Thai- Troubled Read online

  He did a dance for Buzz and Franz first – since they’d gotten married first it made sense.

  We all watched them from the side lines until it was deemed okay for everyone else to join in.

  Finally, it was our turn and I’d chosen the song. ‘I won’t give up’ by Jason Mraz. I felt that it summed us up pretty well.

  I took Quentin into my arms and held him close, “I love you, Mr Peel.” I said.

  He looked up at me in surprise, “Mr Peel?” he asked, “Am I keeping my name, then?”

  I shrugged, “I only changed my name to Thai.” I said, “I had no real desire to keep my surname so as far as I’m concerned, it’s Thai Peel from now on, if that’s okay with you?”

  He smiled and nodded, “Sure.” He said, “Works for me.”

  I grinned. It worked for me too.

  “Shall we get a drink?” I asked as the song ended.

  Quentin looked up at me and nodded, “Of course.” He said, a beaming smile on his face that hadn’t slipped once through the whole day.

  We turned to leave the dancefloor but our way was blocked by two women. I blinked. “Mum?” I asked at exactly the same time as Quentin said the same thing.

  “Oh, my boy!” my mother flung her arms around my waist and just about hugged the life out of me. (She was a very small Burmese woman).

  After a beat of stunned paralysis, I wrapped my arms around her and returned the hug, “You came.” I murmured, “You actually came.”

  She nodded, looking up at me, “I tried to get away this morning to be with you for the ceremony. Your father wouldn’t let me come. He was trying to stop me from being there for you on the most important day of your life, Archie.” She shook her head, “I could not let that happen. So, I asked Roberts to bring me here.”

  I beamed at her, “Oh, Mum.”

  I glanced to see what Quentin was making of my mother’s appearance but he was busy being smothered to death by his own mother. I smiled at the wondrous look on his face that his mum had finally shaken off her shackles that was Michael and had come back to her son.

  *

  “Come here, beautiful,” I said softly.

  Quentin smiled and walked across the bedroom towards me. It was late and I was bone weary after the long, surprisingly emotional day and night we’d spent celebrating our wedding but I still wanted to make love to him, “What?” he asked.

  I shrugged, “I just wanted to kiss you,” I said, “Just because I love you.”

  He smiled, “I love you, too.” He said, “So damned much.”

  I nodded, “I know.” I whispered before I lowered my face to his and captured his lips with mine. And I did know. He’d come back to me – something I wasn’t all that sure he would do after Arthur died. I’d been terrified that I’d lost him – that he would feel too guilty to come back. It was a long and stressful wait but he was so worth it.

  “Let’s get into bed.” He whispered, “I want to make love to my new husband.”

  I beamed at him, “Now that sounds like a plan.” I agreed.”

  “I can’t believe that both of our mothers turned up.” He said softly as he climbed into bed next to me and pressed his beautiful naked body up against mine.

  I smiled, “I know.” I agreed, “It was like magic.”

  Quentin leaned in and kissed me softly, “Every day with you is like magic.” He said, “Now, make love to me.”

  God, I loved my bossy husband. I didn’t need telling twice…

  The End

  Thank you for reading “Thai…Troubled.” If you enjoyed this book, I would be grateful if you could help others enjoy it too. Please help other readers find it by recommending it to your friends and/or discussion groups. Please tell other readers why you liked it by reviewing it. Your help is greatly appreciated.

  Coming Soon

  Coming Soon…

  Back for Good – A Studs & Steel Novella

  Five years ago…

  Eduard

  I stared at Georg, “What?” I asked, heat curling in my gut and making my insides start to shake. My youngest brother, Franz, had come out two years before but surely he wasn’t old enough to know that he was gay for sure? Never mind being sure enough to come on out and say it...

  Georg nodded, “Yup,” He said, “He’s got a new boyfriend and and he’s gonna introduce him to the olds – tonight.”

