Chapter 18

"He's here," Crystal exclaimed.

Billy squinted in the direction she pointed. He was going to have to give in and get his eyes tested. Another sign that his thirtieth birthday was on the horizon.

Sure enough, there was Eddie. As usual, effortlessly gorgeous in a white T-shirt and jeans.

"Hello, you two," Eddie said.

"I got into summer camp," Crystal blurted out. "And if I do well, I've got a place."

Eddie hugged her tightly. "That's brilliant news."

He extracted himself from Crystal and kissed Billy on the cheek.

"You must be over the moon," he said.

There was something different about him. Billy couldn't put his finger on it. A pang of worry lodged in his stomach.

"Shall we go in?"

They were outside a high-end burger place in the centre of town. It was Crystal's favourite restaurant, so it had been a no-brainer.

"I got to choose," Crystal said, linking Eddie's arm as they walked in.

"I love it here," Eddie replied. "Me and my friends come all the time."

Once they were taken to their booth, they settled in. Crystal had insisted on sitting next to Eddie and currently regaled him with all the details of what the next few weeks would have in store.

"Where will you stay?" Eddie asked.

"They use empty halls of residences," Billy explained. "That way they can keep an eye on them. No stupid parties, remember."

Crystal rolled her eyes. "As if. I'm not a kid, Billy. I know what this means for me."

"I know you do. I'm so proud of you."

"Can I have a triple burger and milkshake then?"

"Yes, you little mercenary."

He caught Eddie's eye and frowned. "What's up, Eddie? You seem under the weather."

Eddie rubbed his head. "Scott made cocktails last night. It's all self-inflicted."

"No sympathy," Billy replied.

Eddie smiled weakly. Billy tried to put his apathy down to a hangover but he was getting a vibe from Eddie that made him nervous.

Why can't he look me in the eye?

"I'm going to a sleepover at my mate, Cassie's, tonight," Crystal continued. "She's gutted I'm going away. We were going to sell friendship bands on the seafront this summer. We got all the stuff in and everything."

Billy watched his sister as she excitedly told Eddie all her news. She was in such a precarious point in her life now. It was as if one half of her was adult and the other still a child. When he thought about Brian, festering in that guest house and trying to swindle her trust fund, it made his blood boil. Nothing would stop him from fighting him. Even if he had to sell everything he owned to pay for it.

"I'm going to the loo," Crystal said. "You know my order, right?"

"It's the same one every time we come," Billy replied.

"Triple burger this time. Remember?"

"Fine, triple burger. Off with you."

She scrambled out of the booth and headed off to the bathroom.

"You must be buzzing," Eddie said.

"Yeah, I guess."

Eddie frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I was going to ask you the same question."

"Me? I'll be fine. Nothing a plate of greasy carbohydrates won't cure."

Billy tried to relax. Unsuccessfully.

"Seeing as Crystal's out, do you fancy coming over tonight?"

Eddie took his hand. "Why don't you come to me? We'll have takeout and snuggle."

Now he felt better. "I'd like that very much."

"I'm sorry I'm a bit preoccupied. It's the job and all that. I didn't realise I even cared this bloody much. I'll make an effort to be present."

"Sounds good," Billy said. "Because there's something I need to talk to you about."

They were lying, facing each other on Eddie's bed. Soft music played as a breeze came in through the open window. Billy hadn't been this relaxed in ages. The joint Eddie had lit up may also have contributed to his current state.

In typical Billy form he had panicked. It wasn't that he was new to the odd smoke. He usually got to prepare himself. Sometimes he forgot that Eddie was six years older than him. Billy always seemed to be the boring adult in comparison.

Not for much longer.

"You're going to miss her," Eddie said. "What will you do with yourself?"

It was all happening so fast. Billy hadn't really made any plans for himself. It was probably long overdue.

"She might not get her place in September," Billy replied. "I need to keep things exactly the same. Just in case."

"You're a good brother," Eddie said. "What did you need to talk to me about?"

Billy snuggled into the pillow. "Her father turned up on my doorstep the other day."

Eddie frowned. "What? I thought he was in prison."

Didn't we all?

"Not now. He's in a shitty bed and breakfast in town."

"Shit. What does Crystal think?"

Billy shifted. "I haven't told her."

This time Eddie sat up, cross-legged on the bed. "Surely he wants to see her?"

"He's more interested in cash at the moment. He's come for what's owed to him."

"Fucking bastard. Didn't he sign everything over to your mum?"

The stress of the week seized him. The tears rolled down his cheeks. Immediately, Eddie was beside him. He wrapped his arms around Billy.

"Hey now," he soothed. "Why didn't you tell me before? I hate that you've been dealing with this on your own."

Billy shouldn't have shut Eddie out. They were supposed to be an item. Although after four years of managing two people's lives, sharing the load was a mountain he had yet to climb.

"I don't know," Billy replied. "You've been stressed about work. I didn't want to bother you. I know my life is dull in comparison to you and your mates."

Eddie held onto him tightly. "Work is work. This is real. Bother me, for fuck's sake. As if you're dull. You have ex-convicts banging on your door. Now out with it."

"To cut a long and depressing story short, he reckons he has grounds to contest Mum's will."

