Paul arrived at the stall just after lunch time to find Shrimpy smirking. "Don't you start."
Shrimpy let out a laugh. "What time do you call this?"
Paul bent down and placed a bucket of roses on the table. "I had stuff to take care of." He lied. "You know how it is."
"I wish I did, Paul." He made a point of tapping his watch. "I'm here every day, seven o clock on the dot. Your Nan know about this skiving?"
A look of guilt flashed across his face. "I'll just tell her we had a slow day."
"There's slow and then there's this, mate." Shrimpy was loving every minute. "She didn't fall off a Christmas tree."
Paul sighed. "I don't know, maybe there'll be an end of the day rush?"
Zee from the other stall, who had been listening in, added his input. "Of course, Walford will become so desperate for a bunch of tulips, come five o clock, they will storm your stall in their thousands."
"He probably won't make it out alive." Shrimpy said.
"There'll be nothing we can do. They'll savage him death, leaving behind nothing more than a hair band, a pool of blood and a pair of shredded skinny jeans."
"it'll be national news, mate." A cheeky glint flashed in Zee's eyes. "Local Walford boy beaten to death by a bunch of Lilies."
"I can just see the autopsy now."
"His throat would be slashed by the thorns of the roses."
"A daffodil would be found shoved down his throat." Shrimpy added.
"Suffocated by the cellophane used to wrap the flowers up."
"Don't forget about the ribbon." Shrimpy winked in Paul's direction. "Knowing how violent the people around here are, no doubt they would take the opportunity to strangle him with it."
"Denny Mitchell would no doubt begin the attack; using a stem of a daisy, he would sharpen the end of it like they do in those prison dramas and inflict multiple stab wounds." He pointed towards the Launderette. "And then Dot would come in at the end; hit him over the head with one of the buckets, ultimately dealing the fatal blow."
"Ha yeah." Shrimpy let out a loud unrestrained laugh. "Police say attacks of these kinds are more common than you may think."
"Oh course, haven't you heard? They say it's the pollen that does it, they get one whiff it and they just go crazy."
"I hear that every five seconds a person in the East- End is killed by this phenomenon."
"Quite frankly, I'm surprised it's not more." Zee said
Paul held up his hand, signalled them to stop. "Right, I get it, the takings are going to be low and Nan's going to go mad."
Zee snorted. "She looks all sweetness and light, but she can be quite scary your nan."
Once more, Shrimpy spoke up. "I wouldn't want to meet her down a dark alley."
"I hear her teeth are sharper than a lion's."
Paul tied the money bag around his waist. "You two are hilarious." His tone was sarcastic. "You should seriously think about forming some sort of comedy double act."
Zee nodded. "I'm on at Wembley every night, mate." He said. "Shrimpy is my support act."
"Uh no..." Shrimpy protested. "I think you'll find he's mine.
Zee rolled his eyes, glanced over at Paul. "He's really just an embarrassment. He' not really my support act, he's one of my jokes - the biggest joke actually."
At this, Paul couldn't help but laugh. "Play nicely, ladies."
"I was going to pay for the taxi home tonight." Shrimpy said. "But after that, you can walk home, mate."
"Who says anything about going home? "Zee winked. "I pull every time."
"He uses the term pull very loosely." Shrimpy elaborated further. "He counts being walked into as being groped."
"Look who's talking, the only action Shrimpy has is the donner kebab he has at the end of the night."
"I'm so glad I'm not single anymore." Paul smiled. "There's nothing worse than the lights going on in the club and finding out the guy I'd been snogging all night has yellow teeth."
"Ah yes." Zee agreed. "Even worse, when you spent the whole night thinking that the guy you were snogging all night was a woman." He shuddered. "Not gonna lie, I was convinced."
Shrimpy burst out laughing. "Mate, it was obvious to anyone."
Zee placed his hands on his hips. "Well, excuse me for assuming that if a person has boobs, long hair and is wearing a dress that they are a woman."
"It's as if you've never seen someone in drag before." Paul laughed.
"His voice was so high pitched though."
"You are not going to save face on this one, Zee." Shrimpy said. "So, I wouldn't even try."
"Do you guys go out often then?" Paul asked. He had never actually realised that the pair had been friends outside of work.