  Holy fucking shit. That was a mistake. Mum almost killed him when he came out. What the hell did he think he was doing? He really seemed to me to be on a path of total self-destruction. “Where is he?” I demanded. I’d go and give him a piece of my mind – and tell him not to be so fucking stupid at the same time. Kid had a fucking death-wish…

  Georg shrugged, “He’s probably round at Wade’s. I think they’ve got an assignment to do.”

  My heart flip-flopped in my chest at the mention of Wade. I nodded, “Yeah, I know,” I managed to maintain my thunderous look of rage that I used whenever I felt threatened. Everyone was completely convinced that I was a total homophobe. I really wasn’t. I was actually gay, having realised it when my brother Franz had come out in total style – and well, there was no way I could have put my hand up and said, “Oh, by the way – me too.” With the way my mother had completely lost the plot over it. By the same token, there was no getting away from it. I’d never fancied a girl in all of my life. I was a bit of a late developer I guess and other than admiring football players and rugby players, I’d never really had any sort of admiration for anyone my own age.

  Knowing I was gay and actually having the hots for someone other than a celebrity however came a lot later. The first time I realised that I’d really got the hots for someone and was actually willing to do something about it, I was coming up for twenty and he was sixteen. That guy was Wade Jackson and he lived right across the street. We’d been friends with the Jacksons for literally years. The trouble was, I’d only realised the depth of my feelings for him just before he left to join the army – and the other rather massive flaw in my plan was that, as far as I was aware, he was as straight as a die… Yeah. Could be a problem, that…

  Anyway… He went, well of course he did. He wasn’t going to change his mind for me – but out of sight didn’t mean out of mind and the time apart hadn’t stopped me thinking about him on a pretty much daily basis. Hell, I thought about him so much that I’d not been able to have any sort of relationship with anyone else in all the time he’d been away. I’d had the odd hook-up – hell, I wasn’t a monk – but no one else held a candle to Wade…

  I remember when he joined up. I’d been shell-shocked.

  “You’re joining the army?” I asked. We all used to hang out on the park, drinking, playing football and generally being a total pain in the arse to anyone that was trying to walk their dog...

  He nodded, shrugging his shoulders, “Yeah,” he said, “There’s nothing to keep me here.”

  My heart had felt as if someone was squeezing it hard. I was here for him but I guess that wasn’t enough. I was just Franz’s older brother – a sort of friend but not really someone he would actually call one of his bezzies, “No,” I muttered, “I guess there isn’t....”

  He’d looked up at me. His bright blue eyes had always been far too beautiful for the rest of his face that had been kind of thin and non-descript. He had full lips and a fine nose – girly I guess – and that shock of white-blonde hair had really done nothing to make him any manlier.

  I stared back into his face, trying to memorise every little freckle. What if he never came back? What if I never got the chance to tell him how I felt? Suddenly the most overwhelming feeling of desperation took over me. I grabbed his hand, “Come with me.” I pulled him away from all of the others to a patch of trees that we used to call the hideout when we were smaller. I had to tell him while I had the chance – whatever that might do to our friendship.

  He laughed, “Where are we going?” he asked, trailing after me the way he had since we were little.
>
  “Hideout,” I said shortly, “I uh, need to tell you something.”

  He fell silent and still clutching his hand, I led him to the centre of the trees.

  “What?” he asked, a little frown furrowing his pale eyebrows.

  Breathing hard, and hoping against hope that he wasn’t going to lose his shit completely at my confession, I started to talk...

  He blinked at me, “You’re gay?” he asked, his jaw dropping slightly, “So, it’s not just Franz?”

  I shook my head, “No, Franz is just something else when it comes to telling it how it is,” I rolled my eyes and tried not to smile at my sassy brother’s ways, “he’s the only one of us brave enough to come out. Mum went nuts – well, she is nuts...”

  He nodded his agreement. Mum had always been a religious freak, “So, why are you telling me?” he asked.

