“Ready?” Devan folded the paper he’d printed out and put it in an envelope.
“Yep.”
“What have you done?”
“Nothing.” Devan headed for the stairs.
“Hmm.”
“I’ll tell you if you tell me what’s in the big box for my father.”
Jonty laughed. “No.”
Once the door of their room was closed, Jonty turned Devan round to face it. “Stare at the door, don’t look at me or we’ll never get downstairs.”
Devan chuckled, but stayed facing the door. Jonty took off his trousers, wriggled into his skinny jeans and zipped them up.
“Okay, I’m resistible now.”
Devan turned and smiled. “You’re never resistible.” His gaze dropped to Jonty’s jeans and he gulped. “Fuck, you’re completely irresistible.”
Jonty pulled off the top he was wearing and tried on three different sweaters, including one of Devan’s, before he settled on the tight-fitting pink Gap sweater that Devan had bought him.
“Shall I put on my flashing Christmas headband?” Jonty asked.
“Maybe when we’re in bed. Okay?”
“Good idea, then you won’t lose me.”
Devan pulled him into his arms. “I will never lose you.”
Jonty pouted. “But you lost me in the supermarket, in the toy shop, in the park, in—”
Devan put his hand over Jonty’s mouth. “And every time, I found you again.”
“Maybe you should buy me one of those flexible wrist leashes.”
“Are you going to guess all your Christmas presents?”
“It better be pink.” Jonty beamed at him. “Just one thing to do before we go down in case I forget when we come back up.” He crawled under the bed to retrieve two of the presents he’d bought, then ripped off half the tags and wrote To Suki and To Griff on the halves that were still attached.
Devan leaned over. “What are you doing?”
“Presents for Griff and Suki.”
“I don’t think they’ll expect anything from you.”
“I wouldn’t want to be watching people open their presents and not have anything to open. And they can be from both of us.”
Though as they left the room, Jonty stopped. “I wonder if I picked out the gifts I’d intended to. Oh well, Griff will probably like Kinky Gay sex for Dummies. It comes with a blow-up horse. You can manage without them until the new year.”
Devan laughed. “I really wish that was what you were giving him.”
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Devan kissed him. “You look gorgeous.”
Jonty tugged at the bottom of his sweater. “How did you know I was worried I didn’t? Was it the number of sweaters I tried on?”
“More that you’re wearing the jeans that make me hard even when I’m looking at them without you in them.”
Jonty smiled.
Devan pushed open the door of another room Jonty hadn’t been in and reached for his hand. The room had a blazing log fire and lots of couches. Everyone was chattering and holding drinks. Some of the kids sat on the floor in front of a TV watching a cartoon, the two older ones were on the window seat using their phones. Another glittering Christmas tree stood in the far corner and although this one wasn’t colour coordinated, it looked beautiful. The baubles were all different shapes, designs and colours and there were homemade decorations on there too. Stars made out of sprayed pegs glued together, cardboard lanterns with sweet-paper windows, cotton wool snowmen with googly-eyes, and pipe-cleaner reindeer.
Jonty felt a pang of sadness thinking about the things he’d brought home from school that had never made it onto a tree once his mother had gone. There’d been no Christmas tree after she’d left. Jonty had hung up the things he’d made in his room, sneaked a set of fairy lights out of the attic and created his own Christmas.
As they approached the chattering group, people moved apart and Griff came into view. He was slightly shorter than Devan, though taller than Jonty, but maybe that was because he was resting on a forearm crutch. He had the same dark hair as his brothers and the same bright grin. His mother stood next to him, smiling at him. Griff was good-looking, but in Jonty’s eyes, not as good-looking as Devan, though he guessed most would consider Griff the handsome one of the family, more conventionally beautiful than his brothers. Maybe it was because Jonty knew what Griff had done that made the guy less attractive. To fuck Devan’s fiancé the day before the wedding… What sort of bastard would do that to his brother?
Jonty felt the moment that Devan spotted Griff through the pressure on his fingers, but Griff waited for Devan to come to him. Another mark against him. He might have a disability, but he could have met Devan halfway. Devan had done nothing wrong. Griff was a wanker. Jonty was determined not to like him, but equally determined not to show it.
“Jonty, this is my brother Griff. Griff, this is Jonty,” Devan said in a neutral tone.
“Hello.” Jonty held out his hand and Griff shook it, though Jonty let his hand go as fast as he could. He wasn’t going to say he was pleased to meet the guy because he wasn’t.
“Hi, Jonty.” Griff smiled at him. “I’m looking forward to hearing how you came about.”
What? Jonty heard the snideness in Griff’s tone and opened his mouth. “My mum and dad had sex, once I think, and nine months later out I popped. My father told me I was born on a Wednesday. But Wednesday’s child being full of woe always struck me as being rather unjust. Monday would have been better, fair of face, or Tuesday, full of grace. Or Friday, loving and giving. But Sunday would have suited me fine, bonny and blithe, good and gay.” Oh God, shut up. Being annoyed made him gabble.
Devan was chuckling, but Griff and his mother stared as if they couldn’t believe what they’d just heard.
“Griff was just telling us that he’s had a photograph accepted for Time magazine,” his mother said.
Jonty waited for Devan to say something and when he didn’t, said, “What’s the photo of?”
“A hotel room,” Griff said.
Jonty couldn’t think of anything to say. That never happened. Fuck. “Before or after cleaning?” He mentally sighed. Riveting conversation.
“Before. You must see a lot of those.” Griff stared at him.
I’m not a fucking cleaner. But… “Yes. Some where guests had made the bed perfectly before they left which is such a waste of time. Others where the rooms were so disgusting, we had to get special cleaners in. Then there was the time a guest painted a wall with his blood. That was interesting.”
“Literally painted?” Devan asked.
“Yep. It was a picture of his wife. He said it was anyway. I thought it looked like a long-necked bird. Maybe his wife had a long neck. Anyway, he was quite lucid. He told us he’d done it and paid to have the room re-painted. The hotel manager informed the police and it turned out he’d stabbed his wife.”
“Oh my word.” Devan’s mother sounded shocked.
“Get much demand for earplugs because of the seagulls?” Griff asked.
Jonty shrugged. “Most people understand that sea and gulls can’t be separated.”