Joe stubbed his cigarette out. “Don’t start.”
Harry smiled and kissed Joe’s cheek. “I wasn’t going to. The RSPCA are on the phone, though, so I hope you haven’t necked too much whisky to drive.”
“How dare you? I’d better call George, though.”
Joe unfolded himself from the step and slipped inside, leaving Jevon with Harry, who regarded him with obvious curiosity.
“I’ve never seen my brother so attached to someone,” he said.
“Attached?”
“Invested. Emotional. Sorry, I’m not good with words when I’m tired.”
“Who is?”
Harry laughed quietly. “Not Rhys. Come inside. I’m making tea.”
Tea turned out to be some herbal infusion that tasted like dusty flowers. Jevon sipped it and mourned Joe’s whisky bottle.
Harry sat beside him at the kind of kitchen table that instantly made Jevon hungry. “It’s nice to meet you. I was beginning to think the others had made you up.”
“Others?”
“Joe. Angelo. They like you.”
“I like them. It was nice to see Angelo looking so well. I barely recognised him when he came to meet the horse box.”
Harry’s weary smile widened briefly. “Amazing, isn’t he? He works so hard to keep himself upright, it breaks my heart when it’s not enough.”
Before today, Jevon had only seen Angelo on his knees, so he could only imagine how tough it had been to crawl his way back to the lithe dancer who’d greeted him with a hug and a kiss to both cheeks. “Where’s Dylan?”
“Romford. He’s coming for Christmas in a couple of days.”
“That’s nice.”
“Yeah. I’m kinda hoping you and Rhys will stick around too.”
“For Christmas?”
“It’s next week.”
The festive season had slipped Jevon’s mind. “I hadn’t even thought about it.”
“Don’t blame you. Rhys usually works, but I guess that’s off the table for now. What about your job? When are they expecting you back?”
Jevon’s stomach tightened. “I don’t know if they are. I literally ran out on them with ten minutes notice.”
“Will they sack you?”
A hysterical chuckle burst from Jevon’s chest. “I’ve had moments these last few weeks when I’ve wished they would, but, no. I’ll have to go back as soon as Rhys is okay.”
“You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like. We have plenty of room.”
“Thanks.” Jevon toyed with the teabag in his cup. “I wasn’t sure what to expect when I met you.”
“Why? Does Rhys slag me off?”
Humour danced in Harry’s dark eyes, but Jevon shook his head emphatically anyway. “No. God, no. I just got the sense that you have a complex relationship.”