Damaged Goods by Susan Mac Nicol

Author:Susan Mac Nicol
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: coming of age story, opposites attract, finding love for the first time, new adult romance, contemporary gay fiction, men of london, accepting cultural differences, leaving tragedy behind to find happiness, looking beneath the surface, seeing the real person inside

Chapter 11

Dare took a deep breath and scrambled out of his car. Jax was already fumbling for his door handle and finally they stood together outside, gazing at the scene spread out before them.

Rows of modern caravans dotted here and there with the brightly coloured and quaint sight of old-fashioned horse-drawn wagons in between greeted them as they stood at the entrance to the Traveller site on the outskirts of London.

“Erm, I can only see big colourful shapes, but are those proper gypsy caravans in there?” Jax’s face was a picture of wonder as he took out his glasses and perched them on his nose. He looked adorable. “Does that mean there are horses somewhere?”

Dare grimaced. “Mum and Da prefer the term Traveller wagon themselves, as do a lot of our people. The word ‘gypsy’ tends to bring bad connotations with it, so we don’t really use that term anymore. And yes, there are horses on site, over in one of the other fields.”

Jax breathed out in awe. “Wow. Okay, take me to see them up close and personal later. I want to see them properly. I love horses.”

Dare smiled. “My folks’ caravan is further down. It’s one of the newer ones with all the mod cons, more suitable for family life. Follow me. Be careful of the terrain, though, it’s uneven and there are probably rabbit holes. There’s a lot of them around here.”

“Bunnies too?” Jax teased. “Wow, you really know how to treat a guy.”

Dare chuckled. “I have my moments.” As they walked, he watched out of the corner of his eye, ready to support Jax if he stumbled navigating his way carefully over the ground.

The last few days they hadn’t seen much of each other. Jax had been away for two days at some one-on-one study lesson in Wembley. He had exams in summer next year and Jax being Jax, he was determined not to let his impairment get the better of him.

Dare had never known he could miss someone so much. Yes, there was texting and phone calls but not being able to see Jax, even briefly, had been like he was a child having his favourite thing taken away. Not for the first time, he felt apprehension and fear at investing so much in Jax. He was only eighteen—although Jax would protest he was eighteen and a half, the half meaning a lot to him—and still new to the whole world of dating and sex.

Dare wasn’t sure he’d hold a younger, newly minted gay man’s interest once he knew what was on offer out there in the big gay world. And Dare didn’t have much to offer. He worked in a sweet shop, even if it was a respectable job, and he didn’t even own a house. His folks lived in a caravan on a Traveller site, and while he wasn’t ashamed of the fact—he was who he was—it made him wonder if it would be enough for someone else, especially Jax with his big plans to change the world one day.

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