he’d done nothing while he was here. He barely left his flat. Life hadn’t turned out as he’d expected. No circle of friends. No fun-filled evenings.
The guy came out again with two coffees and a couple of paper bags and sat down on the bench closer to Tay. He took the lead back, but the dog stayed with his head on Tay’s shoe.
“I bought you a coffee and a sausage roll.” He put the drinks between them. “The one closest to you has milk, the other not.” He held out one of the bags. “Sausage roll?”
What? “I’m fine thanks,” Tay said.
“I brought sugar in case.” He put two sachets of sugar on the bench.
Tay took a deep breath and psyched himself up to talk faster than he usually managed. “I don’t take sugar. I have to be going. You drink the coffee. Thanks for the thought.”
“I can’t drink two. Please have it.”
Tay met the guy’s gaze and his mouth went dry. He looked like a dark-haired Jonty, though he was darker skinned than Jonty and his cheeks were hollow and there was a…wild look about him that Jonty didn’t have. Jonty always looked open and innocent. This guy didn’t. He looked haunted. He also looked as if he cut his hair himself with blunt scissors. His eyes were moss green and beautiful, his eyelashes thick and long. Tay swallowed hard. Why am I admiring his eyes?
It won’t kill me to sit here a bit longer. “Okay. Thanks.”
“Do you take milk?” the guy asked as he put the larger paper bag inside his backpack.
“No, nor sugar.”
“Why the crutches?”
“Accident.” Not really, but it was the easy answer.
“Well, I didn’t think you’d done it deliberately.”
Tay gaped at him. No one had ever responded like that. “I could have cerebral palsy.”
“Shit.” The guy winced. “I didn’t think of that. Sorry. Christ, I got two things wrong now. The milk and the crutches.”
“Three things. I’m a priest. You just took the Lord’s name in vain.”
“Fuck. Shit. Bollocks. Sorry.”
The guy looked so horrified that Tay couldn’t stop the laugh bursting from his mouth.
“I have Tourette’s,” the guy said and Tay snapped the laugh off with a gulp until he spotted the grin. “Not really. Just trying to get my own back.”
Tay couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a conversation with a stranger, let alone one where he’d laughed.
“You’re not a priest, are you?”
“Would it matter?”
“Not to me. But I’d hate for the thunderbolt heading for me to hit you too. I’d ask you to save the dog, but you can’t run so… Sure you don’t want a sausage roll?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“I don’t think this conversation got off on the right foot. I—”
“Sorry. I have to go.” Tay had spotted a taxi pulling up right next to them and struggled to his feet. “Thanks for the coffee.”
He grabbed the door of the cab before it closed and leaned in to speak to the driver who was already shaking his head. “Sorry, mate. You need to book in advance.”
“I live just around the corner. Rimmington Road. Ten quid to take me? Please?”
“Sorry.”
Tay tightened his hold on the door. “I’m on crutches. I’ve overdone it coming this far. Please. It won’t take you…more than a c-couple of minutes.” He was slurring now.
The driver sighed. “What number?”
“Seventeen.”
“Get in, then.”
Tay had barely finished his groan of relief when the cab pulled up outside his house. He handed over the tenner and levered himself awkwardly from the vehicle. He was halfway up the steps when Lennie came up at his shoulder.
“Been out, Tay Boy?”
“To get the money.” Tay took out his wallet and Lennie lifted six twenty-pound notes from his fingers. He felt Lennie push a packet into his pocket.
“You don’t look well,” Lennie said.
“I’m not.”
“Captain Cody not doing it for you anymore? Maybe you need something stronger. Something with a bigger kick, a sweeter fall.”
Tay should have said no, instead he said, “Such as?”
“Free sample, right?” He slipped something else into Tay’s pocket.
“What is it?”
“Smack. Shoot it, smoke it, snort it. Take care of yourself. I don’t want to lose a customer.”
Lennie slapped him on the back and Tay almost face-planted into the door. He got his balance before he negotiated the last step. Once he’d unlocked the outer door, he staggered to his flat. He needed his bedroom now. There was already a glass of water next to the bed and he sat down, unwrapped the drugs and pushed four of the 60mg pills into his mouth. Then took