"I promise I won't tell."
😶

Morton suddenly seems to come alive with the news. "So you're telling me that Raphael has done with you what he has done with me?"

"Yes, kind of." Oliver replies, feeling a bit guilty for saying so. He looks at Morton staring at him. 'I was also taken in by him. His way with words."

"Are you sure you're not just jealous because he has paid me attention?" Morton retorts, not quite ready to give up the notion that Raphael was wanting more from him than a quick lay.

"Look, I'm trying to do the right thing here!" Oliver bites back. "He played with me and now he's playing with you....and yes I was a bit jealous at first, because I thought he actually liked me and the next minute he was flirting with you.  I said nothing because I was hurt. I tried not to care, but it seems I do, not about him, but about you, because I'm here telling you, evidently a little too late, that you should stay away from him."

Morton looks down into the cup of his black coffee. "I feel stupid." He mutters under his breath. "I kind of knew it was a little too good to be true. I know we had sex, I can't remember much else, I was drinking."

"Morton. You did use protection right?" Oliver asks a little cautiously.

"Yeah, I guess he's at lease a careful player. Did you?" Morton returns the question.

"We never went that far." Oliver replies. "He tried but I said no."

"God! I'm such an idiot." Morton huffs out, looking up towards the sky. "Why did I even invite him over? What did I expect?"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up." Oliver now moves a little closer to Morton. "What matters is what we do next."

"We?" Morton now looks at Oliver confused.

"Yes we. He mustn't see that we actually cared. We must stay strong.  He's the type of guy who likes to leave tears in his wake. He won't like it if it looks like we don't care, that will get to him more""

Morton suddenly felt very ashamed. "I actually think I'm gonna be sick now." He mumbles as he leans forwards.

"Mind your shoes!" Oliver panics as he pats Morton's back as a matter of duty more than anything else.

***

Clark felt an unusual feeling when he eventually opened his shop that Sunday morning. Usually he would be deliberating as to what to put into his window display, but today all he could think about was his breakfast in bed, he had enjoyed with Roshan, followed by what could only be described as a mind blowing make out session as a means to say thankyou. He found himself smiling as he turned the sign from closed to open.

He hadn't even pulled back the latch, when he found someone wanting to enter. "Hey, Tully. What's the emergency?"

"I need your help." Tully replies.

"You want my sonnet book after all?" Clark questions with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I told you I can't read that oldy woldy shit, I just need you." Tully now looks at Clark hopefully.

"Excuse me, I'll have you know, William Shakespeare is one of the most..."

"Yeah he is great. I saw that Leonardo DiCaprio film at school, but they are his words. They're not mine."

Clark sighs at the diss of one of his literary heros. "So if you don't want a book, what do you want my help with?"

"Today is the day. The day I will ask Ben to move in with me." Tully says with underline excitement. "I need you and your literal knowledge to help me write a love poem. I had no luck finding anything right."

"Oh, right." Clark says, a little surprised by the request. "Well do you know what you want to say?"

"Well, I thought, Roses are red, Violets are blue, I really want to move in with you."

"No."

"No? I thought it was to the point, but a bit romantic." Tully says, a bit disheartened.

"Where's your heart?" Clark questions.

"In my chest." Tully replies confused as he pats the said area.

"No, what I mean,  where is your heart in that poem, where are the words in that poem that come from the heart? Your heart."

"Oh!" Tully now furrows his brow. There's no heart."

"Exactly." Clark smiles. "All you need to do is find those words. Try to tell Ben exactly how you feel. Speak from your heart....easy."

"Easy?" Tully questions. "So, what would you say if it were you?"

"Well, I don't know Ben, so it's hard to say." Clark chuckles.

"Ok, well what would you say to chef?" Tully asks.

"Roshan?" Clark suddenly feels a little hot under the collar.

"Yes Roshan." Tully smiles. "You know I know there is something there."

Clark momentarily looks at Tully, wondering if he should continue. But even he had to admit to himself that things between him and the chef were way past a little flirtation now. "Well this is purely as an example you understand. This doesn't leave this shop." Clark says, finding that he has to rest his weight on the counter.

"Of course." Tully says, trying to look all serious.

"Well I guess I would say something like....

"A moment.
We met in a moment in time.
Intentions so different, Destinations adrift,
Yet we collided, shattering into a thousand pieces.
But piece by piece, a new us is created.
Binding us together in love.
Because I'm so deep in love with you..."

"Whoa hang on, what did you say?" Tully says with surprise, holding out his hands. "Did you just say you love chef?"

Clark's eyes widen at the realisation of what he had just admitted out loud. "It's just words Tully, it's...just an example."

"Well it sounded pretty convincing to me." Tully laughs. "I promise I won't tell."

"Honestly, there's nothing to tell." Clark insists. But he knew that he was speaking from the heart when he said those words. Clark was falling in love with Roshan.