Page 4

Macsen

I stretched out and turned my alarm off. I hated early days, but I’d set it for a reason. It took me a second to remember that reason but then it hit me. Fuck . My brother’s best friend and longtime absolute bastard was sleeping in my living room.

The bedroom was tiny and needed a clean, barely fitting my bed and a wardrobe in it. But I’d only been living above the garage a couple of weeks and hadn’t yet taken pride in my surroundings. I’d have been embarrassed to have a man round if it wasn’t someone I actually disliked.

When did my life come to this? I swung my legs over the side of the bed and got out.

I contemplated putting more clothes on, but then remembered how uncomfortable Hywel had looked last night when I was in my boxers.

I wanted this man uncomfortable. It was delicious to see such an uppity prick squirm when he spent so much of his time acting so prim and proper, so holier than thou.

I even thought about switching my boxers for a jockstrap for a laugh, or even going out there naked.

But I wasn’t that much of an arsehole. Not quite.

And I did not want my body betraying me when I looked at the man.

Because I had to admit to myself he wasn’t ugly.

I slipped out of my room quietly. In the darkness I could hear Hywel snoring quietly on the sofa. I flicked on the light switch and then stamped my foot on the bare floorboards.

“Wha-?” Hywel’s head popped up above the sofa as he sat up and he looked around blindly for a second, and I watched him have the same moment of realisation that I’d had. That we were in this crazy, stupid situation together.

I had to admit that there was something about him, especially in the morning before he’d remembered to put on his big business mask and cover up the humanity underneath.

His hair, still golden, wavy and not receding even though he must have reached his 30s.

His eyes were still just as bright green and beautiful as they had been when I’d harboured my stupid schoolboy crush at 16.

Hywel gingerly got out of bed and stretched, and damn if he hadn’t filled out even better since he was younger.

I could tell from his arm muscles that he’d been going to some gym in London that probably cost more than my monthly salary, but from his chest and stomach I could tell that he’d had enough good food in London too.

The extra pounds looked infuriatingly good on him.

He didn’t need to work out to get a six-pack to be happy in his own skin.

He had a covering of golden hair slightly darker than his head all the way from his chest down to his stomach.

He was wearing designer briefs that I deliberately avoided looking at.

Combined with the way his hair stuck out at all different angles, he looked bloody cuddly .

And I did not want cuddly feelings about Hywel Prentis.

“Coffee?” I asked him.

“Yes, please.”

“Then make it your fucking self. You can see the kettle.” He looked shocked at the rudeness, and I deliberately smirked. It was a good feeling to piss him off.

“If you’re not going to make yourself a coffee, just get dressed and we’ll go,” I said. “Got to get your car today and I’ve got plenty more to do.”

“Coffee first. Always coffee first,” Hywel said. He walked himself over to the kitchen, where I deliberately didn’t look at his arse as he passed me by. I went into the bedroom to change and was surprised to see two cups of coffee on the kitchen counter when I came back out.

“Don’t know how you take it so I just did milk and one sugar,” he said.

Hywel walked across the room, grabbed his bag and went into the bathroom.

I peered over at his coffee, and it was as black and bitter as my grudge toward him.

When he came out two minutes later dressed in a slick grey suit and with his hair brushed back into an elegant quiff, he looked exactly like an older version of the Hywel I’d once had a crush on.

No cuddles with this strait-laced businessman.

Not that there would have been any cuddles anyway.

Hywel quickly finished his coffee and then washed his mug. “Ready?”

“Ready.” I put my mug down on the counter and walked ahead of him down the stairs.

It wouldn’t do to have him think he was in charge.

I didn’t know what it was he did in London exactly, and I’d never asked my brother.

But here was my domain, my place to be in charge.

Hywel would just have to deal with that.

Once we’d walked out into the winter sunshine, I locked the door then opened the much larger garage one.

It swung upward electronically to allow me access to the garage.

Inside were a couple of cars that I was working on for longer term clients and the tow-truck I used in case of accidents.

The tow truck was probably older than me but ran like a dream; even if I did only get a few miles a gallon from it.