Zee nodded. "Come with us, tonight. We're going to Soho."
"Yes, do." Shrimpy reached into his pocket, pulled out a leaflet and handed it over. "My mate is a DJ in one of the clubs, can get us in for free. We go around the back, so we don't have to queue or anything."
Paul took the leaflet in his hands. "I know this place; it's not been open all that long."
"It's kinda shit, but it's a cheap night out." Zee said.
Shrimpy put on his best look of mock offense. "It is not shit." He said. "The music there is banging."
"You see my point?" Zee said to Paul. "The type of people that go there, are the type of people who use the word banging."
Paul reread the flyer, it had been a while since he had been on a proper night out. "I really would go, but my Nan, she says she's making food tonight; got something she wants to talk about."
Shrimpy shrugged. "That's no problem, we don't usually go out until ten or eleven." He said. "We usually go back to Zee's after work, start the drinking early, but you could always skip that part and meet us later."
Paul thought for a moment, working it out. "I suppose I could." He nodded, enthusiastically. "If I can make it, I'll give you a text."
"Awesome." With a nod, Zee turned back to his stall.
Shrimpy did the same.
Just as Paul was about to turn back, Louise walked by. "Aren't you meant to be at school?" He asked.
She rolled her eyes and scowled in a way that was oh so similar to her brother's. "I'm on lunch break and what's it to you anyway?"
He held up his hands. "Alright, I was only asking."
"Ben's in a right mood." She said.
"He's not the only one." He muttered, just loud enough for her to hear.
She gestured to the house. "He's over there now, getting his knickers in a right twist."
"That sounds about right."
"I'm being serious, I spoke to him earlier and he practically bit my head off." Louise readjusted the strap on her school bag. "That boy needs some serious anger management, like now."
Paul sighed. "Do you know if he's spoken to your Dad yet?"
"What? about you and him running your grandparent's place?"
His eyes widened in surprise. "He told you?"
"I'm not stupid, what else was I gonna think when I saw the pair of you dressed in those grim suits the other day." She said. "And if you ask me, I think it's dead creepy."
"I didn't ask you."
"Also have you thought about how it's going to look?"
"What do you mean?"
She sighed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "People are happy to have their dead loved ones looked after by a sweet old man and his wife, but are they really going to be as keen when it's their grandson and his murdering boyfriend?"
Paul shuddered; he didn't like to spend too long thinking about Ben's past crimes. "That was a mistake. He was young."
"He still killed her though." She stated. "Would you want to be embalmed by a murderer when your time was up?"
He diverted his eyes to the ground, avoided her gaze. "Why would you even say that?"
"Everybody else is thinking it." Louise said. "I'm not bothered, but people around here have long memories."
Paul shifted his weight from one foot to the other, becoming increasingly uncomfortable. "It's in the past, Louise."
She nodded and for a moment, he could've sworn a look of remorse had flashed across her face. "I don't mean any harm by it. The people around here are funny, that's all."
Pushing the images in his mind away, he managed a smile. "I know you didn't mean any harm." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's just not something we've talked about… like ever."
Despite what people thought, Louise really did know when the time was right to shut up. "I shouldn't have said anything."
"Don't worry about it." Paul was desperate to remain composed. "Honestly, it's... fine."
"You sure?" She looked doubtful.
"Yes of course." For a moment, he hesitated. "You just caught me off guard, bringing it up like that, that's all."
You're not going to tell him, are you?" Her tone had gone from cocky to concerned. "He'll go mad if he knew I'd brought it up behind his back."
Paul sighed, stuck his hands in his pocket so she wouldn't see that they were shaking. "I won't bring it up, you can relax." He removed a hand from his pocket, pulled out a ten pound note and passed it over. "Go to Mcklunkies or something and forget we ever had this conversation."
She looked at it, touched. "Really?"
He nodded. "Really, really."
Placing the money in her pocket, she made to turn away but paused before she did. "Ben's lucky to have you." She said. "Next time I see him; I'll make sure he knows that."
"Good luck with that." He hoped his voice sounded cheerful. "He never listens."
Without another word, she gave him another apologetic look before heading off to leave.
