamie couldn’t take it anymore. His nerves were shot, and his face ached through the fake smiles. When Liam asked him for a curry, he said yes just to get away from them, to prove that he was over them.

  He regretted that now. Through the stained glass on his front door, Jamie saw Liam’s blond hair and trademark leather jacket. Nerves danced like moths bouncing head first into a lightbulb. His palms were sweaty, and he wiped them down the leg of his jeans before he opened the door.

  By the time he got the door open, Liam was crouched over, stroking Stark. She meowed when she saw Jamie and sauntered inside, brushing against his leg as she did.

  “I hope she’s yours.” Liam straightened up and ran a hand through his hair to push it out of his eyes.

  Jamie tamped down the irrational anger he felt at seeing Liam stroke the cat. It was pointless; he wasn’t even mad at Liam, not really. He just happened to be the one who was always there, so he got the brunt of it.

  “I don’t think she’d care if she weren’t my cat. But yes, she is. That’s Stark.” He gave a tight smile.

  “She’s cute.”

  For some reason that comment quelled the rest of his anger, and he could breathe again. “She thinks so. I hope she didn’t hair you.”

  “I don’t mind. My mom has six cats, so I’m used to it.”

  That was a surprising revelation. He shifted awkwardly on his feet as he realised Liam was still on the other side of the door. “Do you want… to pop in while I get my jacket?”

  He stood back, and Liam stepped over the threshold with a smile, shoulder brushing against his. Jamie shivered and bit his lip. Then he reached back to grab his denim jacket while Liam looked around the hallway with interest.

  “Geek, huh?”

  Jamie’s hackles instantly rose, and he turned sharply to look at him. But he bit back a retort when he realised Liam wasn’t making fun of him.

  “Is Iron Man your favourite Marvel superhero? Mine’s Loki.” He frowned for a second. “Although I’m not sure he could be considered a superhero.”

  Jamie shoved a hand in his pocket and moved on the balls of his feet, unsure what the hell he was doing. “I don’t know. Sometimes he’s one of the good guys.”

  “And sometimes he’s a very bad boy.”

  Jamie’s stomach quivered, and he jiggled his keys. He wanted to leave before he could deal with it. “I think that’s why I like Iron Man. He’s a loveable rogue. Ready?” It was a silly thing to say. Liam was waiting for him, after all.

  “Almost.”

  Liam took half a step toward him, and Jamie held his breath as he got close. Was he going to kiss him? That was a bad idea. He was an emotional mess. But he licked at his dry lips, and Liam followed the movements as he rested his hands lightly on Jamie’s shoulders.

  Jamie should move away from him, but his heart started to flutter, and it was the first time in months he’d felt anything other than a constant ache. Liam stepped up to him and moved his hands around to the back of his neck, playing with the collar of his jacket.

  Jamie held his breath and swayed, dizzy with lack of air, and just as he started to close his eyes in preparation, Liam slid his hands around his collar, down the front of the denim, and gave it a tug. “There. You were all twisted.”

  Jamie let go of the breath, and his eyes shot open, his vision dark around the edges. He stepped back then, embarrassment colouring his cheeks. He cleared his throat and fumbled with his key as he tried to lock the door behind them. Shit.

  Chapter Nine

  THE TINY hole-in-the-wall Indian restaurant played soft-yet-upbeat Bangla music and was decorated in deep reds and golds. The lighting was soft and intimate, but not too intimate. They were seated at a small round table near the back wall, poppadoms and wine in front of them—but not the awful stuff he drank with Selena, something that cost a little more than £3.99.

  It was difficult to stop smiling. Jamie was tense and distrustful, and he kept glancing at him as he ate his poppadoms. Liam pretended not to notice. He’d finally shaken Jamie out of his well of self-pity, even if it meant he was grumpy again. Liam knew Jamie had expected a kiss, and he’d wanted to give him one. He liked kissing, and he was good at it, but he needed to draw Jamie in and get his mind off his awful ex and terrible former best friend.

  Alice would love him. Selena even liked him. He liked him.

  He cracked his poppadom, spooned some mint sauce on a section, crunched into it, and licked the sauce off his lips. “How are the rescues?” Liam said between bites. He’d noticed Jamie hadn’t replied to his messages.

  A small smile flickered across Jamie’s mouth, so fleeting Liam almost missed it. It was different from the snorts, unhappy laughs, and tense smiles he’d received before. There was less of an edge. It seemed more genuine.

  Something unfurled deep in his stomach, something he hadn’t felt in years. He grabbed his glass, took a gulp of wine, and let the alcohol settle his stomach.

  “They’re good. Momma rat is doing a great job. Babies are getting fed.”

  “I’m glad. Am I allowed to reserve two of the kittens?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “You were serious? I wasn’t sure.”

  “Completely serious…. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Jamie shrugged and ate the last of his poppadom without looking up again. Liam found he missed those small looks. He pulled his chair farther into the table and spread his legs out until they pressed against Jamie’s.

  Jamie jumped, and his knees banged into the top of the table. Liam held on to his wine glass, trying not to laugh. “I’m deadly serious about the rescues. Reserve two girls for me… if there are any girls.”

  “There are. Okay, I will.” Liam didn’t move his legs away from Jamie’s, and neither did Jamie.

  Their empty plates were replaced with a chicken balti for Jamie and a bhuna for him. They fell into easy silence as they ate.

  Perhaps if his previous dates had gone like this, they would have lasted longer. It was the first ordinary date he’d gone on since university, and he wasn’t terrible at it.

  “Is this a date?” Jamie suddenly asked, looking up, fork midway to his mouth. Was he a mind reader?

  Giving Jamie the trademark smirk he used on his vlogs, Liam stared at him, taking in his curly hair, the light scruff on his cheeks, and his dark-brown eyes. Jamie was really good-looking. Liam knew that on the surface, but in that moment, it was like a shove to the chest.

  “Why? Do you want it to be?” He put as much charisma into his answer as he could and pressed his leg harder against Jamie’s. When Jamie pulled away and hooked his feet behind the chair legs so Liam couldn’t reach him, Liam’s joy dimmed. Had he taken it too far? Most people couldn’t resist his smouldering looks.

  Liam fidgeted with
the stem of his wine glass, suddenly overinterested in what his fingers were doing. Jamie was taking a long time to reply. When the silence became too heavy, he rolled his shoulders and felt the muscles click. Then he looked up. Jamie was staring at him, head cocked to the side, brow furrowed. He wasn’t exactly frowning, but he wasn’t happy either.

  “Very presumptuous of you, isn’t it? I don’t know why you’re here. You’ve seen me at my worst. You should be running for the hills. I’m a mess right now.”

  “And you think I’m much better? I crashed into you running from my date at Zombie Brum City.” Jamie gave a shaky laugh, which was what Liam was aiming for. He didn’t need to know all the details of what happened. “I figure neither of us are looking for something serious, but we could both do with a good distraction. I could be your rebound guy.”

  “I don’t know.” Jamie moved his legs back under the table, and they pressed against his. Liam bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. His head might not be sure, but his body was.

  “Come on. You get to not be the pathetic ex, and I get to casually date a guy who’s not looking for marriage and a white-picket fence but will make my friends and family see me as a grown-up.” The white-picket fence didn’t make him shudder like it used to, but he pushed the thought aside and nudged Jamie’s leg. “Plus you’re hot.”

  Jamie rolled his eyes as though he didn’t believe it. “Yeah, right.”

  Paul had obviously done a number on Jamie’s confidence if he didn’t know that. The thought of spending so much time with one man wasn’t as off-putting as long as Liam knew that man was Jamie. He pictured them having fun—in the bedroom and outside it.