(Two Months Later)
Tom slid into his seat and immediately took a massive gulp of water; he was trying to cover how nervous he felt. He set the glass down and started drumming his fingertips on the table top.
He ordered a glass of wine when the waiter stopped beside his table, and was halfway through that when he saw Justin step through the door of the restaurant.
Justin saw him, smiled, and wove his way through the tables to reach Tom.
"Sorry I'm late," he said, sinking into the seat opposite Tom. "My car wouldn't start."
"Battery?"
"Not a clue. It's really old, though, and clunks every time I change gear, so I think I need a new one."
Justin flagged a passing waiter and ordered a drink, before turning to Tom.
"So, how are you?"
Tom shrugged.
"Getting there." He smiled wanly. "It's still really hard, sometimes, but... I think I'm gradually starting to accept it."
"That's good." Justin nodded understandingly. "I can't believe he's been gone for two months already."
"I know."
Tom drank more of his wine.
"I just..." He shrugged. "I miss him. A lot."
"Of course you do. You were with him for... How long were you with him?"
"Almost ten years." Tom sighed. "You know, it didn't feel like that long when I was with him, but now that he's gone, it feels like forever."
"People never know what they have until it's gone," Justin said. "Like me, and my grandfather. I loved history at school, but it never occurred to me that my grandfather had lived through the things we studied. He fought in World War One and World War Two, and survived to tell the tale; except that I never asked him to tell me the tale. It wasn't until after he died that I realised there was so much I'd missed out on talking to him about."
"When did he die?"
"Five years ago. But it didn't really hit me until four months after he died. I watched this documentary about the Battle of Britain, and I knew I was never going to talk to him again."
Their meals arrived and they ate in silence for a while.
"How's the decorating coming along?" Justin asked finally.
"Good. I'm almost done, except for the kitchen. I'm still waiting for the rest of the units to arrive. Everything else is finished now."
"I'd like to see the place sometime." Justin said. "I'm still living in a flat; if it can be called a flat. I've got space for my bed, and a sofa and a drink's cabinet, and that's about it."
Tom smiled.
"Well, you can come over any time. I've got plenty of space, and, to be honest, everything's too quiet."
"I'll definitely come over, then." Justin promised. "Why don't you get a pet?"
He suggested.
Tom shrugged.
"I don't know..."
"Didn't you get Freddie a dog?" Justin asked. "What happened to him?"
"I-" Tom paused, wondering what to say. "I couldn't keep him," he said finally. "Fred named him, and..."
YOU ARE READING
'Witness' - The White Bridge Crime Series 3 - LGBT, manXman
Mystery / ThrillerTom Harwood and Freddie Glover are in a relationship. When an argument is blown out of proportion one night, Tom disappears. Distraught over the fight, Freddie falls into depression, unaware that Tom is missing until a few days later. With help from...