The tow truck relied on the tyres not being punctured on the side the car had damaged though.

Otherwise we’d have one very scrapey journey back to my place.

I got in the truck and drove it out of the garage. “Press the button!” I shouted out to Hywel, pointing at the door close button. He tapped it and as the door closed behind the tow truck he jumped up into the passenger side of the cab.

I gave him a look of shock. “Did I say you were coming with me?”

“I’m coming. It’s a wonder you get any clientele with that attitude.” Hywel seemed to have slipped on a haughty look that probably intimidated business clients. But not me.

“I’ll have you know I’m a fucking delight.” I revved the engine and pulled out of the yard. I always left my car parked out in the yard, which was protected from the road by five foot tall tyre walls.

“So, what are you working on at the moment? Any nice cars?” Hywel asked.

“Some.”

“Oh, I see. We’re playing that kind of game now.” Hywel looked out of the window away from me.

A moment of awkward silence passed. “So, what are you doing in Hiraeth?”

“Stuff.” It was Hywel’s turn to be cagey.

“That kind of game,” I said. I thought I heard him snort.

The smirk didn’t last long. Soon enough his car came into view and he groaned. “Fuck my life.”

“Looks pretty roughed up,” I said honestly, but also to piss him off more. “God knows what that’s going to cost to fix. Towing is going to cost you enough.”

I saw him bristle and expected him to bite but he deflated as quickly as he’d gotten pissed off. I felt almost bad to see him so deflated. Almost. I knew logically that holding a grudge for ten years was pretty stupid, but I did anyway. I couldn’t control how I felt.

I pulled up in front of the car then jumped out of the cab to choose the best part of the front of the Aston Martin to the tow. It was delicate work as so many old cars weren’t particularly designed to tow or be towed.

I was aware of Hywel pacing. “Get in and turn the engine on, see if you can reverse a little out of the hedge,” I said.

Hywel did as he was told pretty quickly.

It was horrible to hear the branches scrape against the car as he did, but he got back and pull forward out of the bush.

He lined the car up with the back of the truck.

He opened the driver’s side door and got out just as I got to see the side of the car.

“Damn.” I whistled and Hywel shot me a dirty look.

The driver’s side headlight and metal around it had completely crumpled inward and the bumper was hanging off.

All along the driver’s side were deep scratches to the gorgeous burgundy paint and one long puncture in the doors like the one that sank the Titanic.

“This will be a fun one, even for my skills.” I ran one finger down the puncture in the metal for dramatic effect.

“Who said I was asking you?” Hywel asked.

“Well, I’m charging you for the tow either way.

And I could charge you for my fantastic hospitality last night.

So it’s entirely up to you if you want to pay someone else to tow it from my garage to another.

And I’m not one to brag, but you won’t find anyone within 50 miles who can fix up this kind of shit as well as I can. Or for as reasonable a price.”

Hywel stood back for a second, then nodded. “Tow away,” he said. “Anything I can do to help?”

“I doubt you’ll have the practical skills,” I said. “Just stand back and look…pretty.”

Hywel huffed but did as he was told. I assessed the best place to tie the tow cable and made quick work of getting the car hitched to the truck. Despite damage to the hubcaps, the tyres seemed to be fully intact.

I winched the car up so that the front wheels were slightly off the road and motioned for Hywel to follow me to the truck.

“Shit,” he said just as he reached the door. He ran back to the car. I rolled my eyes and got into the truck, revving the engine to get him to hurry. I actually had a very slow day ahead, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Sorry,” he said as he opened the passenger side door and climbed in. He showed me the phone that he now held in his hand.

“And that couldn’t wait ‘til we got back to the garage? That obsessed with Instagram? Or do you have to check your crypto stocks?”

“Actually, I’ve just texted my Uncle Prentis to come and pick me up from yours. I thought you’d want me out of your hair as quickly as possible.”

“Well. Yeah. Of course.” I focused my eyes on the road and took us back toward the garage. The lanes were narrow, and towing would make it difficult to reverse back into a lay-by if any stubborn tractor drivers challenged me for authority. Luckily we got back to the garage unscathed.

