Mischief Maker

by Andi Lee

  Showing this to Liam made his heart swell with happiness. He squeezed Liam’s hand as they carried on walking, and Liam looked at him and smiled, his eyes bright and his nose a little sunburned.

  It usually only took an hour and a half to walk around the reservoir, but they meandered and walked off the beaten track. By the time they made it to the country roads that would lead them to where they would spend their evening, it had started to get dark.

  He navigated them toward a large country house, too grand to be called a farmhouse but not quite an estate. Veering off the large manicured garden into a copse of gnarled trees, they followed a slight trail in the shrub that led to a clearing and a cluster of barns. Two were renovated while the third looked beaten and weather worn.

  There was a blanket and a wicker picnic basket set up on the grass in front of the barns.

  “What’s this?” Liam said, sounding pleased.

  “I know the woman who owns this house—Lady Sarah Pinfield. She helped with the picnic and gave us permission to use the gardens.” He’d met her through work, and despite their obvious class differences, they got along like a house on fire. He pulled Liam over to the picnic, sat down, and opened the basket.

  “Oh, posh,” Liam said as Jamie started to investigate.

  He should have known that leaving the food to Sarah would mean fewer sausage rolls and Walkers crisps and more potato salad and stinky cheese. The bottle of Lambrini he’d asked for was replaced by a bottle of champagne he knew must have cost a bomb. He was going to have to have words with her when he spoke to her next.

  Jamie leaned back on his elbows and nodded toward the barn. “See that barn? It doesn’t look much. You might wonder why the rest of the house and gardens are in such great condition, but that still looks like it did fifty years ago. There’s a bat roost there. Each night at dusk, they leave the roost to hunt.”

  “What do they hunt? Do they suck the blood of humans?” Liam leaned over and sucked at Jamie’s neck, making him laugh and push him away. Then Liam opened the champagne and poured some into two glasses—Jamie noticed they were crystal, not plastic.

  “They suck the blood out of insects. I think you’ll be safe with me.” Jamie winked and settled down to eat. “I thought we could watch them, maybe listen to them.”

  “We’re going to watch bats? Bats are cool. They look like rats with dragon wings.”

  “They get around with sonar, but if we use this handy device, we can actually hear them.” From his rucksack he pulled out a bat detector that looked a like a walkie talkie. “As part of our job, we have to check out bat roosts because they’re protected. Sarah contacted us a few years ago to tell us about this roost, so we come and count the bats every now and then.”

  “You count them?”

  “Yep. Don’t worry. We just get to watch them tonight. Sarah’s become an avid bat advocate since discovering this roost. She wanted to convert this building too, but now she’s leaving it for them.”

  “That’s actually really nice.”

  “She is nice—very posh, naughty,” he said, thinking of the champagne, “but lovely.”

  “So when do we get to see them? Can I hold one?” He smiled, and his whole face lit up like it did when he held the rats.

  “No holding unless you have a license, but they’re very interesting to watch.” Jamie turned the detector and fiddled with the frequency until it was right.

  They finished off the food and pushed the basket away so they could lie on their backs side by side. The moon was bright, and stars were just starting to twinkle as darkness fell.

  It was still warm enough that they only needed light jackets, and Jamie could feel Liam’s body heat at his side. He placed an arm casually over Liam’s stomach and leaned his head against his shoulder.

  There were other roosts he could have taken him to, but Jamie knew this one would give them privacy, and it was such a beautiful location that he wanted to share it with Liam.

  “They should come out right over there.” Jamie pointed to the top right-hand corner of the barn, and they both watched and waited, neither in a hurry to fill the silence—though it wasn’t silent at all. The trees rustled in the light breeze, insects buzzed, and an owl hooted in the distance. There was so much life it was truly breathtaking.

  As they waited for the bats, Jamie heard a noise that was part way between a frog and a cricket, only more lyrical. He tensed against Liam, breath caught in his throat as he scanned the darkening sky.

  “What?” Liam whispered.

