"So are you telling me he's spying on you?"
☆

Milo looks a little puzzled as to why Jude is so interested in his friend. "You wanna know about Hester?"

"Yeah, I mean, he's obviously a close friend to you and I can tell you care." Jude is genuinely interested, even if there may be an underline motive.

Milo doesn't answer straight away. Hester was a complex individual and there were some aspects of his friend's world which were private, some even to Milo and that was what worried him the most, but even he was finding that he needed to share his concerns with at least someone...

"Well..." Milo clears his throat..."I've known Hessy, that's what I call him, since we were 5. We've been close since then." Milo then tails off a little.

Jude can see the nostalgic look of warmth slowly disappear from Milo's gaze, only to be replaced by a more sad, or was it a concerning look. He didn't know whether to change the subject or just wait for Milo to continue.

Milo notices Jude looking at him with a worried look and forces a smile, not too convincing and it does then prompt Jude to speak.

"Look it's none of my business if you don't want to talk about it..."

Jude is kind of cut off from the sentence. "No...no it's fine, it's just..." Milo had to say it. He had to put his thoughts into words, no matter how crazy they sounded. "We drifted apart when we were 17 and I didn't see him for almost 8 years, then suddenly, around two months ago, he just showed up at my apartment. Just like that! He said he had nowhere to go, he couldn't go to his mother's and Yeah."

Milo takes a sip of his coffee before continuing. He begins to tap the edge of the coffee mug with his finger tips. He then looks at Jude, stilling his fingers. "Jude, I know that this is gonna sound out there but I think Hester is in some kind of trouble, but he won't say anything when I ask and I can't put my finger on it."

Jude leans forward a little, trying to match Milo's concern. "Trouble? What do you mean?"

"Well...he doesn't like being left alone for too long, like he's scared I guess, but once I'm back he's fine. He doesn't really go anywhere, but when he does, I never know where. I mean he doesn't have to tell me, but it's like a big secret. And then there's his job..."

"What is it?" Jude cannot lean forward any more than he already is, but he tries.

"He won't say, but he's in his room a lot, but this is the weird thing...he knew I was coming out with you today, but I didn't tell him!...I mean it's not a secret, but I'd not gotten round to saying anything, we'd only just finishing texting eachother."

Jude leans back in his chair. "So...are you telling me he's spying on you?" His voice comes over as a half laugh, it's unintentional, but this just didn't sound believable.

Milo now joins in with the smile. "Yeah...I know!" He shakes his head in order to rid the ridiculous ideas he was coming up with. Just saying it out loud made it seem so unbelievable to his own ears.

"Well, whatever it is he's up to, I'm sure he'll tell you when he's ready. I mean, he came back into your life after being away, so that must count for something." Jude again takes another bite of his sandwich and Milo smiles, realising that he'd just spent the last 10 minutes or so talking about his flatmate and not about the guy sitting right in front of him.

"Anyway enough of Hessy." Milo smiles. "I want to know more about you."

"Me?" Jude says with slight surprises. "Well you already know I work at the local college. It's been nearly three months already."

Milo smiles, thinking about their short time so far as colleagues. "I remember seeing you on your first day. You were so keen to get going. Those leg warmers!"

Jude leans over, swiping the side of Milo's arm. "Shut up! You know...I came from an aerobics background."

"So I heard." Milo chuckles, taking the slap with good nature. "But seriously, baby pink leg warmers look good on you."

Jude again goes to swipe Milo, but this time he defends himself, putting his hands up. "Ok ok. No more leg warmer comments. I swear."

Jude retracts his hand, but not before giving Milo the playful evil eye. "Anyway...you already know I live with my flatmate Tashen and his dog, but he's getting serious with his boyfriend and I guess it's just a matter of time before they get a place of their own together." Jude suddenly looks into the distance, as if he is lost in some kind of thought.

"What are you thinking?" Milo asks, tilting his head slightly.

Jude is jolted back to reality, straightening himself up in his chair. He focuses back on Milo. "Oh just....nothing." he couldn't tell Milo how he wanted desperately to find what Tashen and Charlie had found, to love and be loved, to find the one!

Milo just smiles, not pressing the issue. He kind of guessed what was on Jude's mind, because he was thinking exactly the same.