"Levi? Why do you look so sad? You know I can see it from a mile away." Levi's mother, Penny, looks at her son in concern. She squeezes his cheek adoringly; she dotes on her handsome young man more than she can even comprehend. "Talk to mummy."

"Mum, I'm twenty-four years old. I stopped calling you 'mummy' about a decade and a half ago," Levi acknowledges, forcing a laugh to show his words mean no ill intent. "I guess I'm just in a tough position."

"Why?" She joins him on the sofa in the house, placing a motherly arm around him. "You know you can tell me anything you want to, and I'll never judge you my darling."

The man sighs, feeling it is finally time to divulge the secret he has kept; he has never felt a need to come out to anybody — however, with the way he feels at present, he knows needs must. "Well, you see ... I've kind of been meeting up with someone. They've been coming to Goring to see me. A-And they're a great friend to me, mum. Really great."

"Do you like her?" Penny raises an eyebrow, a smirk spreading across her face; she's waited for the day her son finally finds love — now, he's displaying the classic signs of the early stages of a crush. "Tell me all about her."

"Well, that's the tricky part," Levi goes on to explain, shaking his head sadly. "They're kind of in a relationship already. But it's not ... it's not a genuine relationship. The love is very one-sided. They want to leave, but they're too scared of hurting their partner."

"Ah." His mother hesitates a minute, trying to think up a solution herself unsuccessfully. "Well, you haven't let her cheat have you?"

"There's no knowledge I even like them yet," he elaborates. "I haven't said anything. I don't want to interfere with the relationship and cause any tension. You know what I'm saying?" He furrows his brows, feeling well and truly stuck as to what he can possibly do.

"I do," she frowns. "Well, maybe you could start by telling her how you feel. Then you can go from there. If she really likes you back, she'll leave her current partner and find her way to you."

"Okay — I can't keep this up anymore." Levi holds up his arms in surrender, deeming it appropriate to let her in on his secret. "Mum, this person I like ... this person who I keep seeing. The reason it's all so difficult, is because he's in a relationship with another woman, when he's gay."

"He?" Penny looks a little startled by the revelation. "You mean, you—?"

"Please don't love me any less, mum." Levi's admittedly a little worried that this could ruin their bond, but he knows in his heart that he must be the man he was born to be. "But yes, I'm gay. And I've fallen for a man who's in a sham relationship with a woman he has no feelings for."

This information overload is enough to overwhelm his mother, but not in a negative sense — more, a curious one. "So how long have you known you're gay?"

"A few years maybe," he answers, taking his bottom lip into his mouth momentarily. "Why do you think I've been so obsessed with Michael Jackson all that time?"

"He—you fancied him?" She grins, at the idea of knowing about this apparent celebrity crush. "Wow, really?"

"Yes." Levi can sense that she is accepting of his sexuality, so he chuckles at her. "He's the reason I realised everything. So you have him to thank, for that."

"My lord," Penny gasps, clasping her hands together. "Well, you know now that you have to get your man?"

"Mum!" Levi squeals, feeling much like a teenage boy experiencing his first love. "It isn't as simple as that. I can't just force him to like me — let alone, force him to have a relationship with me and leave his girlfriend."

"Well — you need to show him you're worth the turmoil of coming out to his current girlfriend then, don't you?" She gives him a motivational smile, holding onto his shoulders like a sports coach. "You need to show him what he could be having. Make him fall in love with you, baby."

"I mean, I don't want to force anything," he assures her. "But do you think I'm capable of doing that?"

"You're a Jones. You're capable of anything my darling." She pulls him in to kiss his cheek, before withdrawing to look at his gorgeous features. "My boy! What a man you're becoming. You know, I'm so proud of you each and every day. Your father would be, too."

Even as a man in his mid-twenties, he can't help but blush at his mother's kind words. "Thanks, mum. You're amazing." He stops to think a moment, before clicking his finger. "I'm going to call him right now. If his girlfriend answers, I'll just pretend to be a cold caller or something. I'm going to get him to come to Goring again, so I can show him how I feel."

"Excellent idea," his mother praises, clapping her hands together in excitement.

•••

The phone rings, leaving a confused expression on George's face; he glances to Stephanie, who is sat beside him. "I guess I'll get that," he speaks uncertainly, pushing himself up from the sofa, to head to the hallway. Once he's there, he lifts the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"George?" Levi's voice greets cheerfully.

Hearing his voice while Steph is in the house causes him to feel a little antsy, but he tries to remain cool as not to seem suspicious. "H-Hello, Martin," he answers — deciding his technique for this call is to act as if he's on the phone to his boss from work. "How have you been? Only saw you at work earlier," he chuckles nervously.

"Bad time?" Levi suggests, picking up on George's anxiousness.

"Ah yeah, Steph is at home with me. She's doing fine thanks," George replies irrelevantly, to give Levi the indication he clearly needs.

"Ah man. Okay, well ... as your boss, I'm asking when your next day off work is," Levi snickers, embracing this new character he's found himself playing.

"My next day off? That should be ... Thursday, I believe," George informs him, feeling a little more comfortable now that his friend has taken on board the role play they're engaging in. "Why? Did you want me to come in and do some overtime?"

"That would be fantastic. Say, 10:00AM?" Levi can't help but laugh at the whole scenario he's gotten the pair into. "And finish around 4:45PM?"

"Of course. No problem here," George assures him; by now, the adrenaline of talking to him with Stephanie nearby is mixing aggressively with the fluttering of his heart at who he's conversing with. "I guess I'll see you Thursday if you're not in work before then."