In a second, Shrimpy was by his side. He placed a hand on his shoulder, pulled up a stool and gently pushed him down into it. "Paul, just sit there a moment." He said. "Listen, I heard what she said, but it's not as if he's still capable of that. I knew him back then and he's nothing like the piece of work he used to be."
Paul forced himself to look the other man in the eyes. "He's actually killed someone." He kept his voice low. "You should've seen her body Shrimpy, the side of her head had caved in."
Shrimpy looked over in the direction of the funeral parlour. "Are you telling me that…?" He trailed off, disbelief written across his face.
Paul nodded. "We took care of her funeral. I helped Grandad get her ready." He took two deep breaths, trying to steady himself. "It took us ages to get her sorted, we had to style her hair in a way that covered the gash, but it still didn't quite hide it."
Shrimpy was lost for words. "Oh, I…"
Paul continued. "The man she was going to marry came in." He continued. "He was a great big strapping man, proper macho."
"Andrew." Shrimpy said. "He's Dot's nephew."
"You should've heard the way he cried." Paul felt like he was going to be sick. "Nan made him tea and Grandad worked his way through the top ten list of condolences, but there was nothing they could say to help him, not really."
He nodded. "It was a terrible time." There was a moment of silence, as Shrimpy worked out what he was going to say next. "But, you're only feeling like this because that little cow threw it in your face; you know that, right? It's not as if this was news to you."
At this, Paul nodded. "You're right." He took a few more steadying breaths. "Of course you are."
Shrimpy helped him to his feet. "We all have things that are a sore subject for us; you're only like this because you didn't expect to be reminded in such a way." He shook his head, disapprovingly. "My younger sister was a nightmare at that age; it's like teenage girls are programmed to be as evil as possible."
Paul knew Shrimpy was talking sense. "It doesn't change things" He gripped the side of the stall for support. "I love him despite what he's done, it's just..."
"Just...?"
"I think I need a few moments."
"I get that." He gave a knowing nod. "Most people would need the rest of their lives to get their head around something like that; you take as many moments as you need, mate."
"Thanks, Shrimpy."
"Shrimpy reached into his pocket, produced his wallet. "I'll tell you what, you stay here and get yourself together and I'll head over to the caf." He smiled. "What you having?"
Paul waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, no... don't worry about me."
"You're looking peaky; a bit of sugar will see you right." His tone was firm and insistent. "You either tell me what you want, or leave it to my judgement, which I must admit isn't great."
"Okay." Paul relaxed into a nervous laugh. "How about a hot chocolate and a corn flake cake?"
Shrimpy put on his best posh voice. "Good choice, sir."
Zee looked up from his stall. "I'll have a coffee and an iced bun - two sugars and not a lot of milk, you know how I like it."
"Up yours, Zee." He presented him his middle finger. "You diss my favourite club, you forgo your afternoon coffee."
Zee waited until Shrimpy was across the market and out of sight before he spoke. "He don't mean it." He said to Paul. "You'll see, he's been threatening not to buy me something for months now, but he always come back, tail between his legs with my coffee in his hand."
When Shrimpy returned ten minutes later, Zee was proved right; up until that moment, Paul didn't realise it was physically possible for one person to look so smug.
oOo
Les Coker drummed his fingers on the table and glanced around the quiet pub. There was something about this place that made him terribly uncomfortable. Usually, his place of choice would always have been the Queen Vic, however the current circumstances demanded discretion. Therefore, he had found himself over the other side of London where he hoped no one would recognise him.
The door swung open.
He glanced his watch.
She was exactly on time.
Les gestured to the seat opposite him. "Jenny." He said. "Please, sit down."
Doing as asked, Jenny pulled up a chair and sank down into it. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you." Her voice was hoarse, sounding like she had a sore throat.
He gestured to the drink on the table, inched it closer to her. "Double Malibu and Coke?"
At this, her tense features relaxed into a smile. "That was my favourite drink when I was nineteen." She lifted the glass, took a sip. "You remembered?"
Slowly, he nodded. "If it's not to your taste anymore, I could always get you something else." Les gestured to the bar. "I noticed at the bar they have quite a wide selection of wine; if you were partial, I could always buy you a glass?"
"No." She said, almost too quickly. "This is… This is perfect."
There was a pause.
