His Horizon - Con Riley Page 0,72

shoulder, tugging him until he closed the small distance between them. He wanted more of this; more of Rob smiling at him as though he was the one who hung the evening sun that had him squinting; more of everything—anything—that Rob had to give him. “I have to listen to you,” Jude grumbled. “It’s not like you ever stop talking long enough for me to get a word in.” He stole a chip from Rob’s portion rather than look around to see if anyone was staring. That was another habit he’d work on breaking because leaning in for a kiss shouldn’t stop the world from turning. He did just that, pressing his lips to Rob’s before saying, “So go ahead, chatterbox. Tell me why you googled this place.”

“Oh.” Rob was bizarrely flustered given that he’d raised the subject in the first place. Tourists passed them, teens on skateboards flashing by while smaller kids walked slowly, licking dripping ice cream cones. “It can wait,” he said, his cheeks rosy.

“Or you could just tell me?” Jude said, most of his attention on his dinner. The fish was delicious, the haddock perfectly fresh and the chips just the right mix of crisp and greasy. He speared some more before looking up. That rosiness now extended from Rob’s cheeks to his throat, stain so red it was startling. “What’s up? You’re not allergic to any of this, are you?”

“Allergic? No… I just….” Rob huffed out a small laugh, but he straightened his back, shifting position almost as if he wanted some distance between them, for once. “It’s just that when I started searching online, I was only being nosy. I didn’t think I’d find him.” It was Rob’s turn to stare into the distance, avoiding eye contact.

“Find who?”

Rob turned away from the view of the sea to glance over his shoulder. Across the street behind them, cottages crowded close together, one of them holding his full attention. He turned back to Jude, apologetic, his gaze worried.

“Trevor Mirren.”

26

“Jude!” Rob called out as Jude got up, the last of his chips scattering, to the delight of nearby seagulls. “Wait!” He grabbed the crook of Jude’s elbow with one hand, the other clutching their greasy chip papers and drink can. “Please. Just give me a minute.” His hold was tight, tugging Jude back from the edge of the cobbled street and over to a rubbish bin where he disposed of the remains of their supper. “Let me explain.”

“Explain what?” Jude could hardly hear him right then, not while his heart hammered so loud the whole street must’ve heard it. He shook free, intent on the cottage Rob had stared at. “He lives there?” He glanced at Rob’s nod. “You knew it before we got here?” Fuck, even the cottage nameplate made his chest ache, One for Luck lettered in white over dark slate, a twin of the name painted on the boat his dad had spent years building.

“Were you going to tell me?” He scanned the outside of the cottage before his focus snapped back to Rob. “Wait. Have you been in contact with him?”

“No. No, of course not. I wouldn’t do that.” His hand was on Jude’s elbow again, “Jude. Please, please breathe for me, will you?”

Jude did, hauling in shuddering gasps as if he’d run all the way here from Porthperrin, spots he hadn’t even noticed at the edges of his vision only slowly fading.

Now Rob held his hand, sincere. “Y-you’re kinda scaring me, sweetheart. Can you slow down and take another breath?” That concern quelled Jude’s fight-or-flight reaction, reining him in when bolting seemed a better option. He drew in a few slow breaths before blowing out a long one, aware that he was shaking.

“I… I’m sorry.”

“No.” Rob chided, arm around his waist now. He bumped his forehead against Jude’s. “I am. I had no idea how you’d react. But of course, I was going to tell you. I have been trying to all day, as soon as I realised where you were bringing me. Before that, everyone was so busy. I… I didn’t want to make things more stressful for either you or Louise.”

“What…?” he couldn’t drag his gaze from the cottage, its window-frames painted a pretty periwinkle like the cottage-style front door that he’d have to duck his head to enter. “How did you find him? I don’t understand what made you look him up in the first place.”

“I didn’t plan to. It was when we were reading those online restaurant reviews,”