"Tell him to fuck off."

Billy sighed. "It's not as easy as that. I spoke to a lawyer mate from uni. He could have a case."

They lay in silence for a while. Hearing himself utter those words somehow made everything so much more real. His heart was almost beating out of his chest. Fuck Brian for coming at this time, when everything else was up in the air.

"Sell up," Eddie said, eventually. "Fuck it. Pay him off and bank the rest. You're getting back into your architecture. It's not worth it, Billy."

Billy extracted himself from Eddie's arms and looked at him.

"I can't afford it," he explained. "Plus, I'll be left with a fuckton of sex toys to flog. How am I supposed to do that?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's no way I can give Brian his supposed share and pay the Pleasure Seekers bill. It will leave me, Harry and Crystal with nothing. More like debt, to be honest."

Eddie rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Listen," he said. "I haven't signed the contract. It's still in my work bag."

Billy couldn't understand what had made Eddie so reluctant. "Why?"

"That doesn't matter," Eddie replied.

"Doesn't matter? Of course it matters."

"What I'm saying is, I can throw it away and that's it."

"You'll lose the job."

Eddie shrugged. "Maybe I never deserved it in the first place."

"Eddie, you're confusing me. Are you saying you'd walk away from this deal for me?"

Now Eddie shed a tear. "Not for you. For me," he said.

"You're going to have to make some sense."

Billy had a terrible sense of foreboding. Whatever was chipping away at Eddie evidently had something to do with Billy, otherwise he wouldn't be clamming up like this. He had to know.

Eddie swallowed hard. "I pulled a fast one."

Whatever Billy had been expecting him to say, it wasn't that.

"Go on."

He fought to keep his voice level.

"We never accept twenty percent. It's usually ten. Fifteen at most."

Billy found himself stunned into silence.

"You didn't even try to negotiate," Eddie continued. "I allowed myself to be carried away with beating Brad and we hadn't got to know each other at that point."

"We have now though. Pretty intimately, as well," Billy said. He was rapidly losing control of his tone. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

Eddie hung his head. "Of course. I've been working my ass off to find another decent client so I could then give you a discount."

"You were still going to lie to me." Billy fired back.

"Not lie as such."

"Telling me something that is untrue is a lie, Eddie. Fucking hell."

Billy sprang off the bed as though it had burst into flames.

"Billy, don't. I've been so stressed about it. I'm sorry."

"I think I'd better go."

Billy pushed his feet into his trainers.

"Please stay," Eddie said, getting up and taking hold of him. "Don't leave here in anger."

But Billy didn't want to hear it.

"You consoled me when the books still wouldn't balance," Billy roared. "Just sitting there while I took on architecture hours and you knew you could ease the pressure with a click of your fingers."

"Billy—"

"Trust is the only thing that matters, Eddie," Billy said. "My mother took so much shit from the men in her life and I'm still dealing with the fallout. I half expect my own father to appear out of the woodwork. And now this? I can't deal with any more liars. I'm sorry. I need to go. This is going somewhere neither of us wants."

His whole body shook as he grabbed his phone and keys from the dresser.

"We need to talk," Eddie pleaded.

"No, Eddie," Billy said, raising his voice. "The time to talk was the first night we spent together. We both knew this had the chance to be something important. Fuck, if you had confessed the lot, I probably would have told you to keep the twenty percent. How fucking stupid am I?"

"You're not…"

"I suppose Scott and Tyler encouraged you. It's all a laugh to them."

Eddie shook his head. "That's not how it is."

"You've discussed it with them?"

"Yes."

"Which means they know more about my relationship than me? Fuck you, Eddie."

That was it. Billy stormed out of the room. Scott and Tyler were on the sofas looking aghast at the shouting. Billy didn't care what any of them thought. His sole focus was getting out onto the street and never returning again.

The marina was a hubbub of activity. The restaurants were doing a roaring trade. Billy had never felt more removed from the world as he stared out of his window at them.

His phone vibrated again. As soon as he'd got home, Billy had put it on silent mode. He needed time to think. His lawyer friend had called almost as soon as Billy had arrived home. It had been a welcome distraction and had forced Billy into a relatively calm place.

One good piece of news was they could dissolve everything and give Brian his share of whatever remained. He would call Harry later and plan how they were going to handle it.

The fact that his time with Eddie had been built on a lie would not be so easily fixed.

Why didn't he tell me that first night?

Then the realisation hit him. What if Eddie had been faking that? He had no doubt that they both had strong feelings for each other now. When had that started for Eddie?

His phone rang out. Again. He wandered over to the table. So many missed calls.

There was also a WhatsApp. With Crystal at a sleepover, Billy didn't have the luxury to completely ignore his phone. Although she would rather stick pins in her eyes than actually call him.

He opened the WhatsApp. Eddie had sent a video file.

Indecision paralysed him. Did he want to play it and see Eddie begging for forgiveness or whatever he intended.

In the end, curiosity got the better of him and he pressed Play.

There was Eddie. He seemed so upset. Billy braced himself. Instead of talking, Eddie held up the contract. Billy gasped as Eddie tore it into strips.

"I should have done this weeks ago."

The file finished.

Billy stared out of the window.

The end.