Dolphin-san: Hey there everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but I had my prelims going on last week so all of my energy went into trying to pass them. But here's a wee chapter for you while I get busy writing the next one.

Oh and to harukatenohu I'm sorry but Kai won't show up again for another few chapters still. But don' fear! He definitely comes back into it. He has to.

Chapter 15

Not keen to be arrested for loitering, Judy Mizuhara had spent the last two and a half hours pacing the length of Milligan Road, planning in detail what she would say to her abysmal son-in-law when she finally got her hands on him.

She was at the far end of the street, three hundred yards from the house, when she spotted a familiar car approaching from the pillar-box end.

Oh yes, that was definitely his white Rover pulling up under the streetlamp outside number forty-two.

Pulling her navy mac more tightly around her waist, Judy marched purposely towards the car.

'Two seconds,' Hiro assured Ray as he climbed out. 'I know exactly where it is.'

'Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere.' Waving him off, Ray turned up the volume on the stereo as U2 launched into 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'. This was blissful, they even shared the same taste in music. Imagine how horrible it would be, meeting someone as perfect as Hiro, the two of you getting on like a house on fire, and then discovering that while you were a U2 boy, he was a . . . well, a Des O'Connor man.

With his eyes closed and the music blasting out, Ray neither saw nor heard the middle-aged woman in the tightly belted mac hiss the word 'Whore!' at him through the car's closed window before storming up the front path.

In the kitchen, Hiro stared in disbelief at the scrawled note Adrian had left propped against a dirty coffee cup.

Warning! Your mother-in-law was here looking for you and she's coming back later. If you want to hang on to your ging-gangs, hide the bread-knife!

Cheers, Ade.

PS If you murder her and need to dispose of the body, use the black bin liners under the sink.

It was alright for Adrian to joke about it, Hiro thought, she wasn't his mother-in-law. Then he went hot and cold; if they hadn't been late for the restaurant and Ray had come in with him, he would have seen the damning note.

Crushing the gas bill into a ball, he threw it into the bin.

He liked Ray a lot, too much to want to blow it on their first date. He certainly wasn't about to tell him he was married, with a pregnant husband. Not that that was his fault, Hiro thought with renewed irritation, but some guys could be funny about things like that.

So much for tidying his bedroom earlier and changing the sheets. No way was he going to risk inviting Ray back later for a nightcap.

The sudden shrill of the doorbell made him jump. Jesus, who was that?

Ray?

Or the mother-in-law from hell?

Feeling sick, Hiro realised that either way, he couldn't not answer it.

Praying it was Ray, he pulled open the front door.

His head jerked back as Judy Mizuhara slapped him hard across the face.

'So that's why you left, is it?' Furiously, she indicated the car behind her with Ray inside. 'That's why you abandoned my son? Well, let me tell you, I won't stand for it! You're going to face up to your responsibilities, my lad. Max needs his husband, that baby needs a father and you have a duty to –'

'Judy, not now.'

Hiro froze as over his mother-in-law's shoulder he saw Ray, in the passenger seat, observing the goings-on. This was a nightmare. He had to get out of here fast.

'Oh no you don't,' Judy Mizuhara yelled as he slammed the front door shut behind him and tried to move past her. 'I came here to talk to you!'

'I don't need this.' Gritting his teeth, he forcibly removed her clawing hand from his arm. 'I do not need this.'

In the car, Ray stared open-mouthed at the bizarre scene. Until a few seconds ago he had been oblivious to everything, drumming his heels and singing along with Bono. Only when the last stirring chords of the song had faded away had he opened his eyes and seen Hiro remonstrating with a middle-aged woman on his door step.

Now he watched Hiro push past her and head back to the car. As he yanked open the driver's door, Ray heard the woman – hot on Hiro's heels – shout furiously, 'You're not going to get away with this!'

'My God, what's going on?' squealed Ray.

'Just ignore her.'

'You won't ignore me! I'll make you sorry you ever –'

As the engine roared into life, Hiro managed to wrench the door shut. The woman, her hands still scrabbling at the handle, leapt away as he stuck his foot down and screeched of down the road.

'Sorry about that.'

'Hiro, who was she?' Ray swivelled round in his seat, peering back at the woman on the pavement. Then he turned and stared at Hiro. 'What the hell was that about?'

Hiro shook his head and braked as they took the corner.

'Client with a grudge. It happens, I'm afraid. She and her husband took out massive life insurance. Then he killed himself. The policy didn't cover suicide but she won't accept that.' Hiro breathed out slowly. They were safe now; his hands had stopped shaking. 'Poor woman. I think she's lost her mind. I've told her a hundred times the insurance isn't valid and that the company aren't going to pay out. But it just doesn't sink in. She thinks I'm cheating her out of three hundred grand.'

'You're kidding!' Ray's eyes were like saucers. 'That's terrible.'

Hiro nodded.

'She's been harassing me at the office. Now, clearly, she's found out where I live. I mean, I feel sorry for her, but what can I do?'

'Tell the police for a start.' Urgently, Ray clutched his arm. 'She could be dangerous!'

'We've already spoken to the police. It's not worth it. They can't arrest her until she actually does something illegal. But they're aware of the situation,' he added. 'If my windows get smashed or the house burns to the ground, they'll have a good idea who to blame.'

'If your house burns to the ground?' Ray echoed the words, aghast.

'Don't worry,' Hiro smiled at him, 'I'm fully insured.'

Was that meant to be reassuring? Ray wasn't the least bit reassured. It was, he thought indignantly, an outrageous state of affairs.

'But what about breach of the peace, can't they get her for that? Or . . . or, those stalking laws,' he exclaimed. 'I mean, that's what this madwoman's doing, isn't it? Stalking you?'

Any minute now, Hiro sensed, Ray was liable to make a dash for the nearest phone box and start dialling 999.

'She's an old lady,' he told Ray, 'who's just lost her husband. She's out of her mind with grief. Would a spell in Holloway really do any good? And besides,' he went on gently, 'imagine how I'd feel, knowing I helped to put her there. I wouldn't be able to live with myself.'

'Stop the car,' said Ray.

'What?'

'I said, stop the car.'

'Why?'

Nervously, Hiro looked around for a phone box. He couldn't see one, but dare he risk it?

'Because you are the nicest, kindest, most generous man I have ever met.' His voice catching with emotion, Ray reached for Hiro. 'And I'm sorry, but I just have to give you a massive, massive kiss.'

'Okay moment-of-truth time,' Hiro murmured several highly satisfactory minutes later. 'You may be about to change your mind about me.'

Ray, wondering if he'd ever been happier in his life, kissed his earlobe before snuggling his head further into the curve of Hiro's shoulder.

'Why?'

'I have a confession to make.'

'About what?'

'The bit about me being generous.'

'Why?'

'My credit card. I forgot to pick it up.'

'Oh. Well, I've got eight pounds in my wallet.'

'I've got about eight pounds fifty.' Hiro's smile was rueful.

Ray turned his watch towards him and peered at the hands in the dim amber glow of the over head streetlight.

'We've missed our table now anyway. That's alright.'

'Why is it alright?' said Hiro.

Between kisses, Ray whispered, 'Because sometimes I actually prefer pizza.'

Dolphin-san: Oh my God. Hiro's such a bastard isn't he? All that slick talk to get out of telling Ray the truth, but of course Ray fell for it, he's such a hopeless romantic.