The First Supper (2 page)

A nice surprise, at that. So I let my hand casually drop onto his knee. The good knee, not the one that was a continual source of consternation. Dec placed his free hand above it and squeezed my fingers. I smiled at him, and knew he was feeling that same overwhelming realisation as well.

“It’s just… you both looked very nice when I walked in here.”

We had almost forgotten her presence, and when I looked back up at her I was shocked to see there was a slight glistening in her eyes, and I was reminded of the brief conversation we’d had in the hospital about Dec never seeming to be ‘himself’ (for want of a better word) when he was around Jess – the beard of a relationship they had both taken on for their own benefits. I looked at Dec, and the same glistening was there. From the first moment I had met Sheila I had noticed the similarity in their eyes, and at this point of time it was even more unmistakable.

“Yeah, I think we do,” Dec said quietly. But there was also a firmness in his tone, one that would brook no opposition if any were to come.

She collected herself, and her voice was stronger when she spoke again. “Bring the rosé out with you, boys.”

We sat, stunned, for a moment after she left.

THE FIRST SUPPER: A TIGERS AND DEVILS SHORT 14

And then I surprised Dec by giving him a long, hard kiss. His hands closed over both sides of my face as he brought me in closer. I leant my forehead against his as I came up for breath.

“What was that for?” he asked.

“Because we can,” I said.

“We can,” he said in wonder, and kissed me again.

THE FIRST SUPPER: A TIGERS AND DEVILS SHORT 15

EACH CARRYING A bottle of rosé, we re-entered the small room I laughingly called the dining area. And like that, the tension I felt had been in the room was gone as more drinks were poured and Dec and I felt comfortable enough to celebrate ourselves with the people who had brought us into the world.