The fire was on low, and Krish watched the flames dance for a few seconds. He quickly glanced around the familiar room, feeling the tension leave. There was no place like home. Pictures of the family were placed all around the room, on the mantelpiece and walls. Three walls were pale cream, and the wall with the fireplace was a light brown shade. Next to the fireplace stood shelves full of CDs and DVDs with the TV placed in the corner. Two large sofas and two chairs made up the rest of the room, and considering eight of them had lived here at one time, the furniture was needed.
His mother, Annie, stood and walked over to him, pulling him close and hugging him tightly. "We've missed you, Krish."
Krish hugged her back, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. There was nothing better than coming home and seeing his mum.
His brothers and sisters either grunted or said hello, which was a typical response. His dad, Deepak, remained sitting in his chair, but he did look up and smile at him.
"How's the course going, son?"
"Yeah, it's going all right. I'm enjoying doing the TA stuff." Krish smiled.
Annie looked him up and down before asking, "So, is there anybody special in your life?"
Krish groaned, shaking his head. "No, Mum, there isn't."
"You need to find yourself a nice young man, Krish. I worry about you being all on your own."
Krish knew how lucky he was that his parents had accepted his sexuality. His dad had been a little upset but had eventually come around. As his mum had told him, he had five other sons and daughters who would provide plenty of grandchildren, and what was more important was Krish's happiness.
"Mum, I'm only twenty-six. I've years to find someone. Don't worry about me. I'm happy."
"It's a mother's job to worry about her sons and daughters, and it doesn't matter how old you are, I'll always worry about you. Now, we're having a beef roast today. How does that sound?"
"Great! You make the best roast, Mum."
Deepak stood from the chair and walked over to him, patting Krish on the back. "Come on, son, you can help me carve the meat."
"That's not fair, Dad. You'll get all the best bits," Elijah shouted from the floor.
"Just because he's the oldest doesn't mean he should get the best bits," Aaliyah said, agreeing with Elijah.
The others all joined in, and for a few seconds, chaos reigned. Eventually, Krish's dad lifted his hands, clapping them together. "That's it. That's enough, you lot. We don't get to see your brother that often, so be nice." He pointed a finger at them all before turning back to Krish. "Come on, let's go in the kitchen where it's quieter."
Krish walked in behind his dad and inhaled, savouring the scent of the roast beef. His mum was already in there, pulling the roast potatoes out of the oven and placing them on the side, where the veggies were already in their glass dishes, ready to go to the table.
"Haani! Kaia!" his mother shouted. "Get in here and take the veg and put it on the table."
Krish was pushed to one side as Haani and Kaia entered the kitchen, both pulling faces. "Aw, Mum. Krish is in here. Why can't you get him to do it?"
Annie turned, putting her hands on hips, fixing Haani with a stern stare. "Because I asked you, that's why. Your brother's only here for today, and then he's back at university tomorrow. Let him have a nice, relaxing day."
"He chose to do master's degree," Kaia pouted, sticking her bottom lip out and crossing her arms over the chest.
"Alright, you two. I'll take the roast potatoes out," Krish told them, picking up the Pyrex dishes that they were in and heading towards the door.
"No, you won't!" Sayyid shouted, standing by the kitchen door. "You'll take the best ones."
"Oh, for the love of..." Deepak muttered, leaning on the counter. "Just do as your mother asked and take all the veg out and put it on the table. Lunch will be ready in a few minutes."
As Krish walked past Sayyid, he stuck his tongue out, jumping to the side to avoid Sayyid's punch. Laughing, he walked into the dining room and put the roast potatoes down in the middle of the table. He found the table already set. Saliva flooded his mouth. He couldn't wait to eat. He was starving.
Eventually, all the food was on the table, and everyone sat around tucking in.
It was loud and chaotic as everyone tried to talk over everyone else, and there was lots of laughter. Krish loved his family; there was no doubt about that.
