had the TV on and the kettle boiling. “Hey, you like the bed?”
“Yeah, it’s lovely.”
“My mum decorated it. I don’t know what she had in mind for me when she chose that bed though.”
“It's beautiful.” Samuel smiled as he stood in the doorway.
“Come in, sit down. Do you want tea or coffee?”
“Tea please.”
“Sugar?”
“Yes, please. Two.” Samuel sat in the big chair nestled in the bay window, looking outside and crossing his legs underneath him.
Daniel didn’t want to jump right into all the talk about him leaving. Maybe if he felt comfortable, he would stay longer. He brought out a pack of chocolate digestive biscuits and the tea. He was starving, but he was determined to wait for his pizza later on and the calories wouldn’t be wasted on Samuel.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.” Samuel took the tea and grinned when he noticed the chocolate dipped biscuits. “Those are my favorite.”
“Mine too.” Daniel opened the packet and handed him about ten biscuits, making him laugh again. “What? You can never eat too many of these things. I’d eat the whole packet with one cup of tea.”
“You won’t eat your pizza.” Samuel dipped a biscuit into his tea before lifting it quickly to his mouth.
“Oh, I will. I'm starving.” Daniel laughed as Samuel dipped his biscuit in his cup again. “God, I love that you dunk your biscuits. They taste so much better. I always get dirty looks for doing it.”
“Well, I'm not going to give you dirty looks. Go ahead and dunk.” Samuel chuckled as Daniel swirled the biscuit in his cup, groaning when he tasted it. “Have you just moved in here?”
“No.” Daniel laughed loudly. “I’ve been here about five years.”
“No way!” Samuel looked around and Daniel felt embarrassed.
“It needs more of a gentle touch. I'm not into belongings or the little things which fill a house and make it a home. It’s just a place to sleep and have a bath.”
“But, you like living here?”
“Yeah, I do. It’s just never felt like home, you know. Or I've never made it feel like home. Either way, it needs more. I just don’t have time to sort it out.”
Samuel glanced around the street outside. “It’s lovely here. Reminds me of home.”
“Where’s home?”
Samuel dipped another biscuit then sighed. “I grew up in Harrogate.”
“I thought you had a Northern accent in there somewhere.”
“So do you. You have that Manchester thing going on all the time.” Samuel smiled softly. “Anyway, we moved when I was seven or eight. Went down south.”
“Why’d you move? Parents get a new job or something?”
“No…” Samuel looked out of the window again. “My mum died. She was ill for a while. Dad needed family around him after she passed away, so we moved down south.”
“I'm so sorry, Sweetheart.” Daniel put his cup down and gripped his fingers together tightly. “I lost my mum last year. No matter how old you are when it happens, it still hurts like a bitch.”
“I'm sorry, Daniel. That’s not long ago.”
Daniel didn’t talk much about his mum. It hurt too much. “I miss her a lot. I'm not close to my dad.” Daniel played with the cuff of his sweater. “We kinda fell out when he found out I was gay. I had to move out when I was eighteen and we haven’t really spoken since then. That was nearly seven years ago. Shame it wasn’t him who died and not her.”
“My dad just left.” Daniel looked at Samuel, his sad eyes filled with tears. “I was only eight. I lost my mum and then he just left. I was ten when I found out he’d died three months after I last saw him. I lived with his brother for a while, but then...” Samuel bit his lip. “He was in a car crash. He stayed in hospital for a few weeks, but he didn’t come back.”
Daniel moved next to him, sitting on the arm of the sofa and holding him tightly. He’d gone through so much at such a young age. To lose both of your parents at that age… Daniel
“Yeah, it’s lovely.”
“My mum decorated it. I don’t know what she had in mind for me when she chose that bed though.”
“It's beautiful.” Samuel smiled as he stood in the doorway.
“Come in, sit down. Do you want tea or coffee?”
“Tea please.”
“Sugar?”
“Yes, please. Two.” Samuel sat in the big chair nestled in the bay window, looking outside and crossing his legs underneath him.
Daniel didn’t want to jump right into all the talk about him leaving. Maybe if he felt comfortable, he would stay longer. He brought out a pack of chocolate digestive biscuits and the tea. He was starving, but he was determined to wait for his pizza later on and the calories wouldn’t be wasted on Samuel.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.” Samuel took the tea and grinned when he noticed the chocolate dipped biscuits. “Those are my favorite.”
“Mine too.” Daniel opened the packet and handed him about ten biscuits, making him laugh again. “What? You can never eat too many of these things. I’d eat the whole packet with one cup of tea.”
“You won’t eat your pizza.” Samuel dipped a biscuit into his tea before lifting it quickly to his mouth.
“Oh, I will. I'm starving.” Daniel laughed as Samuel dipped his biscuit in his cup again. “God, I love that you dunk your biscuits. They taste so much better. I always get dirty looks for doing it.”
“Well, I'm not going to give you dirty looks. Go ahead and dunk.” Samuel chuckled as Daniel swirled the biscuit in his cup, groaning when he tasted it. “Have you just moved in here?”
“No.” Daniel laughed loudly. “I’ve been here about five years.”
“No way!” Samuel looked around and Daniel felt embarrassed.
“It needs more of a gentle touch. I'm not into belongings or the little things which fill a house and make it a home. It’s just a place to sleep and have a bath.”
“But, you like living here?”
“Yeah, I do. It’s just never felt like home, you know. Or I've never made it feel like home. Either way, it needs more. I just don’t have time to sort it out.”
Samuel glanced around the street outside. “It’s lovely here. Reminds me of home.”
“Where’s home?”
Samuel dipped another biscuit then sighed. “I grew up in Harrogate.”
“I thought you had a Northern accent in there somewhere.”
“So do you. You have that Manchester thing going on all the time.” Samuel smiled softly. “Anyway, we moved when I was seven or eight. Went down south.”
“Why’d you move? Parents get a new job or something?”
“No…” Samuel looked out of the window again. “My mum died. She was ill for a while. Dad needed family around him after she passed away, so we moved down south.”
“I'm so sorry, Sweetheart.” Daniel put his cup down and gripped his fingers together tightly. “I lost my mum last year. No matter how old you are when it happens, it still hurts like a bitch.”
“I'm sorry, Daniel. That’s not long ago.”
Daniel didn’t talk much about his mum. It hurt too much. “I miss her a lot. I'm not close to my dad.” Daniel played with the cuff of his sweater. “We kinda fell out when he found out I was gay. I had to move out when I was eighteen and we haven’t really spoken since then. That was nearly seven years ago. Shame it wasn’t him who died and not her.”
“My dad just left.” Daniel looked at Samuel, his sad eyes filled with tears. “I was only eight. I lost my mum and then he just left. I was ten when I found out he’d died three months after I last saw him. I lived with his brother for a while, but then...” Samuel bit his lip. “He was in a car crash. He stayed in hospital for a few weeks, but he didn’t come back.”
Daniel moved next to him, sitting on the arm of the sofa and holding him tightly. He’d gone through so much at such a young age. To lose both of your parents at that age… Daniel
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