“Ah. Twenty minutes, perfect.” Hywel was looking down at his phone with a smile. That keen to be rid of me, was he? It rankled. Even if I was looking forward to being rid of him just as much.

“Great.” I turned off the engine and got out. “Help me move your car before then will you?”

Together, with Hywel leaning through the driver’s side window to steer it we pushed the car into the garage. “Good thing about these antique beauties. They just go wherever you want them to without complaining,” I said.

“Who you calling antique?” Hywel asked. I chuckled despite myself. I hated how this man still pushed my buttons as much as when I was a moody teen.

“Where is Alun, by the way?” Hywel asked me.

“Gone.”

“Oh, back to one-word answers I see. Well, I’m sure two can play at that game. Where Alun? Caveman. Talk. Work?”

He thought he was being funny. I glared at him before finally answering.

“He’s working on a business with his girlfriend Alaw, consulting in the town.

To tell the truth…I’ve been running this place for the last couple of months.

I pay him the rent to the landlord and take the profits.

He’s going to put me on the lease in a couple of weeks. ”

“And it’s just you out here?”

“Just me.”

“Alone?”

“That’s what that generally means. What is this, 20 Questions?”

“Sorry.” Hywel looked down at his phone again, but it seemed he was unable to keep his mouth shut. “How long do you think it’ll take to fix her? And how much?”

“Do I look like a magician to you?” There was silence and I realised I’d perhaps taken my grudge-arsehole-vendetta thing to a level I shouldn’t have.

I was still a professional doing a job. “Sorry. I mean, I haven’t assessed it yet.

The front panel has crumpled, but I might be able to hammer that out and repaint it for you.

The puncture along the door means you’ll need an entirely new panel there and I don’t know the internal damage.

I’ll have an estimate to you as soon as I can.

The parts ordering is going to take a couple of weeks at least though. ”

“Thank you,” said Hywel. He looked nervous for some reason. Did he think I was going to rip him off?

I heard the crunch of tyres on gravel and looked out to the yard. Prentis was pulling up in his old Volkswagen Polo. It was a steady, reliable old car that reflected its owner, showing its age but with no sign of going anywhere anytime soon.

“Hi, Prentis,” I said as he got out. John Prentis was a pillar of the community.

Originally English, he had braved coming to the town back when being openly gay wasn’t so easy and had fallen in love with a farmhand.

I respected him for the effort he’d put into raising his nephew even if I didn’t respect the nephew himself.

“Hello, Macsen.” Prentis was polite but looked behind me to Hywel. His eyes twinkled when he laid eyes on his nephew. “What a sight for old eyes. It’s lovely to see you, son.”

Hywel walked past me and pulled Prentis into a tight embrace. Prentis’ eyes widened in surprise but he returned the hug. “Are you alright? I wasn’t expecting you,” he said to Hywel.

“Yes. Yes, fine. Am I OK to stay with you for a couple of weeks? Sorry for dropping in on you like this, it’s just…” Hywel hesitated, and looked at me. I knew I should give them privacy, but this was my garage. I was going nowhere.

“Let’s go for a drive,” said Prentis.

Hywel nodded. “Shall I get my stuff now?”

“We’ll come back for it. If that’s OK with Macsen of course.” Like many of the older community in Hiraeth, Prentis often refused to use my shortened, preferred name.

“Of course,” I smiled. If Hywel had asked then I’d have told him to shove it.

“Let’s go then, Hywel. Dere ‘mlaen. ”

I watched as they got into the car and Prentis drove off in the village's direction. I was glad to be rid of Hywel. I wanted to hate him, and it was annoying to know he wasn’t some corporate robot.

Instead, some of my old feelings stirred.

I’d always fancied the man. I’d even looked him up online a couple of times over the years, and he’d snuck his way into some of my wanking fantasies in my later teenage years.

But all that was quite different to actually liking the man. That just wouldn’t do. Thankfully, I’d be rid of him now til he picked up his car.

Or so I thought. As became painfully obvious quickly, things didn’t often work out that way.