Free Rentboy by Fyn Alexander Page A

dreamily distant.
    “I’m sorry about your family,” Edward said. It made him terribly grateful for his, even if his sister was annoying, his mother was terrified in case anyone thought they weren’t perfect, and his father had never known how to show real affection.
    “It’s okay. Don’t fret it.” Fox got up and sat sideways on Edward’s lap, making him laugh suddenly. “What’s so funny?”
    “No one’s ever sat on my knee before. Except Nicoletta. She’s quite a bit younger than me.”
    Fox scrunched his face into a frown. “You had a girlfriend?”
    “No. My sister. What are the twins called?”
    “Alder and Arden. They’re nearly fourteen.”
    “It’s my birthday on Saturday,” Edward said.
    “No shit! I’ll have to give you a birthday present, then. What do you fancy?”
    The cheeky look on the young man’s face told Edward exactly what kind of present he was offering. He had his computer back, and Fox was sitting in his lap. What more did he need? “I’ll let you decide.”
    “Right, then.” Fox rubbed his palms together. “Let’s go out and get some grub. My belly thinks my throat’s been slashed.” He got up to pull up his jeans while Edward looked at the damp secretions on his thighs.
    “I’ll just go to the bathroom and clean myself up.”
     
    FOX WALKED WITH Eddie to Aida’s Falafel House on the Tottenham Court Road. The place was always busy, especially in the summer. Inside the hot restaurant the smell of spices mixed with the scent of fresh fruit juices.
    “Let’s not stay here to eat. It’s too warm inside,” Fox said. But it wasn’t the heat that bothered him. Too many of his classmates went there. If he was approached by other students from Wimbledon College in the University of the Arts London, Eddie would know he was a liar as well as a thief.
    “Whatever you want.” Eddie smiled down at him. His agreeable tone together with his gentle eyes made Fox’s heart lurch knowing how he had used him. With their falafels and mango juice in hand they wandered out again onto the busy street.
    It was time he knocked this relationship on the head. Stopping on the street, his falafel stuffed in his mouth, ready to take a bite, he stared at Eddie. Relationship? It wasn’t a fucking relationship! It was a business transaction that had got out of hand.
    “It’s excellent,” Eddie said, seeming to think Fox was interested in his opinion of the food. “I might even become a vegan myself. Not till after the weekend, though, because Mum always makes a big roast of some sort when we’re all home. She complains she has no one to cook for the rest of the time, except Dad, and he’ll eat anything.”
    “Yeah, they’re the best falafels in London.” What the hell was he thinking? He shouldn’t be seeing Eddie anymore. Whatever relationship they had was based on a lie and on prostitution. The briefcase full of cash kept popping into his head, forcing him to question again what Eddie knew that was worth so much.
    The evening was very humid, and it was dark by the time they walked past Bedford Square on the way back to Bloomsbury. “Eddie, what do you do for a living?” Fox finished his juice, and they found a bin to dump their rubbish.
    “I’m a scientist. I teach and do research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.”
    “Wow.” Fox was really impressed. “What do you research?”
    Looking very animated as he talked about his work, Eddie said, “I’ve developed a pesticide for tropical climates. In many African countries the people have a hard time growing crops because of insect infestations. Irrigation is also still a problem in many places, but with the help of a number of nongovernmental organizations that situation has improved. But crops can still be ruined by locusts and stem borers. The goal is to kill off the insects while not harming the crops or the local population.”
    “That must make you feel really good. Like you’re doing something