Rentboy

Now he had to
    end the relationship with Eddie, and soon. It couldn’t go on any longer. Fox was really fond of Nik,
    but he knew she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. They took three studio classes together, and Nik spent
    the whole time feeding him gossip about other students. Every second sentence was, “I know I
    shouldn’t repeat this but” or “She told me not to say anything but.”
    “What’s going on? Are they the twins? I thought you said they were five years old or something.”
    That was right; he had. “No, they’re thirteen.” He drew her down the paved path between the
    flower beds. Clumps of bright pink peonies and red gladiolas drew the attention of the twins, who
    stopped to admire them.
    “Are you Edward’s bf?”
    “Yeah.” How was he going to put this? Nik absolutely could not tell Eddie where she knew him
    from. “I need you to do me a favor. Don’t let him know we know each other.”
    A frown creased her forehead. “Why?”
    “Because I’m going to end it, and it would be best if he didn’t know how to contact me. Sorry if
    that’s mean, but…” He shrugged.
    “Why are you going to end it? He never mentioned a name, but I knew he was really into
    someone. I had no idea it was you.”
    “He’s not really my type, Nik.”
    “Oh.” She looked a bit disappointed. “Eddie’s a real egghead, but he’s a great brother. He’s
    always been good to me.”
    This was horrible. He was betraying Eddie and making himself look like a right prick. And
    maybe he was. “I know that, and he’s a lovely bloke, but he’s thirty, for God’s sake. That’s really old.
    I’m only nineteen, and I’m not ready to get into anything heavy.” He forced a little laugh, feeling like a
    bigger piece of shit than ever. “Too many blokes, not enough time and all that.”
    Looking like a sulky child, Nik placed both hands on her hips. “Why did you come for his
    birthday if you’re going to finish with him? That’s just leading him on.”
    “He asked me to, and I didn’t want to upset him. I really do like him.” He wondered if she could
    detect his anxiety. “Just let me get through tonight. We’re leaving tomorrow, and that’ll be it. Give
    him a nice birthday, and then he can move on to someone better.”
    “Better? There’s nothing wrong with you, Fox. You’re lush. At least I always thought you were.”
    The disappointment in her face compounded the guilt he already felt. She was right. He was leading
    Eddie on, and it was all going to come crashing down.
    “Sorry. I don’t want to hurt him.”
    “It might be too late for that.”
    Another side of Nik that Fox had never seen was coming out in defense of her brother. The
    usually self-involved gossip with the cockney accent was an unselfish sister who cared deeply about
    her brother. And her accent was sliding further back with every syllable.
    “How’s your arm?” she asked.
    Had Nik figured out that he cut himself just like Eddie had? He hadn’t been fooled by the knife-
    slipping story, and perhaps she wasn’t either.
    “It’s fine.” An image of William Baillie with a kitchen knife stuck in his chest popped out of left
    field, filling his brain. It’s all your fucking fault, you pig. Your fault I met Eddie and had to lie to
    him and steal from him. Your fault I’m going to hurt him. I can’t wait for you to be dead. “Nik, I
    just can’t do it right now. I can’t have a relationship. And to be honest, he doesn’t know I’m in art
    school. I told him I was a bit of a layabout, just to put him off, you know?”
    “Didn’t work, did it?”
    “No. He just accepts me for who I am.”
    “That’s my bro.” She smiled. “Never judges anyone. But he values honesty.”
    Fox groaned inwardly.
    “He just doesn’t get why people aren’t straightforward like him.”
    “Right, I’ll keep that in mind. He’s a great dude. He’ll find someone else.”
    Nik shrugged, but it was obvious she was unhappy about it. “Okay, I’ll go along with this for the
    weekend. But let him down gently. I love him.”
    So do I.
    “I can see that. And I will, next week. Just don’t tell him you know me. I think it will make it
    harder if you do. Leave it to me. I’ll take care of it.”
    The four of them walked back inside and into the living room where Eddie and Nik’s
    grandparents stopped speaking at the sight of them. They would be used to Nik, but a geezer in a kilt
    with black eye makeup would catch their