Page 21 of Goldilocks
“The more sanity, the better,” Nick remarked. “I’m going to see if they need help.”
Nick strode away, leaving the three of them in silence. Sam half expected someone to butt in, putting a stop to even half a sentence of conversation between them all.
“You’re a popular guy,” Ivan finally said with an amused look.
“What? No. They’re actually all Connor’s family,” Sam explained.
“I have no idea who Connor is,” Eric said.
“He’s…” Sam paused. Explaining Connor to someone who didn’t already know him was a difficult task. Sam didn’t want to say ‘You do know him. He’s the kid that was all over the news last year because he was framed for a crime he didn’t commit and his dad abducted and almost killed him.’He also didn’t want to say ‘He’s this force of nature that I dated when I was sixteen, and he crushed my heart into pulp.’“He’s a friend. His family are all fond of me, I guess.”
When Sam had talked to those reporters about Connor, it had seemed like something tiny. In fact, when he’d done it, he was sure he was going to have Connor kicking down his door, furious with him since he’d explicitly told Sam in his razor-sharp voice to mind his own business. Sam had been in the midst of a very frustrating day when he did it. He’d copied down the wrong address for his college application but had realised too late and had already sent it off. He’d had to rewrite it all again. And in the middle of the kitchen, rewriting the application, the local radio station had started talking about Connor. Already worked up, his anger with Connor’s refusal to help himself had overridden the voice inside telling him to respect Connor’s wishes, and he’d called up those reporters, talked and given them pictures, and then made sure they had the numbers of all those gossips from school that would love to talk all about Connor’s sexual orientation.
His impulsiveness had resulted in seemingly unending fondness from Trevor and Laurence, and though it was difficult to tell whether Nick was fond of someone or not, he always stopped and talked to Sam whenever they crossed paths. And he’d stepped in to help him yesterday too.
“Mary mentioned a Connor,” Eric said.
Sam groaned. “Do not listen to anything she said about him.”
“Hey.” This time, the interrupting voice was smooth. Pleasant. Connor pulled up a chair and sat next to Sam, running a hand through his black windswept curls as the other arm planted on the back of Sam’s chair. “Laurence said you’re getting tattoos together.”
Sam snorted. “He didn’t say that.”
Connor’s cool grey eyes flicked over Ivan but lingered on Eric. He tilted his head, but even at the best of times, Connor’s expression was hard to read.
“This is—” Sam started.
“I remember your brother,” Connor said. His grey eyes swept back to Sam. “Used to see him at the docks with your dad all the time.”
How come Connor remembered him when Sam didn’t?
“I’m guessing you’re Connor?” Eric asked. Ivan, unlike Eric, looked at Connor with clear recognition.
“Yeah. You back in town? Opening a parlour? If you tattoo Laurence, I’ll sink your boat.”
“Connor,”Sam said, exasperated by the casual threat, “it’smyboat now.”
“So what?”
“Where’s Adonis?” Sam asked, wanting something to distract Connor. The full force of his undivided attention could be a lot, and Adonis made it his business to make sure at least half of that attention was on him at all times.
“Chasing off Worm One and Two.”
Sam frowned. “Who are they?”
“Goldilocks’s admirers.” Connor’s lips twitched up at the corners. “It drives him nuts that they always come to greet us. Is he still stalking you?”
By admirers, he must mean Bee and Dew. They used to follow Devil around all the time, but they quickly got bored with him sitting still for Sam to paint and draw, so Sam rarely saw them by the boat anymore.
If Ivan and Eric weren’t there, Sam would have been more than happy to discuss Devil. Or as Connor had dubbed him months ago – Goldilocks. “He keeps me company,” Sam answered vaguely.
“By the way” – Connor leaned toward Sam, weight shifting to the arm on the back of Sam’s chair – “can I have your ID?”
“Yeah,” Sam said, reflexively agreeing as Connor’s body heat sunk into his side. But he saw the strange look both Ivan and Eric gave him and swallowed. “Why, though? And what ID?”
“I want to get into your college library. Nick won’t lend me his.”
“You know you can buy a library card for yourself? It only costs fifty euros.” Sam would feel that charge, but Connor wouldn’t.