She looked down at her glass and took a long sip, noting how he had remembered that she never had ice.
After a few more seconds of silence, Les moved the conversation along. "Jenny…" There was a hint of awkwardness in his voice. "About the other day, me and Pam, we're going to put it right."
She blinked furiously; she wasn't going to cry, not in front of Les anyway. It had been a few days since her son had shouted in her face and every word her said whizzed around in her mind at a million miles an hour. "How can you? You heard him, he hates me."
"He doesn't hate you."
Jenny narrowed her eyes. "You were there; you heard what he said." Raising her glass, she drank until it was half empty.
Hesitantly, he placed a hand on top of hers. "Jenny… Jenny, my dear girl. It's complicated, but you have to believe me that when he said he knew who you were, he was way off the mark." He watched as she processed what he said. "There is some nasty individual who is out to make life very difficult for myself and Pam."
"What do you mean? Why would someone do that?"
Ignoring her question, he proceeded onwards. "And Paul… when he saw you, he assumed that you were them."
Jenny took a deep inhale through her nose, looked down at the hand that covered her own; They were a stark contrast to the ones she remembered from all those years ago. She placed her remaining hand on top of his. How it pained her to see him looking so unwell. "He… had me confused with someone else?"
Les merely nodded.
"But who?" Jenny stumbled over her words and repeated her previous question. "Who is doing this to you, Les?"
"I don't wish to concern you with it." His voice was firm, yet somehow strangely gentle at the same time.
With one final gulp, she finished her drink. "You always were one for the whole stiff upper lip… keep calm, carry on, but never worry about yourself or think about your own needs. "She paused, looked him full in the eyes.
Les diverted his gaze to the ground, slowly inched his hand free. "The only person I can think about now is Paul." He said. "All this, it's probably going to open up all sorts, but if you must insist on being part of his life, I'm going to be there to make sure it's easy as possible for him."
"None of this is easy, Les." She placed extra emphasis on the way she pronounced his name. "Seeing you again, it's been…" Trailing off, Jenny reached into her bag, produced a packet of cigarettes. "Do you want one?"
He placed a hand on his chest, patted it. "It wouldn't be wise."
"Oh yes… of course." Embarrassed, she quickly put them pack in her bag.
"You never did give up then?"
"No, did you?"
"Uh yes." Les nodded. "Shortly after you left actually. Pam had just moved back in with me and what with having a small baby in the house, she felt it was best that I put that particular habit to bed." He shrugged his shoulders. "She was right."
"That's Pam for you, she always has to be right, doesn't she?" Her tone was bitter in a way that didn't suit her. "The Les Coker I remember would never have backed down that easily."
He sighed. "Oh Jenny, that's the thing, you didn't know me; not really."
"I know that you thought you couldn't live without her, but you were much stronger than what you ever could have given yourself credit for." She said. "You deserved and still do deserve much better."
He shook his head. "Our marriage wasn't great Jenny; I won't pretend that it was, but it wasn't fair of me." He said. "You were nineteen years old, I should never have discussed our problems with you. You were so young."
"I was old enough." She gritted her teeth, pointed an accusing finger. "Don't you dare start acting like I was a naïve child."
Realising his mistake, Les quickly backtracked. "I'm sorry, of course I would never say that. You were a wonderful young woman, wise beyond your years." He paused, a reflective look in his eyes. "Completely different to how Laurie was at that age."
At the mention of his name, she flinched. "I was sorry to hear that…" She stopped. Jenny was unable to bring herself to say the words. "I hate the thought of you going through that, I know that Laurie was your world."
Les gave a knowing nod; he understood, of course he did. "I know he treated you badly. I was never blind to his faults in the same way Pam was, but you must know that he did eventually grow up; he made a fine undertaker once he got into it. "
She shrugged. "I don't care if he flew to the moon."
Les knew better than try to convince her otherwise. "I won't try and justify the way he and Pam behaved. In many ways they had a right to be angry, of course they did, but excluding you from Paul's life, it was wrong."
For a moment, a look anger dominated her features. "Don't pretend you were innocent Les! You were so desperate to save your marriage; you would've agreed to anything if it meant that Pam came home to you."