  I sighed. It was madness thinking he’d feel the same as me. We were really good mates, always had been – and it would be just too fantastic if he felt the same but there was something about him that I just wondered about... “I don’t know – I guess I just wanted you to know the real me – before you leave me.”

  He laughed and punched my shoulder affectionately, “I’m not leaving you, dude – I’ll still be at the other end of your stupid text messages.” He grinned and his beautiful mouth curved up at the edges in that maddeningly sexy way it had always done.

  I sighed. He just didn’t understand the pain. I wouldn’t be able to see him every day. Wouldn’t be able to talk to him whenever I felt like it. I looked at him. He loved me, sure he did – but only as a mate. It was a crushing blow. “Yeah,” I said, forcing a grin, “I know – ignore me, I’m just freaking out about you going off and never coming back...”

  He shook his head, “You don’t get rid of me that easily, fella.” He said, punching my shoulder again. “I’ll be battering your door down every time I’m home on leave.”

  I grinned, “Brilliant.” I said, “And we’ll play on the X-Box every time you get back, too.” We might not have been really close friends, but out of the five of us, he and I were definitely the geekiest when it came to gaming and we’d definitely bonded over it.

  He laughed, “We can still game over the internet too – I’m sure I’ll have some down time.”

  I nodded. Things were brightening a little – only a little, though. I was going to miss him like crazy.

  Wade

  I gazed up into Eduard’s face. Eduard was incredibly handsome, there was no denying it. He’d always been the best looking one of the Krämer brothers – or maybe he wasn’t and I was just biased because I’d admired him the most since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.

  There were three of us – and three of them – and we all went through school together.

  Eduard was the eldest and went to school with my sister, Frances. My older brother Roger and his younger brother, Georg were the same age and then Franz and I were the youngest and hung around together pretty much all of the time.

  I always felt a little sorry for Frances for being a girl. She never got the same experience that Franz and I had, having a close friend that we could tell everything. Although, to be fair – I never told Franz how much I valued Eduard’s friendship, even though Franz had no trouble telling anyone that would listen everything he was feeling at any time of the day or night. I did tell him one time that I thought I might be bisexual – and I think I might have even mentioned that I fancied Eduard – but I was roaring drunk and so was he, so I doubted he would ever remember it. He’d never mentioned it again, so I think I’d got away with it. We were both fourteen at the time and I was going through a bit of a phase – I assumed it was because Franz had come out and I thought it was cool…

  I loved Franz for being the way he was, so eager to embrace his sexuality. He was as gay as a rainbow and as far as I could tell, his world was full of wonder. He didn’t even bat an eyelid over coming out to his parents, even though he nearly gave his mother a coronary in the process...

  I admired the little guy for his balls of steel.

  When he came out as gay two years ago (around the time we got drunk and I confessed that I thought I might be bisexual) I wasn’t surprised in the slightest. Franz had been camp for as long as I could remember. If he wasn’t walking around in the tightest jeans possible, he wore hot pants. He was out even before he came out.

  Neither Georg nor Eduard were like that, but I’d often wondered if Eduard was harbouring a secret but then I figured that there was no way. I’d have noticed, surely? And besides – I just wasn’t that lucky. If anything, Eduard showed signs of being like his mother – totally homophobic. But if he had been gay, I’d have totally supported him in the same way as I did Franz. I couldn’t promise to like any prospective boyfriends Eduard might have because as far as I was concerned, no one would ever be good enough for him – but there was no way I wouldn’t be mates with him – I loved him too much to not want to be in his life in some capacity or other.

  “What?” I asked, my heart thumping in my chest. I’d just found the courage to tell him that I was going into the army. I didn’t really want to go – but where we lived there was little opportunity to do anything else when you were as academically challenged as I was. I was great at sports – but I wasn’t about to be chosen to be the next big thing – and I figured I could work really hard and become a fitness trainer for the cadets or something after I’d served my time as a new recruit. The officer I spoke to at the careers day had said it was definitely something I could strive for – and I was nothing if not tenacious...