He knew his parents had faced difficulties when they'd originally begun their relationship. With his father being Muslim and his mother being white British, his father's family were against the relationship. Even when his mother converted, they had still faced difficulties from his dad's family. Eventually, his dad had cut off all ties to his family, but they were lucky his mum's family took him in.
Even though they were Muslim and observed the important days, they were generally non-practising, and Krish often wondered how much of that was to do with how his dad's family had reacted to his relationship with his mum. But, here they were thirty years later, and his parents still had a strong love between them. They still went on dates, and they still held hands when they walked together.
When he was younger, it used to embarrass Krish, but now he only hoped that in the future, he would have a relationship that was as strong and long-lasting as his parents. They had endured so much to be together, and it hadn't broken them, it had made them stronger.
When they'd all finished eating and it was time to clear up, the usual argument started as to who was doing the washing up. Being the eldest, Krish usually got away from it, and the job would fall to one of his younger brother or sisters. There was none of this, 'girls did the jobs' because they were females, they all had to muck in and do their fair share.
Luckily for Krish, it fell to Kaia and Elijah, who both grumbled as they walked into the kitchen. He didn't envy them. When his mum did a proper Sunday roast, lots of dishes got used.
Walking back into the living room, Krish sat on the sofa next to his dad. Deepak had the paper open and was busy reading the news. The rest of his family were either sat on chairs or lounging on the floor. They were used to being on top of each other.
They'd all grown up in the same semi-detached house, which had four bedrooms. His parents had one, his sisters the other, and he and his three brothers had the last two bedrooms between them. Now that he had technically moved out, Haani had one room to himself, which hadn't gone down well with his other two brothers, Sayyid and Elijah, who shared the other one.
They spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and catching up on what everyone had been doing. As the sky darkened, Krish looked at the time and realised it was getting late. He still had some work to mark and knew he would have to get going.
Sighing, Krish stood and stretched, standing on tip-toes, raising his arms high above his head, trying to work the kinks out of his back. He spent so much of his day bent over a desk that his back ached, and then he'd come here today and had just slouched on the sofa.
"Are you going now?" Annie asked.
Krish nodded. "Yeah, Mum. I've still got assignments to mark, and I want to get them done tonight. And then I've got to get started on my own assignments."
"You will call me when you get home, won't you? You know I worry," Annie reminded him.
Bending down, Krish kissed her on the cheek, hugging her. "'Course I will. I always do, don't I?"
"I know you do. I just miss you when you not here."
Leaning back, Krish looked at his mum. Short blonde hair and pale skin with navy blue eyes, she was the opposite of his dad look-wise. His dad had dark hair, eyes and skin. They all took after their dad with their eye and hair colouring, but they all had a lighter skin tone thanks to their mixed heritage.
"I promise I'll call, and I miss you too."
Krish gave his dad a quick hug and then waved and said goodbye to everyone else as he walked from the living room.
Closing the front door behind him, Krish put his hands in his coat pocket
s and walked down the path towards his car, a red Citroen C3 that was parked by the kerb.
Once in the car, Krish started the engine, turning on the heater. Winter was approaching, and there was a chill in the air. Not looking forward to the mountain of work ahead of him, Krish sighed and drove home.
❊❊❊
Krish walked into the house he shared with Danny and Simon, and entered the living room, finding both of them sat on the sofa with their girlfriends watching TV. He took his coat off and threw it on the floor next to the chair and, sitting down, he put his legs on the chair arm.
"How's the family?" Danny asked. Tall with bright red hair and sparkling green eyes, Danny was your typical Irish man. His home was Dublin, but he'd come to Manchester to do his degree and to experience the nightlife. He'd been with Katie for two years, and the relationship was going well. Danny had even talked about proposing, and Krish was happy for him. Katie was perfect for him.
At the moment, Katie's hair was a deep purple, and she'd recently had an eyebrow pierced. She glanced over in Krish's direction and smiled. "Bet you had a nice Sunday roast, didn't you?"
Krish smiled back at her, patting his stomach. "Roast beef. Mum makes the best Sunday roast."
