Part 14 (1/2)

Tyler pulled the two hats out of the bag and bit off the price tags. He put the blue one on his head and the other on Haris's. ”Just to make you easier to spot.”

The empty bag went into a trash bin and he headed through the crowds looking for the ticket office. This was more money he shouldn't be spending, but it felt as though he was redressing the balance in the relations.h.i.+p in a slight couple of pounds sort of way.

In his dreams. And it wasn't a relations.h.i.+p. It was an arrangement. And the tickets cost a f.u.c.king fortune.

He bought two and made his way through the jostling crowds. Haris stood with his back to a tree, holding two plastic cups, looking as though he had a stick shoved up his a.s.s. Maybe he wasn't going to relax. Maybe he didn't want to have fun, he just wanted to have s.e.x. Have I got this wrong?

Chapter Nine.

Tyler's heart sank at the expression of horror on Haris's face.

”Oh Christ, no,” Haris said.

”It'll be fun. Take off your shoes.” Tyler handed over the tickets. ”Two size 12's please.”

Haris groaned. ”I really don't like-”

”Live dangerously. What's the worst that can happen?”

”I break my arm, my leg, my head, both arms, my b.u.t.t, your arm, your b.u.t.t...hmm...your b.u.t.t.”

Tyler laughed. ”Try not to break your b.u.t.t or mine.”

Haris stopped moaning then and looked at him. Tyler's c.o.c.k perked up, hard as iron but more breakable. He winced.

”What just went through your mind?” Haris gave him a puzzled stare.

Tyler leaned to whisper. ”There is one thing I really don't want to break but give me a minute and it should stop being a problem.”

Haris snorted with laughter.

They exchanged shoes for boots and put them on. The ice rink was set around a Victorian bandstand and according to the sign, illuminated by more than one hundred thousand lights. They were strung on lines from the center out to the surrounding trees and made the whole scene look as though it were smothered in stars. Tyler tottered over the matting to the entrance, stepped onto the ice and his legs went out from under him. He flailed, slid to his b.u.t.t, tried to scramble to his feet and the skates went in different directions. When he tried and failed to get up, he crawled to the side and hauled himself upright.

Haris was creased up laughing. ”I thought you could skate?”

”Did I say I could? Come on, we'll learn together. Where were you? I expected you to break my fall.”

”Wasn't that the other way round?”

Haris kept hold of the side as he stepped onto the ice and then shuffled until he was next to Tyler. ”Now what?”

”It can't be that difficult. Look at those little kids. You have to push out with one foot and then the other. Keep your head up. Okay. Let's have a go.”

He launched himself out on the ice, pushed with his right foot which slid farther than he'd expected and quickly dragged up his left foot, just having time to register it would have been a good idea to learn how to stop before he set off. He lunged for the side and plastered himself to it. When he looked round, Haris was skating properly, elegantly, like a pro. As soon as he was within reach, Tyler clutched hold of him.

”b.a.s.t.a.r.d,” he whispered in his ear.

”I said I didn't like it, not that I couldn't do it. Come on. You had the right idea. Bend your knees and push off with your weight on one foot, then change to the other. If you want to stop, you can turn in both edges or one.” Haris glanced over his shoulder. ”There's a gap. Go.”

Haris skated backward-I hate him-and Tyler followed, arms waving madly, his back arching and straightening as he tried to get his balance.

”Look at me,” Haris said.

Tyler looked straight at him and wanted to melt into his arms. Preferably with Haris flat on his back on the ice and him on top.

”Longer glides,” Haris said. ”You're supposed to be skating not staggering.”

Several minutes later, it dawned on Tyler that he was doing it, not without a bit of arm waving, but he was skating. Haris swerved round to glide beside him.

”Now show me how to do a triple salchow double toe loop flip half twist thingy,” Tyler said.

Haris laughed. ”No such thing. And I can't jump.”

”Thank G.o.d. I was beginning to think you were perfect. Is there anything you can't do?”

When Haris didn't answer, Tyler laughed.

”Well?” Tyler asked.

”I'm thinking.”

They skated round the rink and with every circuit, Tyler grew in confidence and moved faster.

”Why don't you like skating?” he asked.

”It's a combination of the going in circles without actually getting anywhere and the risk to my limbs if I fall.”

Tyler had hoped Haris would see this as more than going in circles. They were getting to know one another, having fun.

”I suppose the chances of breaking anything are small,” Haris said. ”I'm enjoying it.”

Tyler smiled. ”Even the hat?”

”That's going too far.”

”But you look cute.”

Haris scowled. ”Which is a reason never to wear it again.”

Tyler leaned to whisper in his ear. ”If you keep it on, I'll show you how I can suck myself off.”

Haris slipped, knocked into Tyler, and they went down in a tangle of limbs, sprawling on the ice like stranded starfish. Tyler lay on his back, laughing. He stared up into the strings of lights and for the first time in a long while, he felt pure happiness. No more f.u.c.king Prescott, no more f.u.c.king for Prescott. No more Lu, no more Gerald. He liked Haris. Maybe too much.

Haris stood over him and nudged his leg with his skate. ”I hope you're not dead.”

”Not quite.”