  He didn’t say anything at first, just kept searching. Then he spotted it—just a blur between the trees and the side of the barn. Jamie pointed toward it, and Liam strained to look. “There.”

  “Is it a bat?” Jamie could hear the confusion in Liam’s voice. He shook his head.

  “No, it’s a nightjar. They’re nocturnal birds, and they’re hard to spot. I’ve never seen one before.” He gave a breathy laugh and tightened his arms around Liam. “You’re obviously my lucky charm.” It landed in the tree and was obscured by the branches, though they could still hear it.

  “I am full of marshmallowy goodness,” he agreed. They drifted back into silence so they could listen to the lyrical churring until it flew away. It was probably there less than a minute, but Jamie couldn’t help but think of it as a good omen for them and their relationship. He’d never seen one with Paul, after all.

  “Wow.” Jamie didn’t even try to contain his excitement. “In folklore it’s believed they stole milk from goats.”

  “How is that even possible?”

  “I’m not really sure. They were always found near livestock. They got the name goat sucker.” They were both chuckling when a whooshing noise interrupted them. They looked back toward the barn and, seconds later, Jamie saw a dark blur.

  “Look,” he whispered needlessly.

  The bats darted from the hole beneath the roof and danced in the darkness above their heads, barely visible. They didn’t fly smoothly like birds but darted around in fast, jagged movements, their black wings creating dappled shadows in the moonlight.

  “Look at that,” Liam said, his voice full of wonder. “I’ve seen the odd bat before, but never anything like this.” The bat detector whirred to life with high-pitched whistles chattering over each other. “Is that the bats?”

  Jamie nodded, enjoying Liam’s reaction more than watching the bats. Paul had never been an outdoor person, and he could take or leave animals. Jamie wouldn’t even contemplate doing something like this with him, but he wanted to share it with Liam.

  Jamie rolled into Liam’s side and placed his head back on Liam’s shoulder. “They’re called pipistrelles. They’re the most common here, and they’re tiny little fluff balls.”

  They watched the bats until every last one left the roost and flew off to fill up on insects. The bat detector quietened, and Jamie turned it off.

  “That thing is amazing. I can’t believe we got to hear bats.”

  “It’s even more amazing than that. You can actually hear rats chatter on it.”

  “What? No way?”

  “It’s very cute. We’ll have a go when we get home.”

  “That is truly amazing. I can talk to the girls! I enjoyed this. Thank you.” Liam kissed him, hard and brief, with just the trail of tongue on his lips as he pulled away.

  Jamie licked his lips, tasted Liam’s unique flavour, and wanted more. Soon. “It’s not over yet. See that barn over there?” He pointed to one on the right. “It’s been converted into a cottage. Sarah said we could have it for the night.”

  Liam’s eyebrows rose toward his forehead. “I’ve not brought any clean clothes with me.” His voice was liquid gold with a hint of gravel, which made goosebumps appear on Jamie’s arms.

  “You won’t need them,” Jamie promised.

  Chapter Twenty

  CAR MAINTENANCE for Aliens

  L_ofa_Ride

  6 years ago. 983K Views

  Liam yaw
ned and his jaw clicked as he stared at the screen. Catching up on his social media was a mammoth task. He’d neglected his channel since he officially got together with Jamie, not because Jamie didn’t approve—he liked some of his videos—but because he was too busy. He’d finally found something, or someone, more important than his vlog.

  And therein lay the problem. He didn’t need to vlog about dating because he’d already found the perfect guy.

  He watched some of his very first videos and cringed at how young he looked, how awful his editing was, and what on earth he’d been wearing. The one thing that jumped out, apart from all that, was that he had something to teach someone. There was a purpose.

  He’d always loved cars—not fast, expensive ones, but rather the sense of freedom that came from them. He loved road trips and tinkering under the bonnet with his dad. When he passed his test at seventeen, he was surprised how many people didn’t know the basics about car maintenance. That thought stuck with him all the way to university, where he was one of the few students who had his license.