"Damn, I think I'm jealous," Simon muttered. "I'd love to have a Sunday roast that I didn't have to make." As he spoke, he turned to Jess, his girlfriend, and raised his eyebrows at her.
"That's because you make the best Sunday roasts, babe. You know I would only burn things." She fluttered her eyelashes at him, causing Simon to laugh.
"Yeah, I know what your cooking is like."
Jess slapped him. "Hey, I'm not that bad!"
"Yes, you are. You gave me food poisoning the first time you cooked for me! But I'm still here, baby."
Krish laughed, raising an eyebrow at them. "Food poisoning? You never told us about that, Simon."
"Really? Who wants to tell his mates about his girlfriend trying to poison him?"
"I didn't try to poison you! I didn't cook the chicken all the way through. It was an honest mistake. Anyone could have made it," Jess pleaded.
"Even I know that chicken shouldn't still be pink when you serve it, Jess," Krish said, laughing at them.
"Oh, shut the fuck up." Jess pouted, sticking a bottom lip out and pulling a sad face at Simon.
"You know I love you, just not your cooking," Simon said, bending down to kiss her.
Krish sighed. What he wouldn't give to be able to find a man and have a relationship like Danny and Simon had. He could admit that he was envious even if he was happy that they were happy.
Standing up, he grabbed his coat, and as he walked out of the living room, he told them, "Got some assignments to finish marking, so I'll head up and get them done. I'll probably see you guys in the morning. I don't need to remind you to keep the noise down, do I?" He waggled his eyebrows at them causing them to laugh and Katie to blush.
Danny threw a cushion at him. "Fuck off."
Krish laughed and walked up the stairs and into his bedroom. Closing the door behind him, he looked at the stack of paperwork on his desk and groaned. He really should have come home from his parents' earlier.
Dropping his coat on his bed, Krish sat at the desk, staring at the stack of work on it. Dropping his head in his hands, he rubbed his face and then sat up. This work wasn't going to do itself.
Grabbing the first assignment, he started to work.
Chapter Five
Luke lay awake in bed staring at the ceiling. He'd had very little sleep the last two nights with everything that had happened since Friday. His phone had constantly beeped with messages from people he knew and didn't know, all making comments about his past. Derogatory comments. Facebook and Twitter went mad, and on Instagram, Sarah had posted a picture of them both, tagging him in it, and telling everyone what he'd done when he lived on the streets.
The things people had said made Luke feel physically sick. Asking how many people he'd let fuck him, how many dicks he'd sucked, how much he charged for either, and the worst ones were asking if he was still available, because some liked his pretty arse.
Luke had gotten fed up with deleting all the messages and emails and had contemplated closing down all his social media accounts. He didn't know how long he could keep on going. It had only been forty-eight hours, and already Luke was ready to give up. But today was Monday, and he needed to get ready to go to lectures, lectures he didn't want to attend because he knew people on the courses with him would know what Sarah had said.
It had surprised him how quickly the rumours had spread around. The number of messages on his wall from people he didn't know had astounded him.
The comments had been sickening. People sat behind keyboards making comments about someone they didn't know. Probably enjoying it, knowing that they were upsetting someone and hurting them with the words they spewed.
He'd even tried contacting Sarah on Sunday, but she hadn't answered her phone. He'd sent multiple messages asking her to speak to him, but still, there had been nothing. He wasn't looking forward to seeing her at Uni today, but he had no choice. They had lectures in the same building, so it would be difficult to avoid her.
Luke was dragged from his thoughts when he heard a knock on the door. It opened, and Tom stuck his head around the door.
"You're gonna be late if you don't get up. There is some toast and a brew downstairs waiting for you."
Luke nodded and gave Tom a small smile. "Alright, I'll be down there in a few minutes. Thanks, Tom."
Tom closed the door behind him, and Luke got out of bed. He went to the bathroom, did what he needed to do, then went back to his bedroom. He quickly changed, put his work in his bag, and went downstairs.