Les couldn't deny this and neither did he want to. "I loved her too much to Let her go." He replied. "It doesn't mean that I won't always be deeply ashamed of my actions. Over the years, I have questioned why I didn't put my foot down and speak out, but like you said, I was desperate."
She took a moment for thought, holding off on her reply for longer than what felt comfortable. "The most pathetic thing about this is that I would forgive you." Jenny looked down at her shoes, unable to meet his gaze. "I don't think I have ever really been able to blame you in the first place."
Les swallowed back the lump that had formed in the back of his throat. "I want to make this right for you, Jenny." He reached over, placed a hand on her shoulder. "There may be consequences for me and Pam, but Paul deserves to know how much you loved him."
She forced a smile, tears forming but not yet falling from her eyes. For the first time, she took a proper look at him, taking the time to take in all his features and appreciate how he had changed. "You don't look anything like I imagined you would. In my mind, you were forever fifty years old."
Les reached up, ran his hand over his head. "I do miss my hair."
"Paul got that off you." She smiled. "How can someone with hair like that ever lose it?'"
Maybe it was for the best, when I was young, we didn't exactly have the same products available to tame it like he has." He smiled. "That's old age for you I suppose. I miss the days where my body was toned and my skin was smooth, but it comes to us all in the end."
She sighed. "You were always worth so much more than that." She said. "Whilst Laurie would spend hours a day looking at himself in the mirror, you would be throwing yourself into the business; looking after your customers as if they were your own family."
Les felt his cheeks blush. "I always did try to tell him that there were more important things in life."
"You're always you, Les."
"Jenny... stop." He voice was weak. "We shouldn't be having this conversation.
"I never did stop thinking about you." She admitted. "You were the first man to be that kind to me. Every time Laurie would walk out on me, there you would be with that smile of yours and a mug of hot chocolate."
"Jenny, I cared about you and of course I was flattered, but..."Unsure of what to say, he trailed off.
"It was just a crush?" She finished for him. "That's what you said at the time. You sat me down and said that I was too young to know what I wanted. You were still married to Pam, despite the fact that she had left you."
"It was my fault; I know that now." He admitted, focusing on a stain that marked the carpet. "I was useless without Pam. I had allowed her to drift away and I was pathetically lonely." He continued. "I saw the way you looked at me; I could tell how your feelings were changing, but like the stupid fool I was, I suppose I enjoyed the attention off a younger woman."
"It always felt like more than a crush."
"Yes... and for that I'm sorry." He said. "I should've put a stop to it before it got that far, but for reasons that were self-centred, I let it continue until it got out of hand. You were nineteen for heaven's sake, I should have done the right thing: let you down gently and encouraged you to move on."
His words stung like an angry wasp. "I only stayed with Laurie as long as I did because of you." She closed her eyes, willing herself not to shed the tears that were threatening to surface. "I was always hoping, Les."
"And I'm truly sorry." He said. "I did care about you. The nights we used to sit out in the garden smoking cigarettes and talking for hours after putting Laurie to bed drunk... well, they got me through a tough time; Pam had gone and you gave me the support that Laurie never would.
"It was pathetic really." She took a deep breath. "What nineteen-year-old in their right mind would feel that strongly about their boyfriend's father? It's like an episode or Jeremy Kyle show; I could probably make £200 if I sold the story to Take a Break."
"You couldn't help how you felt, jenny."
"You know, I used to buy Laurie shots all night." She confessed. "I would spend all my wages from the job I had at the café on alcohol for him; just so he would pass out drunk when I took him home and I could have some time alone with you."
Les rolled his eyes. "I don't think you can be held responsible for that, I remember what my boy was like and he would not have needed any persuasion." He paused, took a minute to think. "You do realise that we have to put this behind us now? Me and Pam, we sorted out all our differences."
She smirked. "C'mon Les. I'm forty years old, you don't honestly think I'm still pining for you?" Her tone was triumphant. "I'm a different person; Pam can't bully me and however Laurie treated me, I have worked hard to overcome it."
"Really?"
"Yes." She was insistent. "Really. Make no mistake, I'm here for my son."
He smiled. "Well that's... good." Les visibly relaxed. "You've got to understand why I was wary; I just can't risk my relationship with Pam."