  The first-ever video he filmed was beyond basics. Car Maintenance for Aliens, he’d called it, and he explained the headlights, the gears, how to fill up at a petrol station. His lecturers had scoffed at the content, but hundreds of people watched it that first week. Even now he had comments.

  He did a few others like that before the channel took a turn into what it was now. Ironically, if he’d carried on how he was, it might have helped more when he decided to become a driving instructor.

  There was one video he’d made but never posted it because it wasn’t what his viewers watched him for, and he didn’t want to be ridiculed. It was safer for his ego to carry on producing what people wanted.

  It wasn’t a bad video, but there was something missing…. He stared at the screen until he was cross-eyed.

  Jamie opened the door wearing only his boxer shorts. His cheek had pillow creases, and his hair stuck out in every direction. Rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand, he draped himself over the back of Liam’s chair and made it swing sideways gently.

  “What you doin’?” His words were still sleepy as he peered over Liam’s shoulder toward the screen.

  Liam pressed a kiss to his arm and stared at the screen again. “Just trying to figure out my channel.”

  Jamie tightened his arms around Liam’s neck and rubbed his nose against Liam’s hair. “You’ll figure it out. Come to bed soon?”

  Liam lifted his head, and they kissed awkwardly. “I will. Now go back to bed. It’s late and you have work in the morning. Whereas I don’t have to be up until midday.”

  Jamie laughed. “Yes, Dad. Though I might wake you up before I go to work.”

  Liam pouted and fluttered his eyelashes, his eyes darkening when Jamie edged the waistband of his boxers down over his hips. He knew how much Liam loved his hip bones. Jamie gave a breathy laugh and slipped out of the room. It took Liam a while before he could concentrate on the screen again.

  The idea sprang to him when he found himself signing along to his videos, and he scrambled for his camera and attached it to the tripod. He switched on his lights, knowing the quality wouldn’t be great but not wanting to wait to get his idea on film.

  He watched his old video on his computer, turned the camera on, and aimed at his hands. He signed through everything he said on the screen and messed up a few times, but he could easily edit that out. Then he uploaded the new video to his computer.

  When he finished, the video had a small box inlaid in the bottom right-hand corner with his hands signing along. It was rough, but he had a good feeling about it. Though it might not cater to the people who watched his dating videos, it would hopefully gain him new followers.

  Before he thought too much about it, he uploaded it. Then he went to join Jamie in bed, snuggled into his side, and pulled the covers over them.

  Jamie did indeed wake him up early the next morning.

  Worth it.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  SINCE LIAM had found out about the bat detector, he was obsessed with hearing the rats talk. They were in Jamie’s living room, and Mabel, Gert, and Maud were running over the sofa while he tried to get them to stand on their back legs by dangling treats above their heads.

  “Up,” he told them, and they all started to push each other away so they could be the one to grab hold of the yoghurt drop and run off. He wasn’t having a huge success, but the girls were having fun. Liam heard the distinct chatter through the bat detector.

  “I think I’m starting to understand them.”

  Jamie burst out laughing and tickled Mabel’s ears. “What are they saying?”

  “Mabel is enjoying being stroked. Maud is telling me if she’s expected to do tricks, she wants more than yoghurt drops. Gert just wants all the yoghurt drops.”

  “You’re adorable. They sound like very intelligent rats. Come on. Dinner should be ready. You put the girls back, and I’ll plate up.” Jamie patted his stomach and pushed himself off the sofa.

  “Need help?”

  Jamie shook his head. “You sort the girls, then find us something ridiculous to watch.” Jamie walked into the kitchen and plated up the spaghetti Bolognese. He wasn’t much of a cook, but he had the basics covered.

  They rarely dined at the kitchen table, preferring to sit and watch trashy TV while they ate. Jamie carried their plates in and put Liam’s on the coffee table in the middle of the room. He’d already put in a DVD for them.