Walking into the kitchen, he found several slices of toast waiting for him. In the living room, Luke sat in the chair and watched TV with Tom and Seb. Matt had spent the night at Josh's, so Luke wouldn't see him until later that evening when they all came back home.
"Not long left of this semester, is there?" Tom asked.
"No, and I can't wait for it to be over," Luke admitted, sipping his tea.
"Is everything alright?" Tom asked. Besides Matt, Tom had known him the longest, and even though they weren't on the streets anymore--hadn't been for several years now--Tom still looked out for him.
"Yeah, just a few things on my mind. I've had a lot of work this semester, and I'm just looking forward to having no more exams. What are the plans for Christmas?" Luke asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Once the exams are out the way, Matt will be moving in with Josh, so that's one less in the house."Seb said.
Tom grunted. "At least it will be a lot quieter."
Seb glanced at Tom, saying, "Since he's finally admitted that he's in love with Matt, and he started counselling, Josh has improved."
"Sure, he has. Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it, does it?"
The situation between Josh and Tom was still a little tense, but had improved over recent weeks. The fact that Josh genuinely appeared to be sorry for everything that had happened in the past had appeased Tom somewhat. But Tom still had difficulties letting go, and Luke could understand where Tom was coming from.
Because Josh hadn't helped him that day--Tom had gone around to Josh's parents' house--Tom had spent four long years on the streets, selling his body to survive.
But, if that hadn't have happened, Luke wouldn't have met Tom, Ben, and Adam, and they certainly wouldn't be where they were now. All of them were at university, an opportunity none of them thought that they would have had.
"Come on, Tom. You know he's trying."
"Of course I do, Seb. Everyone seems to think that I should just forget about what I've experienced because of him. It's not that easy, but I am trying."
"You two were laughing the other day," Luke reminded him.
"I temporarily forgot," Tom deadpanned.
Seb elbowed Tom in the ribs, smiling at him. "Then you've temporarily forgotten quit
e a few times, haven't you?"
Tom sighed heavily. "Okay. So I remember the good times we had together, and that we used to have a laugh, and the fact that he still makes me laugh now, and the fact that he is trying... You two just shut up." Tom crossed his arms over his chest and pouted at them, sticking his bottom lip as far out as he could.
Luke laughed, almost spilling his tea over his hand. Yes, Tom liked to remind them of everything he had suffered because of Josh, but Tom couldn't deny the fact that he and Josh still got on.
Luke quickly finished his tea and toast and then got up, walked to the kitchen, and put the dishes in the sink. On his way out, he grabbed his bag and said goodbye to Tom and Seb. Tom wasn't going in until later today, as he didn't have lectures until the afternoon, so Luke would be getting the bus on his own.
Forty minutes later, Luke stood at the bus stop looking over at the building where he had his lectures. Taking a deep breath, Luke slowly walked towards it, glancing at people as he walked past them. His heart pounded in his chest, and Luke could feel sweat breaking out over his skin. He gripped the handle of his bag tighter while wiping the palm of his other hand on his jeans.
Maybe it was his imagination, but Luke was certain that people were looking at him. As he approached his building, he saw Sarah stood outside with her group of her friends. Luke slowed. He wasn't sure if he wanted to walk past them. He quickly scanned the area but couldn't see any of his friends, so he took a deep breath and sped up, hoping to be able to walk past quickly, without them noticing him.
Luck wasn't on his side.
"Hey, look! It's that cock-sucking slut. I've got forty quid, mate. Drop your pants and bend over and let me fuck ya!"
"Dirty motherfucker!!"
"Disease-riddled fag!"
Luke tried to tune the comments out, dropping his head to stare at the ground as he continued walking towards his building.
"Hey, Luke."
Luke bent his head to stare at Sarah, who was running towards him. "What do you want, Sarah? Haven't you caused enough damage?"
"I just wanted to remind you that it's over."
Breaking Free (Second Chances Book 4) Page 3