Jenny sat up in her seat. "Whatever comes out Les, you do realise that you may have some tough questions to answer." She said. "If Paul is to know why he's been lied to, you can't expect him to just accept it and move on."
Les sighed, that thought had indeed crossed his mind. "Yes, of course." He agreed. "I suppose, in the end, all this was inevitable."
She gave him a sympathetic look. "What's going to happen next?"
"Me and Pam... we need time." He replied. "Can you give us that? Over the next day or two, we'll sit him down, explain to him who you are."
"And then I'll be able to see him?"
"And then you'll be able to see him." Les confirmed.
oOo
Paul scowled at his grandfather, who was stood to the side of him. "I'm not a kid, you don't need to stand over me."
Les continued to count the money in the bag. "Evidently I do." He sighed, passed it over. "This is not the amount of money you would expect from a full day's work."
"It's..." Paul looked over his grandfather's shoulder; Zee was laughing at his misfortune.
"It's what, Paul?" He said. "Don't lie to me, just tell me the truth."
Paul looked down at the ground; his Grandfather could be really judgemental when he wanted to be. "I may have taken the morning off."
Les sighed. "Oh Paul, you do understand that in business, you can't just shape your day to suit yourself?" He continued. "Imagine if I was to do that. Nothing would ever get done."
"The difference being you've got lots of staff." Paul argued back. "It's just me and Nan, here. It's hard."
Les crossed his arms. "Then maybe we need to have a chat about you taking over the business." He said. "Because if you can't hack working on a flower stall, I don't imagine how you'd fare as an undertaker."
Paul turned away from him. "Just leave me alone." He said. "If I'm not good enough, then maybe it's for the best."
Suddenly guilty, Les reached out. "No, I wasn't fair, just ignore me."
"How can I ignore that?"
"Keep your voice down." Les warned.
Paul sighed, allowing his shoulders to slump. "I'm sorry, it's just been one of those days."
"Anything you want to talk about?"
"No." He looked down at his shoes. "It's stupid. Just forget I even said anything."
"You know I can't do that, Paul." His eyes were filled with concern. "Not having second thoughts, are you?"
He merely shook his head.
"You're not a stroppy teenager Paul, this whole silent treatment isn't going to get you far." He placed his hand under Paul's chin, lifted it to make eye contact. "Whatever it is, I can help, but I can only help if you tell me what it is."
Paul shuffled in closer to his Granddad, lowered his voice to a whisper. "Louise was here earlier" He said. "She started talking about Ben's... past."
Les slowly nodded, understanding. "Ah yes." He mumbled. "The young woman I assume? That was a terrible thing, that was."
Irritation was clear in his voice. "Is that all you can say? I was hoping for a bit more than that."
Les raised an eyebrow. "Well, the way I see it is, there's going to be things in life you find out about people you love."
"It's not as if I've just found out, I've always known, Grandad."
Les thought back to earlier, Jenny's words echoing back in his mind. "And there'll be some you like, some you don't like and things you absolutely hate."
Paul nodded, encouraging him to continue
He placed a hand on Paul's shoulder. "But at the end of the day, we love these people and I always encourage you to remember that; don't lose sight of it when you make some kind of unwelcome discovery, because more often than not, there will be a way back." Les hoped he could convince himself of as well as Paul.
"I know... It's just that."
"Are you telling me that you've stopped loving Ben?" He asked. "You knew about it before, so do you mean to tell me that one conversation with his sister is enough to change how you feel?"
"Absolutely, not! " He replied, outraged.
"You keep that in mind then." He smiled. "Because I'm warning you now, Coker and Sons has been serving the community for 100 years and it would break my heart if it was to fail because you and Ben took it on knowing that your heart wasn't in it."
"I can promise you that, Grandad; we won't let you down."
"You never could, son." He pointed to Paul's pocket. "You've been sitting on this all day. What I suggest you do now is get out your phone and talk to Ben. Once you see him again, you'll feel much better."
Doing as he said, Paul produced his phone. "What do I even say? I don't want him knowing that I've been thinking about this."
"Then don't tell him." Les advised. "What ever happened to doing things just because? I text your Nan at least three times a day, just to tell her how my day is going. It reminds her that even though I may be busy, there is still time in my day for her."
