The Thousand Smiles of Nicholas Goring by Julie Bozza

Author:Julie Bozza
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay, contemporary, australia, quest, dreamtime, male male romance
Publisher: Manifold Press
Published: 2014-11-02T04:00:00+00:00

Of course, every time they drove through a town or some other location that had mobile reception, Robin's phone chimed to announce incoming messages. One, which arrived while they were passing through Dalby, seemed to put Robin in pensive frame of mind. Dave kept an eye on him in the rear-view mirror. Robin was doing nothing more than staring out the window at the unchanging scenery, so after about fifteen minutes of that Dave said, "You right, mate?"

Nicholas stirred and looked around, having fallen into his own reverie. "Robin … ?"

"I'm all right." But Robin sighed, and after a moment he said, "Uncle Nicholas …"

"Yes?"

"Has it been … you know … a real pain for you? Me being in love with you, I mean."

"No," Nicholas warmly replied. "No, of course not." He shifted around in his seat, so they could talk more directly. "Why do you ask?"

Robin grimaced, and didn't say anything.

Dave glanced at him in the mirror, and guessed, "Text message from Chloe?"

Another sigh, before Robin admitted, "Yeah." Then he asked Nicholas, "What am I supposed to do? I mean, it's not like … it's not as if there's anything I can do! I'm not going to fall in love with her. She's just a kid, for a start!"

"Be kind to her," Nicholas promptly replied. "Be a friend. Be patient. That's a great deal to be getting on with. And it will pass. These things always do."

"Do they?" Robin asked in sceptical tones.

"Yes. You know – this is a secret, all right? But when I was her age … and when I was your age, too, for that matter! I was in love with someone who would never love me back. It could have been horrible, it could have broken my heart, but he was kind to me, and actually now I think it was the … second most perfect thing that ever happened to me."

Robin had his head down, but Dave sensed somehow that the mood had changed.

"If you can be her friend," Nicholas forged on, "Chloe might one day look back on this as something that made her happy."

Silence.

"Robin?" Nicholas prompted.

A muffled noise from Robin might have been a sob or a groan – but turned out to be a laugh. Robin was suddenly grinning at Nicholas and bubbling over with mirth. "I know you were in love with Frank Brambell, Nicholas!"

"Oh." Nicholas seemed rather affronted. "Do you?"

"And for that matter, you still are, a little bit. Sorry, Uncle David."

Dave laughed, too. "No worries," he assured Robin. "It was one of the first things I knew about your uncle. We'd hardly even said g'day and he told me he had a thing for chauffeurs."

"Were you driving at the time?"

"Yeah."

Robin thought that was hilarious. "Oh right, it's such a big secret he just blurts it out as soon as he sets foot in another country … Which is why I don't believe you, Nicholas, with all your ‘This too shall pass'. As if it ever passed for you. And David never quite got over Denise either – did you?"

Dave cast him a wink via the mirror.

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