"That you will," Levi agrees; he pauses a moment to think of anything else he may need to say. "I appreciate all the effort you're putting in lately. One day I'll have to repay you somehow."

"Oh, it's really nothing. A favour for a friend, as far as I'm concerned." This is George's subtle attempt at flirting with his crush harmlessly, but of course it is entirely innocent to Stephanie's oblivious ears. "Anyway ... I'll call you Wednesday night, just to ... confirm my shift pattern for Thursday, if that's okay with you?"

"Sounds perfect. I'll let you go, now. Enjoy your evening, won't you? Thank you, Georgios."

"Thank you. You too Martin. Buh-bye for now." Out of the ordinary, George is the first to hang up the phone; once he's placed it back on the receiver, he can't help but heave a sigh at what just occurred. Normally George is the one to call Levi due to Stephanie being around; it just seems typical to him that the solitary time Levi calls, it's when Steph is at home. He shakes his head, feeling a sense of excitement for Thursday; he heads back into the living room where his partner awaits.

"I heard," she intercepts, before he can even open his mouth to speak. "They're really taking advantage of your days off, you know. It's happening every week now. You barely get any time off anymore."

"I'm alright with it," he responds, taking a seat next to her. "If I hated my job, perhaps I wouldn't be saying yes quite so quickly. But Martin's a good guy. You're not mad that I'll be gone all day, are you?"

"Of course not." She shakes her head violently, as if it'll emphasise her point any further than a gentle shake will. "I'll be at work from 4:00PM anyway. You'll be leaving me alone all day; I'll be leaving you alone all night. We're even."

"Fair point." Feeling it's best to end the discussion there, he leans back against the cushions, trying silently to calm himself so he doesn't behave too strangely in front of her. "So, movie night?"

"Awesome." She grants herself permission to enter his embrace, leaning her head against his chest as he switches on the VHS cassette he inserted into the video player earlier.

•••

"He's coming on Thursday," Levi tells his mother — who has been sitting on the sofa eavesdropping on the conversation. "I'm going to do it, mum. I'm actually going to tell him."

She beams, happy to see her son so content. "It's so lovely seeing you like this." She pats the empty seat beside her on the sofa, inviting him to come and sit with her. He accepts, arriving next to her; he looks her in the eyes, awaiting a further interrogation — he knows her well enough to know that the discussion won't just end here. "So ... how do you know he's it?"

"How do I know I like George?" Levi reiterates, to gain a better understanding. "I've waited twenty-four years to feel an emotion for someone. For anyone. For a woman, or a man. I knew it would never happen with any female I met, because it's not who I was born to be." His eyes move downwards, as his hands come together to fidget. "I've never even felt the slightest bit of emotion for another guy, even though I knew I had the capability to. Aside from the dumb celebrity crush, of course. But any time I talk to George — any time I'm around him — it just feels different. I feel something. Something I can't explain, really." A newfound confidence allows him to look back up at his mother. "You know?"

"I guess," she answers honestly. "But why him? What makes him special?"

"I remember the little things," he speaks; just the thought of George brings an uncontrollable smile to his face. "The things you wouldn't normally remember about a person. I often make a conscious effort not to wear red or green, because he's partially colourblind to those. I remember the first time I called him; and I remember the subtle vulnerability in his voice as he spoke to me." His smile melts into a soft expression of adoration for the man he's talking about. "I remember that he always touches his chin or his nose when he's feeling uneasy, or nervous. I watched him the first time he came to Goring; and he took in the views, and I saw the look on his face — the total awe. The adrenaline of being around someone new. The uncertainty of what was going to happen. And yet, it felt comfortable for both of us. It felt right." He halts his speech briefly, to draw in a breath. "And the most important thing I remember, is the exact minute I realised how much he meant to me. The precise moment, even. When we went for lunch the first time we met, he was so indecisive about what to get. His shyness made him choose the same as me. And he spilt it over himself from the nerves. His face — the bashfulness, mixed with the frustration he felt with himself — it made me realise this guy isn't afraid of showing his feelings. He'd be an amazing lover, because he wouldn't try to hide his love for fear of being seen as 'uncool'. And I remember calming him down, and I wiped his jumper ... and I looked at him and I knew."

"Does he know you talk a lot when you're passionate?" Penny snickers softly, beginning to realise just how besotted Levi is with this mystery man. "I mean, I can tell you like this boy — you're talking about him as much as you talk about Michael Jackson."

Levi nods, knowing he cannot even attempt to disagree with her. "I think he knows about that. Perhaps, all I have to do is rant about him to his face. Then he'll know how I feel," he jokes mildly. "But how do I tell him? Do I take him out to see the river? He likes that. Or would he feel too shy about being in public? Oh, I don't even know."

"How about you do both?" his mother suggests. "Take him to look at the views by the river, and then bring him home to talk to him seriously. I'll make sure I'm upstairs, or not home, if you want to do this."

The realisation that he has a legitimate plan formed makes him feel a mix of excitement and panic. "Thank you. That sounds perfect. Where do they get angels like you, hey?" He grabs her face in his hands, tilting it downwards so he can kiss her forehead. "Love you, you genius."

Penny flicks a lock of his ebony hair over his face playfully. "I love you, my baby. I'm always going to support you whenever I can. You're all I care about."

With all the ideas for Thursday established, Levi feels as though his mind is a little more at rest. However, until then, he knows he has a tough job of holding in his intense feelings for his friend.

•••

Chapter twenty! Felt like it was time to give you some insight into Levi's life, too! Hope you're still enjoying the story. xx