  I’m not gonna lie, when Eduard started telling me that he was gay – well, it rocked my world.

  I started to think about all of the times growing up that we’d been allowed so much alone time together and he’d never once made a move on me. Did that mean he didn’t fancy me? I was strangely disappointed.

  “So why are you telling me now?” I had to ask. Why the fuck have you never said so before? Didn’t you trust me enough? Did you think I wouldn’t still want to be friends? What?

  He sighed and looked at me, his big, not-quite-green, not-quite-brown eyes full of something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Was he embarrassed? Nervous? Shy? I had no idea. “I guess I just wanted you to know the real me... you know? Before you leave me.”

  I suddenly didn’t want to go. I wanted to stay right here, with Eduard, hidden away in the clump of trees forever. What the hell had possessed me to enlist? I didn’t want to be anywhere that Eduard wasn’t. Fighting down the lump in my throat that was threatening to cut off my air supply, I forced myself to grin at him, “I’m not leaving you, dude,” I managed to get out without sounding as if I was about to bawl my eyes out, “I’ll still be at the other end of your stupid text messages.” And boy, were some of his text messages stupid!

  I was trying my best to make him smile, but there was nothing but desperation in his face. What wasn’t he telling me? Come on Eduard, tell me what you’re really thinking. Then I can tell you what I’m really thinking…

  He sighed and then finally, as if it was a massive effort, he shot me a small smile, “Yeah,” he said, “I know – ignore me, I’m just freaking out about you going off and never coming back to me...”

  It was a valid point but I was trying not to focus on that possibility. I shook my head firmly, “You don’t get rid of me that easily, fella.” I punched his arm to stop myself from flinging my arms around his neck and hugging the life out of him – something I’d never really had the nerve to do before, but right in that moment, it felt so damned right... “I’ll be battering your door down every time I’m home on leave.” And I really would. Make no mistake. I would probably head straight for his house instead of my own.

  He was finally smiling at me in the way he always did, “Brilliant.” He said, “And we’ll play on the X-Box every time you get back.”

  I nodded and laughed. He was forgetting that we could game over the internet, “
We can still game over the internet too – I’m sure I’ll have some down time.” God, please let me have enough down time to keep in proper contact...

  He nodded. “Let’s head back before anyone misses us.” He said.

  I nodded, “Sure.” I agreed, feeling as if I’d missed out on something really special but not quite sure what it was.

  Short Stories by Heather Mar-Gerrison

  Friends

  Zoe’s First Date with Fate

  Save The Last Dance (Dance #1)

  Can We Dance (Dance #2)

  Inevitable…

  Seven

  Something Stupid

  Maybe Never…

  Kiss The Boy (Boy Next Door #1)

  Are We Good...? (Boy Next Door #2)

  Equal Measures (Boy Next Door #3)

  Some Kind of Paradise (Boy Next Door #4)

  Without You... (Boy Next Door #5)

  Looking for Trouble (Boy Next Door #6)

  Best Boyfriend Ever... (Boy Next Door #7)

  Racing Hearts... (Boy Next Door #8)

  I need a little time... (Boy Next Door #9)

  What If... I Belonged to You? (What If? #1)

  What If I want commitment? (What If #2)

  What If… I told you a secret? (What If? #3)

  What If… We could start again? (What If #4)

  Coming Soon

  What If... I Remember? (What If? #5)

  Contemporary Romance by

  Heather Mar-Gerrison

  The One That Got Away

  If I Can’t Have You

  Summer Break (Summer Break series #1)

  Operation Boyfriend (Operation Boyfriend #1)

  All Kinds of Trouble (Operation Boyfriend #2)

  The Trouble with Tyler (Operation Boyfriend #3)

  What Happens with Vegas (Operation Boyfriend #4)