‘I have the week after Easter off – what would you think of hopping over to London for a few days?’ Leon had suggested.
‘I’d love it,’ Jonathan had agreed enthusiastically, secretly delighted that it was Leon who was proposing the trip. As they had got to know each other over the past couple of months he had allowed himself to fantasize about having a future with the easy-going, fun-loving carpenter with whom he got on so well. They had snogged but not taken it any further and Jonathan, who was a romantic at heart, felt that Leon wanted their first real intimacy to be something special. Clearly the trip to London was going to be the next step in their relationship and he couldn’t wait.
They hugged at the airport when they met up half an hour later. ‘Nice threads, Jon,’ Leon admired, running his hand over the arm of the jade, single-breasted deconstructed jacket. ‘You can’t go wrong with Armani. You’ll score in that for sure!’ he grinned.
‘Ya think?’ Jonathan said flirtily.
‘I know! I can’t wait to hit the clubs!’
‘We’ve so much to fit in.’ Jonathan fell into step beside him as they made their way to the Ryanair check-in desks. ‘I’ve booked us a table for dinner tonight, at Bibendum. You know, the Terence Conran restaurant? It’s so near our hotel we can walk to it. The Michelin Building’s just eye-poppingly fab, wait until you see it, and we can have a wander around Habitat too! We can have a pre-dinner drink in the Oyster Bar there. It’s epic! It’s real art deco. And you’ll love the Franklin too. I booked a double. You’re sure you’re OK with that?’ Jonathan wanted to reassure himself that he and Leon were thinking along the same lines.
‘Yeah, cool. We’ll hardly be there anyway. We’ve places to go and people to see, and only three days to pack it all in,’ Leon grinned.
‘There’s nothing to stop us going over again later in the year,’ Jonathan remarked, pushing his case ahead of him with his foot as they moved along in the queue.
‘Now you’re talking! We could go to Barcelona too, that’s such a great city for gays.’
‘For anyone, gay or straight!’ Jonathan remarked lightly, trying not to be irritated that Leon frequently defined himself by his sexuality. ‘We could do a long weekend to the Big Apple sometime, even, and visit MoMA and the Met.’
‘That would be a dream come true. I’d love to go to New York.’ Leon’s hazel eyes lit up, and Jonathan thought how beautiful they were and how handsome his companion was with his jet-black hair and tanned, rugged face.
‘We can definitely do that too then,’ Jonathan declared, thinking that he couldn’t wait to visit all these cities that he loved with Leon at his side.
‘Hmm, don’t forget I’m not as free as you are. Billy’s maintenance takes a whopping chunk out of my salary. Not that I mind,’ Leon added hastily. ‘My son is worth every penny.’
‘Don’t worry, we’ll make it happen in time,’ Jonathan assured him as they reached the top of the queue and he lifted his case onto the belt and presented his passport and flight confirmation to the girl at the desk. They had agreed to check in one piece of luggage between them to accommodate the shopping they proposed doing on their trip, as both of them intended to beef up their wardrobes with a shopping expedition to the King’s Road.
Two hours later as they circled Stansted on their landing approach, Jonathan stared out at the verdant countryside beneath him and felt happier than he could remember feeling in a long, long time. The years of loneliness seemed a distant memory. The vague sadness that had been his burden for so long had been vanquished. Now he was starting a new chapter in his life. One where he was companioned as he’d always longed to be. Nancy’s prayers had been answered. His mother had said goodbye to him on Easter Sunday with the fervent instruction, ‘Have a wonderful trip with your friend and be very, very happy.’
It would be no hardship to follow Nancy’s instructions, he thought, as Leon caught his gaze and said cheerily as the landing gear clunked down with a thud, ‘London, are you ready for us? The boys are back in town!’
‘That steak was to die for! That will set me up until dinner tomorrow night!’ Leon patted his lean stomach, took a drink of his Châteauneuf-du-Pape and leaned back in the red bucket chair, enjoying the hum of chatter and laughter in the busy restaurant. He had gone for one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, the steak au poivre. Jonathan had chosen the scallops that had oozed flavour.
‘Could you manage a dessert?’ Jonathan perused the menu.
‘Could we share? I need to keep some energy for later!’ Leon winked.
Jonathan laughed. ‘Aahh we need a sugar rush,’ he encouraged. ‘What do you want? You choose.’
‘Oooh it’s hard to pick.’ Leon studied the selection. ‘OK, how about the honey blancmange with champagne-poached rhubarb and pistachio madeleines?’
‘Perfect! And let’s push out the boat and have a postprandial brandy, seeing as we are in a posh restaurant. Don’t forget this meal’s on me,’ Jonathan reminded him lightly, not wanting Leon to be worrying about money.
‘You certainly don’t do things by halves, Jon. That hotel is something else. I’ve never stayed in a