  “Good choice. I’ve not seen that in ages,” he said when Liam came back from putting the rats away.

  “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! is suitably trashy, I thought. Thank you for dinner. You didn’t have to. We could have ordered a Chinese.”

  “I don’t mind.” Jamie got his own plate, and they settled onto the sofa to watch the credits. Stark appeared out of nowhere and jumped up to sit between them, making them move outward to give her a little more room.

  When they’d both eaten and their plates were empty on the floor, Jamie moved the cat and put her on Liam’s lap so they could sit closer together.

  “I love being boring with you,” Jamie said.

  “Well, I’m glad I’m boring.” Liam winked at him and flicked his arm. Jamie rolled his eyes, but the affectionate flick kept the smile on his face.

  They’d both slid down the sofa and were lying tangled together, napping more than paying any attention to the TV, with Stark lying on their feet, when Jamie heard the key turn in the lock. He frowned and twisted his head around, wondering why Dane felt the need to use his key.

  “Only me,” his mother called out. Jamie flinched. Guilt and embarrassment settled in his stomach, and he was frantically wondering where they could hide when she pushed the door open.

  “Oh shit.” He didn’t know what else to say. This was not how he wanted Liam to meet his mother, and it was not how he wanted to introduce Liam to her. He was a bad, bad son for putting it off for so long. He hadn’t even told her about Liam yet because he wanted Liam to himself for just a little bit longer.

  “There you boys are. I thought you’d been hiding from me. It’s been months. I see your sister more, and she’s away every other week on business, so I don’t know what your excuse is. I decided to come and see if you were alive. I was sure you’d been eaten by that cat…. Hi, Paul—” ended on a high note when she realised it wasn’t Paul on the sofa with him.

  Oh shit. Fuck. He’d been avoiding the conversation because she always made a mountain out of a molehill.

  “He’s not Paul.” She glared at them, mouth pursed tightly.

  “No, he’s not. I’m sure I told you about Liam? I left a message on Dad’s mobile.” It was a poor lie, and they both knew it.

  She scoffed. “Your father? You know he doesn’t use that thing. It’s easier leaving a message for Prince Harry than your father. What do I keep telling you?” Don’t lie about leaving messages for his dad?

  Jamie climbed off the sofa and walked ove
r to her, desperately wondering how to defuse the situation. “I told you that key was for emergencies.” He gave a nervous laugh.

  “Well, when my son doesn’t visit for months, it is an emergency. What are you doing with another man? Where is Paul?” She crossed her arms and looked down her nose at him, which was a feat in itself as he was taller than her.

  Liam gave him a disappointed look, as if to ask why he hadn’t told her yet. Jamie knew Liam spoke to his parents every week and visited almost as much. He hadn’t met them yet, but it was only a matter of time. “You could have knocked on the door instead of letting yourself in. Paul’s probably at Tommy’s.” Saying the words didn’t hurt like they used to.

  “Tommy’s? Why would he be there? What did you do?” She glared at Liam as though it were his fault, twisting her key between her fingers.

  “What did we do? They’ve been having an affair,” he bit out, finally admitting it. He felt guilty for not talking to his mom about it, but she had a habit of making things seem so much worse.

  She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. “Paul and Tommy?”

  This was not a conversation he wanted in front of Liam. How awkward. He didn’t want him to know how much it still bothered him. Not that he wanted Paul back, but the betrayal still hurt, and he didn’t like to admit to his mom that he’d failed at something. It was irrational because he knew she’d be on his side when she had all the facts. “It’s true. He admitted it at the rat show a while back,” he said.

  “At the rat show? Who would split up with someone like that?” She sounded indignant. “I think I need to give them boys a piece of my mind,” she said. He had a horrible thought that she’d storm around to Tommy’s and rip them to shreds. He winced at the image, though a part of him wanted to see what she’d do. His mom was fierce.

  “You don’t need to bother about them anymore. I’m over it. This is Liam, my new boyfriend. Liam, this is Maureen, my mom.”