For the first time that afternoon, a genuine smile graced his lips. "Well, I did have an interesting morning; he may be interested to know about that." He unlocked his phone. "Maybe even a little bit jealous."
"Care to share with your granddad?"
Paul shook his head. "No... because that would be weird." He cringed. "Trust me, there are just some things that aren't meant to be shared with your grandparents."
"Say no more." He produced his wallet, pulled out a handful of £20 notes and stuffed them into Paul's money bag. "We don't need to tell your Nan about your morning off."
Paul nervously chewed his bottom lip. "She'll never buy it; the amount of stock doesn't match the supposed takings."
Les reached under the stall and produced a bin liner. "Well, that's easily solved." He picked up an armful or flowers and stuffed them in the bag. "There, what a brilliant day you've had. I'll just dispose of this in the nearest skip and we'll say no more about it."
Paul placed a hand over his mouth, supressed a laugh. "Granddad, you can't do that."
"Looks like I already I have." He winked. "I'll keep quiet about your skiving if you keep quiet about my flower disposal."
"Deal." He agreed. "This heart attack has made you a bit rebellious."
He shook his head. "I'm only doing this once, Paul." He warned. "Don't go getting ideas; when I'm in Worthing, they'll be no one around to get you out it." Not waiting for a reply, he moved away, walked across the market and tossed the bag.
oOo
"Oi, Shrimpy." Zee shouted over to where his friend was stood. "How many Jagerbombs do you think Paul will be able to sink tonight?"
Paul looked over, but continued to pack up the stock. "I never said I could definitely come."
Shrimpy did his best chicken impression. "Ah, I see what this is." He smirked. "You see, me and Zee have quite the reputation for our champion drinking skills…"
"And you're worried that you won't be able to keep up." Zee continued.
"But that's okay." Shrimpy said. "We understand that you as a mere mortal don't have a hope of ever coming close to our level…"
"So we shall go easy on you." Zee finished.
Paul rolled his eyes, amused. "It's like watching an episode of the Chuckle Brothers." Knocking over a bucket of water, he cursed, moved his foot away from the puddle. "Seriously guys, can we just pack up now?"
Shrimpy reached up, began placing clothes into a cardboard box. "The pressure's getting to him." He winked in Zee's direction. "Maybe we should keep him on Lemonade all night? We don't wanna be carrying him to A and E."
Before anything more could be said, Ben suddenly came into view; walking past Shrimpy and making a B- line for Paul.
Despite the thoughts that had consumed him earlier, the familiar feeling of happiness that he always got, flooded over him. "Oh, hey." Paul gave him his best smile. "How'd it go with your Dad?"
His question went answered, as Ben raised his hands to his face and pulled him to a kiss.
For a moment he was stunned, but soon he relaxed rubbing his hands up and down his back.
It was amazing: passionate, loving and exciting.
Of course, Shrimpy and Zee couldn't resist wolf whistling and shouting oi, oi, however, Paul chose to ignore it. After all, it wasn't as if people were queuing up to kiss them like that.
Taking a step back, the pair took a moment to catch their breath.
Paul was the first to speak. "Wow, is that because of what I said in my text?" If the reaction off Ben was this good, Paul would have consider letting Belinda give him a good rub down more often. "I bet she'd be able to do us both next time."
If Ben thought this was strange, he decided not to question it. "I've not even read that yet. I just wanted you to know that I love you." He reached out placed a hand on Paul's chest. "I couldn't be more thrilled that we're doing this together."
Speechless, Paul placed Ben's hand against his cheek.
With that Ben, started to lead him away. "C'mon, telling my Dad can wait, we've got somewhere we need to be."
Doing as told, Paul turned back, made eye contact with Zee. "Zee, could you pack up the rest of the stuff?"
"Thanks, Zee." Ben called out, wrapped an arm around Paul's shoulder and quickly ushered him away before Zee could protest.
"I honestly can't believe that just happened." Paul couldn't hide his grin and neither did he want to.
"Trust me, it about to get a lot better." Ben winked. "I've been working nonstop on this since lunch time."
"What is it?"
Ben shook his head. "You've got to see it yourself." Removing his arm from around Paul's shoulders, he took hold of his hand and guided him to where they were headed.
