CHAPTER FOUR
I tried to occupy myself with my sister's fifteenth birthday the following weekend. We were all gathered at my mum and dad's house. Seeing my family helped me to take my mind of Freddie a little bit.
Soon after I arrived, me and my mum were chatting and looking over at Abbie and she smiling. She was enjoying being the centre of attention on her birthday. My mum took the opportunity for a trip down memory lane.
“Do you remember when we brought your sister home just after she was born?”
“Yes, mum,” I answered. “You always tell his story. Do I have to listen to it again? I know everything you're going to say.”
She didn't acknowledge the question and carried on. “You were watching that film with the baby that looked like Abbie.”
“Yes, mum. You're so embarrassing.”
She was even embarrassing when it was just me and her.
She continued. “In the film, the baby ends up getting kidnapped. And you cried your eyes out thinking it was Abbie.”
“Mum, I was seven.”
She wasn't finished. “And do you remember that first night she was home? She wouldn't stop crying and you demanded I help her. You were such a cute child. So caring for your brother and sister.”
“You're going to bring up Chester Zoo, aren't you mum?
“Yes. Your brother got lost and you were panicking thinking he had been kidnapped. You were frantic looking around for him everywhere.. But we ended up finding Max a few minutes later. He had wandered off the watch the seals.”
Back to the present day and my sister looked so cute in her pink dress. She wore a lot of pink but always looked nice. I couldn't help but continue to smile at her.
“Hey, Dominic. How are you?”
It was a familiar voice but I couldn't put my finger on who.
I turned around and Sharon was standing in front of me.
“Oh, hi Sharon.”
I gave her a slightly awkward hug.
Sharon is my brother's girlfriend. We've met a couple of times before.
“Did you know Dom has moved out of here and into his own please?” my brother asked Sharon.
“Yeah you mentioned it.” She turned to me. “What's it like, Dominic?”
“It's good thanks. It's nice to have some peace and quiet away from him and Abbie to be honest.”
I tapped Max on the shoulder to show I didn't mean any offence.
“It's nice to get rid of you too,” Abbie adding coming from nowhere. “You always hog the bathroom here, especially in the mornings.”
“You're the one who has the longest baths, Abs,” I argued.
“You're like a fish in there,” she fired back.
She was good with the insults for someone much younger.
“He always gets bath water all over the bathroom floor,” my mum added, joining in the regular game of tease Dominic.
“Sharon, this is why I moved out. They wind me up. On purpose!”
“That's because you fall for it every time,” my mum added.
Max and Abbie nodded in agreement.
“You're such a funny family,” added Simon who is Abbie's boyfriend.
“Thanks,” my mum replied.
She smiled at Simon. She always liked hearing people talk positively about her family.
You certainly wouldn't want to say anything negative about one of us to her.
I went up to the toilet shortly after. I didn't need it; I just sat at the end of the bath with the doors closed. I wanted to think.
I was having a good time. I thought of Freddie and what he might be up to. Tom also came into my head. He always seemed to when I wanted to stop thinking of Freddie. I actually sent Tom a text message the other day when I was feeling particularly lonely:
How are you mate? Long time no speak!
He replied soon after:
I'm good mate. You? Did you watch Newcastle the other day?
I responded:
I did and I'm good mate.
I lied. Newcastle had lost the game. But, far more importantly, I wasn't good because of the whole gay thing. Tom didn't know the truth, although I suspected he might. I mean we've been best friends for a good few years and told each other almost everything. But I would talk openly about girls with him to try and cover my tracks. Maybe, that's why he didn't say anything. I'm such a liar.
I sent him another text:
How's your girlfriend and the baby?
He replied:
Great cheers mate.
I didn't reply but he send me another text later that evening:
Have you got a girlfriend yet, Dom?
I hate that question. I didn't bother to reply.
When I returned to the party, my mum almost immediately cornered me.
“Are you having a good time, Dominic?” she asked.
Before I could answer, she was off again. “It's nice to have you here. I do miss you living here. We all do. Your sister looks happy, doesn't she? Her and Simon seem to be happy as well. And Max and Sharon. Your brother seems to finally be over that ex girlfriend of his. I love having all my family together like this. You all seem happy to me.
“Yeah, it's a nice party,” I responded.
“How's work at the moment, Dominic?
“Yeah it's fine thanks.”
“Are you still enjoying it? And is Freddie still there? You always you used to talk him when you lived here.”
“I never really enjoyed it. And, yeah, Freddie is still there.”
I tried to hide the fact that Freddie was always on my mind.
“Well you're bound to be bored,” my mum confessed. “You can do anything you want. You don't want to be working some dead-end job all your life. You need to go back to University. Just because your last course didn't go well and you came home doesn't mean you can't try something else. Maybe you should study in Newcastle this time.”
“Not this again, mum,” I pleaded.
I'd heard it all before, many times in fact.
“No, listen!” she continued. “You've got good A-Levels. Just because University didn't work out the last time. It was the wrong course, the wrong place. You need to sit down and think about what you really want to do, where you want to study and go for it. Don't waste your talents.”
She's always been my biggest supporter and a lot of what she said was right.
“Is there any good-looking girls at work, Dominic?”
Not this again.
“Mum, I've told you. The girls are nice but none of them are my type. Anyway, I don't want to see anyone from work. Things could get messy and I can't be bothered getting into anything complicated like that.”
I made an flimsy excuse and hurried away from her endless questioning.
The party was good but I was glad to be home later on. It took my mind off men for a while but I now needed to plan. I'm in work tomorrow and so is Freddie. I really want to tell him I'm attracted to him and find out what the issue is that he obviously has with me. I'm not going to saying anything crazy like I love him; just that I'm gay and attracted to him. Surely, he won't react too badly.
I tried to relax in front of the TV with my feet up but my phone suddenly and broke my concentration.
It was a text from Tom:
Mate I know someone who fancies you.
I responded quickly:
Cool, who?
He replied almost instantaneously:
Do you know that girl from Carl's party ages ago?
I had no clue who it is was. But it was a girl. I wanted to text back saying I'm not interested in girls but instead threw my phone to the other side of the sofa in annoyance.
My phone beeped again shortly after. It was Tom again:
Do you want me to try and set you up?
I replied no thanks and turned my phone off.
It's nice to be liked but I want it to be a guy.
When I turned my phone back on shortly after, there was another text from Tom:
You need to get out more and take a chance or you'll be a virgin forever. You don't know what you're missing. She's fit as well. I would if I was single.
It was a very to-the-point message from Tom. Me and Tom had that relationship. He wasn't being nasty just giving his opinion. He didn't understand that I don't fancy women. I wonder what he would think if he knew I fancied men.