When London Snow Falls by Hayden Stone

Author:Hayden Stone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: college; university; music; rock star; single parent; single dad; anxiety; knitting; coffee; cafe; UK; London; queer romance; m/m romance; lgbtq+; opposites; celebrity
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2022-05-31T21:24:01+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

The magic of Ben is soon dashed in the gray melt of slush on Christmas Eve. I’ve come to my parents’ home in Richmond, to the realm of well-heeled posh commuters. At least it’s beautiful here in the day. Dusk shelters the scrape of branches blown against the window, tap-tapping on the glass. The room darkens with the fading light. My novel’s set aside.

Everything’s muted here. Colors, unlike Ben’s world, are carefully managed, in case they do something dangerous. No fuchsia jumpers or multicolored scarves here. There are certainly no visible piercings or anything bold to challenge the norms of upper middle class respectability. The house is muffled in shades of beige and browns, from the wood floors to the tonal landscape painting hung over the sofa.

It’s like color knows better than to come here.

It would be so easy to drink something from the display of liquor bottles and decanters sparkling on the sideboard and keep going. Ordinarily, I’d have a pint, but here, everything I do is under scrutiny. I don’t want to give them any material to use against me.

“Want a whiskey?” Michael asks.

We occasionally find common ground on how frustrating our parents can be. But we’ve got that stereotypical birth order thing going on—Michael’s the first-born high-achiever, I’m the wild kid brother. Or I was. Now I’m a reformed Charlie.

When I’m here, I become beige, too.

“No thanks. Don’t let me stop you, though.” I nod at the drinks.

Michael’s come tonight fresh from work in his suit and tie. His suitcase is doubtless packed with military precision. He’s not military, but a solicitor, which is close enough. The man likes orders and rules. He’s not all bad, though. Michael’s come through for me when I’ve needed backup dealing with our parents.

While Michael pours Talisker into a tumbler, I flop into a leather armchair.

“How’s uni?” he asks, taking a seat opposite me on the three-seater sofa. Naturally, it’s brown too. Mum would call it dark chocolate.

“All right. Busy, I guess.” Uni feels like a million years ago since Ben. Another lifetime. Like some other Charlie goes about his classes.

“You’re not sure?”

“Busy,” I confirm, more certainty in my voice this time. That part’s true. “Working a lot. How about you?”

“Busy. Working a lot.” Michael gives me a wry look as he sips on his drink.

Checkmate.

I lift my eyebrows at Michael.

“Everything’s fine. Jenna’s fine too. We’re going skiing for a weekend getaway. Swiss Alps.”

“Oh yeah?” The idea of visiting the Alps is about as foreign as taking a quick weekend getaway to the moon. I should find a rocket to take Ben sometime, maybe for our New Year’s date.

“Yeah. Special occasion and all that. I’m planning to propose.”

Maybe I should have had that whiskey after all. I blink. It takes me a moment to recover from his news. “That’s serious.”

Michael laughs. “Well, we do love each other. And we have been dating for over two years.”

“Shit, really?” Time’s snuck up on me when I wasn’t looking. When I was busy staying sober and trying to do right by Emily and Carys.

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