Operation Fake Relationship

“I bet he’s hard work now he’s moving,” Jackson said. “I remember the crawling was a game-changer with my niece.”

“God, yes. He’s running us ragged.” Maria chuckled. “I’m so grateful he has at least one long nap every day otherwise I’d be a wreck. “Look, Seth, let’s play with your ball, not the tree.” She sat on the floor and rolled a soft ball towards Seth. “Roll it back to Mummy. That’s it.”

Nick’s mother came in, saying, “Right. The mince pies are ready. Can someone come and help carry a tray?”

Jackson got to his feet immediately. “Of course.”

That earned him a smile. “Thank you, Jackson.”

Nick felt a flush of pride. Jackson was being a perfect fake boyfriend. His mother definitely seemed to approve so far.

Jackson returned bearing a tray laden with plates, cups, saucers, a teapot, a jug of milk, and a sugar bowl. No wonder Nick’s mother hadn’t wanted to carry it. “Just pop them down over here. That’s perfect,” his mother said. Jackson placed the tray carefully on a low cupboard behind the sofa. “Seth can’t reach up here so they’ll be safe.” She put down the large plate of mince pies next to the tray and started laying out cups and saucers.

The sound of the front door heralded the return of the runners.

“Your timing couldn’t be more perfect!” Maria said as Adrian and Pete came in, pink-cheeked and breathless.

“Mince pies? Wicked.” Pete’s eyes lit up, and then he noticed Nick. “Hey, bro. Good to see you.”

“You too.” Nick stood as he made his way over.

They hugged briefly.

“How are you?” Pete asked.

“I’m good. You?”

“Yeah, not so bad.” Pete turned and looked at Jackson with interest. “You must be Jackson, right? Good to meet you, man.”

“You too.” As they shook, Nick noticed Pete drawing himself up to his full height and squaring his shoulders. He wondered whether he was aware he was doing it. Pete was a couple of inches taller than Nick—which had been a huge source of irritation for Nick when his younger brother had overtaken him—but Pete still had to look up to Jackson. Nick bit back a satisfied smile.

Adrian approached next. “Hi.” He gave Nick a hug first and then Jackson. “It’s really great to see you both again.”

“You’ve met Jackson before?” Pete asked.

“Yeah, Maria and I stayed with them in the summer.”

“Oh, right. So how come I was the last to know about this big romance?” Pete gestured from Nick to Jackson. “Nobody tells me anything!”

“Maria knew because she actually keeps in touch,” Nick said dryly. “I think the last time I heard anything from you was a birthday card, and that arrived a week after my birthday.”

“Yeah, okay. Fair enough.” Pete grinned. He might have been an annoying git sometimes, but he was good-natured. “I guess that’s me put in my place.”

“We didn’t know anything either.” Nick’s father’s tone cut through the light-hearted teasing like a cold draught. “So you weren’t the only one in the dark.”

There was an awkward silence.

“Right, tea and mince pies anyone?” Nick’s mother said brightly. “Let’s eat them before they get cold.”

The palaver of distributing tea and mince pies to everyone, while also keeping Seth busy so he didn’t grab anyone’s tea, was a welcome distraction. By the time Nick was on his second mince pie the tension in the room had mostly dissolved. Pete was telling him all about his new job, and Jackson was chatting with Adrian. Seth was hanging onto Maria’s legs, eyeing her mince pie and ignoring the rice cake he’d been given to eat instead.

Nick found himself zoning out as Pete started telling him about the snowboarding trip he had planned for New Year. He glanced surreptitiously at Jackson, who seemed far more at home here than Nick did.

Irritation crept over him like toxic mist.

Why did I agree to come?

Sure it was nice to see Maria and her little family, but he could live without the rest of them. His gaze drifted to his father, who was doing his crossword again and not even attempting to make conversation with anyone. What was the fucking point in being here? He should never have come, and he should never have dragged Jackson along with him. Nick could visit Maria any time and not have to put up with feeling so uncomfortable.

Suddenly, unable to bear it anymore, he stood. “Excuse me, Pete. But I need to stretch my legs before it gets dark, so I’m going to head out for a quick walk.”

“Do you want company?” Jackson asked.

“If you like.” Nick caught a flash of hurt surprise on Jackson’s face and realised too late that his tone had been rather curt. He tried to fix it with a smile as he added, “It would be nice to show you around.”

“Okay.” Jackson returned his smile warily.

“Yeah, and I need to go and shower. I probably reek.” Pete sniffed his armpit.