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I took a biscuit and crunched it, probably a little too loudly, but it was better than the odd silence that had fallen between us. Carl’s look had unnerved me because I had an inkling he was feeling some regrets and I really didn’t want to talk about them. Discussing our past with that look on his face, was all too strange.
I wanted him to leave, but suddenly he seemed to have the largest and hottest cup of tea known to mankind, it was taking him so long to finish it. Then, when I heard the doorbell chime, I could have shouted for joy.
“Sorry, I’ll just get that.”
I hastily dropped down from my stool as Carl nodded and took another biscuit.
When I opened the door to see Dex standing there, I was even more overjoyed.
“Hiya,” I said brightly. “What are you doing here?”
“Wanted to see you,” he replied, leaning in to kiss my cheek. “Plus, I noticed the faucet…sorry, tap, in the bathroom was dripping, so thought I come and fix it for you.”
Dex held up a small tool box and grinned.
“Oh God, thank you. I’ve been meaning to fix it for ages, but I kind of got used to the drip, drip, drip.”
“Well for the price of a cup of coffee, I’ll make sure you don’t have to hear it any longer.”
He leaned in for another kiss, just as Carl decided to appear in the hallway.
“Oh hi, Dex.”
“Hey Carl, how ya’ll doin’?”
“Okay, thanks. I was just going up to the toilet.”
I stood to one side to let him past. “No problem.”
As he ran up the stairs, Dex gave me an enquiring look.
“He’s been to see Isaac,” I explained. “But he’s stayed for a cuppa. You fancy your coffee before you mend my tap?”
Dex’s eyes looked up the stairs and then back to me. “Yeah, sounds good.”
When Carl came back into the kitchen, he nodded at Dex’s tool box on the floor. “What’s that for?”
“The leaking tap,” I answered, pouring Dex’s coffee into a mug. “Dex is going to mend it for me.”
“You should have said, I’d have done it.” He sat back at the breakfast bar and reached for the pot of tea, refilling his cup.
“It’s fine, I don’t mind,” Dex replied, turning his lips into a half smile at Carl. “I noticed it this morning when I was takin’ my shower, so I thought, no time like the present to fix it.”
Carl swallowed and shifted on his stool before reaching for the milk and pouring some into his tea. As he did so, I passed Dex his coffee, and as I did, he took my free hand and lifted it to his mouth and kissed it.
“You tired darlin’?” he asked, still holding onto my hand.
“Hmm, a little, but I’ll be fine. Maybe get an early night tonight.”
Dex lifted his mug to his mouth and snorted out a little laugh and Carl cleared his throat. I helped myself to another Ginger Nut.
“I’d actually like to thank you, Dex,” Carl said after a few moments of silence. “Helping Isaac out like that.”
“Like I told him, no problem at all. I bet you’re real proud of him though, sticking up for that girl like that?”
Carl nodded and I could see in his eyes that he was being honest. “I am. We’ve brought them all up to know that abuse of any kind isn’t acceptable, haven’t we Katie?”
“Yes we have. I’m so proud of him. I just hope the girl sticks to her guns and presses charges.”
